A Bad Time for Change
by JC303
Summary: Everyone's happy now that Deity Novagod's dead for good...or are they? Just because Deity Novagod is gone doesn't mean that's the last anyone will see of Corruption, and a new evil comes to wreak havoc with a vengeance...
1. Prologue

**_PROLOGUE_**

* * *

><p>She had been walking forever it seemed like. Thankfully, she was in a place that she recognized …barely… It was so long ago that she was here…and she was so young, she couldn't possibly remember this…but she did somehow.<p>

"Mama…Daddy…"

The poor thing was tired, and hungry, and distraught beyond belief. She felt so lost, she didn't know what to do. She wasn't able to control all the bad things that have happened; all the damage that was done… all she could do was run away from all the bad things that she couldn't control…

…that she couldn't understand…

* * *

><p>In the forest further on, there was a certain village… the villagers were walking about their ordinary business with sad looks on their faces.<p>

The Elders, whom have so long protected their village…had all passed away…

…soon, the new elders to be the head of the village, and be sure to protect it from any outside forces…

…one of them, being in line, was the Captain of their Guard; Ray Condit.

He looked at the will of the elders with two others that were chosen to replace them; A male, muscular buck Mobian with large, proud antlers like Ray's large goat horns, and a female raccoon Mobian, still grieving over the later elders.

"…We all knew it was going to happen sooner or later," the buck assured the raccoon, patting her back.

Ray only ignored the two of them, reading the will. To be honest…he was still bothered by it too, but for different reasons. The three Elders had died so inexplicably, and all at the same time…

…not only that, but one of the elders; the all-seeing owl Elder…had passed a message to him only moments before the accident had occurred and taken their lives. It was only legends that spoke of times when the owl Elder could see visions of the future, and nobody in the village really believed it…

…all except Ray, who had seen these visions of his, realized with his own eyes more than once…

…and this vision he had told Ray foretold of some bad things…

"…_Greetings Elders," Ray greeted…and then he looked up to see only one seat occupied out of the three. "…em…where are the other Elders?"_

"_They are off on errands," the owl Elder spoke. "…it was I that called you to me, Ray."_

_Ray stood up from where he knelt. "Why is that?"_

_The owl Elder looked at him solemnly… and even… in sympathy. "…I've had another vision…and…I am saddened to say that it is the last vision I will ever have…"_

_Ray blinked, and then his eyes widened. "…really...? …are your powers leaving you, Elder?"_

"_Perhaps," the owl replied gruffly. "…I am a very old man after all…it would be time for them to depart."_

_Ray frowned a bit, but grew curious; "…but…if you had a vision, then why not gather the people to tell them about it?"_

"…_because this vision only concerns the ones in your bloodline, Ray…"_

_Ray's eyes widened. "…are you talking about my daughter?"_

"…_no…I am referring to your granddaughter…" the owl coughed a moment, and then he continued. "…and I sense very much hardship for your little granddaughter to come in the near future."_

"…_Joy… goes through hardship?" Ray felt very worried now… Jill going through her kind of hardship was unbearable to even think about… and now… Joy? "…Elder…what hardship…?"_

_The owl Elder grew more sympathetic for Ray. The old man remembered the day when he and the other two Elders had banished Ray's only daughter, Jillian, into the outside world. When she had come back years later, everyone was stunned… all of the villagers, including the Elders, were told a troubling tale by Ray, about his daughter and what she went through. The villagers, at first, were in disbelief… then appalled…_

…_the Elders had no idea that a child like her carried so much promise for the outside world like that._

_To know what Ray's daughter went through, only made it hard for the owl Elder to speak up._

_Ray may have started to become out of line by doing this, but he was very worried. He walked up to the Elder and took his shoulders. "Elder…what hardship?" he uttered._

"…_Your granddaughter…will be confronted by an evil that not even her mother could help her fight…" the owl muttered. "…and that evil will set off a chain reaction of events that will cause very much hardship not just for her, but for the many that surround her and care for her…"_

"_What EVIL?" Ray screamed, clutching the shoulders of the Elder to his frail pain. "What could POSSIBLY be more evil than Deity Novagod?"_

"…_my vision does not have many details Ray…" the owl muttered. "…so many things were blurry…I'm too old to be able to interpret my visions clearly anymore…now let me go; you're hurting me!"_

_Ray released the Elder, but he kicked the empty throne beside him. _

"_Getting angry will not solve anything, Ray," the owl told him calmly._

"_DON'T TALK TO ME!" screamed Ray, glaring murderously at the Elder while tears came out of his eyes. "…my daughter went through enough…and my granddaughter doesn't deserve to go through the same things as my daughter did!"_

"…_you still feel hurt for us banishing your daughter…don't you?" the owl supposed with a sigh._

"…_what do you think?" Ray uttered bitterly, spinning around to leave._

And that was the last Ray ever saw him before that accident happened all those months ago…a large tree in the woods fell, and all three Elders had been crushed underneath it. All through the ceremony to give them away to the afterlife… all he could think of was how conflicted he felt. No matter what they had done to him, for taking his daughter away from him…he served them…

…and now…it was all going to happen all over again…

"Elders!"

Ray jumped a bit, simply because the villagers had decided to refer to him, the buck and the raccoon as "Elders" …and he just couldn't get used to it. "…what is it?" Ray asked, turning to see the new Captain of the Guard that he had designated; a gorilla Mobian.

"Elder…" the gorilla looked over at Ray with wide, frantic eyes. "…Ray…it's…"

Ray tossed away the will and walked up to him. "Spit it out soldier."

"Sir, it's your granddaughter, Sir!" the gorilla uttered. "She's o-outside the g-gates…by herself!"

Rays eyes widened too…and a dark feeling in the pit of his stomach arose…

"…no…that can't be…"

* * *

><p>When Ray rushed out, the look on his granddaughter, Joy's face, almost made him freeze. The poor child was weary, dirty, hungry…upset… she looked a bit older than when he last saw her, and instead of a little dress, she was wearing a pair of pink overalls, torn at the bottoms with missing shoes. She had walked for miles…and her pair feet had blisters.<p>

"JOY!" Ray knelt to her and picked her up in his arms worriedly, hugging her close. She felt so weak, and fragile.

"Grandpa…" Joy uttered, clutching to Ray with a shudder, and more tears rolled down her face. "Grandpa…I couldn't stop it…"

"Shhh…" Ray hushed her, trying to comfort her. "Honey, don't talk…you need to rest…" thought he was still scared out of his mind to find his granddaughter here missing without her mother, he still had to try and remain calm. He shot up to his feet and he carried Joy through the village. The villagers grew alarmed at the commotion, since some of the Guard followed to escort Ray and Joy to his home…

They finally got there after much pushing and shoving people aside, and Ray entered inside his home alone with Joy in his arms. He set her gently on the couch, and then he rushed around to get her a warm blanket and some of the stew from his cauldron over the fire.

Joy shook, wrapping the blanket around her to try and warm up, and she winced at the pain she felt from her blistered feet. All the more, she was more focused on her tears, trying to hold them back.

"Joy, honey, everything's going to be okay…" Ray uttered, setting the stew on a nearby end table to cool down, while he sat down and held Joy in his arms. "…your Grandpa's here…and you're safe…"

"…I-I couldn't stop it…Grandpa…" Joy uttered, sniffling and still trying to hold back her crying. "…bad things started happening…I couldn't stop the bad things Grandpa…"

"Shhh…shhh…" Ray picked her up, blanket and all, and started rocking Joy back and forth to help her calm down. "…it's okay Joy…your Grandpa's here…"

Then Joy couldn't hold it back anymore, and she fell apart in her grandfather's arms. "I had to run away so Mama wouldn't get hurt!" she wept, and sobbed in his shoulder, holding to Ray.

Ray clenched his teeth, and he held Joy closely so she could let it all out…

…but all he could think of was…somehow…a curse must have been put over his family…his wife, Goddess, had been cursed…Jillian was cursed…

…and now…it all has to happen to Joy too. She has to take on the family curse that seems to follow them around…sparing Ray to only watch it happen…

He felt like he could cry too, but even if a few tears rolled down his face, he still tried to hold it back for Joy's sake. "It's okay Joy…" he uttered shakily. "…it's all going to be okay…"

* * *

><p>The grief was only worse for Jillian and Tasha…<p>

Tasha sat in Jill's cold, empty home, trembling and holding a blanket around herself to keep warm. Tears kept rolling down her face… and Jill was sitting next to her with a hand on her shoulder.

There was nothing the two of them could do about it. King and his troupe had all abandoned Safe Haven, now that they had become fugitives again… GUN had taken over the island, and even Jill's home was patrolled by GUN soldiers… she wouldn't be able to go anywhere without them knowing it…

…that…and she had another life to take care of…

Jill looked down at Tasha's stomach, which slightly protruded out. Inside her was another life growing… a life she couldn't afford to endanger by being reckless… Because of that life…she couldn't go look for Metal, or even for her own daughter, Joy, who was still nowhere to be found….she couldn't look for anyone she knew and cared about, because all of them were out there…

She couldn't do anything…

"…Tasha, would you like something to eat?" Jill offered.

Tasha just shook her head silently; ears dropped down.

"…Tasha, you have to stay nourished…" Jill said. "…you sure you're not hungry?"

Tasha nodded her head.

Jill frowned a bit, but she stood up and walked around the living room for a bit…

"…Jill…" Tasha spoke up, sounding worried. "…do you think…Twilight will be alright?"

"…I'm sure he's okay, Tasha," Jill assured her. "…he's a tough guy…"

Tasha touched her stomach insecurely. "…will… he be back in time…?"

Jill looked back at her.

"…when…I go into labor…?" Tasha asked. "…I…I'm afraid and…I don't want to have to go through it alone…"

"…even if he doesn't make it in time, you won't be alone, Tasha," Jill said in assurance again, coming over to set a hand on her shoulder. "…I know how to birth a child, so I can help you when it's time…"

"…I know…but…" Tasha looked away sorrowfully. "…it would…mean so much more if he was here…"

Jill sat back down, and to be honest, she really had no idea what to say… All she could do was sit there and try to think of what happened the past few months…what could have possibly lead up to all of this?

* * *

><p><em><strong>So, what do you guys think? Feel like reading another Future Generations installment or what? It's got a lot more going on, and you'll see many characters coming back for this one, as well as some more new ones!<strong>_


	2. Chapter 1

_**Future Generations – A Bad Time for Change…**_

* * *

><p><em>Many months previous…<em>

* * *

><p>A pretty bad storm hit the Mystic Ruins that day. The winds were strong, and the rain was heavy. Thankfully, Professor Miles Tails Prower wasn't alone on the storming day; the boys, Whisker, Snap, and little Kiri were keeping him company. The storm would make dangerous travel back to the Clubhouse, so they stayed in Tails' cozy little home on the top of the hill.<p>

The storm lasted for a very long time…

"…guys! GUYS!" Striker called out, pointing outside the window. "I see something!"

"….what is it?" Milo came over by the window. "…is that…a ship out there?"

"Looks really bad, doesn't it?" Striker murmured. "…and I think it's being washed up on shore!"

"...no kidding?" Seeing that, Jack hummed a bit. "...is there someone aboard it?"

_"Aye, that looks t' be th' case."_ Whisker nodded.

"...hrm..." Humming, Tails rubbed his chin a little. "...if there's someone aboard there, we should help whoever's aboard right away."

In the darkness of the storm, they watched that ship crash into a cliffside…but like they also said, a small figure washed up on the shores outside. They weakly crawled their way on shore…

"...that doesn't look good." Jack uttered. "...I'll go out and get whoever it is inside!" Quickly, he began rushing out the door.

"...oh, he never does seem to run out of energy..." Tails hummed with a bemused smile, before he glanced at the others. "Would you be kind enough to cook up some tea? I'm sure that our unexpected guest would appreciate a little."

"Sure," Milo said. "…wanna help out, Kiri?"

"...yeah." Kiri nodded.

_"Aye; we could get Snap to help out, too."_ Whisker reasoned.

Meanwhile, out in the storm, Jack was running against the blistering winds, whilst heading for the shore. "HEEY! ARE YOU OKAY?" he yelled to the one crawling up the shore.

The figure down on shore was cloaked, holding it close to them. When they slowly tried to stand up, they looked toward Jack.

"...OKAY, YOU'RE STILL AWAKE!" Jack called, as he hurried over to the figure. "JUST RELAX; I'LL GET YOU OUT OF THE STORM!" Saying that, he took the figure, and began carrying them up towards the house.

The figure walked with Jack, while looking back and forth between him and the house.

Eventually, the two of them got into the house, with Jack slamming the door behind him the moment he got in. "PHEW! MAN, IT SURE IS WINDY AND RAINY OUTSIDE TODAY!" he yelled.

"...Jack, you're not outside anymore!" Kiri called from further into the house. "Stop yelling!"

The one in the cloak simply chuckled at that…a chuckle that Jack suddenly recognized. Jack looked at the cloaked figure with widened eyes. "...hey..." he uttered in slight realization.

"…goodness Jack…you've grown so much…and yet you're just the same as I remember you…"

The one wearing the cloak reached up and removed the cloak to hang it on the nearby rack. She was a lioness, just slightly shorter than Jack, but not by much. Her mane was wrapped up in a ponytail behind her head, dressed in slacks and a green shirt. She looked up at Jack with bright, lively green eyes.

And hugged him. "Oh Jack! I've been searching for you! I'm so glad I finally found you!"

Jack was stunned for a few moments... and then he broke into a gigantic grin, and hugged the lioness right back. "It's you! It's really, honestly, truly you! This is awesome!"

The rest of them stared at this, with no heart to really break up this moment for them, but at the same time, very confused. When Milo and Kiri walked into the room with tea, they stopped too.

"…Jack, who is she?" Milo asked curiously.

Jack looked at them with that wide smile. "Guys! You're not gonna believe this!" As he said that, he let go of the lioness so the two of them could properly see her. "Milo, Kiri, meet Vanessa... my mom!"

Kiri blinked at that. "...your... mom?"

"…your mom!" Striker's eyes widened. "But-but she should be in the…Nameless Zone…" And he grew silent.

"…you must have set off by ship…and got lost in the storm just like we did," Milo uttered.

Vanessa looked at them. "…so you are from the Nameless Zone too?"

"...that they are." At that point, Tails walked out to see Vanessa as well, giving her a nod. "...pleased to meet you, Vanessa. I'm Miles Prower."

"He's the Professor, mom!" Jack said with a smile. "He's really awesome!"

"…Miles Prower…" Vanessa took his hand and shook it gently. "…I've heard stories of you…"

Tails simply smiled.

_"...aye, be that Jack's mother?"_ Whisker mused from back in the kitchen. _"We be needin' t' prepare some feast for this! Isn't that right, Snap?"_

"_Yeah, that sounds appropriate,"_ chuckled Snap.

Vanessa smiled and chuckled some more. "You are so kind…"

"Oh, think nothing of it." Tails chuckled.

"...mom, I'm wondering..." Jack eventually hummed, as he looked at Vanessa in wondering. "...how did you get caught up in a storm like that?"

"…I was just sailing on a nice day," Vanessa said. "That storm snuck up on me…and I got lost in the currents."

"Sounds like what happened to us," Milo said.

"…and you boys have been stuck here for almost seven or eight years!" She hugged Jack again. "I've missed my little boy so much!"

"...I've missed you too, mom!" Jack said with a smile, as he hugged her back.

Meanwhile, the others just looked at each other in wondering…

…especially when Vanessa let go of Jack and spoke to him. "You have to tell me what you've been doing all these years Jack!"

"...oh... there's a lot to cover!" Jack said, as he led Vanessa inside. "C'mon, mom; you must be freezing! We'll get you warmed up right away!"

"…uh, Jack…" Milo and Striker looked at each other; Milo speaking. But Jack had already gone off with Vanessa, and he rubbed the back of his head. "…um…is it a good idea to tell her that her evil brother was part of it…?" he murmured.

"…I'm sure once she gets through the initial shock, she can handle it," Striker murmured.

"...hopefully." Tails mused, as he rubbed his chin. "...there is a family resemblance, between her and Jack." he hummed.

"…but that's really strange…a storm that sent her here, just like us all those years ago…" Milo murmured. "…I wonder what it really is…"

"...who knows..." Tails mused.

"…boy, it's gonna be hectic to try and explain everything…" sighed Striker tiredly.

"Well, we do what we usually do…" and Milo took a picture frame from one of the dressers, looking at it. "…we start from the very beginning…" because it was the picture of them as little boys, with Brick, Jill, Tails, Shadow, Cream, little Ani, and Charmy.

"...ooh..." Kiri hummed. "...are we going to tell her everything that's been going on?"

"…the WHOLE thing…" Milo murmured. "…it'll make a good story to tell, that's for sure…"

"...certainly." Tails nodded. "It'll take more than one cup of tea, that's for sure..." he chuckled.

Jack and Vanessa came back with a blanket wrapped around herself, and when she sat down on the couch, Milo offered her two cups. "Tea, or hot chocolate?" Milo asked. "I wasn't sure which one."

Vanessa smiled. "Oh thank you; such a sweet boy!" and she snatched one of the cups. "Hot chocolate for me, please!"

"Ooooh, hot chocolate!" Jack uttered. "I want some, too!"

Tails chuckled. "Don't worry; there's more where that came from." he mused.

"Now…just get comfortable Vanessa…" Striker said, sitting back down. "…cause we have a really LONG story to tell you…"

"Oh?" Vanessa gave them all a curious look after she had a sip of her drink.

"...yeah; it's about what's been going on here for the past years." Jack nodded.

"Believe me; telling this will not be a brief moment of exposition." Tails mused, as he took a seat. "We could be here for a few hours, if we really get into it." he added, with a chuckle.

"…well then," Vanessa grinned. "It must be very exciting then!"

"Oh, you have _no_ idea, mom!" Jack laughed.

* * *

><p>Safe Haven was just as lively as it always was. Two years of soldiers passed by quickly, and even more quickly had the day come that they would all depart back to their homes away from the island. Some decided to remain on the island while the great many left, allowing that one month vacation to come for the island and its inhabitants once again.<p>

"Man, that was some storm a few nights ago, wasn't it?" Hunter and King were talking amongst themselves on a stroll through the town. Today it was cheerfully sunny on the island, but Hunter was just recalling that nasty storm they had.

"...you're telling me." King hummed. "I was afraid that it'd tear the docks apart; but thankfully, no real damage was done."

"Yeah, and even then, we have enough soldiers around the island to fix things up…" Hunter sighed. "…it's nice to have more and more of the soldiers staying here…Safe Haven's really grown since we started it, huh?"

"...it sure is." King nodded. "More of 'em are getting along fairly well; forming bonds of all sorts..." With a slight sigh, King shook his head. "...sometimes, I do wonder what Spiel would've thought of this."

"…I don't know…" Hunter murmured. "…but let's not think about that, huh?"

"...right." King nodded with a slight chuckle.

It was nice to relax…and after everything that happened, there was even LESS trouble on the island. After all, the main reasons for the trouble on the island were gone…

Raider had forgotten everything entirely, and now he's a totally different person. He even acts as security around the island, with all his equipment and knowledgeable data base in his computers. Since Sage sometimes was busy with things, she couldn't watch over the island all the time, so Raider made up for that.

Hex decided to leave the island for greener pastures, to rethink her life. No one heard from her since…

Kiri was with the boys now. She had no parents to go to, and with role models like them, she would change over time to be a better person, especially with Tails there as well.

Then there were Spiel and Krieg's tombs out by the harbor… now any new-coming soldiers could gaze on their tombstones and come to know who they were…they would never be forgotten, like they believed they would on their dying breaths.

…and Diablo, well…

…they were on their way to visit him right now.

They headed toward the facility that they used as a safe house. Now it was just the base of operations for the island which everyone began calling HQ. Ani disliked the fact they decided to meet there instead of the pub for secret meetings, but since Ani was old enough to be considered part of the staff, she didn't complain very much in the end. After all, the ones that really complained were the soldiers when King and his group took up the pub for their secret meetings.

Moving everything over here helped them get organized much more quickly. Hopefully for the years to come, Safe Haven will evolve into something even greater, just as King imagined.

Also, Raider no longer lived in the ruins in the woods. He was moved in this base, which would explain the GUN units that patrolled around the front doors. With Ani, Striker and Boomer working together, they got some of the GUN units that were uncovered on the island working and reprogrammed so that they could guard 24/7.

Also…Striker and Ani had decided to put AIs in them, and each with different personalities and codenames. They even repainted them to feel more like they belonged to Safe Haven.

RUSTY was a copper-colored hunter unit with an AI of a wise, but grumpy old man. He stood at the top of HQ like a statue, just staring all around the island silently as part of his patrol. He liked to be alone and not to be bothered by anyone, but he made a good guard; somehow able to see many more things much quicker than the others.

RACHET was the yellow beetle unit, with the AI of a clumsy girl. She still had a few malfunctions that Ani and Striker didn't quite cover, but the clumsiness added so much to her charm that they didn't want to change any of it. She flew around and surveyed the entire island; even checked on their neighbors in the jungle rebuilding after that large fire that happened at the beginning of the year. She wasn't around at the moment; probably flying around…

RUCKUS was a cyan-colored spark beetle unit, with the AI of a wild party-animal. He would usually fly around and pester RUSTY, when he wasn't off flying around the island for patrols. He was a fun-loving character, though even Ani and Striker admitted that he could stand to be bit quieter once in a while.

RECEPT was an emerald-colored mono beetle unit, with the AI of a stoic loner. Much like RUSTY, he stared off into the distance on his own, but he would always vary where he stood: be it by the docks, up on the mountain, or by the pub. He didn't speak a whole lot, but that was sort of his charm; especially since he was very easy to tease.

RUSTY saw King and Hunter heading their way toward HQ, and he pressed his communications. _"Raider, King and Hunter are here,_" he spoke. _"Unlock the doors._"

"_Rodger that._"

There was a loud click before they reached the doors, and Hunter opened the door up for King.

Giving him a nod, King entered.

"Thanks RUSTY," Hunter called, before he entered in as well, and when the door closed behind him, it clicked again to indicate it was locked.

"...nifty; that is." King hummed, as he kept walking.

"Yeah," Hunter agreed.

Eventually they reached the room that Raider sat at, and he spun around in his chair from all those computers. "He's doing alright today…but I'd watch it," he warned them while they walked to the particular door they were looking for. "Diablo's always unpredictable…"

"...we know." King nodded, as he stopped by that door.

Hunter slid a flap on the door aside, allowing the two of them to see into the room.

The room was padded up from floor to ceiling with a cushiony surface. He was sitting in the corner in the darkest part of the room, wrapped up in a strait-jacket and trembling. He also muttered incoherent whispers to himself.

"…we put food in there for him…but I don't think he ate it…" Raider murmured, looking at the video feed in his room.

"...hrm..." King sighed, as he folded his arms. "...well... shall we?"

"…yeah…" and Hunter opened the door for the two of them to enter.

That sad, frightened face slowly looked up at them. His wide and scared witless eyes shuddered while he looked at them…

…then with a scream, he tried running at them—only to be stopped short. There was a chain hooked to his neck, which kept him from getting too close to King and Hunter, and with his arms locked up in the strait-jacket, he wiggled as his only means of trying to struggle.

"…for the last time, Diablo, trying to get out won't happen until you start getting better," Hunter muttered, without flinching at the fact that Diablo lurched at them. "It's for your safety as well as everyone else's… plus, we're actually trying to help you…"

"…no…no…no help…no help is needed…" Diablo limped back into his little corner, slumping down. "…no…no…no no no…"

"We'd have Sage help you…but you're not even mentally stable enough to handle her…" Hunter kept trying to talk to him. "Hell; you're not even eating…"

"…no no no no no no no…"

Hunter sighed.

As did King. "...Diablo... we just wanna help ya out. Shutting yourself away from us isn't helping anyone."

"…he…he tried to be me…he tried to be my Master…he tried to use me…" Diablo rocked back and forth in a fetal position now. "…such hellish things…such terrible, nightmarish things…his hate, his intense hate—bloodthirsty need for revenge—I was weak…I was nothing but a bug…a bug squashed under his toes, stuck between his toes…smelly, smelly toes…large smelly stinky toes—"

"Diablo!" Hunter was getting a bit impatient with his rambling on.

"…I'd be better off dead…"

Hunter stopped a moment, looking at Diablo.

"…you think so, don't you? Why keep me alive? Why feed me? Why help me? I've done nothing to deserve it…" Diablo murmured. "…I've killed many soldiers on your island without you knowing…I'm a criminal…I even tried to hurt your dearest Jillian and Joy…no one in their rightful mind would allow me to live after such crimes…"

"…but that doesn't mean you have to starve yourself to death…" Hunter murmured.

"I'm not starving! I'm avoiding the poison you put in the food!" Diablo uttered with a scream. "Unlike you, I'm afraid of death! I'm keeping myself alive as long as possible! You all WANT me dead for what I did! What HE made me do!"

King narrowed his eyes. "...that's not true, Diablo." he uttered. "None of us would ever try to poison someone's food."

Diablo fell silent, looking away from them.

Hunter stepped closer toward him. "C'mon Diablo…work with us here…"

"...we want to help you get better, Diablo..." King uttered. "...but you have to trust us on this one."

"…no…no no no no no…" Diablo started tensing up.

"Look, Diablo, just calm down…" Hunter groaned.

He started to scream and struggle. "LET ME OUT! I DON'T BELONG HERE! AAAAAAGGH!" He threw his own head against the wall, but seeing as it was soft as a pillow, he couldn't get hurt.

King sighed as well. "...for crying out loud..."

"…I think it's time to give him a break…" Hunter murmured.

"...right." King nodded.

They left the room, closing the door behind them while Diablo still cried out and hit himself against the wall. Raider just watched over the monitor in speechlessness. Then he turned to the two of them. "…just what kind of thing could turn him that insane?"

"...a certain monster, that's who." King murmured.

"…he's probably gonna be like that for a while," Hunter said, walking away down the hall. "Make sure he doesn't give himself any more brain damage than he already has.

Raider nodded. "…right…"

"...and try to get him to eat _something_." King sighed.

"…I'll try…" Raider murmured.

Hunter and King left back outside…and almost got run over by a flying RACHET. _"Oops! Sorry Bosses!"_ the beetle uttered sheepishly.

"...no worries, RACHET." King said with a light chuckle.

RACHET giggled more in embarrassment, and flew on her way.

"…they're really something, aren't they?" Hunter asked.

"...that's for sure." King nodded. "Good thing that Striker and Ani decided to give them some personality."

"Yeah, no kidding…" Hunter chuckled.

* * *

><p>"C'mon Tails Doll!"<p>

Joy was running around the living room, giggling madly and racing around with her favorite doll. She was five years old now, having grown a little bit, talking a lot better, and she even understood things a little more now. For a five year old girl, she was very smart. Jill assumed that it was her early interaction with Sage since she was a baby that accelerated her mind just slightly farther than most children her age.

_"Alright, I'm coming!"_ Flying around her was that same old plush-toy; a little worn with age, but still as fit as ever.

Jill watched them play like this, giggling herself. It was entertaining to watch the two of them play together. Metal was with her as well; watching the two play with a smile.

Eventually, a knock came to the door.

Joy stopped, which caused Tails Doll to run right into her onto the floor. She laughed after that.

Humming, Metal walked towards the door. "I'll get it." he said, as he opened the door.

Then suddenly, Metal got tackled.

"HI METAL!" exclaimed Striker.

"OOF!" As he was tackled to the ground, Metal chuckled a bit. "...Striker. Nice to see you." he mused.

"BEARPILE!" And suddenly, Jack landed right on both Striker and Metal, keeping them down. "Man, you think of the best games, Striker!"

_"Oh, Jack, Striker! Hii!"_ Tails Doll chimed with a slight laugh.

"Oh dear," Milo laughed, walking in.

"Guys!" Joy laughed and ran to hug Milo.

Then there was more chuckling, which stole Jill's attention, and when she looked, she saw Vanessa walk into the room. "My goodness…" she giggled.

Humming, Metal looked at Vanessa with a curious look. "...who is this?"

"Oh, this?" Quickly, Jack got off the pile, and approached Vanessa. "Everyone... say hello to my mom!" he said with a wide grin.

"Oh wow! Your mother?" Jill was genuinely surprised.

"My name is Vanessa," she introduced yourself. "I understand that you're friends with these boys."

"…yes I am," Jill said, smiling more.

_"You betcha!"_ Tails Doll nodded.

"...well... this is a surprise." Metal mused with a slight smile, as he sat up.

Joy pulled away from Milo. "Hi Jack's mommy! I'm Joy!"

"Well aren't you a sweet little thing?" Vanessa chuckled, rubbing her head.

_"She's the sweetest you'll find around here_!" Tails Doll laughed.

"Yeah; she's really nice and all that!" Jack chuckled.

"I can tell," Vanessa chuckled. "…the boys have told me a lot of things," she started, looking up at Jill.

"…how much…did they tell you?" Jill wondered.

"…the whole story," Vanessa huffed in exhaustion.

"...it wasn't easy." Jack said with a mild laugh.

"...I can only imagine..." Metal hummed, as he looked at Vanessa. "...so you know everything, then?"

"…yes…" Vanessa rubbed her eyes, yawning. "We stayed up all night…"

"...yeah... now that you mention it, I feel tired..." Jack said with a slight yawn.

_"...why am I not surprised?"_ Tails Doll chuckled.

"They insisted I come here to meet everyone; they brought me here first…" Vanessa said.

"...I suppose that makes sense." Metal mused, as he nodded.

"Now you gotsa meet everybody else!" Joy exclaimed, taking her hand.

_"Yeah! We can take you to see Sonia, and King and his friends, and Ani, and Charon and Oblivion and all of the other soldiers!" _Tails Doll chimed in, as he fluttered around Vanessa.

"Oh my…so many people to meet," she chuckled.

"Don't worry; we have all the time in the world," Striker said. "We'll even show you around the island!"

"...I suppose we could show her about." Metal mused, before he looked at Jill. "...are you coming, too?"

"Sure," Jill answered. "I think some walking around should be good."

"Yeah!" Joy cheered, pulling Vanessa down the stairs by her hand.

_"Wait for us!"_ And Tails Doll flew after them.

"C'mon, guys!" Jack laughed, as he ran down the stairs after them as well.

Jill laughed, watching all of them rush out. "…still as much energy as ever," she chuckled. "…I wonder if the Professor came along this time?"

"...we'll have to find out." Metal chuckled, as he folded his arms.

* * *

><p>"…you know…it's been a long time since Tasha visited…" Hunter murmured to King. "I wonder what's going on…"<p>

"...yeah... it's been a few months now, since last we met..." King murmured, as he rubbed his chin. Last they met, they had... "...hn..."

"…what's up?" Hunter wondered why King grew so thoughtful.

"...oh, nothing... I was just thinking back to when I last talked to her..." he murmured.

_Tasha walked into the room, and it was just her and King in his room. "…you need any help taking care of things?"_

_King glanced back at Tasha with a small smile. "...I got most of it covered, but... any help is appreciated, Tasha." he said with a nod to her._

"_Right…is there anything I can do?" she asked him._

_"...well..." King hummed, as he rubbed his chin. "...hrm... argh, what is there that needs to be done, again... there _is_ something, I know that much; but I just can't think of anything..."_

_Tasha stood there silently, looking at King._

_"...hm." Humming once more, King rubbed his head. "...well... did you have anything particular in mind?"_

"…_not really, I just…feel like I should be doing something…" and Tasha looked away. "…to get my mind off things…like my father…"_

_"...oh..."_ _King hummed, as he nodded in understanding. It had been quite a while since Tasha lost her father, but the loss still seemed heavy on the poor girl..._

_"...well... let me see if I can't find anything that needs to be done." And he turned to walk towards a desk; looking through some files._

_While Tasha waited, she glanced outside the window. "…oh no! I didn't anticipate it being so late!" she uttered, noticing that it had gotten darker outside._

_Hearing that, King glanced towards the window as well. "...well... what do you know..." he uttered in a surprised tone._

"…_perhaps I should go now if I want to beat the night…" Tasha murmured._

_"...uh, actually..." King shot in, as he looked at Tasha. "...you could... stay here for the night."_

_Tasha started blushing a little bit. "…oh?"_

_"...y-yeah." King nodded, as he smiled awkwardly. "...that way, you won't have to stress too much..."_

"…_thank you…" Tasha murmured. "…but I…suppose I ought to let them know somehow that I won't be returning for the night…"_

_"...I could... send someone to inform them." King said with a slight hum, as he slowly approached Tasha._

"…_sure…that would suffice…" she murmured, looking up at him._

_King simply smiled, as he looked down at Tasha. Tasha smiled back…_

…_and then suddenly covered her nose when King started to hear purring noises. She tried to hide them, blushing wildly. King just smiled, as he placed a hand on Tasha's arm. "...I think that's... cute." he said, as a light blush came across him._

"…_really?" she uttered, taking her hands away from her nose._

_"...yeah..." King nodded. "...when I hear you purr... I feel at ease, Tasha..."_

"…_why?" she asked curiously, blushing even more._

_"...because..." King hummed, as he blushed a bit more. "...I love the sound; just like I love you..."_

"…_Twilight…" Tasha uttered, staring at him._

_"...Tasha..." King uttered as well, as he leaned a little closer to her. _

_Tasha remained frozen there, but she didn't stop him from kissing her lips. Once they kissed, she touched his chest lightly._ _With a slight hum, King gently stroked Tasha's arm as they kissed. Tasha started purring again, and this time she didn't bother to hide it, while she shivered in the goose bumps that shot through her from his strokes…_

King didn't mention out loud at all what happened between him and Tasha, but when Hunter saw the kind of strange, distant look that King got, he groaned a little bit. "…you two got a little "_sidetracked_," didn't you?" and he gestured the quotation with his fingers.

King instantly turned red. "Buh- geh- how'd you-?" he sputtered, as he looked at Hunter in disbelief.

"King, I know you…" Hunter said. "I've known you for a little over twenty years…"

"...buh..." Coughing, King scratched his neck. "...yeah; guess you do..." he chuckled.

"…but…I wonder why Tasha hasn't come to visit…" Hunter muttered.

"...yeah... I wonder so, too..." King hummed, as he rubbed his neck.

"…King…has she sent any letters or anything?" Hunter asked curiously.

"...actually... she hasn't." King hummed, as he rubbed his neck. "...she must be really busy, then..."

"King do you…think she's afraid?"

King blinked at that. "...afraid?" he uttered.

"…yeah…afraid of being with you…" Hunter looked at him. "I mean…she's still mourning over her dad, and he's always discouraged her getting into any kind of relationship…"

King blinked at that, "...uh..." he uttered; unsure of what to think of that.

Hunter then smacked himself. "What the hell am I saying?" Then he looked at King. "Don't listen to me King; just wondering aloud why Tasha hasn't come around…"

"…um…what about me?"

"AGH!" Hunter jumped and his head jerked around, noticing that Tasha was actually standing right there.

"AGH!" King, too, was startled, as he saw Tasha standing there. "Tasha!"

"…hello…" Tasha muttered.

"...hi..." King uttered, as he rubbed his head. "...how have you been, Tasha?"

"…I've been alright…" Tasha started rubbing her arm a bit uncomfortably.

"...is that right?" King uttered, as he tilted his head. "...you seem kinda... uncomfortable..."

"…there's…something I have to tell you…" Tasha said, looking away from King. "…and…I'm just not sure how you'll take the news…"

King blinked. "...what are you talking about?" he inquired.

Tasha walked up to him nervously.

"...Tasha?" King uttered.

Just then, Tasha whispered something in King's ears.

And in that instant, King's eyes widened considerably.

"…what?" Hunter asked curiously.

"...she... she's..." King uttered.

"…she's what?" Hunter kept asking.

"…pregnant…" Tasha answered.

Hunter's eyes widened too.

"...pre-pre-pre-pre-pre..." King kept sputtering; as if he had a hard time comprehending him. Tasha grew embarrassed and looked away.

"...wh... when did you..." King uttered, as he looked at Tasha.

"…when did I…what?" Tasha spoke.

"...when did you... find out?" King inquired.

"…a few…days ago…" she murmured.

"...a-and..." King gulped. "...how many... months... old... is... the..." He couldn't even finish the sentence.

"…I think…as old as the last time we…" Tasha muttered.

"...that's... a few months past..." King uttered.

Tasha nodded, looking down at the ground. Hunter blinked in disbelief, "…seriously?"

Tasha nodded again.

"...that's..." King uttered.

Tasha looked away from them, still rubbing her arms. She looked afraid of what King's response would be.

"...uh... Tasha..." King eventually said, as he looked at her. "...this is... uh, well... really huge..."

"…yes…it is…" Tasha agreed, still not looking at him.

"…maybe I ought to…leave you two alone," Hunter said, walking away.

As he left, King just looked at Tasha. Tasha eventually looked back at King; albeit uneasily.

"...mnh..." King uttered, as he glanced aside; he was _not_ prepared for something like this to have happened.

"…I…should…give you time to get over the shock…" and Tasha turned, beginning to walk away.

"...w-wait!" King eventually said, as he looked at Tasha again. "...we... shouldn't be too far apart..."

Tasha stopped and looked back at him.

"...because... well, it's... our child, after all..." King began uneasily, as he approached Tasha. "...and... well... we should... stick together regarding this..."

Tasha blinked and looked at him. "…right…" she murmured.

"...so..." King began, as he stopped in front of Tasha, taking her hand. "...let's... stick together... alright?"

"…Twilight…" Tasha started up at him.

"...Tasha..." King uttered, as he looked down at her.

Tasha came forward and hugged King tightly. In turn, King hugged her back.

"…I had no idea how you would react…I was afraid…" she murmured in his shoulder.

"...there, there..." King uttered. "...you didn't have to be afraid..."

"…This is my first experience with this so…I…didn't know how to handle it…" Tasha trembled, and even sounded like she was ready to cry.

Hugging her tighter, King closed his eyes. "...don't worry... we'll pull through this, Tasha..."

"…I love you Twilight…" she murmured.

"...and I love you, Tasha..." King replied.

"…so…what…do we do now?" Tasha asked, looking up at him.

"...good question..." King uttered, as he looked back at Tasha. "...well... I know that it's sudden, but... should the others know about this...?"

"…if you would like them to," Tasha said. "…they are your friends, so it's up to you…"

"...right..." King nodded, as he glanced to the side. "...hrm..." With a slight hum, he rubbed his chin. "...maybe not right off the bat... but Hunter knows, so I guess we could tell the other admins... but we don't need to tell everyone right away, either..." Gritting, he rubbed his head. "...ngh... I'm just not sure..."

Tasha put her hands on his shoulders. "…no need to rush…we have time…"

"...yeah..." King nodded, before he looked at Tasha with a smile. "...we have time..."

"King!"

Hearing that, King glanced behind him... and he saw a group of eight headed towards them; Striker, Milo, Jack, Jill, Joy, Metal, Tails Doll, and... a lioness he didn't recognize. "...hn?"

Tasha blinked. "…oh, it's all of you, but…who's…?"

"King, Tasha, this is Jack's mom!" Striker exclaimed. "She's Vanessa!"

Vanessa took a long look at King. "…I'm…Johnny's…sister…"

Jill gave Vanessa a surprised look for actually saying that.

King blinked a little at that...

...before he stretched his hand out to shake Vanessa's hand. "...so, you're Jack's mom, eh? Pleased to meet you."

Metal noticed that with a silent hum. _...he doesn't dwell on it..._ he mused.

"Nice to meet you as well," Vanessa said. "And you're Tasha?"

Tasha nodded. "Yes…" then when she noticed Milo give her an awkward stare, she looked away nervously.

Striker looked over at Milo and nudged him. "Dude, it's not nice to stare."

"I-I'm sorry…" Milo uttered, rubbing the place that Striker nudged him.

"So, what are you two doing?" Jack hummed with a slight smile, as he looked at the two of them.

"…just um…talking…" Tasha murmured.

"'bout what?" Striker asked, and Milo was the one to nudge him. "Ow!"

"Not our business, Striker," Milo said.

_"Yeah; respect their privacy!"_ Tails Doll scolded.

"...well, I suppose we'll leave you be, then." Metal mused. "We're currently showing Vanessa the island, so..."

"Alright then…" Tasha said.

Joy took Vanessa's hand with another giggle. "Bye bye Tasha! Bye bye King!" and while she dragged Vanessa off, everyone else followed.

As they walked, Metal glanced back at King and Tasha again, before he kept walking after the others.

"...didn't know that Jack's mom was here, all of a sudden..." King hummed, as he rubbed his neck.

"…that certainly is sudden…" Tasha agreed…and then she smiled. "…but…I'm sure she's just as nice as Jack."

"...she really seems like it." King mused with a smile as well.

"…maybe…I'll choose the right time to let everyone know…" Tasha spoke. "…everyone in my tribe already knows…so…"

"...they already know, huh..." King hummed with a nod. "...alright; we'll wait for the right time, then..."

Tasha smiled up at King. In turn, he gave her a smile as well.

* * *

><p>Oblivion took a step outside, and took a deep breath. "Today's much better after that storm," she remarked.<p>

The same went for Charon, as he stepped out along with her. "...indeed..." he nodded with a slight hum. Even after his presence had become known because of the conflict years ago, Charon still stayed within the cave on the top of the mountain; mainly because he enjoyed the view that overlooked the entirety of the island. As usual, Oblivion would stay with him, even when Charon _had_ recommended that, at least once in a while, she'd find someplace more comfortable to sleep than along a cave floor.

And Oblivion started stretching from a small ache in her lower back from sleeping on the cave floor, but she simply ignored it so Charon wouldn't make a big deal out of it. "…well Charon…would you like to take a walk outside since the year is over with?" she asked curiously, looking up at him.

"...that sounds ideal." Charon hummed with a slight smile. "Might give me a chance to stretch my wings..."

Oblivion smiled, and then looked out from the mountain… then she blinked. "Well now…"

Charon blinked, as he looked where Oblivion was looking as well. "...hm?"

"Charon! Oblivion!"

"Well…if it isn't the boys," Oblivion said with a cheerful smile.

"Not just us!" Striker called out, climbing up the mountain.

"Hi Oblivion! Hi Charon!" Joy exclaimed, pulling up a chuckling Vanessa with her.

_"Hiiiiyaaaa!"_ And Tails Doll fluttered up next to them.

"Hiya, Charon! Hiya, Oblivion!" And Jack soon followed them as well, while he was shortly followed by Jill and Metal.

Charon smiled as well. "...how nice; some company." he mused.

"How're you guys doing?" Striker asked.

"We're doing fine today, thank you for asking," Oblivion said with a smile. Then she smiled at the lioness. "Who is your new friend?"

Vanessa laughed. "Oh, I'm anything but new…"

"She's my mom!" Jack said with a wide smile.

"...your mother?" Charon hummed, as he looked at Vanessa. "...well, it's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." he said with a nod to her.

"Yes, it's nice to meet the mother of such a nice young man," Oblivion said, shaking Vanessa's hand.

"Well I'm glad to know that Jack's made so many friends," Vanessa said with a grin.

Charon couldn't help but chuckle. "We're just a few of many." he pointed out.

"So I'm told," Vanessa chuckled.

"...so, what are you doing on this day?" Charon hummed.

"We're showing mom around the island!" Jack said with a smile.

"Oh, is that so?" Charon hummed. "...well... it's that time of year, so..." Then, he looked at Oblivion. "...should we accompany them?"

"…that would be nice," Oblivion said, smiling at them. "You wouldn't mind if we walked with you around the island, would you?"

"That would be fine," Jill said with a smile.

"Alright! The more, the merrier!" Jack cheered.

"...well, let's go, then." Metal mused with a slight smile.

* * *

><p>"Aaaand cheeersh!" Setting down another mug, Lin couldn't help but laugh in her drunken stupor. "Man, thish year wash really fun!"<p>

"Geez Lin…" Ani chuckled. "I'm not sure you should drink any more than that…"

Vanessa chuckled. "Oh, let her have her fun, Ani…"

"Yesh! Lemme have mah fun!" Lin laughed as well, before she hiccupped.

"...I still can't get over how big a drinker Lin can really be." Sonia mused with a chuckle. "Never took her for the type, really."

"Well, you'd be surprised who's a drinker," Vanessa said. "…speaking of which, Ani, could I have another mug?"

"Sure," Ani said, going to make her drink.

"Hey, one for me, too, please!" Sonia chuckled.

"And meh, thoo!" Lin managed to slur with a drunk giggle.

Ani brought back the three drinks, and then when she watched Vanessa gulp hers down…Ani had given her a HUGE mug, and Ani watched Vanessa gulp the ENTIRE thing down in one swing. Her eyes widened. "…Damn!"

Vanessa took a gasp of breath when she set the empty mug down. "Sorry, I was thirsty!" she laughed.

Sonia could only watch that with widened eyes. "..._whoa_." she uttered. "You've _got_ to teach me how to chug like that."

"It takes years of practice," Vanessa chuckled sheepishly. "…and uh…maybe…some hard times to make you drink that hard…"

"…right…" Ani murmured. She grew ever so curious now; how Vanessa got away from the Lionel family and raised Jack to be the way he was…but in some ways, she knew she shouldn't ask about it.

With another hiccup, Lin finished her next drink. "Geh... thish ish shome good shtuff, innit, Vaneshsha?" she giggled.

"It certainly is," Vanessa agreed. "You've worked here for a long time Ani; I can tell by the drink."

Ani blinked. "…since I just turned 12," and she smirked. "Wow, you're good!"

"Since 12? That surprises me," Vanessa said. Then she laughed. "Jack's old enough now to drink, but of course I wouldn't let him near the stuff. It's not for everybody!"

Sonia chuckled. "No need to worry about that; when he comes to visit, he usually only orders food. Speaking of, you should taste Ani's cooking sometime; she's a natural!"

"Well…maybe I'll try it out now…" She chuckled, looking at Ani. "Is it alright if I have a steak Ani?"

"Sure, I'll get right on that," Ani said, walking off toward the kitchen area.

"...argh; now I went ahead and made myself hungry, too." Sonia said with a slight chuckle. "Could I get the same, Ani?"

"Just make me work for it why don't'cha?" Ani laughed. "Sure Sonia…"

As Ani worked on that, Sonia glanced at Vanessa, "...so... pardon me if I happen to prod a little too deep, but... I'm curious; could you tell me a little about yourself, Vanessa?"

"…let's see…" Vanessa tapped her lip. "…well, I'm the single mom of my only kid, having lived in the Nameless zone ever since he was born…lot's of nice people there," she said with a smile. "We grew up in a hut on the savannah, in a small village; gave him plenty of room to run around in."

"The savannah, huh?" Sonia hummed with a nod.

"Yep!" Vanessa smiled even more. "Weather was nice there too! …that is, if it wasn't the rainy season…"

"Floods, huh?" Ani assumed, filling up their drinks while she waited on the steaks.

"Oh yeah! BIG ones!" Vanessa said. "We'd have to live on a hilltop just so the water wouldn't wash away the houses! After raining it'd look like we lived on a little island! HA!" and she chugged down the entirety of another mug, wiping her lips.

"Sho you shpent the rainy sheashons on an ishland?" Lin said with a snicker.

"...sounds pretty heavy." Sonia mused with a chuckle.

"Oh, that's nothing really once you get used to it," Vanessa said. "…Jack came and asked me one day if he could go explore the outside world. I figured he was prepared to set out, so I gave him a hug and let him go on his way…"

"…then…years have passed…and I wondered why my little Jack never came back…"

"…I finally set out and next thing I know, I'm here!" Vanessa laughed. "And my son has had a large adventure with a bunch of friends he made all by himself! I'm so proud of him!"

Sonia smiled a bit at that.

"...if Jack had been my kid, and he had gone through all of that, then you'd better believe that I'd be proud of him, too!" Lin managed to say somewhat coherenly, just as she chugged down her next drink. "HOOO, that'sh r'lly good!"

"Ah…next big thing on the agenda; getting my Jack off with a girl," and Vanessa paused when she saw Ani burst out laughing hysterically. "…yeah, yeah, knowing Jack that's probably not really gonna happen, but-!"

"Aw, you don't get it!" Ani laughed, holding her gut. "A few years ago, when Jill got pregnant with Joy, Tails Doll had to tell him and Striker where babies came from!"

Vanessa stared at her blankly… "…so…they…know?"

"Do they ever!" Sonia snickered. "Still, to this very day, all you have to do is say "When a Mommy and a Daddy love each other very much", and both of them start freaking out!"

Vanessa was silent.

"…uh…" Ani stopped laughing. "…what's wrong?"

"…well…at least he didn't figure it out the way I did…" And Vanessa gulped down another mug that Ani had refilled.

Sonia blinked at that. "...huh..."

"…um…" Ani hesitated on it, but, "…how did you-?"

"—Not something I want to talk about, kiddo," Vanessa said. "…I suppose it's the best he found out from someone other than me…I probably would've made it sound much scarier…"

"…I…take it you don't have pleasant memories…?"

Hunter walked in just now, walking over behind the counter. "Your steaks, Ani?" he reminded.

"…I almost forgot!" and Ani dashed into the kitchen.

"…yeah, you can say that," Vanessa said, looking at her empty mug.

Sonia looked at Vanessa with a curious look.

"…what happened?" Hunter asked her. "That is…well…if you don't mind me asking…"

"…I _do_ mind…but it won't hurt to tell you…" Vanessa set down her mug. "…I walked away from my family years ago…you can clearly understand that…but there's never been any real father in Jack's life. You can also tell by the way Jack is that I probably really sheltered him from the outside world…"

"…so judging by that evidence…something happened to Jack's father…" Hunter murmured. "…I'm sorry…"

Vanessa glared at him. "What the hell are you sorry for?"

Hunter's eyes widened. "…huh?"

Vanessa gripped the mug.

"…I was raped."

"…oh…" and now Hunter felt really awkward…

Both Sonia and Lin (the latter even in her drunken stupor) just looked at Vanessa with wide eyes. "...you were..." Sonia uttered; almost afraid to even think of repeating that sentence.

"…my father was pissed beyond belief, and he went out and killed the bastard that raped me…" Vanessa grumbled. "…but…the violent tendencies of my family…I knew what it was like growing up with a violent family. I never would've wanted that for any child…I ran away from them, into the Nameless Zone, so that they could never find me…"

Vanessa sighed and brushed her mane back. "Gosh…it was so long, I don't even remember how I got to the Nameless Zone, but I did…and I gave birth to Jack there…"

Hunter was silent. The same went for Sonia and Lin.

"…well, that took a dark turn, didn't it?" Vanessa leaned back onto the counter, becoming a bit more casual.

"...it... shure did..." Lin nodded slowly.

Hunter hummed. "…Vanessa…knowing how Johnny was…did you…ever have the same violent tendencies?"

Vanessa was silently thoughtful. "…if you meant I could fight like them…then yes…" She looked back at him. "And I still can…Jack doesn't know it…but I've kept myself sharp to make sure I could defend him if I needed to; training when he was asleep."

"...really..." Sonia hummed. "...so I guess... the only Leoniel who doesn't have those tendencies would be Jack."

"For good reason too," Vanessa remarked.

"…how…sharp are you?" Hunter asked.

"You had a sloppy joe for lunch today."

Hunter's eyes widened. "That's right! How did you-?"

"—You passed gas when you were sleeping earlier, and even though no one else can smell it, I still can," Vanessa said. "I've also memorized footsteps and their patterns, so that when I hear someone walking by, I already know who it is. For instance; your friend King is just about to walk through the doors into the pub right now."

"...huh?" Sonia uttered.

And at that point, the doors opened, and King entered the pub. "Oh, hi, Vanessa." he said... when he noticed the overall atmosphere in the pub. "...uh... what's up?"

"…damn Vanessa…" Hunter uttered.

"Just showing how strong my senses are, King, is all," Vanessa replied, smiling. "Thank you for illustrating that."

King blinked; clueless as to what that was about. "...okay..." he uttered.

"Steaks are done!" Ani came in with two big plates, and set them in front of Vanessa and Sonia, while she got another refill for Vanessa.

"Oh!" Vanessa smirked at her steak. "Thank you Ani!"

"...thanks." Sonia said with a smile, as she began digging into her steak.

Lin just hummed, as she took a sip from her drink.

"Hey King; come and join us!" Vanessa said with a smile.

"...alright, then..." King nodded, before he took a seat by the counter.

"This is great, by the way Ani!" Vanessa laughed after a bite of her steak, chugging down another whole mug of the alcoholic beverage.

Hunter's eyes widened at that. "Damn…you can drink…"

"...you can say that again." King noted with a baffled look.

* * *

><p>Metal and Joy were fast asleep right now; being exhausted from all that walking around the island. While Joy was an understandable case, it was pretty surprising for Metal to be tired out by the same thing…<p>

…but not Jill; she was still walking around town in the dark of night. She eventually stopped to lean against a wall and admire the moon up above. It was a nice, crescent shape tonight, but it was still bright enough to light up the night.

"...wandering out on your own, huh?" someone mused, as she'd hear someone slowly walk towards her.

She shrugged. "Why not? Been awhile since I had some alone time…"

…then she smirked and flashed her red eyes at that someone. "…alone with you, that is…"

"...it sure has been a while since last time, hasn't it?" Chuckling, the being stopped right next to her, giving her a smirk as well. "...you look great, as usual."

Jill…or really, Callous, chuckled. "And the sweet talker…as usual."

"Oh, you flatter me." Placing a hand against the wall Callous leaned against, the lion grinned. "...I really like that, Callous."

Callous' smirk widened. "So tell me…how's little _'bad-ass'_ in hell, down there, Johnny?"

With a laugh, Johnny shook his head. "Miserable, as usual." he mused. "The funny thing is that I don't even need to keep tabs on him to make sure of that; I recently found a few friends down there who are more than willing to keep that bat in check."

"Well, the more the merrier, like Jack said earlier…" Callous snickered.

"You said it." Johnny chuckled in return.

"…now that your sister's finally here," Callous mumbled in amusement. "That must be interesting for you…"

"...I'll admit, I didn't expect that sort of surprise." Johnny mused. "But eh; I'm sure she's accustomed to the fact that I'm dead and buried, so I needn't spook her... at least, not at the moment."

Callous smirked and chuckled. "…seeing the look on her face when she discovers her dead brother possessed her son? That's something that needs to be seen…"

"Indeed..." Johnny nodded. "...but that kind of moment needs to be savored; if I just waltz up to her like this, it wouldn't be nearly as effective, see?" he chuckled.

Callous chuckled again… and then trailed a finger up and down his chest. "Then I suppose we have some time to kill…"

Johnny chuckled as well, as he trailed a finger along Callous' arm. "Quite a lot of time to kill, yeah..." he chuckled.

Callous chuckled…then she took him by his chest hair and pulled him forward into a kiss. Humming in satisfaction, Johnny kissed her back. Callous pulled Johnny closer, deepening the kiss. In turn, Johnny pressed himself closer to Callous, managing to deepen the kiss further. Johnny pressing himself pinned Callous to the wall of the building she had been leaning on. While she inserted her tongue into his mouth, she started stroking a few fingers up and down his back. Allowing his tongue to intertwine with hers, Johnny began stroking some of his fingers along Callous' side. Callous hummed in delight, wrapping one of her legs around Johnny. With an appreciative grunt, Johnny moved his fingers from Callous' side to her chest; circling one of her breasts.

Callous uttered a little moan…and started pulling Johnny somewhere more secluded. Johnny allowed her to pull him away. She pulled him into a really dark alleyway, and there she continued with her make out with him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>*Censored Content* Sad to say, you guys will have to get used to this for awhile...Oh yeah, and the language too.<strong>_

* * *

><p>They finally calmed down again; Callous catching her breath. Breaking away, Johnny began catching his breath as well. "...goddamn..." he uttered blissfully.<p>

"…I fucking hate how we have to resort to taking over these two…" Callous grumbled.

"...me, too..." Johnny hissed. "...and the only way we know that you two will be separated is the day she kicks it... and with her luck, that ain't happening any day soon."

"…no shit…" Callous muttered in response.

Johnny hummed. "...have you ever thought that there might be a different way...?"

"…I tried…nothing's come to me yet, to be honest…" Callous sighed.

"...aside from keeping the bat company, I've been trying, too..." Johnny murmured. "...but even all the goddamn time in Hell hasn't given me any ideas..."

"…hm…" Callous took her legs off of Johnny, standing.

"...guess we've just got to keep pondering..." Johnny hummed, as he glanced down at the ground. "...I seriously can't wait until she dies to finally be reunited with you, Callous..."

"…neither can I…" and then Callous chuckled. "I'd find a way to kill her myself…if she didn't have so much to leave behind that is…"

"...fairly ironic..." Johnny chuckled as well. "...still... I won't rest until I find out a way to finally be alone with you, Callous. Mark my words."

"Same here…" Callous spoke, while getting dressed again.

Nodding, Johnny got dressed as well. "...I'll see you later, then..." he mused with a nod.

"…right…" Callous muttered in response…

…then she suddenly slumped against the wall, holding her head.

Seeing that, Johnny narrowed his eyes. _Time to split._ And before she could look at him, he began running off...

...only to stop just as he got out of the alleyway. _...shit! He's regaining con-_

"AAAGH!" And he suddenly sank on his knees; gritting and writhing in pain.

Her head shot up with a gasp. "Jack?" Jill uttered, looking out of the alleyway she was in…which…she wondered how she had ended up in the first place.

That didn't matter though; she ran out and saw Jack kneeled over on the ground. "Jack, are you okay?" she asked out of fear.

"My... my back...!" Jack yelped in pain.

Jill rushed over to look at it…and gasped with widened eyes. "Jack!" There were claw marks all over his back. "Jack! What in the world happened?"

"I... I don't know!" Jack cried out, before wincing in pain. "It hurts!"

"Oh no! You're bleeding!" Jill uttered, touching it…and then she noticed something else…

…her fingers…before she had even touched Jack at all, she noticed on her fingers traces of blood. "…what…?"

"...Jill, what's wrong?" Jack uttered, before he let out another pained yelp.

Jill didn't respond. Her eyes were fixed on her fingers in wondering…and in growing fear. Had she done something to Jack without knowing?

"Jack!"

That snapped her out of it, and she saw Vanessa running for them, kneeling down to Jack to check his back. "Oh honey! You're hurt!"

Jill just gawked at Vanessa. "…how…did you…?"

"I heard him scream," Vanessa answered, without even looking back at her.

"...mom..." Jack uttered, before he yelped in pain once more. "It hurts..."

Vanessa looked at Jill. "What happened?"

Jill was stuck for words; she ended up stuttering a bit. "I…I don't know…I…"

Vanessa could see Jill couldn't really answer her question…so she used all of her senses to try and figure it out. They didn't see her sniff and what she smelled was a combination of things. One was the sharing of two scents… Jill had been with Jack for a while… she could smell Jack's blood not only on his back, but on Jill's fingers…but it smelled more like it had been there much longer than if Jill had just touched his blood now.

And the last scent…

Vanessa's eyes widened at it.

"…what?" Jill didn't like the look on Vanessa's face. "What's wrong?"

"C'mon Jack, let's get you bandaged up," Vanessa started off, getting Jack up on his feet.

"...o-okay..." Jack uttered; wincing as he was helped up on his feet.

"…d-do you need any help?" Jill uttered, standing up with them.

Vanessa looked at Jill for a long time; long enough to make Jill a bit uncomfortable. She looked at her straight in the eye…and Jill didn't flinch away, despite how awkward she felt. Vanessa could tell that Jill was innocent…but what she smelled had given her evidence of something else…at the moment, Vanessa was actually fairly baffled at the whole thing…

…but she couldn't be rude. "Yeah. If we take Jack to the pub, we can bandage him up…and I'm sure the alcohol can disinfect the scratches."

Jill nodded. "Right."

"...ngh..." Jack winced once more.

* * *

><p>Vanessa decided to spend the night at the pub, along with Jack, and with her there in the late evening was King and Jill. Hunter and Ani had gone to bed a while ago as well as Jack, and it was just the three of them in that empty pub.<p>

Vanessa was still drinking, even at this late hour, but she wasn't drunk in the slightest.

"…uh…Vanessa…how much have you…?" Jill wanted to ask.

"Been drinking since dinnertime," she answered, still looking thoughtful.

"...I'm telling ya, she's got a will of diamond to remain sober after so many mugs." King mused.

"…she's had_ mugs?_" Jill uttered in disbelief. "…wow…you can really hold your liquor…"

Vanessa chuckled. "Thanks…" and finished off her last one.

Jill sat there, looking down at the ground in her own thoughts. She had no idea how Jack got those claw marks…and it made her worry, because that might mean something on the island that could hurt others…

…but…why did she see the blood encrusted in _her_ fingernails? It just made her more afraid…was Callous actually trying to hurt her friends?

"...something on your mind, Jill?" King hummed, as he glanced at her.

"…I'm just…wondering what happened to Jack," Jill murmured.

"...ah... right." King nodded.

"…so…you don't know what happened at all?" Vanessa sounded genuinely surprised, looking at her.

Jill shook her head. "No, I don't."

"…hm…" Vanessa looked away again, in thought. She asked Jack the same question and she got the same kind of answer; neither of them knew what happened. It was just an empty blackness.

"...curious..." King mused, as he tapped his chin.

"…I've heard the whole story from the boys," Vanessa said, looking at Jill. "…I…suppose it's nice to have someone to sympathize with on hard times…"

"…oh?" Jill looked back at her.

"…yeah…" Vanessa looked at her empty mug. "…but I know there are a lot of things the boys couldn't have told me…I guess I want to know some bits of the story from both you and King's perspectives…"

King hummed at that. "...is that so?"

"Yeah," Vanessa said. "…though…really I just wanna know more about my brother…"

"…I can understand that," Jill said.

King hummed, and nodded a little. "...me, too."

"…I guess I just…find it hard to believe that after he was killed once, they brought him back to life again…" Vanessa murmured. "…that's a first for my family…"

"…well…so is Corruption…" Jill mumbled.

"…yeah, that too," Vanessa added.

"...actually... I'm curious..." King hummed, as he glanced at Vanessa. "...he was your brother, so... did you ever see him get taken by GUN?"

"…Not really…" Vanessa said. "…he just said he was bored, and he'd go for a walk…that's really the last I ever saw him…I had no idea he got taken into GUN."

"...huh." King hummed, as he rubbed his chin. "...did anyone in your family search for him after that?"

"Yeah… and the family blamed me, the black sheep of the family, for the disappearance of such a _gifted little _boy…" Vanessa sounded bitter. "…then…I got pregnant with Jack and well…I left for the Nameless Zone."

Jill's brows arched. "…it must have been tough…"

"…yeah…but raising Jack made up for all that," And Vanessa smiled. "He was always so sweet, and kind, and generous…still is."

"...you can say that again." King mused with a slight smile.

Vanessa gave a dry, sarcastic chuckle. "…I tried to keep Jack away from my family and he ends up running into them anyway…I guess you can't protect them forever…"

Jill looked up at Vanessa… she couldn't help but stare at her after saying something like that. It made her think about Joy…about how much she's still protecting her from… She never really thought about when the time came where Joy might figure everything out…maybe on her own, when she wasn't supposed to.

"…I shouldn't say things like that; yours is still young, and saying things like that will make you worry," Vanessa said to Jill, looking at her.

Jill just looked at her. King also looked at Vanessa, without saying a word.

"…Vanessa…you just…how do you know all these things?" Jill asked. "I mean…you're…"

"I'm right on top of it, right?" Vanessa said. "Have to be…wanted to make sure to protect Jack. Plus, I'm a Leoniel. That should be enough…"

"…but…if you could figure things out like that; then maybe you could figure out what happened with Jack!" Jill said.

"Oh, no…trust me; you don't want to know what happened…" Vanessa murmured.

"...we don't?" King uttered, as he raised an eyebrow.

"No," Vanessa answered. "…sure, there are still some parts of it I can't figure out…but you don't want to know what happened…"

Jill gave her a bewildered look.

"…if you really want to know Jill; I'd ask Callous," Vanessa said.

Jill's eyes widened at that. Coughing a bit at that, King looked at Vanessa and Jill. "Callous? What's she got to do with this?"

"She'll find out once she asks…" Vanessa murmured. "…and I suppose I'll find out for myself soon enough…"

"…I think I'll do that…thanks…" Jill said. "…and…it's late so I should get home…" Jill stood up and headed for the door. "See you guys later…"

"...later." King said with a nod to Jill.

When Jill left, it was just the two of them in the pub now.

"…So King…how far along is Tasha?"

King instantly turned red from hearing that. "Wha- how'd you-?" he sputtered.

"I could see, and smell the signs that most people can't," Vanessa replied. "Plus it also didn't help how awkward you two looked when we walked right up to the two of you."

King cleared his throat, and nodded a little. "...right..." he uttered. "...well... it's a few months along at this point... I didn't know that she _was_ pregnant until today..."

"…right…" Vanessa nodded. "…Congrats by the way…being a parent has its ups and downs, I can tell you that…but you wouldn't want to give it away for anything."

"...right..." King nodded, smiling a bit awkwardly. "...it'll be a new thing for me, but... it's something I'd like to try my hand at."

"And I figure you guys want to wait to tell everyone yourselves, so I won't say anything," Vanessa said.

"...yeah." King nodded, as he looked at Vanessa. "...thanks."

"You're welcome," Vanessa responded, nodding back.

With a hum, King glanced ahead of him. "...so... you wanted to know the story from my perspective?"

"…yeah…the boys said that Johnny was trained along with the rest of you…but I'm sure they don't really know what exactly happened," Vanessa said, spinning around on the stool.

"...well, I sure do." King mused. "...him, along with me and Hunter, were the first three kids to be taken in by GUN. While they infused me with electrical abilities, and Hunter refined his psychokinetic abilities... Johnny was pretty much the colonel's favorite from day one; powerful and ruthless."

"…huh…even then he was the favorite…" Vanessa murmured.

"...he was..." King murmured, as he glanced down at the counter. "...he wasn't really all that sociable; he knew everyone who was grouped together, but didn't really care for any of them... not even the girl he pretended to care for."

Vanessa gave another dry chuckle. "…My parents said he was _shy_ for that…"

"...shy?" King scoffed. "Psychotic would fit better; and damn near invincible, to boot..."

"…you're telling me…he'd pick on me…" Vanessa spoke.

"...how...?" King hummed, as he glanced at Vanessa.

"…he'd call me by all these stupid nicknames and wrestle me to the ground in a pin. The sad thing was, that he was much younger than me…"

"...hm." King nodded. "...figures; even back then, he was leagues ahead of all of us in terms of strength."

"…I guess in some ways…I kept training…just in case I'd return and run into him."

"...I'd say it was a good thing that you didn't run into him; after he got introduced to Corruption..." King shuddered just at the thought of it.

"…it sounds like some really bad stuff…" Vanessa murmured. "…and Callous introduced him to it, didn't she?"

"...yeah... at the most inconvenient time, too..." King nodded.

"…what were the two of them like? With each other I mean…" Vanessa asked.

King blinked at that question, before he tapped his chin. "...uh... from what I can gather... they seemed close." he mused. "Like, Johnny was willing to absorb Deity Novagod just to learn how to bring Callous back from the dead..."

Vanessa fell silent.

King blinked at that. "...what's wrong?"

"…knowing Johnny…it sounds like he really was close to her…" she muttered.

"...it didn't seem like he was faking it, either, like with poor Bliss..." King murmured.

"…I never thought Johnny could feel that way for someone…" Vanessa spoke. "….guess the only catch was that Callous was just as heartless as he was…"

"...no kidding." King huffed. "I hesitate to say it, but... I guess they were made for each other." he scoffed.

"…do you know if he's…still waiting for her?" Vanessa asked.

King blinked at hearing that. "...I... I'm not sure." he eventually hummed. "...I mean, he could be, but... I wouldn't know; I don't have a lot of experience with what lies in the afterlife."

"…I suppose I'll have to ask Milo that one then…" Vanessa said. "For someone so young, he sure knows a lot…"

"...you can say that again..." King nodded with a slight smile.

"…well, I'm gonna hit the hay, King," Vanessa said, standing up from her seat.

"...right; I should go and do the same." King nodded, as he stood up as well. "G'night, Vanessa."

"G'night King," Vanessa said, disappearing into the backrooms to where Jack would be.

* * *

><p>"<em>CALLOUS!"<em>

"_Yeah, yeah…I know you wanted to see me…"_

_I looked around; though I heard her voice, I didn't see her. I had walked into a part of Mystic Ruins I used to visit a lot…the locations of my dreams have really varied…_

_Finally, Callous came from around the corner, smirking at me. "Sure is a surprise to see you here, sis," she chuckled._

_I frowned. "Stop calling me sis. You know that we aren't really sisters…"_

"_I know," Callous said smugly. "I just do it to annoy you…"_

_I set my hands on my hips. "What was that whole episode with Jack about?"_

_Callous was the one to frown this time. "…right…she told you to ask me, didn't she?" she grumbled, turning away from me. "…damn it, that lioness…"_

"_So you _do_ know?" I supposed, to some surprise. Vanessa's good…_

"…_possibly…" Callous mumbled._

_I growled. "What's with the hesitation?"_

"_I just don't think you'd be able to handle what I'd have to say…" Callous said with a shrug._

"_Callous, are you planning something?" I asked, getting impatient. _

"_No, but I'd really appreciate if for once; you'd just let me have my privacy…" Callous grumbled, glaring back at me._

"_What do you mean privacy? You're a part of me!" I said. "And if you're trying to hurt my friends, then I have to make sure that doesn't happen!"_

_Callous snarled at me. "I wasn't trying to hurt him…" Then she turned around. "I just…got a little excited."_

"_Excited?" Now I was really confused. "Callous, what the hell are you talking about?"_

"_Do the math," Callous told me. "You have blood in your fingertips, and there's claw marks on his back, because I may have gotten a little excited…You catch my drift yet?"_

_I just stood there, staring at her in confusion._

_Callous just groaned. "…okay…let's throw Johnny into the picture…and the fact that Jack's his nephew and he's a wandering spirit…"_

_I blinked. When she had given me those last details, I started to really think…_

…_and when it finally hit me, my eyes widened._

"…_no…" I croaked._

_Callous looked back at me, curious to see my reaction…and knowing Callous, my reaction wouldn't be disappointing to her in the slightest. _

"_No…no no no NO NO!" I screamed out, feeling absolutely disgusted. "NO! NO! __**NO!**__"_

_Callous smirked. "You know, you're really entertaining sometimes…"_

"_ARE YOU AND JOHNNY SERIOUSLY—_**EUGCH!**_" I just screamed and threw a tantrum, stomping my feet and throwing my hands around._

_Callous laughed. _

"_**CALLOUS**__!" I shrieked at her for laughing, clenching my fists. "You're joking, right? You're just messing with me, right? BECAUSE I HONESTLY CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THE TWO OF YOU WOULD USE OUR BODIES TO HAVE SEX!" And I screamed again in disgust._

"_I couldn't help it," Callous shrugged. "…Jack's really like his uncle in _lots_ of ways."_

"_DON'T TELL ME THAT!" I yelped. "THAT'S NOT SOMETHING I NEED TO KNOW! _**EUGH!**_"_

"_You look so adorable when you're disgusted like that," Callous laughed at me, and I got so angry at her for that._

"…_I can't believe you…" I growled hatefully, spinning around to walk away…but then I couldn't help but walk right back. "That's—that's just—ECGH! Me and Jack? HOW COULD YOU? AUGH!" I spun to walk away again…but I just circled right back to Callous._

"_Not only that, but you USED us!" I spat._

_Callous glared at me dryly. "What else is new?"_

"_Callous! You…what if Jack woke up in the middle of any of that?" I uttered. "You guys could traumatize him!"_

"_Oh, so you're just fine with it then?" Callous sneered at me._

"_NO! __**HELL NO**__! I'M __**NOT**__ FINE WITH IT!" I screamed at her. "I'm with Metal! It means that I've been going behind his back on this!"_

"_Oh calm down, it only happened twice…" Callous grumbled. "…well, technically three times; twice in one round—!"_

"—_I TOLD YOU I DON'T WANT TO KNOW THAT STUFF!" I screamed at her._

"_Well, you got what you wanted to know; those claw marks came from excited sex that we had in that alleyway," Callous said, smirking. She enjoyed just disgusting me even more._

_I felt so goddamn angry at her, I grit my teeth as well as my fists…_

_And I screamed._

"**AUUUUGH!"**

"GAH!" Unfortunately, that scream happened to wake someone next to her up. "Ugh... Jill, what's the matter?"

"…huh?" Jill just now realized that she had woken up from her dream, and she looked up at Metal beside her. "…oh…I'm sorry Metal…"

"...did you have a nightmare?" Metal supposed, as he looked at Jill with some concern.

"…no I…I was talking to Callous…" Jill sat up, still gritting her teeth…and at the same time, feeling very uneasy.

"...to Callous...?" Metal hummed. "...about what?"

"Well, something happened to Jack; somehow he got these claw marks on his back and I was the closest one nearby to hear him scream about the pain…neither of us knew what happened…" Jill muttered.

"...is that so...?" Metal hummed once more, as he nodded a few times. "...did someone attack him?"

"…according to Callous, no one attacked him…" Jill growled.

And she really wasn't sure whether to go on or not…but she couldn't help wincing in disgust, growling even more. She was still really angry at Callous…

"...then... what happened?" Metal inquired.

"…it was just her and Johnny…" Jill looked away from Metal then. "…Johnny was able to take over Jack, and Callous would take over me, and…"

Metal's eyes slowly widened, as realization hit him. "...I... see..." he uttered: slowly nodding.

Jill wrapped her arms around herself, so unsure what to say to Metal. "…I got so angry at her I screamed and I…guess I woke up…"

"...well... you had a very good reason to get angry." Metal said, as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Having your body used like that... I wouldn't have been happy about it, either, if it were me..."

"…Metal, if I knew she was doing that I would've…stopped it…" Jill buried her face in her knees. "…I'm sorry…I feel like I still betrayed you…"

"...Jill..." With a slight sigh, Metal wrapped his arms around Jill in a hug. "...you don't need to be sorry; I know that you'd never willingly do something like that. The ones to blame are Callous and Johnny, not you or Jack..."

Jill hugged him back silently.

"...you just make sure not to let it get you down, alright?" Metal said, as he glanced at her. "I wouldn't want their escapades to affect you too much..."

"…alright…" Jill answered. "…I suppose I still have a hard time with things like that…"

"...don't worry; I'll be here to help you, if you need it." Metal said assumingly.

Jill's hug tightened. "…I'm glad for that…"

Meanwhile, outside of their room, a certain someone had overheard the conversation, and nodded to himself. Silently, he fluttered away back to a different room, where the door was ajar enough for him to fly through.

When that someone fluttered through the door, someone else sat up in their bed. "Did'ja find out why Mama screamed, Tails Doll?" asked Joy.

_"Yeah."_ Tails Doll nodded, as he perched himself on the bed, so he could look at Joy. _"It had something to do with Jack; he got hurt sometime tonight..."_

Joy's brows arched. "Oh, Jack got hurt?"

_"Yeah."_ Tails Doll nodded. _"I don't know what happened, but... Jill felt responsible, and Metal told her that it wasn't anyone's fault to make her feel less down about it."_

"I hope Jack gets better soon…and I hope Mama doesn't feel bad about it anymore," Joy said.

_"...I'm sure he will and that she won't feel bad about it."_ Tails Doll said with an assuring tone.

Joy nodded. "…Maybe we can see Jack tomorrow and help him feel better!"

_"...ooh! That's a great idea!"_ Tails Doll laughed. _"What should we do to make him feel better?"_

"Maybe we can play a clapping game! Or maybe we can play cards with him!" Joy suggested.

_"Oooh, I like the sounds of that!"_ Tails Doll cheered. _"But if we play cards, what sort of card games could we play?"_

"We could play go fish! Or maybe slap Jack!" and then Joy giggled. "Only we don't actually slap Jack!"

_"Yeah; that'd just hurt."_ Tails Doll nodded. _"Oooh! We could play some blackjack!"_

Joy giggled some more. "But I can't play that game real well!"

_"Hey, I can't, either!" _Tails Doll laughed.

"I could play War too," Joy said. "At least Jack helps me out with that!"

_"True, true."_ Tails Doll chuckled again.

Joy reached out and hugged Tails Doll. "We'll have lotsa fun!"

_"Lots and lots of fun!"_ Tails Doll laughed, as he hugged Joy back.

Joy looked down at Tails Doll with a smile. "We'll be best friends forever, right Tails Doll?"

_"The bestest!" _Tails Doll nodded. _"Count on it, Joy!"_

Joy hugged him warmly with a smile.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Though you readers have seen the prologue... so this time of innocence will be, unfortunately, short lived :(...<strong>_

_**...I feel like the chorus in Shakespeare plays, establishing the foreshadowing...**_


	3. Chapter 2

Many, many days later, everyone was in the pub one evening, cheering with raised glasses.

"Time to celebrate!" Sonia called out with a laugh.

Joy went up and hugged her mother. "Happy Birthday Mama!"

Jill chuckled a bit. "Thanks Joy…"

"Another year has come and gone..." Metal mused with a smile, as he looked at Jill.

"...with hopefully lots more to follow." Queen shot in with a slight nod.

"Yeah, Happy Birthday!" Striker added with a big grin.

"Happy Birthday!" Jack said with an even wider grin.

_"Very happy birthday, Jill!"_ Tails Doll shot in, as he fluttered near Joy.

Vanessa chuckled. "There sure are a lot of people here."

Tasha smiled nervously, "Yes."

"Well, Jill _does_ have a lot of friends." Miser mused with a slight smile.

"Got that right, kekeke." Ripper chuckled.

"Cake time!" Ani pulled out a large cake from nowhere, and she set it down on one of the tables. The cake was large enough so that everyone could have a slice. "Made it myself!"

"Oh boy!" Striker was about to grab some silverware to grab him a slice but Milo stopped him by grabbing his collar.

"Now now Striker; Jill gets the first piece," Milo reminded him.

Striker blinked. "Oh yeah…"

"That's alright. You can call dibs on the fifth piece!" Jack said with a laugh.

"...fifth?" King uttered with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, after Jill gets a piece, then Joy gets one, and then Metal gets one, and then I already called dibs on the fourth piece!" Jack explained; grinning further.

"Well, didn't know you already had that all set up," Hunter laughed at Jack, while Jill got her slice.

"I can plan ahead just fine!" Jack laughed.

_"You can say that again."_ Tails Doll mused with a slight chuckle.

"This is good Ani," Jill said after her bite, once everyone else started getting their slices of cake.

"Mhm!" Joy agreed.

"...it's really good." Metal commented with a slight chuckle.

"MHM!" Jack agreed... with his mouth already stuffed with the slice he had gotten.

"Good job on it Ani," Vanessa said, once she got a taste on her piece.

"Thanks!" Ani said with a smile.

"...do you think you could let me know the recipe?" Miser inquired. "I'd like to try making this someday."

"Sure," Ani said.

"Mama, can I have another slice?" Joy was already done with her slice.

Jill chuckled; "As long as you don't get a stomach ache later."

"The same goes for all of us, I think." Sage mused with a chuckle, as she calmly ate her slice.

"Well, there's enough cake for everyone," Ani said with a smile, helping Joy get another slice.

"…if you don't mind, I would like another slice as well," Tasha said.

"Sure, go ahead Tasha," Ani said, handing another slice to her.

"I'd like another one, as well, please." King said with a nod to Ani after he had finished his own slice.

"Yeah," Ani said, and soon she ended up helping a lot of people get second slices; including herself.

Eventually, she looked over and saw Tasha getting herself a _third _slice. "Careful now, Tasha, you don't want a stomach ache," Ani joked.

"Maybe she's just a bit hungry?" Ripper mused with a chuckle.

"Probably," Striker laughed.

Tasha grew nervous about that, but went to eat her slice. Humming, Sage didn't say anything, but Tasha did strike a certain chord with her; for reasons she had already figured out.

"Hey Jack, where's the Professor?" Joy asked.

"...oh... hm..." Humming, Jack rubbed his chin a little. "...I think he said that he had to go on a business trip, so he couldn't make it in time. That's why Whisker's not here, too..." Then, he looked at Jill with a smile. "But we brought their presents to you for them!"

Jill smiled even more. "Thank you…"

"You're welcome!" Striker said with a smile, "and he said Happy Birthday as well! Both him and Whisker!"

"Isn't that nice..." Queen mused with a slight smile.

The doors opened then, and Snap walked in. "_Sorry I'm a bit late,_" He said. "_I wanted to bring over Oblivion and Charon as well._"

And Oblivion walked in. "Hello everyone."

"...hello." Charon hummed from outside; obviously being far too big to be able to fit through the door.

"You guys want some cake?" Ani offered.

"Sure," Oblivion said, and in moments, Ani brought up plates for both her and Charon.

"...thanks, Ani." Charon said with a slight chuckle from outside. "Oh, by the way, Happy Birthday, Jill."

"Thanks Charon," Jill said.

"Now! For the drinks!" Ani brought up a tray. "Not too thick on the alcohol, so all you get is just a buzz! Nothing but water for the little one, of course! And don't even get me started on the boys!"

Jill laughed, taking one of the drinks. "You don't plan intoxicating all of us, do you Ani?"

"Hey, what do you take me for?" Ani said.

"We know you too well, Ani," Hunter said, taking a drink of his own.

"Comes with the territory," Sonia mused with a chuckle, as she took a drink as well.

While many others took a glass of it, Ani walked up to Tasha; "Hey Tasha; I don't think you've ever really drank before!" she said, offering her a glass. "You should try one!"

"N-no I…really think I shouldn't," Tasha said, growing a bit more nervous.

"Oh c'mon! You should have more fun!" Ani laughed.

Milo cleared his throat. "Ani, if she doesn't want a drink, then don't force it on her…"

"But why not?" Ani asked.

Tasha looked away uneasily.

"...well, uh..." King uttered, as he cleared his throat; though he seemed a little uneasy about it as well.

Ani just blinked. "…what's wrong?"

"…nothing's wrong…" Tasha said. "…we just have something that we need to tell you all."

"...hm?" Hearing that, Metal glanced at King and Tasha. "What's that?"

"...um..." King uttered, as he rubbed his neck. "...well..." Then, he looked at Tasha. "...do you want me to say it, or would you like to...?" he asked her.

"…you may if you want," Tasha murmured, looking up at King.

"Say what?" Striker asked, and Milo elbowed him.

"Be patient Striker." He whispered to him.

"...right..." Nodding, King stood up from his seat, and cleared his throat. "...now... I don't exactly mean to take attention away from the celebration at hand, namely Jill's birthday... but... recently, me and Tasha found something out..."

All of them looked at King, awaiting what he'd say.

"...well..." Drumming his fingers together, King tried thinking of the right words to use to make his point. "...Tasha... uh..." Then, he took a deep breath; quickly giving up on explaining it more subtly... "...right now... she's pregnant."

Ani's eyes widened, and so did most of the ones in the room. "King…you…you and Tasha are gonna be parents?" she uttered.

Hunter wasn't surprised, since he found out the other day…and Milo, Sage and Vanessa weren't surprised either since they had found out before in their own ways.

The rest, on the other hand... "...you're seriously gonna be parents?" Jack uttered.

King slowly nodded, before he glanced at Tasha with a slight smile. "...that's right."

"…you're having a baby?" Ani got really excited now.

"Yes…that's what we said…" Tasha murmured, smiling as well.

Joy looked surprised now. "King and Tasha are gonna be a Mommy and Daddy?"

"How many times to they have to say it guys?" Milo chuckled.

"Apparently, once for everyone currently present." Sage mused with a chuckle.

"But... this is really huge!" Miser said with a baffled, yet happy expression. "King, a father! I never thought I'd see the day!"

Oblivion came over and hugged Tasha. "Oh, congratulations you two!"

"...yes; congratulations." Charon said with a chuckle, as he peeked inside.

"What are you gonna call the baby?" Jack quickly asked.

"We…um…never thought of that yet," Tasha answered.

"…Hey Mama," Joy looked up at Jill. "Where do babies come from?"

"NO!" Striker jumped in front of her. "No no no no! Joy, don't ask that! You DON'T wanna know!"

"That's something you'll regret hearing forever!" Jack shot in, as he joined Striker right next to him.

"...kekeke; didn't you just excitedly ask what they were going to name it?" Ripper noted.

"That's got nothing to do with where babies come from!" Jack quickly replied.

Sonia couldn't help but chuckle at that.

Ani laughed. "Oh c'mon you guys…"

Jill grew embarrassed that Joy asked that question. "Admittedly though…I don't think she's old enough to be told yet…"

"I don't think you should tell her AT ALL!" Striker uttered.

Joy grew curious. "…is it bad?"

"Oh, it isn't really _bad_, but..." Sage mused, as she glanced at Striker and Jack with a bemused smirk. "...you need to be ready to hear it; something neither of them apparently were when they heard it."

"I'm STILL not ready!" Jack sputtered.

Joy became confused. "But I don't get it…"

Jill chuckled a little bit, and rubbed her head. "You will in due time Joy…" Then she looked at Tasha and King. "Congratulations you two," she said with a smile.

"...gee... thanks, you guys..." King said with a sheepish chuckle, as he rubbed his neck.

"...well, it's really the least we could do." Metal mused with a slight smile.

"It'll also mean that Joy will have someone closer to her age to play with," Vanessa said. "I'm sure that'll be nice for her."

"Yeah, a new baby friend to play with," Ani added, smiling.

Joy smiled too. "Really?"

"Sure!" Jack nodded. "You two could be really good friends!"

Joy smiled even more. "That'll be fun!"

"…yes, I'm sure it will be," Tasha chuckled.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's celebrate on it!" Ani exclaimed.

"A double celebration? I'm all for that!" Sonia laughed, before she raised her glass. "Everyone, raise your glasses to Jill's birthday, and to King and Tasha's first step into parenthood!"

"Cheers!" Everyone exclaimed, raising their glasses.

* * *

><p>Raider had fallen asleep in his chair…but shortly, he got woken up. "Hm?" and he realized his communications was buzzing. He pressed the switch. "What is it RUSTY?"<p>

"_The little owl girl is here to see her friend…_"

Raider blinked. "You mean Kiri?" and he checked the security cam outside. Sure enough, Kiri was there, standing outside the door. He pressed another switch and there was a clicking sound to the doors. "You can come in Kiri," he said over the speaker near the door.

Hearing that, she entered the facilities; strolling on through the halls, until she entered the room Raider sat in. "...hi." she said with a nod to him.

"…hi," he said back. He hadn't really seen Kiri for a while, and he noticed that she had grown a bit since last time. "…I assume you're here to see Diablo?"

"...yes." she nodded. "...it's alright with you, right?"

"…It's okay with me, but I'll have to check on him to see if he should have visitors or not…" Raider said, rolling the chair over to the monitors to Diablo's room. Kiri trotted over to the monitors as well; looking at them with Raider. Diablo was just sitting there in his corner, looking up at the camera. He stared at it for a very…very…_very_ long time.

"…I…guess he can have visitors," Raider mumbled. "…it's about time to try and feed him too…" He stood up and grabbed a tray of food that he had at the side, offering it to Kiri. "…maybe he'll listen to you…"

"...right..." Kiri nodded, as she took the tray, before slowly approaching the door leading into Diablo's room.

Raider came with her, and opened the door for her. "Diablo…someone's here to see you…"

Diablo looked away from the camera, and his eyes fixed on Kiri silently. Kiri could tell that Diablo was extremely unhealthy; dark circles under his eyes indicated that he hasn't slept for ages, and he looked much skinner due to his refusal to eat…and he looked dirty, like he hadn't bathed ever.

"...hello... big brother." Kiri uttered; deciding to add that last part mostly out of respect. With a nod, she stepped into the room. "...how are you?"

Diablo stayed silent.

"...you don't look too well..." Kiri hummed, as she stepped a little closer to him. "...are you getting enough sleep?"

Diablo remained silent…but after a long time, he shook his head in response to her question.

Raider raised his eyebrow in surprise. Diablo never really responded calmly or even answered a question with an appropriate answer before.

"...that's not good... you need to find a proper sleep cycle, big brother..." Kiri noted, before she looked over him. "...and... you look like you could use a bath. Doesn't that sound like a good thing to consider?"

Diablo stared at her… and nodded.

Then after a while… "…Raider…unbind me."

Raider shot him a baffled look. "No way! Are you crazy?"

"…I won't do anything…I promise…" Diablo muttered.

Kiri looked up at Raider; wondering if he'd comply or not. Raider wasn't really sure if he should or not…but eventually he walked over to Diablo and unbuckled his arms on his straitjacket. Then he backed away cautiously.

Diablo moved his arms a little bit, making sure they weren't stiff.

Kiri looked back at Diablo at that point.

Diablo slowly stood up, and he ambled toward Kiri; which was pretty much almost the extent of his chain. He stood there then, staring down at Kiri with that same, lifeless look he's had.

Raider was standing at the door just in case Diablo would try something.

Kiri simply looked right back up at him.

"…Kiri…"

Diablo fell to his knees, and opened his arms. "…please…give your big brother…a hug…"

Kiri just looked at Diablo for a bit...

...and she placed the tray down on the floor, before she hugged Diablo. Diablo hugged her back, closely and warmly. "…I missed you…"

Raider was genuinely surprised by all this.

"...I missed you too, big brother..." Kiri hummed.

"…your big brother gets pretty scared sometimes…" Diablo uttered, still hugging her.

"…Kiri, I'm going ahead and closing the door," Raider said. "…if Diablo starts acting up, just run to the door. He shouldn't be able to get that fair on the chain.

Kiri didn't say anything, but Raider could see that she was nodding. Raider closed the door then, and he went to the monitor so he could keep an eye on them.

Diablo let her go, looking down at her. "…you grew…"

Kiri looked at Diablo with a sad smile. "...guess I hit a growth spurt..." she said with a light chuckle.

Diablo didn't laugh, but he sat back down again.

"...you look like you could use something to eat." Kiri pointed out, as she gently set her fingers on Diablo's stomach.

"…they're…trying to poison me…Kiri…" Diablo uttered weakly. "…they're trying to poison me…"

"...big brother..." Kiri uttered, as she looked at Diablo with a dreary look. "...how did you come to that conclusion...?"

"…they…they all want me dead for what I did…for what he made me do…" Diablo started whimpering and clutching his head. "They want to poison me so I don't have to be a burden anymore, they…"

Kiri arched her brows in a sad manner. "...big brother, that's..."

At that point, though, she got an idea. "...big brother... watch this." And she stepped back a little, before sitting down in front of the food tray she had brought in.

Diablo looked at her.

Looking down at the food tray, she slowly drummed her fingers against the floor...

...and she took some of the food with her other hand, and began munching on it.

Diablo gasped.

"NO KIRI! DON'T EAT IT!"

However, Kiri didn't heed Diablo's warning, and soon, she had finished what she had picked from the tray, before she looked down at the floor.

Diablo started clutching his head and screaming. "Kiri! YOU POISONED YOURSELF!"

"...big brother..." Kiri uttered.

Diablo hyperventilated a bit…and then, slowly, he calmed back down again. He looked up at Kiri with wide, frightened, but bewildered eyes.

"...urp!" And Kiri quickly held a hand in front of her mouth when she let that burp loose. "...excuse me..." she chuckled sheepishly, before she smiled warmly at Diablo. "...that was delicious."

"…Kiri…Kiri…you're not…" Diablo just stared at her. "…nothing happened to you…"

"...that's right." she nodded. "I'm fine, big brother."

Diablo stared at her…and then his gaze turned down to the food on the tray.

"...go on..." Kiri said with a smile.

Diablo pulled up one of his sleeves, showing his hand…and slowly, he took some of the food into his hands. He still looked at Kiri in some uneasiness.

Kiri gave him an assuring nod.

Diablo's hand trembled while he raised the food towards his face, smelling it. It smelled good to him…and the smell made his stomach ache in agony. It needed nourishment…

…he put it in his mouth, and started chewing.

Seeing that, Kiri managed to smile a little.

When Dialblo swallowed, he started to shake and tremble even more. Tasting the food, and feeling it drop into his stomach…it was a bit overwhelming, considering how long he went without food. He grabbed some more food and put it in his mouth, chewing even faster to swallow it and take another bite.

"...big brother..." Kiri uttered, as she seemed positively delighted to see Diablo actually eat.

Soon he started practically wolfing down his food greedily, not stopping for one minute until absolutely everyone on his tray was gone.

"...was it good, big brother?"

Diablo nodded, sitting back while he licked his fingers from the food he just ate.

Kiri smiled. "...I'm glad, big brother..."

Diablo's hand disappeared back into his sleeve…and then he snatched Kiri in another hug. "K-Kiri…please get me out of here!" he uttered, sounding like he could cry. "I don't belong here!"

Kiri blinked a bit, before she hugged Diablo back. "...there, there, big brother..." she uttered, before she glanced back at the camera from the corner of her eye. Then, she began whispering to him. "...I really want to help you out of here... but after what that nasty man did to you... you need lots of caring for, big brother..."

"…but I miss you Kiri…" Diablo uttered, breaking down into sobs. "…Big Brother misses his little sister…"

That line tugged at Kiri, as she hugged Diablo tighter, while she shut her eyes to try and hold back her own tears. "...I miss you too, big brother..."

Diablo kept crying while he clutched to Kiri. Eventually, Kiri couldn't hold back, and she began sobbing softly as well.

They were like that for a while, until Diablo finally stopped crying and just hugged Kiri.

Kiri returned the hug. "...big brother..."

"…Kiri…stay here, please…" Diablo uttered. "…I get scared all alone at night…I can't sleep…"

Kiri moved away from Diablo, and nodded. "...okay... I'll stay, big brother." she said, before closing her eyes. "...I just need a minute outside, and then I'll stay with you... so don't be afraid, big brother..."

"…o-okay…" he held his head again and sat back.

Nodding, Kiri began walking for the door, though she spared one more glance at Diablo before going outside.

Raider turned around in his chair and looked at her.

"...Raider..." Kiri uttered, as she glanced at the ox. "...I'm staying here for the night. With Diablo."

Raider scratched the back of his head nervously. "…I'm…not sure if that's a good idea Kiri."

"...please, Raider." Kiri uttered, as she looked at Raider with a serious look. "He's absolutely sleep deprived... he's utterly afraid of the night, and can't sleep because of it. If me just being there can make him more at ease..."

"…well…I'm not sure…" Raider muttered. "…I might have to ask King."

"...Raider..." Kiri sighed. "...King is busy with celebrating Jill's birthday right now..." Then, she looked pleadingly at the ox. "...please... at least just for the night..."

"…well…" Raider still didn't know if he should or not.

But finally he gave in. "…alright…one night…but if you want to stay for more than that, I think you'll have to ask King on it."

"...I will." Kiri nodded, before she smiled. "...thank you..." And she headed for the door leading into Diablo's room again.

Diablo remained the same way he was, but when Kiri entered in, he looked up.

"...I'll stay with you for the night." she said with a smile, as she approached him. "So don't be afraid, big brother..."

"Kiri…will stay with her big brother? Really?" Diablo uttered.

Kiri nodded, before she went to hug Diablo again. "...Kiri will stay... with her big brother." she said in assurance.

Diablo hugged her back tightly.

* * *

><p>That night, everyone was exhausted from the party at the pub. When Jill and Metal and Joy got home, all of them went to bed. While Jill and Metal fell fast asleep though…<p>

…Joy sat up in her bed, still awake. She couldn't sleep.

_"...something the matter, Joy?"_ And Tails Doll fluttered onto her head, looking down at her curiously.

Joy smiled up at Tails Doll. "I think I'm really excited for Tasha and King."

_"...oh, yeah!" _Tails Doll nodded. _"Man, it _was_ a surprise, though..."_

"Yeah," Joy agreed. Then she plucked Tails Doll off of her head and set him down in front of her. "…and I get to have a new friend to play with!"

_"A new friend is usually the best kind of friend!"_ Tails Doll laughed. _"Do you think it'll be a boy or a girl?"_

Joy giggled. "I dunno! And I can't wait to see what they'll name it!"

_"Me too!" _Tails Doll laughed. _"Oh, this is all so exciting!"_

Joy giggled some more.

…_just wait…you won't be so excited about this…_

Joy stopped giggling then. She looked around the room…and then she looked at Tails Doll. She thought she had heard a voice… "Tails Doll…did you say something?" she asked.

Tails Doll blinked. _"...I didn't say anything..."_

"…I heard a voice," Joy said.

Looking around him, Tails Doll seemed baffled. _"...I didn't hear anything... not to mention, we're the only ones here..."_

Joy grew a bit uneasy…holding Tails Doll closely. "…do you think it's a monster?" she whispered.

_"...I don't know..." _Tails Doll uttered.

…_pfsh…There's no monster in your room…and why should you even be afraid of monsters anyway?_

Joy let Tails Doll go after a while.

…_I'm just warning you about the new baby…everyone's gonna forget all about you…_

"…huh?" Joy became confused.

_"...Joy?"_ Tails Doll uttered. _"What's wrong?"_

Joy looked at Tails Doll. "…the voice says that everyone's gonna forget about me with the new baby," she muttered.

Hearing that, Tails Doll reeled back in shock. _"Wha- that's- who would-!"_ Sputtering, Tails Doll shook his head. _"Joy, that's ridiculous! No one's going to forget about you!" _Then, he folded his arms. _"If you ask me, this voice sounds like a big liar!"_

"…yeah," Joy agreed to it. "Yeah, you're right! Nobody would ever forget about me! 'specially not my Mama and Daddy!"

_"That's right! No one!"_ Tails Doll nodded. _"So don't let that voice get you down!"_

"Yeah!"

Then Joy yawned after that. "…now I'm gettin' sleepy…"

_"...you just go to bed, and we'll talk in the morning, alright?"_ Tails Doll hummed with a slight nod.

"Okie dokie…" Joy replied, hugging Tails Doll while she settled into her bed.

_"...good night, Joy..."_ Tails Doll uttered.

"Good night Tails Doll…" Joy mumbled sleepily, closing her eyes.

…_heh…and so it begins._

* * *

><p><em>A few days later...<em>

* * *

><p>"...alright; thanks for coming here, everyone." King hummed, as he sat down by a table, whilst rubbing his neck.<p>

They met in HQ that day, in that meeting room, with the Safe Haven Admins sitting around the table, as well as a select other few.

"So, what is this about?" One of the select few was Flamenco, leaning against a wall in the room.

"You said it was really urgent for us to show up." Another among them was Sonia, who sat by the table.

"So, is it something top secret or the like?" Lin was there as well, as she simply stood upright, whilst looking at King with an intrigued look.

"I doubt it, if he called for people who weren't necessarily the admins." Also among them was Will, who was leaning against the wall as well.

"People…like, let the boss man speak," Jam cut in, turning his music down.

"Right; he ought to let us know." Ruki nodded.

"...thank you." King regarded a nod to the parrot, before he cleared his throat. "...as you all are aware of, the new year's going to start up soon, and of course, that needs a lot of preparations to get ready."

"...yeah, that's true..." Will nodded, as he folded his arms. "...but what's it got to do with us? Usually, the admins and Sonia deal with that."

"Well, in case you haven't heard, King's going to be much busier than usual," Hunter threw in.

Seymour looked at Hunter curiously. "Why's that…?"

"...well..." King hummed, before he drummed his fingers against the table. "...I'm... going to be a father."

Instantly, the soldiers in the room did a double-take upon hearing that. "Say what, now?" Lin sputtered.

"You're gonna be a dad?" Will uttered in disbelief.

"Seriously?" Ruki shot in as well.

"It's true," Hunter replied.

"…wow…" Ed just gawked at King.

"...then... who's the mother, then?" Marco uttered.

"…Tasha…" Hunter murmured.

"…dude… you mean the Chieftains daughter from that tribe here on the island?" Jam asked in surprise.

"Y-yes, but- let's cut to the chase, here." King uttered, as he cleared his throat.

"But we have so many questions!" Lin called.

"I know, but that's not why I called you here." King said. "The reason I called you here is because I'm going to need your help."

"…what do you need us to do?" Flamenco asked.

"Well, seeing as Tasha's carrying my child, I... I've got to go to her tribe and work a few things out with them; which is going to take away time that would usually go in preparing for the newcomers this year." King said, as he rubbed his neck. "It wouldn't have been an issue if we found out about it earlier, but... that's how it goes."

"...so...?" Will hummed.

"...I need you guys to take care of the preparations in my stead." King said. "Hunter, Queen, Sage, Miser and Ripper are going to need all the help they can since I won't be available."

"…I see," Seymour responded.

"…but…what do we, like, do exactly?" Jam asked.

"We all know what to do; we'll give you guys things to do," Hunter said, looking at all of them.

"And if things seem to get too hectic, don't hesitate to ask friends and the like for additional help." King said with a nod. "This is gonna be a group effort... I'm counting on you all."

"...alright. We won't let you down." Ruki said with a confident nod.

"Okay," Hunter stood up. "King's putting me in charge of everything, so here's what needs to be done…"

* * *

><p>"It's like we're all camping!" laughed Striker, when he got up that morning.<p>

"You can say _that_ again!" Jack laughed as well.

Oblivion giggled. "You boys are just so energetic…"

"Nah, not me," Milo said.

"Yeah, aren't they?" Ani laughed.

"...indeed." Charon chuckled.

"Alright; now we've gotta think of a game to play!" Jack shot in with a laugh.

"…something Charon and Oblivion can play too!" Striker said.

Oblivion laughed, "Oh, I wouldn't be able to play any games with you guys. I'm not that active…"

"And... well, my size doesn't lend itself too well to too many games..." Charon noted with a chuckle.

"So? We can think of something!" Jack said with a grin.

Ani opened her knapsack. "…wish my bag was like your backpack, Striker. I don't have anything we could use in here…"

"Oh! I left my backpack at the pub, didn't I?" Striker said sheepishly.

"...we could go and get it." Charon suggested.

"Ani! Are you guys still up here?"

Ani's ears perked up. "Dad?" she called out, walking over to the mouth of the cave.

"...what's Hunter doing here?" Jack hummed, as he glanced towards the mouth of the cave.

When they all came to the mouth, Hunter climbed his way up, and stopped to catch his breath for a minute. "…good, all you boys are here…" he huffed. "…Ani, I'm going to need up and the boys to help set the pub up for the upcoming year."

Ani's eyes widened. "But Dad, isn't just you and me enough?"

"I have to pick up the slack for King, since he's going with Tasha to meet with her people," Hunter said. "And that means I won't be able to help you with the pub…I figured that if the boys helped ya, that would be enough…"

"…I suppose," Ani said.

"Hey, what kind of things do you guys do anyway?" Milo asked.

"Well, we make sure the shipments of food and drink are in, as well as giving the pub a good cleaning and probably moving some things around as well…" Hunter replied. "Ani and I get it done easily enough with our telekinesis, but…well, I'm gonna get my hands full pretty soon here…"

"...well, we can help out!" Jack said with a nod. "No problems at all!"

"...would you like me and Oblivion to help out with some things, as well?" Charon inquired.

"You can if you'd like; the more help, the more things that get done quicker," Hunter said.

"...alright." Charon nodded, before he looked at Oblivion. "Shall we help them, then?"

"Sure," Oblivion said.

"Alrighty; let's go then!" Striker said.

* * *

><p>"…Mama?"<p>

"Hm?" Jill looked down at Joy from what she was doing.

"Where's Daddy?" she asked innocently.

"He's doing something, but he'll be right back," Jill said.

_"...wonder what he could be doing..."_ Tails Doll hummed, as he fluttered by Joy's side.

"I don't know; he said he had to ask King a question I think," Jill said.

_"Oh, is that so?"_ Tails Doll hummed.

"Yeah," Jill said. "…but like I said, he should be back."

"Okay," Joy said, and then she turned to Tails Doll. "Maybe we can play a game until he gets back!"

_"We could do that, yeah!"_ Tails Doll said...

...and at that moment, the door opened up, and someone walked in. "...hello." Metal said with a nod to the two of them, as he closed the door behind him.

"Oh, hi Daddy!" Joy exclaimed.

"Hello," Jill responded, looking over at him.

_"Hi, Big Bro!" _Tails Doll called, as he fluttered over to Metal.

Giving him a nod as well, Metal eventually glanced at Jill and Joy. "I came by to let you know that King and the others are going to need a helping hand, to prepare for the new soldiers coming to Safe Haven soon."

"Oh? Did something happen?" Jill wondered why they'd need help.

"Well, King needs to go speak with Tasha's tribe for a while, given that they're going to become parents..." Metal began. "As a result, he can't help out with the preparations needed for the newcomers, and needs the help of as many as possible in his absence."

"Oh, I see," Jill said.

"Oh! I'll help!" Joy exclaimed excitedly.

Metal chuckled at that. "I was actually coming to see if you two could help out a little."

"Sure, I think we'll be able to help out," Jill said with a smile.

"Good." Metal mused with a smile. "Hunter said that Queen needed a little help in preparing the barracks for the newcomers. Shall we head over there?"

"Yeah," Jill nodded.

"C'mon Tails Doll!" Joy giggled, running right out of the door.

_"Right behind you!"_ Tails Doll cheered, as he fluttered after Joy.

Metal chuckled. "...so energetic..." he mused.

"I know," Jill agreed with a chuckle of her own.

* * *

><p>Down at the barracks were already a few soldiers, scrubbing the floors as well as other cleaning up in each of them.<p>

Joy zoomed her way towards them with outstretched arms, pretending to be an airplane like what the Professor had. "_Zooooom!_" she giggled.

_"Zooooom!" _Tails Doll laughed whilst flying right next to her.

One of the soldiers happened to be a mandrill, Phyrra, who glanced towards Joy and Tails Doll with a bemused look. "...now what is she doing here?" he hummed.

Eventually, Jill and Metal caught up to Joy, following behind in a walk. Glancing behind him to watch Joy and Tails Doll run past him, Phyrra glanced at Jill and Metal with a slight smile. "She is a quick one..." he said.

"That's for sure." Metal chuckled. "How're things going?"

"So far, things are going smoothly." Phyrra nodded. "We just happen to be lacking a few soldiers around to make things go faster..."

"That's what we're here for," Jill said. "What needs to be done?"

"Right now, we are taking turns with cleaning the floors and preparing the beds." Phyrra noted. "Queen is on the second floor, so if you are curious..."

"...we'll seek her out. Thanks for the heads-up." Metal said with a nod.

"Think nothing of it." Phyrra mused with a slight smile.

"Yay! Queen!" Joy decided to head into the building.

"Hang on Joy!" Jill laughed, following her. "Don't leave us behind now!" Metal chuckled, as he followed Jill into the building.

Joy raced through the halls with Tails Doll, not really regarding Jill's call. "Queen! Where are you?" she called out excitedly.

_"Where are you, Queen?"_ Tails Doll called as well.

Joy wasn't really paying attention though, and when she trampled across some wet floors people had just scrubbed…

"—WHOA!" She yelped out when her foot slipped right out.

_"WHOA!" _Tails Doll yelped as well. _"Joy, are you alright?"_

Joy didn't answer; instead, she broke down crying when she had fallen.

"Aw…Joy," A couple of arms picked her up and wiped some of the water off a bit. Jill looked at her elbow. "Did you slip and fall Joy?"

"Uh-huh!" Joy whimpered.

_"Oh, that looked like it hurt!" _Tails Doll uttered.

"...hm..." Kneeling by her, Metal rubbed her head a little. "...does it hurt, Joy?" he inquired.

"…un-huh…" Joy calmed down a bit, sniffling every now and then.

Jill kissed a bruise on her elbow. "Let's be careful next time we run around then, okay?"

"…okay," after Joy nodded to her mother, she wiped her eyes.

Metal smiled a little bit. "Alright; let's go and see Queen together, alright?"

"…alright," Joy nodded again.

Nodding, Metal took Joy's hand, and began leading her carefully towards the stairs. Jill and Tails Doll followed, heading up to the second floor.

When they came up to the second floor, they instantly spotted Queen talking to some of the soldiers there.

"Hello Queen," Jill spoke aloud.

Noticing them, Queen gave them a nod. "Hello." she said, before looking at the soldiers. "If you need any more help, just ask, okay?" she told them, before she approached the four of them. "...are you here to help out?"

"Yes." Metal nodded. "We hear that you're in need of a few more hands?"

"Indeed." Queen nodded in response. "We need all the help we can." she added, before she glanced at Joy. "...you're here to help as well?" she hummed in a bemused tone.

"Uh-huh!" Joy said.

Smiling, Queen rubbed Joy's head a little. "We appreciate all the help we can get, Joy." she said.

Joy smiled.

"So what would you like us to do?" Jill asked.

"Well, we need someone to change the bedsheets." Queen hummed. "Washing the old ones, preparing the new ones, that sort of stuff."

"Alright; I can get right on that," Jill said, walking by her.

"And I'll help carry 'em!" Joy exclaimed, following her.

Metal chuckled. "We'll get to it." he said to Queen, before he followed Jill and Joy.

Soon, Jill started up some of the sheets in the washing machines, and they all went back and forth carrying dirty and clean sheets. Metal was the one who took care of removing the dirty sheets and changing the clean ones over the pillows and mattresses; which would leave Joy to carry them to the washroom.

The more times she ran back and forth, the more she tried to carry. Eventually, she carried so much that she stepped on a bit of it dragging across the ground and the next thing she knew, she tripped. Luckily, unlike last time, she had the soft landing of all the sheets she was carrying.

As Queen was nearby, she headed over to Joy and helped her on her feet. "...a little carried away, are we?" she hummed with a slight smile, as she patted Joy's head.

Joy giggled a bit. "I'm just helpin'!"

"Oh, I know." Queen chuckled. "Just don't pick up too much, alright?"

"Alright!" Joy picked up the handful she had been carrying, and continued down the hall.

Queen just chuckled, as she watched Joy run off.

Joy kept going down the hall for a while…and then she tripped again. "Oops!" this time, she rolled over, and she got covered in all of the sheets. "Uh oh…"

Unfortunately, a soldier approaching the scene didn't notice her being entangled, and assumed that the bundle of sheets lying in the middle of the hall had just been dumped there. "...friggin' slackers..." he murmured, before he picked the bundle up. "Alright, to the washroom you go..." And he headed for the washroom.

Joy was surprised to hear a voice, and the fact she was moving.

Soon, the soldier entered the washroom, as he shot a glance at Jill. "Hey, where do you want me to put these?" he inquired.

"Just in the washer here," Jill said.

Joy grew scared, and tried to struggle, but that didn't make much of a difference at the moment.

"Alright..." Nodding, the soldier walked towards the washer Jill directed him to, and began putting the pile of sheets into it. "Here we go..."

Joy fell into the washer with the sheets, but luckily them tumbling around helped her find an opening. "Wait!" she yelped, popping out of the washer.

Jill gasped. "Joy?"

The soldier reeled back in surprise as well. "The hell?" he sputtered.

"…Joy, what were you doing in there?" Jill uttered.

"Mama, I tripped and I tried to get out of the sheets…but then he came and picked 'em up…" Joy muttered sheepishly.

Jill blinked, and then picked her up out of the washer. "…maybe those are a bit much to carry for you…"

"I'll say..." the soldier uttered, as he rubbed his head. "That could've been a bit dangerous."

"…maybe you can go see if Daddy needs help," Jill suggested.

Joy nodded. "M'kay!" and she skipped down the hallway.

As she did so, she happened upon Metal and Tails Doll in a different room, where Metal was changing the sheets on the beds in that room. When he noticed Joy, though, Metal stopped. "Oh, hello, Joy." he said with a nod.

_"What'cha up to, Joy?"_ Tails Doll inquired.

"I…tripped carrying the sheets," Joy giggled in embarrassment. "Mama said maybe I could come help you."

"...is that right?" Metal chuckled, as he rubbed his chin. "...well, I don't really _need_ help... but I suppose you could try it out, Joy."

_"Great idea, Big Bro!"_ Tails Doll cheered, as he fluttered over to Joy. _"It's really easy! We've already gotten the dirty sheets off, so now we put the clean sheets on the pillows and mattresses!"_

"Okay!" Joy said with a smile.

"Here's some clean ones, Metal," a soldier said, carrying in a huge pile of clean sheets.

"Thanks." Metal gave him a nod, as he took the sheets from him. "Alright, let's get to it." As he placed the pile carefully on the floor, he began changing the sheets on some of the beds.

Joy went to grab some for a bed and took them over, attempting to try it. Fluttering by her, Tails Doll watched her attempt this. She managed to get the pillow case on the pillow, but then she had to put the sheets on the mattress. Lifting each corner of the mattress was hard for her. Tails Doll watched her with anticipation.

"More clean ones!" Called another soldier, only this one was careless and tossed them in.

"Ah!" Joy was in the crossfire and got covered in more sheets.

_"...uh oh!"_ Tails Doll uttered, as he tried rummaging through the sheets to get Joy out. _"Joy, are you okay?"_

"Uh-huh! I'm okay!" Joy said, crawling out of them. Then she returned to the bed, and finally succeeded putting the sheets on it. She smiled, and looked over at Metal…who had gotten six beds done in the time that it took her to do one…then her smile fell.

_"...Joy?"_ Tails Doll blinked.

Eventually, Metal glanced back at Joy, and smiled a little. "Ah, you got a bed done?" he mused.

"…yeah…but I didn't get as many as you," Joy muttered.

"...hm..." Walking over to Joy, Metal rubbed her head a little. "...don't let it get you down, Joy." he said. "...tell you what..." Then, he glanced at Tails Doll. "...would you mind accompanying her?"

_"...what for, Big Bro?"_ Tails Doll inquired.

"Well..." Metal began, before he looked at Joy with a smile. "...if you want to help out, maybe you could see if anyone else on the island needs a helping hand?"

Joy looked up at Metal. "…okay," she said with a nod.

Metal smiled again; as if he tried cheering her up a little. "...I'll let Jill know that you and Tails Doll headed off." he said, before giving her a hug; "Best of luck to you, Joy."

"Thanks Daddy…" Joy said, hugging him back. Then she pulled away. "Let's go Tails Doll!" she said.

_"Okay!" _Tails Doll nodded, as he fluttered after her; waving at Metal as he did so. _"Later, Big Bro!"_

"...later." Metal said with a smile, as he waved after the two of them.

* * *

><p>Joy ended up wandering off back into town, looking around. "…what could I help with…?" she wondered.<p>

_"Well... it would have to be something that doesn't need you to be taller."_ Tails Doll noted, as he fluttered around Joy. _"But what, I wonder...?"_

Just then, Joy passed by the pub, and saw Charon standing outside of it. "…oh, hi Charon!" she exclaimed.

"Hm?" Humming, Charon glanced towards the two of them. "Hello, Joy." he said with a nod to her. "And Tails Doll."

_"What are you doing here?"_ Tails Doll inquired.

"...me and Oblivion came over here to help out." Charon explained. "Hunter has to take care of King's duties, and now the boys are helping Ani with everything inside of the pub. Me and Oblivion offered to help..."

Joy's eyes glistened with excitement at the sound of that. "Can I help too?"

Charon chuckled a little. "I don't see why not. Go on in, and ask if anyone needs help with anything."

"Okay!" Joy wandered into the pub. Right when she walked through the doors, someone stumbled toward her with a large box; almost threatening to have it fall on her. Joy yelped.

Then Milo rushed in and caught the box, helping the other person carry it. "Oh, hi Joy!" Striker said sheepishly, carrying the box.

"Be more careful Striker…" Milo warned him.

_"...what're you up to?"_ Tails Doll inquired.

"Moving stuff around," Striker grunted, heaving the box onto the table. "This is full of empty bottles and when the shipment comes in, they'll take the empty bottles out."

"We're just stacking them up so that they can just grab it all," Milo said.

"Can I help out?" Joy asked.

"…you're too small to be lifting stuff I think," Striker said. "But check with Jack and Ani in the back. They're doing the cleaning."

_"...is Oblivion doing cleaning as well?"_ Tails Doll supposed.

"I think so," Striker said, scratching his cheek.

"M'kay! Let's go Tails Doll!" Joy said, heading for the backrooms. Tails Doll quickly followed her.

She ran into Jack holding something up, while Ani wiped down the surface underneath it. After Ani was done with that, she noticed Joy and Tails Doll. "Hi guys!"

"Hi!" Joy said. "Can we help?"

"You wanna help?" Jack said with a grin. "Sure! The more, the merrier!"

"We were just about to sweep the hallway, Joy," Ani said with a smile. "You wanna do the sweeping?"

Joy beamed. "Yeah!"

"Alright!" Jack laughed. "I'll go get the tray! Ani, think you can hand Joy a broom?" And he hurried to find a tray.

"Right; here you are, Joy," Ani handed Joy a broom that was slightly taller than her. "You and Tails Doll could work together," she said with a smile.

_"Definitely!"_ Tails Doll nodded, as he fluttered over to grab the broom.

"I got the tray!" And Jack returned with said tray. "The dust you sweep up goes in here, so we can toss the dust in the trash when we're done."

"Great!" And with that, Joy started to sweep against the ground. Tails Doll, though he didn't really contribute a whole lot, kept sweeping along with her.

Joy got up a lot of the dirt and grime off the floor…but at one moment she wasn't watching where the broom handle waved around at. She accidentally bumped a shelf with a vase on it, enough that the vase slowly fell off toward Joy.

"Whoa, there!" Thankfully, before the vase hit Joy, Jack managed to grab it. "That was close..."

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Joy uttered.

"It's okay Joy; accidents happen," Ani said, fixing the shelf with her telekinesis, and putting the vase back from Jack's hands. "You did a really good job sweeping! Oblivion might want some help next."

"Yeah!" Jack said with a nod, as he rubbed Joy's head. "She's in the main room, if you want to see her."

"Okay!" Joy took off, dropping the broom so that Ani had to catch it.

_"Wait up!"_ Tails Doll called, as he fluttered after Joy.

Joy eventually found Oblivion in the main room; a place in the pub where it could be nothing more but a simple lounging room. Oblivion was here, dusting and cleaning out the minifridge.

"Hi Oblivion!"

That outburst made her jump with a gasp, and she spun around. "…oh, it's you two," she chuckled in embarrassment. "You startled me."

_"Are you cleaning up?"_ Tails Doll hummed. _"We could help out!"_

"Sure," Oblivion said with a smile. "If you two roll up that rug and take it outside, you can shake all the dirt off of it." She pointed to a round, large rug on the floor.

"Okay!" Joy said.

_"Let's get to it!"_ Tails Doll nodded, as he fluttered over to the rug, grabbed one of its sides... aaaand, given his small stature, he was absolutely unable to even budge the rug, despite his best efforts.

Joy laughed while Oblivion giggled, and Joy came over to him. "Here!" she said, picking up the rug for him to roll it over.

_"Thanks!"_ With that sort of push, Tails Doll was able to start rolling the rug over. _"Here we go!"_

They got it rolled over, and with a huff, Joy picked up the rug with both arms.

"…are you going to be alright carrying that?" Oblivion asked a bit worriedly.

"Uh-huh!" Joy said.

_"I'll help her!"_ And Tails Doll fluttered underneath the rug to take hold of it... and of course, he wouldn't be of too much help, given his size.

"…Okay then, be careful," Oblivion said. "…while you go do that, I'm going to clean some of the bathrooms."

"Okay!" and with the rug, Joy stumbled out of the room through the hall.

Tails Doll diligently fluttered after her; holding the rug up as best he could.

Joy didn't do too badly…until she got into the pub. Striker didn't see her, and with him carrying the box and her carrying the rug…

_CRASH!_

_"OH NO!"_

"Joy!" Striker quickly got up from where he tripped and picked Joy up. "Hey, are you okay?"

Joy looked like she was ready to cry. "I knocked down the box and broke the bottles…" she sniffled. Sure enough, there was broken glass everywhere, and the rug was half unrolled on the ground beside them.

_"Oh- oh, Joy, don't blame yourself!"_ Tails Doll quickly said. _"It- it was an accident! It happens to the best of us!"_

Joy tried not to cry, wiping up her tears and sniffling.

Striker's brows arched. "…maybe…you should see if someone else might need some help…I'm worried that you'll get hurt here."

_"...oh... and we came all the way here from the barracks..."_ Tails Doll uttered.

"…Sorry," Milo said with a shrug.

Joy looked down at the ground in disdain.

"…Hey, maybe Sonia could use some help on the training grounds," Striker suggested, trying to cheer her up.

_"...the training grounds, huh..."_ Tails Doll uttered.

Striker turned Joy's head up by her chin. "Don't feel bad Joy. I knew you were trying to be helpful."

Joy nodded and wiped up her eyes again. "…okay…we'll go see Sonia…" Tails Doll nodded, as he perched himself on Joy's head.

"Alrighty then," Striker picked Joy up and set her down toward the door, so she wouldn't accidentally step on any glass.

And with that, Joy headed out.

Tails Doll patted her head. _"...don't let it get to you... we'll get it right, eventually."_

"…yeah," Joy said, trying to cheer up.

Nodding, Tails Doll pointed ahead, _"To the training grounds!"_

* * *

><p>It took a bit, but Joy eventually got to the training grounds. She walked by many soldiers trying to fix up some of the equipment, and to repaint a few things here and there, looking for Sonia.<p>

Eventually, she came across her; standing in front of the archery targets and inspecting them. "...hm..."

"…Sonia?" Joy said to get her attention, pulling on her clothes.

"...hn?" Blinking, Sonia glanced at Joy. "...oh, hi, Joy!" she said with a smile. "What're you doing here?"

"I wanted to see if I could help…" Joy said, shuffling her feet.

"...well, of course you can help!" Sonia said with a smile, as she knelt down to look at Joy. "What do you want to help out with?"

Humming, Tails Doll fluttered off Joy's head, and simply looked at Sonia.

"…whatever I don't mess up…" Joy muttered.

Sonia blinked at that. "...why would you think that...?" she uttered, before shaking her head. "...in any case..." And she pointed at the targets. "...those targets need a new layer of paint, so they don't look too weathered with age. Red and white... you can take care of that, right?"

Joy nodded. "Yeah!"

"Alright; just let me get the paint buckets." Sonia said with an assuring smile. "You can go and fetch some brushes." With that, she headed off to get some paint.

Joy looked up at Tails Doll. "…where are the brushes?"

Tails Doll looked around him... and spotted a pail of brushes not too far from the obstacle course. _"Over there!"_

"Oh!" Joy went over and picked them up. Then she looked over at the obstacle course.

"…look! There's Lin!" Joy pointed out one of the soldiers that were working on the obstacle course. "Hi Lin!" Joy called out, waving.

"...huh?" Looking towards Joy, Lin blinked a bit, before waving back... with her flail-arm. "Hiya, Joy!" she called. "Are you helping out as well?"

"Yeah!" Joy called back.

Another soldier, which happened to be Jam, turned down his music and looked over at Joy. "…who're you, like, talkin' to?" he asked Lin.

Lin glanced at Jam with a grin. "That's Joy; Jill's daughter! She's the sweetest thing!"

"Oh, that's her?" Jam said. "…I couldn't tell…she was, like, too far away…"

"...too far away? She's right over there." Lin pointed out.

"…huh…maybe I might need glasses, or somethin'…" He muttered.

"Nah; you probably just didn't hear her at first." Lin said with a laugh.

"…but what do glasses have to do with, like, hearing?" Jam became confused.

"...I dunno, actually..." Lin hummed, as she rubbed her chin in thought.

"…oh yeah…what were we supposed to do again?" Jam asked.

"...uh... just make sure that the obstacle course isn't unsafe, I think." Lin replied.

"…oh! Right!" Jam looked over the obstacle course. "…maybe we'll test it out, like, to make sure it isn't, y'know, unsafe or something."

"...yeah, maybe so," Lin nodded. "But, uh... I don't think I'm fit to test it out. Y'know, because I might end up breaking it with my flail-arm..." she said sheepishly.

"Oh, okay…" Jam said, nodding. "…I gotta admit, dude, that flail arm's pretty rockin', y'know? It's cool."

Lin blinked, as she lifted her flail-arm up; looking at the trio of spiked balls that the chain split up towards. "...you... think it's cool?" she uttered.

"Yeah, it's, like, badass to the extreme," Jam said.

"...wow, seriously?" Lin said with a wide grin, before she raised her other left arms; both the alloy-arm, and the arm-stump. "Then what about these?"

"They're cool too; maybe if you, like, find something for that stump or somethin'," Jam said. "But yeah; they're totally excellent, man."

Lin grinned at that. "Thanks!" she said, as she gave Jam a thumbs-up. "Alright; let's do this obstacle course!"

Jam nodded, "Like, way ahead of you dude!"

And suddenly, he took off in an incredibly quick sprint.

"Whoa!" Lin sputtered upon seeing that.

Jam had turned up his music in his ears, so he didn't hear Lin; in fact, he zoned out in his own little world, running until he got to the first obstacle; a lone rope that you had to balance across.

When Jam got to it, he effortlessly tip-toed across the rope without losing his balance whatsoever.

"...WOW." Lin uttered, as she glanced around him. "Hey, is anyone seeing this?" she called.

Some soldier's heads perked up, and stared at this.

There was a long rope wall that you had to climb up, and Jam was very nimble in fingers and feet; getting up to the top and down over it. Then he headed toward some stumps that grew in height with each one; Jam jumping across each one without a single slipup.

"...HOLY." Lin uttered once again.

Next came some hanging ropes that you had to swing across. Jam jumped for one, and swung through them so effortlessly, like he was a monkey.

"...DAMN." Lin uttered again.

One of the ropes swung into a zip line, which Jam snatched and hung onto while it zipped him through the trees. At the end of the zip line was a large pit which you also had to swing over, and the zip line didn't throw him off at all to be able to jump onto the rope and swing across the pit, landing on the other side.

At this point, Lin could only gape.

Jam turned down his music. "…some of the ropes, like, need to be replaced; they're fallin' apart and stuff," Jam said; "But other than that, like, the zip line's fine and everything else too."

Lin didn't answer at first; as she had just been flabbergasted by that display.

Jam looked back at her. "…like, what's up?"

"...that... was _awesome._" Lin uttered, before she began clapping her hands together.

Jam blinked. "…thanks," he said, turning his music off entirely. "Nothin' really…"

"...wha-what do ya mean, 'nothin' really'?" Lin sputtered. "That was the best take on the obstacle course I've ever seen!"

Jam looked up at the course. "…probably 'cause I watched, like, other soldiers do it like a bazillion of times…"

Lin blinked at that. "...you... watched others go through the course... and got that good at it?"

"I, like…could learn just by watchin' other people…it's sorta like, a kind of gift I've always had," Jam said. "I could just watch 'em and like, do things the same way they could. What's that called again? Oh! Mimicking!"

"That's why the boss man Spiel, like, dug me…it was 'cause I could do that," Jam answered.

"...oh, yeah... you were part of Spiel's group before he died..." Lin nodded in understanding.

"Yeah," Jam said. "…still can't, like, get over how he went; y'know? It's kinda unbelievable…"

"...yeah..." Lin uttered; she still recalled Spiel's sudden rise and fall from power that fateful night. "...after he died... did the guys in your group, um... feel sad?"

"Some kinda did," Jam said. "…me? I dunno…I didn't really know the guy very well…"

"...true; he did keep to himself a lot..." Lin nodded.

"Maya was pretty bummed about it," Jam mentioned.

"...well, yeah; she is a kid..." Lin nodded. "...what about the others? Marlo, Phyrra, Ruki, Blitz?"

Jam shrugged. "…gotta ask them…"

"Right, right..." Lin nodded, as she rubbed her neck a little.

Jam looked around. "…well…now what do we do?"

"...uh... I guess get to fixing those ropes you noticed." Lin uttered.

"'kay then…" Jam said. "…but uh…like, where do we get new ropes?"

"...I guess we can ask Sonia about that." Lin noted, before she glanced to the side. "...oh, there she is!"

And sure enough, they spotted Sonia just arriving by the targets with a few buckets of paint in her hands.

"Thanks Sonia," Joy said, looking up at her.

"No problem." Sonia said with a smile, as she opened the buckets. "Now, remember; the red and white should be separate from each other, so use different brushes for each color, alright?"

"Mkay!" And Joy picked up a brush. "Tails Doll, you can paint with red, and I'll paint with white!"

_"Alright!"_ Tails Doll nodded, as he had gripped a brush as best he could. _"This should be easy!"_

"Hey, Sonia!" Sonia's attention was called, while Jam and Lin walked up to her.

Blinking, Sonia glanced towards the two of them. "What's up?"

"Well, we were checking on the obstacle course, and Jam figured that the ropes need to be swapped." Lin said with a quick nod. "But the problem is... we dunno where the ropes are."

"Oh, really?" Sonia hummed. "...well... I'm not sure if anyone thought to bring rope with them... but if nothing else, I'm sure that you can check the storage room by the docks."

"...but that's a fair distance away, though..." Lin murmured.

"…I guess we, like, don't have any other choice…" Jam murmured.

"...alright; we'll be off, then." Lin hummed. "...by the by, what's Joy up to?"

"Oh, she wanted to help out, so I let her paint the targets." Sonia said with a smile, as she glanced towards Joy...

She was having a bit of fun painting the white circles on the targets, while Tails Doll painted behind with red ones beside it.

"…that's, like, kinda cute…" Jam chuckled.

"...it is." Lin nodded.

"And I bet she's having fun, too." Sonia said with a smile.

"Sure looks like it," Jam agreed. Then he started walking off. "C'mon Lin. We'd, like, better get that rope, or somethin'."

"Yeah..." Nodding, Lin followed him.

Meanwhile, Joy tried to reach up a bit higher than she could…and the result was that she lost her footing. "W-WHOA!" and she fell onto one of the cans of paint, which toppled over right onto her and soaked her in red paint.

Hearing that, Sonia quickly looked at Joy. "Oh no!" Quickly, she rushed to Joy's side and knelt by her. "Geez, you're all dirty, now... you're not hurt, are you, Joy?"

Joy pushed the paint can off and tried to wipe off the paint. "…I…" she looked ready to cry again, but she didn't.

"...oh, don't cry, Joy..." Sonia said sympathetically. "It could've happened to anyone..."

_"...Joy..."_ Tails Doll uttered depressively.

"...look, let's go and get you cleaned up." Sonia suggested.

Joy nodded. "…okay…" and she stood up, with paint still dripping off of her.

With that, Sonia began leading Joy off, so she could get cleaned up.

* * *

><p>Once Joy got all cleaned up, she was wrapped up in a blanket, and she sat on Sonia's couch in her cabin, looking down at the ground in disdain.<p>

"...hey, try cheering up, alright?" Sonia said with a slight smile, as she sat on a chair opposite of Joy. "It's not like you, being so glum..."

"…but I…messed up trying to help the others…" Joy mumbled. "…I messed up with the painting, with helping Ani, and Jack, and Striker and Milo and Oblivion at the pub…and I even messed up helpin' my Mama and Daddy too…"

"...oh, don't look at it like that." Sonia said, as she crouched down so she could look Joy in the eyes. "You did your best, and I'm sure that everyone appreciates that."

Joy looked back at her.

"...okay, so maybe your first day of helping out didn't go too well, but... you don't need to be sad about it. We all screw up now and again." Sonia said with a smile. "So come on; let's see a smile on your face, hm?"

Seeing Sonia smile helped Joy to smile a little too.

"See? Smiling makes everything a lot better, doesn't it?" Sonia said again. "C'mon; I'll take you home. It's starting to get late, after all..."

"…m'kay," Joy said, standing up from the couch.

Taking her hand gently, Sonia began leading her outside. "Come along, now..."

"Right," And Joy walked with her.

As the two of them walked from her cabin back towards the town, the sun slowly crept down beyond the horizon, and night soon fell on the island. Joy looked up at Sonia while she walked with her. She's known Sonia forever…and thinking that, she wondered what it was like when her mother came here with her.

"Sonia…what was it like?" she suddenly asked. "When my Mama first came here?"

Sonia blinked, as she glanced down at Joy. "...how it was like..." she hummed, before looking at the night sky. "...gosh, it was so long ago... you were just a little thing, back then... and your mom... even then, just seeing you happy could make her smile..."

"…was it really hard for Mama?" Joy probably knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from Sonia.

"...to begin with... yeah, it was." Sonia nodded; "...but she had some darn good friends to help her through it... and of course, she had you."

"…so…even if I mess up sometimes…she'll still be happy with me?" Joy asked. She supposed that was the real reason she had gotten so depressed when she messed up so much; whether or not she might disappoint her mother.

"...yes." Sonia nodded, as she looked at Joy with a smile. "No matter what, she'll always be happy with you." That truly made Joy smile, and even feel a little better afterward.

Soon, the two of them made it back to the malt shop, and with a slight hum, Sonia opened the door. "Here you go, Joy."

_"Joy!"_ Fluttering down the stairs, the two were met with Tails Doll. _"You're back!"_

"Hi Tails Doll!" Joy reached out and hugged the plush doll warmly. Sonia smiled upon seeing that.

"...ah, there you are, Joy." Metal walked down the stairs as well, and walked towards the door. "You took care of her, Sonia?"

"Yeah; she needed a quick bath, so I took the liberty of dealing with that." Sonia said with a nod.

"…I fell in paint," Joy explained.

"...aah." Metal hummed, nodding in understanding. "...thanks, Sonia." Then, he knelt down to hug Joy. "Did you remember to thank her, Joy?"

"Oh! Thanks Sonia!" and then Joy hugged Metal back.

"…Daddy, where's Mama?" she asked, noticing that Jill hadn't come down.

"...oh." Metal hummed, as he looked at Joy. "...well... when I finished up, Jill wanted to help Queen out a bit more at the barracks." he explained. "She told us not to wait up for her, so..."

"…Mama works really hard, doesn't she?" Joy asked.

"...she does, yeah." Metal nodded, as he smiled at Joy. "But don't worry; she'll be home when you wake up in the morning. I'm sure of it."

Joy smiled, and then looked back up at Sonia. "Thank you for bringing me home Sonia."

"...don't mention it." Sonia said with a smile, as she began walking off. "Good night, Joy, Metal, Tails Doll!"

_"Good night, Sonia!"_ Tails Doll called with a wave.

"Nighty night!" Joy called, waving as well.

"...alright; let's go to bed, as well." Metal said with a hum, as he rubbed Joy's head a little.

Joy nodded. "…Daddy…can you tell me a story before bedtime?"

"...a story, hm?" Metal hummed. "...yes... I suppose I could do that." he eventually nodded. "What would you like to hear?"

Joy smiled a little. "…I wanna hear the story about you and Mama, when you were training."

Metal hummed at that. "...is that so... very well, then." With a light chuckle, Metal picked Joy up, and began heading up the stairs; as Tails Doll closed the door behind them. "It's a pretty long story, just so you know that before we begin."

"M'kay!" Joy said. "I promise I won't fall asleep too soon!"

"That's good." Metal chuckled, as he entered the apartment atop the stairs; "Because there's a lot to take in."

* * *

><p>Jill was on the stroll through the town, finally having finished helping out with Queen. It was farther on in the night when she walked, and she looked up at the moon. The last time she looked up at it, there was a crescent. Now it was getting fuller…eventually Hunter and Ani would probably lock themselves up in their basement again…<p>

As she walked, though, she noticed someone ahead of her, who was approaching her.

Jill blinked a bit. "…Jack?"

Perking up, Jack noticed Jill just then. "...oh, hi, Jill." he said with a nod to her, before he yawned a little. "Man... I probably stayed up too late helping out at the pub..."

"Did'ja?" Jill chuckled, and then she yawned too. "Same here…I was helping out Queen."

"...man... guess we're both really tired." Jack chuckled as well, as he rubbed his neck. "The other guys finished up early, and headed off with Oblivion and Charon, but I wanted to make sure that everything was alright back at the pub..."

Jill chuckled some more. "Well, you should probably go find them then and get some rest. Today was a long day for all of us."

"I will." Jack nodded, as he rubbed his back a little.

Seeing Jack do that reminded Jill; "…hey, is your back doing any better?" she asked.

"...hm?" Jack blinked. "...oh, yeah, it is!" he eventually nodded. "Mom patched it up really well, and I'm doing a lot better!"

"That's good," Jill said, smiling. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Same to you!" With a grin, Jack began walking again.

Jill walked too, and they happened to pass by each other since they were heading in opposite directions. Jill still couldn't help but think what Callous told her all those days ago. When Jack couldn't see her face, she grimaced in disgust. She still couldn't believe what Callous and Johnny did.

And then... Jack stopped.

Not only that, but Jill suddenly stopped as well.

There was a long, drawn out silence in the air, while the two of them just stood there.

…then suddenly, Jill burst out laughing.

Jack also began laughing.

Jill just kept laughing; hunched over to hold her gut.

"Oh, man, that was just too easy!" Jack eventually cackled.

"Oh Johnny, you should've seen her reaction!" She turned and flashed red eyes at him, still laughing. "It was worth it!" Callous laughed.

"Oh, this I gotta hear!" At that point, Johnny turned to look at Callous. "How'd it go over, huh?"

"She came to me in a dream and kept questioning me to the point I finally told her what happened," Callous said, walking up to him. "…then she freaked out so much! She looked SO disgusted!" and she started laughing again.

Johnny began laughing as well. "That sounds incredible! Tell me more; what'd she say?"

"She started saying "no no no no," and then when I told her things like how Jack's just like his uncle in a lot of ways, she screamed at me to shut up; clearly she didn't want details on it," Callous snickered. "It only made her even more angry and disgusted! Hell, she had trouble talking; stuttering up a storm!"

Johnny practically couldn't hold back his laughter, as he held his gut as well. "Oh, this is just priceless! I should've been there!"

"Yes, you should've!" Callous laughed so hard she had to lean on Johnny.

As she leaned on him, Johnny held her and kept cackling as well. "Oh, man, this just makes the whole thing even more enjoyable!"

The two of them just stood there, laughing their heads off.

Eventually, their laughter began dying down, though not because the mood had dampened, but more because they were already exhausting themselves with just laughing.

"Boy, I've never laughed so hard like that," Callous chuckled.

"Can't say that I've ever laughed that much, either..." Johnny chuckled in return.

"…next time I get so excited, though, I'd better make sure not to harm little Jack," Callous snickered with a tease. "Or my_ big, bad sister _is going to do something about it! As if…" Then she folded her arms, still smirking. "I have a stronger mentality than her."

"Of course; otherwise, she would've been able to keep you from possessing her." Johnny chuckled. "Not that I even need to worry about Jack's mentality; it's way too easy to bypass..."

"That's for sure," Callous chuckled.

"...now, then..." With a chuckle, Johnny placed a hand on Callous' shoulder. "...what else are you up to tonight, aside from laughing about your _big, bad sister_?"

"I don't know…it depends if you're free for a few minutes," Callous said with a purr, winking at him.

Johnny smirked at that. "For you, baby, I could spare more than just a few minutes." he chuckled.

"Good," Callous said, wrapping her arms around him. With a chuckle, Johnny wrapped his arms around Callous as well.

Callous chuckled too, and she leaned forward, meeting his lips with hers. The moment their lips met in a kiss, Johnny began rubbing her back. Callous sighed in appreciation, and stroked his arm. With a pleased grunt, Johnny deepened the kiss. Callous stuck her tongue in to play with his. In response, his tongue coiled around hers, as he began lowering his hands whilst stroking her backside. Callous hummed in delight, wondering where his hands would wander to next.

Where they wandered off to turned out to be within her jeans; stroking her bare skin underneath them.

* * *

><p><em><strong>*More Censored things...to a certain point*<strong>_

* * *

><p>Eventually, though, the moment slowly died down, and the two of them broke away, with Johnny taking a moment to breathe. "...holy shit..." he uttered.<p>

Callous took the time to catch her breath as well.

With a relieved gasp, Johnny stroked Callous' cheek. "...fucking hell... we came _so_ hard..." he chuckled.

Callous laid there, silently then. Her brows furrowed…

…she couldn't quite understand why…but something suddenly felt a bit off. It was nothing about her and Johnny; the sex was _fantastic_. It felt more off in the distance…she couldn't exactly tell where, but she still could sense something…it nagged her inner senses in ways that hadn't been nagged ever before.

Johnny blinked. "...Callous?"

Callous blinked too, snapping out of it. "Hm?"

"...you... spaced out, for a moment..." Johnny noted.

"…I felt something strange; can't explain it, really," Callous told him. "…it felt…off. That's all I can really describe it as…"

"...huh..." Johnny uttered, as he nodded a little. "...it... didn't kill the mood, did it?"

"Oh no, not at all," Callous chuckled. "…just felt weird; it's not something I sensed before…"

"...I see..." Johnny chuckled, as he leaned a bit closer to Callous. "...then... maybe you'd like to take the initiative now?"

Callous smirked; "My thoughts exactly."

* * *

><p><em><strong>*More Censoring*<strong>_

* * *

><p>This one lasted quite a bit longer compared to previous times they've hit their climax…even so, there came the time when the waves of pleasure faded away, and Callous practically collapsed onto the ground next to Johnny afterwards.<p>

"…god…damn…these exhausted bodies…" Callous breathed bitterly.

"...fuck, you're right..." Johnny uttered. "...they just... can't keep up with... our mutual lust..."

"…she needs to freakin' take better care of herself…" Callous wiped her brow which was now covered in sweat. "…she's starting to slow down…"

"...at the very least, he's stayin' in shape..." Johnny huffed. "...if he actually stopped acting like a kid, he could woo every girl that came his way..."

"Once he stops freaking out about the idea of sex, that is," Callous chuckled, sitting up.

Johnny chuckled as well, as he got in a sitting position as well. "...I do wonder if that'll ever happen." he mused.

"Maybe when he's forty years old? Who knows," and Callous started getting dressed again.

Likewise, Johnny began getting dressed as well. "...so..." he hummed, before glancing at Callous. "...you think you'll be available again sometime later on?"

"I would think so," Callous said. Then she snickered. "After all this business with King knocking up Tasha, I think no one will suspect the two of us sneaking around."

_Oh, how wrong you are…_

Callous' smirk fell.

"…did you hear that?" she suddenly asked.

Johnny blinked at that. "...I... don't think so." he uttered, before he glanced around him. "...is someone watching us?"

Callous stood up in alert and looked around. "…there's no one around; that much I can tell…" she muttered.

Then she got that strange sense again…

"…something funny's going on, Johnny…" she said, folding her arms.

Narrowing his eyes, Johnny looked at Callous. "...you want me to snoop around and find out what's up? It'd be easy for me, as long as I'm not possessing Jack..."

"Yeah…I think you should," Callous murmured.

Then she looked in one direction…

"…you've got to be shitting me," she uttered.

"...what?" Johnny blinked. "What's up, Callous?"

She looked at Johnny with an actual, surprised look.

"It's coming from her house."

* * *

><p><em>I wasn't in my bed, and for some reason, I was really scared…I was it a large city…it was a very big place. I was standing by myself; Tails Doll was gone… This city was broken…there were cracks everywhere, on the grounds and buildings; everything looked like it was gonna fall apart in a second. I looked around this place, wandering. It was cold, and there was a dark orange glow, like it was sunset or something…<em>

…_but I saw lots of fire in different places…and lots of broken cars._

_This place was scary to me…_

"…_Mama? Daddy?" When I called out, my voice echoed. It felt so empty in this place. "…Hello? Tails Doll?"_

"_They're not here…"_

_I spun around, getting even more scared. "H-Hello?" I uttered, wanting to know where that voice came from._

_It was the same voice that told me all those mean things. _

_I kept looking round and round and I didn't see it. Then I spun around, and finally, I saw something. It was dark, rising out of the ground, looking at me with scary, glowing white eyes._

"…_you can't do a single thing right, can you…?" It snickered._

_I started feeling more hurt when it said that; remembering how I tried to help everybody but messed up. "…that's not true…" I uttered. "I can do things right…I just mess up every now and then…"_

"_Oh, is that what everyone told you?" That black thing laughed, scaring me even more. Then it tried to walk towards me and I backed away from it. "That's only so you don't worry your silly little head about it…but in reality, they're thinking how much of a _nuisance_ you are."_

"…_what does…nuisance mean?" I asked._

"…_it means that you're not important to them."_

"_That's not true!" I uttered out. "I'm very important to everybody! 'specially my Mama and Daddy! And no matter what happens, that'll never change!"_

"_Oh, but it _will _change…" The black thing said. "…when that new baby comes along, it'll ALL change…" while it walked toward me, other black things came out of the ground; ones that looked like giant, scary monsters._

"…_you're wrong…" I started feeling tears roll out of my eyes. "…that won't change anything…that just means a new friend to play with…" and I felt so much more scared._

"_But what if this new friend _doesn't_ want to play with you? What if this new friend…makes sure that everyone forgets about you, when they come along?"_

_And suddenly, the monsters charged after me. With a terrified scream, I turned and tried to run away from them, running around the broken cars. The farther I ran, the more scared I got. I looked back, hoping that they were far away from me, but instead they were catching up to me. I could still hear that mean voice laughing._

"_And everyone's gonna start caring about that new baby, forgetting all about you! Nobody's gonna help you if you mess up really bad and get into big trouble!"_

"_Stop it!" I yelled, crying a lot. "Stop talking like that! My Mama and Daddy would _never _forget about me!"_

"_You say that now, but it's gonna happen!" _

_I looked back again and one of the monsters was right there. I screamed, and kept running…only for another monster to pop out and stop me. I was stuck between all the monsters, and there was nowhere to run._

"No! NO! DON'T HURT ME!"

Joy shot up from her bed, screaming, and then she started crying profusely out of fright and sadness. "Mama! Daddy! Tails Doll! Don't forget about me!" she sobbed.

_"...Joy!"_ Suddenly, someone fluttered in front of her. _"Joy, don't cry! Oh, geez, a nightmare?"_

Joy gasped when someone fluttered up in front of her. "…Tails Doll!" and she hugged the plushie, crying. "It was really scary!"

_"...oh, don't cry, Joy..." _Tails Doll uttered, as he softly patted Joy a little. _"See here; it was just a dream..."_

Joy sniffled a little bit, still weeping but more quietly. "…that scary voice…kept telling me that everybody's gonna forget about me…and there were monsters…"

_"...Joy..." _Tails Doll uttered. _"...oh, that voice keeps scaring you, doesn't it..." _Then, he looked at Joy. _"...don't you think we should let Jill and Big Bro know about it...?"_

Joy only looked at Tails Doll before her door to her bedroom opened, and she looked up.

"Joy, honey, what's wrong?" Jill walked in, looking very concerned.

Tails Doll simply looked at Jill. _"...Jill..."_

Joy grew sad and scared again, with more tears rolling down her face. "I had a nightmare, Mama! This voice told me mean things and chased me with scary monsters!"

Jill's brows arched, and sat down on Joy's bed. "Come here…" she said, opening her arms. Joy dove right in, hugging her mother tightly. Tails Doll simply fluttered a bit away, so he wouldn't get in between them. Joy just cried in Jill's shoulder while Jill stroked her head.

"…Joy, what mean things did this voice say to you?" she asked.

Joy sniffled. "…the voice said…that everybody was gonna forget about me…when the baby comes…"

Jill looked shocked at that, and looked over at Tails Doll in wondering.

Tails Doll simply nodded. _"...that's what she told me as well..."_ he uttered.

"…Joy…" Jill looked down at Joy then. "…do you feel like…we'll forget about you?"

"…that voice tells me that…and I keep telling it that Mama and Daddy and Tails Doll and everybody else would never forget about me…" Joy uttered, clutching to Jill. "…but it…it's really scary Mama…"

Jill grew more concerned.

_"...Joy..."_ At that point, Tails Doll latched onto Joy's head; hugging her. _"...I could never forget about you..."_

And Jill hugged her tightly again. "I'd never forget about you either, Joy. I love you with all my heart…I hope you know that."

Joy hugged both her and Tails Doll. "…I know…" and sniffled up the last of her tears, finishing her crying.

_"...there, there..."_ Tails Doll said soothingly.

"Would you like me to stay here until you fall asleep Joy?" Jill asked. She got no response. Curiously, Jill looked down at her and raised her eyebrows in questioning. "Joy?"

She was already fast asleep, just like that, cuddling in her mother's arms.

_"...aaaaw..."_ Tails Doll uttered.

Jill stared at her silently.

Then she carefully set Joy back down in her bed and tucked her into the covers, kissing her head. "…come let me know when she wakes up again," Jill told Tails Doll.

_"...I will..."_ Tails Doll nodded.

Jill nodded, standing up and heading toward her door, with one last glance at Joy.

Tails Doll looked at Joy as well, before he looked back at Jill with a nod.

Jill nodded again, and walked off into the hallway.

…_watch her,_ spoke a voice in Jill's head. _…there's something going on…_

…_are you sure it's not just a nightmare?_ Jill thought. _…It worries me, yes…but if it was something drastic, my powers would be showing up and there hasn't been—_

_-Listen you; I can sense something about this and I do not like it…which is sad to say, because I'd kick a puppy on a daily basis to get shits and giggles…_

Back in Joy's room, Tails Doll kept looking down at Joy...

...but he wasn't alone.

_...just a nightmare? As if, _a certain spirit huffed, as he hovered near her bed. _Even without any Corruption coursing through me, I can tell that there's something fucked up going on... _Even though he couldn't physically touch her, he prodded a finger against Joy's head. _...if there's something in there, speak up._

_Fuck off…_

And something literally blasted Johnny off of Joy.

_GAH!_ Being a ghost, that literally sent Johnny flying out of the house; though he stopped himself before he could be sent flying too far off. _...the fuck was that? Not even Novagod could pack a punch like that..._

_You spent many years fooling around, and now's the time you choose to talk to me? Fuck you._

Johnny instantly perked up at that. _...the fuck are you talking about?_ he hissed. _Who the hell are you, to begin with?_

_Oh, nobody important if you've forgotten about me…_

Johnny blinked. _...forgotten- what are you even talking about?_ he snarled. _You're not one of the ghosts I've ever dealt with; they couldn't push me around like that... so who are you, then? Answer me!_

_Why don't you just think on it…_

…_Father?_

Hearing that one word uttered to him, Johnny was left frozen where he floated.

_...Father...?_

And he was left in silence.

_...tsch..._ With a scoff, Johnny folded his arms. _...I need to wait until Callous is available again... talking to her within Jill's mind still doesn't work out too well for me..._ Then, he closed his eyes. _...so... Jill and Brick weren't the only ones to hit the jackpot... huh.._

* * *

><p><em><strong>...Weeeeeeeeeell, ain't that a cliffhanger if you ever read one? XD<strong>  
><em>


	4. Chapter 3

_A few days later..._

* * *

><p>"…It was…different…"<p>

That morning, Tasha and King were on their way back to town from her village; which had been relocated much farther from the town out of safety for the tribe.

"...it sure was..." King hummed, as he nodded.

"…I just didn't expect them to be so…accepting of all this," Tasha murmured. "…I would think a child between the tribe and a Safe Haven warrior would've…raised some trouble."

"...they were very supportive, as well..." King hummed.

"…although most of them hope for a son…" Tasha sighed.

"...hm." King hummed. "...we'll just have to wait and see what it'll be..."

Tasha looked at King. "…I'm sorry that it took away from preparing the year for your next soldiers."

King looked back at Tasha with a smile. "Don't worry about that; I'm sure that Hunter and the others managed to get by without me being around..."

Tasha smiled back.

Then after a while, she chuckled softly to herself.

King blinked. "What's on your mind?" he inquired; managing a smile at seeing her chuckle like that.

"…just thinking back on when we first met; when things were very different," Tasha spoke. "…even the time when we first…confessed our feelings…"

"...oh, yeah..." King hummed, as he nodded a little. "...yeah... I remember that..."

Neither of them could forget that night…

_King was just lying in his tent all by himself. Unlike his other comrades, he couldn't sleep. Right now, his thoughts were wandering off someplace else... "...hn..." With a slight sigh, he slowly sat up. The others were already sleeping in their own tents... so why couldn't he fall asleep?_

"…_psst."_

_Just then, King heard a noise…_

_Hearing that noise, King blinked. "...hn?" Slowly, he approached the tent's opening, and glanced outside..._

_Suddenly, hands appeared from behind him, covering his mouth and taking him up into the tree tops quickly. "Mf?" Out of surprise, King quickly looked at the one who had nabbed him like that._

"_I'm sorry for doing this, but I must speak with you immediately!"_

_It turned out to be Tasha, and once they were up in a large nest in the tree tops, she took her hands off his mouth. This nest, King remembered, was Tasha's personal spot; they had recently started seeing each other here at this spot in secret. Thankfully, the nest was large enough and secured enough up in the tree tops for the two of them to be up here. Also, no one would see them. It made the perfect meeting spot._

_King couldn't help but blink. "...uh... Tasha, what's so important that you couldn't just talk to me about it down below?" he inquired._

"_It's about my father…" Tasha murmured, looking concerned._

_"...oh?" King's brows arched at that; his friends didn't exactly get along too well with the tribe's chieftain, who Tasha happened to be the daughter of. "...what's wrong?"_

"…_he's…growing impatient Twilight," Tasha said._

_"...oh." King sighed. "...he wants us to leave... doesn't he?" he supposed._

"…_and if you don't soon…he will command the entire tribe to attack you and your friends," Tasha muttered; "…forcing you off the island."_

_"...so, it's coming to this..." King hissed, as he glanced to the side. "...if I could just get a proper audience with him... I don't want any conflict, but... I can't give up on my dream, either..."_

"…_I don't think my father will want to listen anymore, Twilight," Tasha grew more uneasy. "I came to warn you…because I know how rash my father is, and I don't want anything to happen to you and your friends…"_

_King looked back at Tasha for that. "...Tasha... I honestly can't thank you enough..." he uttered. "I mean... you've put so much on the line, just for me and my comrades' sake..."_

_Tasha smiled a little. "…it's nothing, really…it's a way to repay you for being hospitable to me in the beginning…"_

_"...but... after all the times you helped us out, it's like we're the ones in your debt..." King said, as he managed a slight smile as well._

"…_I just don't want any of you getting hurt," Tasha said. "…especially…you…" with that she turned away so King didn't see her blush._

_King blinked a bit at that. "...Tasha...?"_

_Tasha remained silent, stepping away a bit from King to look out at the jungle from the nest._

_Blinking still, King approached Tasha a little. "...is... something the matter?" he uttered._

"…_I…don't know how to explain it…" she murmured._

_"...well... try, at least." Feeling a certain beating in his chest, King took hold of Tasha's hand. "...go on... I'm listening..."_

_Tasha's eyes widened, feeling her own heart quicken just like his, and she looked back at him with a heavier blush. He held her hand so delicately. "…I…"_

_"...y-yes...?" King uttered._

"…_I feel this…fluttering in my stomach when I look at you…" Tasha uttered. "…it tingles…and…I get anxious in strange ways…and…all I can think about is you…"_

_King's eyes widened slightly, and a light blush came over him. "...really...?"_

_Tasha nodded. "…I…really care about you…and this is the first time I felt…like this for anyone. It's really…extraordinary…" And she started to tremble nervously. "Oh no…I'm shaking," she uttered nervously._

_"...is... that right..." Upon saying that, King got a little closer to Tasha. "...you... wouldn't happen to know what that feeling's called...?"_

"…_I've…heard a lot of stories about it…" Tasha murmured, growing quieter when King got closer. "…I think it might be called…having feelings for someone…"_

_"...there's a different name for it as well, and... it's... what I'm feeling right now..." King uttered, as he just looked into her eyes._

_"...it's called... love."_

_Tasha stared back into his eyes too. "…Twilight…"_

_"...Tasha..." King uttered as well, as he placed a hand softly on Tasha's cheek. _

_Tasha could feel her heart speeding up rapidly, placing her hands on his chest. King could feel his body trembling from anxiety, as he slowly leaned closer to Tasha. Tasha tensed up a bit, but she wasn't uncomfortable…she was just…breathless. She watched King lean closer to her with a growing wonder._

_With a slight, silent, anxious gulp, King moved a bit closer... and his lips met hers ever so softly._

"…_mph…" Tasha was frozen for a moment…it was so soft that it sent goose bumps all over her._

_The two of them stood there for a short while, before King slowly broke that union of lips, so he could look at her again. "...Tasha..."_

"…_Twilight…" Tasha whispered, looking back at him in awe, and she couldn't help but think…_

…_They were all alone in this area of the jungle…Tasha almost felt a sense of…freedom. It was… exhilarating…_

_"...Tasha..." King uttered again, as he gently stroked his thumb against her cheek._

_Tasha's eyes glistened in the moonlight, while looking back at him with a growing blush. "…Twilight…"_

_"...Tasha..." As a blush grew across his own cheeks, King slowly wrapped his arms around Tasha._

_Feelings his arms around her, it made her feel…safe…and so much more. Her eyelids started to drop slowly. "…Twi…light…" and her lips touched his just as softly as his had done before._

_"...nh..." Feeling her lips against his, King slowly began stroking her back. Tasha could feel something blossom up inside her, and more goose bumps scurried down her body when she felt him caressing her. She shivered a little bit. As he kept caressing her, King felt a nagging feeling in his chest; one that yearned for her more than he could fathom. Slowly, by a mere fraction, he deepened the kiss a little._

_Tasha twitched a moment when he deepened the kiss, but she melted into it. She started to feel more and more from this…and it caused her to tremble in slight excitement. King could feel himself shiver a little as well; mainly due to the fact that, until this point, he had never engaged in such acts... and the fact that his first time was with someone he well and truly cared for. Holding her a bit tighter, he caressed her arm. Tasha slowly reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him more. Feeling a slight shiver from her hands touching him like that, King deepened the kiss a bit more. Tasha allowed him to deepen the kiss, growing more breathless by it._

_Slowly, King moved one of his hands up to the back of Tasha's head, so he could feel her hair whilst they kissed. Tasha's ears fell back in appreciation, kissing him deeper. Though a bit surprised that she deepened the kiss on her own accord, it pleased King, as he held her closer to him. Tasha liked being closer to him… her hands started wandering around on his chest in more delight. Letting out a slight sigh of relief, more shivers shot through King's body, as he kept caressing her back._

_Tasha felt herself heating up quickly…and yet she was still shivering so much from all of this. She didn't know why back then…but she clutched to King while she kissed him with more feeling. As if her clutching to him spurred that same kind of heat within him, King held Tasha even tighter, as he deepened the kiss enough that their tongues were able to meet. More goose bumps shot through her excitedly when their tongues touched, and hers wrapped around King's. Feeling himself shiver from their tongues playing together, King kept caressing her further; now stroking his fingers along her sides. Tasha tried to keep herself quiet, but she felt like moaning at the touch of his fingers. She felt so afraid of uttering any sound…_

…_although at that point, she could remember things had started to speed up a bit…_

_At that point, King, with shivers still going through his body, moved a hand within her clothes to caress her bare skin underneath, as he deepened the kiss more feverously. Tasha gasped in surprise at that…but she didn't push him away. She started to enjoy the feeling of his hands touching her bare skin and she dug her own hands underneath his shirt, feeling his strong stomach muscles in amazement. King gasped lightly at that, as his hands moved closer to her own chest; nearing her breasts ever so slightly._

_Tasha felt growing excitement at that…it felt harder and harder to try and control it…and a sudden, embarrassing noise came out of her nose._

_Purring._

_It was as if the purring spurred King on, as his hands took hold of her breasts; fondling and caressing them like treasures. Tasha gasped and uttered out the tiniest of moans…still embarrassed at the sounds she started to make. King, though, didn't seem to mind; in fact, he seemed to enjoy those sounds, as he moved one of his hands to slowly begin removing her attire. Tasha's breath quickened for many reasons. She had the uneasy thoughts of what this was leading to and how much trouble it would mean…_

…_but…her feelings for King were so strong, she started growing more passionate…_

* * *

><p><em><strong>I know you guys don't enjoy reading this, but you'll have to get used to it with this story for the first few chapters. Besides, I manage to censor a lot of it anyway, and it IS rated M<strong>_

* * *

><p>Thinking of that, Tasha started blushing a bit. Sure, admittedly there was so much chaos and mayhem that happened the following morning… King, having been thinking of that as well, had begun blushing as well; even considering the turmoil that evolved from their encounter that night...<p>

Eventually, Tasha took his hand. "…I wouldn't have wanted to start a family with anyone else…" she said with a smile.

Looking back at her, King smiled. "...same here..." he replied.

Finally, the two of them had arrived into town, only to find something very surprising for the two of them…

"_WELCOME BACK!"_

There was a large group of soldiers out in the open when they arrived; most of them all their friends.

King couldn't help but blink in surprise at that. "...well, now..."

Hunter walked up to them. "We got everything all set to go," he said, beaming. "Figured with some extra time, we'd plan a little something for you guys when you got back."

King couldn't help but smile at that. "...geez... really?" he uttered, as he rubbed his neck. "...I... don't know what to say..."

"Well, you don't need to say it." Sage chuckled, as she folded her arms behind her back.

"…thank you everyone," Tasha said, smiling. "It was very thoughtful of all of you."

"Oh, but that's not all!" Ani said. "There's more than just a welcome home shout! It's a whole welcome home _party!_"

"...a... _party?_" King uttered in disbelief.

"That's right; a party." Sonia said with a wide grin. "Everyone pitched in to make this something special."

"…oh you…shouldn't have," And Tasha actually looked a little uncomfortable.

"Oh, don't worry; nothing bad," Jill chuckled to reassure Tasha. "I know it may seem awkward, but we all mean well…"

"That's right." Metal said with a nod.

"...so loosen up and smile a little." Queen suggested with a slight smirk.

King just blinked, and grinned a little as he rubbed his neck. "...oh, you guys..."

"C'mon!" Many of them reached out and snatched King and Tasha, pulling them into town.

"Wha- hey!" King managed to chuckle, as he and Tasha were pulled into town.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, one of the ones that weren't with the large group in town celebrating…was Joy.<p>

She just…didn't feel like celebrating…she didn't understand why…

Joy just stood there near the harbor, looking at the two tombstones in front of her. The two of them, though they varied in size, still had a clear purpose for being there; to mark the graves of Spiel and Krieg.

For many days now, the same kind of dream has plagued her mind; that voice…and those monsters, chasing after her. It isn't until she wakes up from the dream that she manages to get away from them. It started to make her scared in the real world…she felt like something wrong was going on.

"…you might've been a meanie Spiel…but you were a strong person…" Joy mumbled, looking at the tombs. "…and Krieg was just as strong…"

She sighed. "…I wish I was strong like you…so that these bad dreams didn't scare me…"

Silence.

"…I beat that bad man, Deity, but…" Joy turned and looked out to the ocean in disdain. "…I…feel like I didn't do anything big…"

More silence... until...

_"...now why do you say that? You sure did a better job than I did."_

Joy blinked when she heard that voice. Then her eyes widened, and she turned back to the tombstone.

There, standing right before her, was a towering, spectral pig, who gave Joy a grin. _"...yo."_

Joy just gawked at him.

Eventually she spoke. "…Spiel?"

_"In the flesh." _the pig chuckled, as he rolled his eyes. _"Or should that be in spirit? I can't be bothered to check the difference these days."_ he mused jokingly.

Joy just stared at him in silence.

…although that joke managed to get a small, single chuckle out of Joy; she didn't know why, but she didn't seem so afraid of him now like she used to be.

_"So, you're looking pretty down in the dumps." _Spiel hummed. _"What's the matter? I thought that after Hex left the place, Diablo got locked up, Raider turned over a new leaf, Kiri became your friend and I kicked the bucket would've made Safe Haven a bit more cheerful." _he quipped.

"…Safe Haven's not what's wrong…" Joy answered, looking down at the ground. "…it's the voice in my head…"

_"...hearing voices in your head, eh?"_ Humming, Spiel sat down on his tombstone. _"Alright; I got some time before Krieg expects me to smack Novagod around for a bit, so lay your fears on me."_

Joy looked back up at him. "…I'm afraid that…this voice in my head and these bad dreams…I'm afraid that they're not just dreams…"

_"...is that right, huh..."_ Spiel hummed, as he rubbed his chin.

"…I feel like something really bad's gonna happen Spiel…" Joy grew sad. "…and that I…"

Spiel just hummed, as he waited for Joy to say what she had to say.

"…That I…won't be able to stop it."

Spiel hummed, as he closed his eyes.

_"...so... if this thing manages to take over... is that gonna be it, then."_

Joy looked up at Spiel in shock. "…it'll…take over me?"

_"I dunno; I haven't met this thing."_ Spiel said, as he looked at Joy with a more serious look. _"But let's assume that it wants to do that... if it manages to do that, Joy, are you just gonna accept it and give up?"_

"N-no! I can't do that!" Joy uttered. "I can't give up! If it takes over me, it might hurt my Mama and Daddy and Tails Doll and everybody else and I can't let it do that!"

_"That's the ticket; you can't give up." _Spiel nodded. _"...but... you're scared of this thing."_

"…I don't know what it wants…" Joy mumbled. "…it keeps chasing me down, and saying mean things to me to make me feel bad and…I don't know why it's doing that…"

_"...hm..." _Spiel hummed, as he glanced up at the sky. _"...you mind if I tell you a story?"_

Joy grew interested. "…what's the story about?"

_"...it's about what happened during that brief moment, when Novagod jumped ship from Diablo into my body."_

Joy grew more curious, as well as surprised. "…really?"

_"Yeah."_ Spiel nodded. _"Y'see, to the common eye, the instant Novagod shot into my body, it would've appeared that I just subdued him like it wasn't any problem at all. But I can tell you that it wasn't the case. It might've been a few seconds for everyone else... but within my subconscious, Novagod tried usurping control of my body for what seemed like hours on end."_

Joy stared at him. "…was it a hard battle?"

_"...well... it was certainly tough, I'm not gonna lie."_ Spiel hummed. _"Not just because he happened to be strong... but because he simply overwhelmed me with sheer numbers. Lemme tell ya; I've faced armies in battle before... and even then, those armies paled in comparison to how many shadows he sent out, that wanted a piece of me."_

Joy remained quiet, waiting for him to continue.

_"It was like a tidal wave; all these shadows lashing at me, clawing, shrieking, all just to try and lock me away so Novagod could take control over my body... but I wouldn't have it."_ With a hum, Spiel looked back down at Joy. _"So, I did the only thing that came to mind... I fought back."_

"…even if you were surrounded like that?" Joy asked.

_"Yep." _Spiel nodded. _"Even against insurmountable odds, I still fought back." _As he thought about it, Spiel actually smiled. _"I can still recall that baffled look in Novagod's eyes when he saw me start to plow through those shadows; making a beeline towards the real target." _Then, Spiel looked back at Joy. _"...and, eventually, I managed to claw my way towards the bat, and managed to suppress him within my own subconscious; the same fate he had planned for me."_

Joy looked up at him in amazement.

_"...now, I won't say that it was easy; far from it."_ Spiel noted, as he folded his arms. _"But... I'm sure that if I had given up, even for a split second... I'd have been defeated. So I want ya to keep that in mind, Joy; even when things are at their worst, and there doesn't seem like any way of saving yourself... don't give up, no matter what."_

Joy nodded.

Then she had a miscellaneous question, "Hey, if Krieg's a spirit too, can he see now?"

Hearing that, Spiel blinked... before he began laughing. _"Well, that's something I didn't think I'd hear!"_ he chuckled. _"...well, technically, he can see. He just chooses not to."_

Joy tilted her head in confusion.

_"...well, you see, as spirits, we're not as limited as we were back as part of the living." _Spiel explained. _"For instance, if you happened to lose an arm while you were alive, that's easy to fix, and you don't need to eat or sleep either... but that doesn't mean that every spirit _wants_ to fix up their arm or stop eating or snoozing the days away."_

"…oh," Joy responded blankly.

_"...yeah; it's kinda hard to swallow, innit?"_ Spiel chuckled. _"But eh; the day you become a spirit, you'll know what I'm talking about."_

"…but I WAS a spirit; one time," Joy said. "When you smashed me on the ground."

_"...well, to be fair, that _was_ only for about half an hour, at most; and you spent that time fighting Novagod."_ Spiel pointed out. _"By the by, I'm still not sure if you're sour about that whole thing still."_ he said with a slight chuckle.

"Mama and Daddy probably are, but not me," Joy said with a smile.

Spiel chuckled at that. _"...how sweet."_ he mused. _"...you know, I do have to say... you got a really strong will, Joy."_

Joy looked at Spiel in amazement. "Really?"

_"Yeah."_ Spiel nodded. _"I mean, for a kid, you've been through a lot of stuff, and you're still smiling like a daisy in the sun. Not to mention, you even managed to purify Novagod; that's a lot more than what I did to the guy."_

That was more than what even _Spiel_ could do? To be honest, it made Joy feel a little special. "…I guess so," she said, smiling.

_"...you just make sure to hold onto that will."_ Spiel noted. _"It may not seem like too much... but a will like that would technically make you stronger than even me," _he chuckled.

"Wow," Joy never thought he'd be saying something like that.

_"...and if that voice in your head tries anything funny, you just need to remember that you've got a way stronger will than anyone else. If you do, I'm sure it'll leave ya alone."_ Spiel said with a nod.

Joy nodded. "…Thanks Spiel."

_"Anytime." _Spiel chuckled. _"If you wanna talk some more, I won't be going anywhere. Oh, you want me to say hello to Krieg and Novagod from ya? I happened upon the guy in charge of keeping the bat company, so he let me and Krieg keep an eye on Novagod for 'im."_

Joy nodded. "Yeah, say hi to Krieg."

_"I will." _Spiel chuckled. _"Take care, Joy."_ And with a wave, he sank into the ground.

Joy waved back until he was gone… then she looked back over at town. "…King and Tasha's gotta be back by now…I should go have fun with everybody else!"

And she ran off.

* * *

><p>"...big brother... how are you doing today?"<p>

Diablo didn't respond; he was just rocking back and forth in his little corner quietly.

"...you have been eating properly, right?" Kiri hummed, as she slowly approached Diablo.

Again, Diablo didn't respond to her, still rocking back and forth. To answer her question though, there was a half-eaten tray on the ground nearby.

She seemed to smile a little, as she stopped right next to Diablo. "...what about sleep, then?" she inquired, as she placed a hand on Diablo's arm.

Diablo finally looked up at her, and she could see he still had the circles under his eyes.

Kiri sighed a little. "...have you at least gotten a bath?"

"K-Kiri…s-something bad's gonna h-happen…something bad, and dark, and evil and…something bad…"

Kiri blinked. "...something... bad...?" she uttered, as she looked at Diablo with a concerned look. "...did you have a nightmare since I saw you last time...?" she supposed.

Diablo kept rocking back and forth, to the point that his head hit the wall. "…she's gonna get me Kiri…somebody's gonna get me…and she wants revenge…she wants to make them pay…she…_she…_" Kiri could tell that he was getting more distressed.

"...big brother, calm down..." Kiri uttered, as she tried hugging Diablo to calm him down. "Everything's fine... just relax..."

"…no…no…she's angry…she wants blood, revenge…she_…she…_" Diablo couldn't stand it anymore—"_AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!_" He started screaming and thrashing about.

"B-big brother!" Kiri uttered, as she kept holding onto him. "Please, big brother, calm down!"

The door burst open and Raider, along with Sage, ran in. "Kiri, what happened?" Raider uttered.

"...he... he began screaming...!" Kiri uttered. "I-I can't calm him down!"

"...let me." Quickly, Sage approached Diablo, and knelt by him to take hold of his shoulders. "Diablo, calm down! There's no danger here! You're safe!"

"SHE'S GONNA KILL US ALL!" Diablo screamed, still trying to struggle in Sage's hold. "SHE'S JUST LIKE _HIM!"_

As Diablo screamed, Kiri blinked. _...she...? Just like him...?_

"Diablo, snap out of it!" With a grunt, Sage quickly smacked Diablo across the cheek, so he'd stop panicking.

And Diablo sat frozen there, once Sage had smacked him.

"...there..." Sage uttered, before she looked at Kiri. "...I think he needs some time alone."

"...but..." Kiri uttered, as she looked at Diablo in disdain.

Raider looked down at Kiri. "…I think Sage is right, Kiri…"

"...b-but..." Kiri uttered.

"Please, Kiri..." Sage uttered, as she took Kiri in her arms. "...come along..."

Kiri didn't resist; as she just looked at Diablo with a sad look. Diablo just sat there silently, sitting up against the wall with his head hung low. Raider picked up the tray that was nearby on the ground and took it with him outside, closing the door to the padded room. Kiri remained silent, as Sage led her away from the door.

"...I know I haven't been around too much lately, but... has that happened often, Raider?" Sage uttered, as she glanced at the ox.

"No; not since Kiri started visiting him," Raider said. "Considering his condition, he was actually doing really well up to this point…"

"...it couldn't be a lapse, could it...?" Sage uttered.

"...um..." Kiri eventually uttered, as she looked up at the two. "...he... said something..."

Raider looked down at her. "What did he say?"

"...he was saying that something bad was going to happen..." Kiri uttered. "...and that someone... a girl, that is... was angry, and... out for revenge..."

Sage blinked at that. "...out for revenge?"

Raider blinked too. "…what if it was just a nightmare he had, Kiri?"

"...if it was a nightmare..." Kiri uttered, as she rubbed her arm. "...then it must've felt very real to him..." Saying that, she looked at Sage and Raider. "...I think maybe someone might try and attack him later... please, don't let anything happen to him..."

"...relax, Kiri; we're keeping him safe here." Sage said. "Besides, Raider and the drones are here to keep a lookout, right? There's not much that can get past them..."

"Yeah, hardly anyone can get in here with them patrolling around the area," Raider added in assurance.

Kiri kept looking at them with a certain look of doubt in her eyes.

Raider knelt down to her, "…if you're still worried, I can tell the drones to work double time."

"...would you...?" Kiri uttered, as she looked at Raider.

Raider nodded. "Yeah."

"...then... please do that..." she said with a sincere look in her eyes.

Raider stood up. "I'll do it right now," he said, walking to his computers to sit in his chair. Then after a bit of work with some typing, he pulled out a radio. "Alright guys, listen up…"

* * *

><p>"…<em>I'm gonna need you guys to keep watch more than usual, okay?"<em>

_"...he wants us to do _what_, now?" _one of the drones, RUCKUS, uttered incredulously.

"_Why'd you want us to work harder?"_ RACHET asked.

"_We uh…have…premonitions of something bad, according to Diablo."_

_"...you mean the man who could be certified as legitimately insane?"_ RECEPT noted dryly.

"_Look, Kiri requested it, and Diablo's actually been pretty calm these last few days that she's visited until today when he had an abnormal outburst about someone coming to kill him…_" Raider muttered. _"…I just think we can't be too careful…_"

"_Well I certainly don't mind!_" RACHET giggled.

_"...hmph... well, if it's needed, I suppose..." _RECEPT noted.

_"Well, then, how long are we gonna keep up the double duty, then? Just for a night? A week? Years?"_ RUCKUS inquired.

"_I…honestly don't know; I don't think years, but just long enough to make sure that nothing's gonna happen,"_ Raider spoke.

_"...well, you can count on us."_ RECEPT noted. _"RUSTY's already aware, I presume?"_

"…_Indeed…"_ That was RUSTY on the line.

_"Alright; then I guess we'll start out keeping an extra eye on the place right away!"_ RUCKUS laughed.

"_In the meantime, can we still be around the large party all the soldiers planned for Tasha and King? They all look like they're having so much fun!" _RACHET giggled…and then she almost his tree. "_Whoops!"_

"_Uh…I suppose…" _Raider responded.

_"Alright; then what are we waiting for? Let's get goin'!" _RUCKUS laughed.

_"...you two go on." _RECEPT hummed. _"I don't particularly care too much for parties, so I'll pass."_

"…_Same here…_" RUSTY added.

"_Alright! C'mon RUCKUS!"_ RACHET laughed.

_"I'll race ya!"_ And RUCKUS shot off away from the scene.

_"...hm."_ RECEPT hummed, as he glanced to the side.

RACHET followed after him, giggling all the way.

* * *

><p>The festivities were all being held outside, in Music Square. Lots of tables were set up with food, and almost everyone on the island was there, talking to each other and having a fun time.<p>

Looking around at everyone, King couldn't help but chuckle, as he rubbed his neck. "...wow... this really is unbelievable..." he noted.

"Well, you're the head honcho of Safe Haven!" Ani threw in. "Of course everybody's gonna pitch in for something like this!"

"...I know, but..." King noted. "...how long did it take to set all this up?"

"...admittedly, longer than it took for us to finish up the preparations for the new year." Queen hummed with a chuckle.

"But it was worth it," Hunter said. Then he looked past King and a big smirk crossed his face. "Especially since our special guests have finally arrived."

Ani looked behind King and she grew excited.

King blinked...

"THERE YOU ARE!" And suddenly, someone wrapped their arms around King, giving him a hug from behind. "There's my lucky boy!"

"Gah!" Blinking, King quickly looked behind him. "...mom?"

"Who else?" Indeed; behind King stood Caitlin, who looked at him with a wide grin whilst hugging him.

"Grandpa!" Ani ran over and hugged someone else near Caitlin.

"Well hello there, kiddo!" Sure enough, it was Bruno, and he was as jovial as ever.

As Caitlin let go of King, he turned around so he could see the three of them; Caitlin, Bruno and Belinda, the parents of King, Hunter and Sage. "...you guys..." he uttered.

"You think we wouldn't come to visit after learning about the news?" Caitlin said with a wide smile. "So, where's the lucky girl, King?"

"Oh! I'll go get her!" Ani volunteered with a smirk, disappearing into the crowd. "She's gotta meet you guys!"

Belinda chuckled. "She grew since I last saw her…and even then, still energetic as ever."

"I'll say." Caitlin chuckled, as she folded her arms with a smirk. "I'll bet that the others have grown as well."

"Mama! Look who's here!"

From out of the crowd came Joy, pulling along her mother to see the three of them.

"Oh my goodness; is that you Joy?" Belinda uttered with a bright smile. "You've gotten much bigger!"

"Belinda!" Joy threw her arms around the old raven, remembering her from years ago.

"Oh, I'm so glad you remembered me, dear," Belinda chuckled, hugging her back.

Caitlin laughed, as she rubbed Joy's head. "Oh, she's just as adorable as I remember her!" she said, before she looked at Jill. "You must be so happy for her, right?"

Jill smiled. "I certainly am."

Bruno jumped, "WHAT THE-?"

Even Caitlin reeled back upon hearing her actually _speak_. "HOLY-!"

"…oh yeah…Jill can speak now," Hunter muttered sheepishly, finding their reactions amusing.

Belinda was just as shocked, but she didn't react as an immediate outburst like Caitlin and Bruno. "My word; since when could you do that?" she uttered.

Jill chuckled uneasy. "…it's a long story."

"A _really_ long story, if you can believe it..." King chuckled in the same manner.

Ani finally came by, with Tasha by the hand. She pulled her in front of Caitlin. "Tasha, this is King's mom!" Ani said with a grin.

"Oh…hello…" Tasha grew amazed, and still very shy. She didn't expect to get the opportunity to meet any parent of King's.

With a wide smile, Caitlin reached a hand out to Tasha. "It's very nice to meet you... and it seems like my boy found a wonderful girl to get together with!"

King rubbed his neck in embarrassment, but he still kept a smile up.

"…um…thank you," Tasha muttered with a shy smile, shaking her hand.

"Wow, your son didn't do too badly!" Bruno laughed to Caitlin. "Guess I owe you that bet!"

"Dad, please," Hunter uttered a bit sternly, since it made Tasha a bit uncomfortable.

"Right, right." Caitlin nodded, as she gave Tasha a smile. "I guess we're just really happy for the two of you."

"I can understand," Tasha said. "It means you're becoming a grandparent…"

"I know! It's hard to believe!" Caitlin said with a wide grin.

Tasha smiled warmly. "It's certainly nice to meet you…I can see where some of King's personality came from."

"...really, now?" both Caitlin and King hummed with a tilted head.

Tasha grew silent while the rest around them just started chuckling.

With a slight shrug, Caitlin at least gave Tasha another nod. "...I'm looking forward to getting to know you, Tasha." she said sincerely.

"Likewise," Tasha said, smiling more.

"So, where would Sunrise be at this hour?" Belinda asked.

"She said she had to check something, but she should be back soon," Jill said.

"Man! I just can't get over that!" Bruno uttered.

"Me either, to be honest." Caitlin uttered.

"...so, they're here?" At that point, Sage approached the group with a smile, looking at the three elderly Mobians with a nod. "...hello, Caitlin, Bruno, and of course you, mother."

"Ah, Sunrise, I see you haven't changed a bit," Belinda came and hugged her daughter. "It's so good to see you."

"...it's very good to see you as well." Sage hummed, as she hugged Belinda back.

"Oh! Ooh!" Joy got more excited. "You gotsa meet my Daddy and Tails Doll!"

Bruno grew surprised. "You got a Daddy?" And he looked at Jill in questioning, who only blushed a bit.

"I'm gonna go get 'em!" Joy exclaimed, disappearing into the crowd.

Belinda looked at Jill as well. "Looks like King wasn't the only busy one."

"...sure seems like it." Caitlin mused with a slight smile.

"…well, uh…that's…also a pretty long story…" Jill muttered in embarrassment.

"Your whole life seems to be a long story," Bruno laughed.

"...it certainly is one." King noted with a slight chuckle.

"Oh look! There's Ani!"

"Hey, who're they?"

Suddenly, the elders were confronted by a group of boys; Striker, Milo and Jack. "She looks just like King!" Striker pointed out at Caitlin.

"And she looks like Sage!" Jack pointed at Belinda when he said that. "And he looks like Hunter!"

King chuckled a little at that. "...they look like that because they're our parents." he pointed out.

"...your parents?" Jack gaped in awe at that. "Wooow..."

"Wow! REALLY?" Striker uttered. "You guys have parents?" and then he got elbowed hard by Milo, "OW!"

"Striker, don't be insensitive," Milo said, who didn't even seem to be surprised at what King told them. He looked at them and offered his hand out. "Hello. My name's Milo," he introduced, shaking some of their hands.

"What a nice, polite young man," Belinda chuckled; "I'm Belinda."

"My name's Striker!" Striker said with a grin.

"And my name's Jack!" Jack said with a grin.

"Striker, Milo and Jack, huh..." Caitlin chuckled, as she looked at the three of them. "...you're friends of King and his comrades, I take it?"

"They sure are." King chuckled.

Ani put an arm around Striker's and Jack's necks. "And they've been my buddies ever since I was really little! We had lots of fun together back when it was just us and Jill and Brick living in the treehouse!"

"Oh, those days…" Milo chuckled.

"Good times..." Jack chuckled as well.

"Your old friends, huh?" Bruno chuckled. And then he pulled Ani out, whispering in her ear. "Any of them you _really_like?"

"Grandpa, stop it!" Ani laughed, pushing him away.

Another one that confronted them was Vanessa with a plate full of food, extending a hand out to shake theirs as well. "Oh, hello; my name's Vanessa, and I'm Jack's mother."

And she smiled at Caitlin. "I'm sure you're very excited at the news of being a grandparent."

Bruno looked at her blankly. "…someone tell you?"

"No, I'm just very observant," Vanessa chuckled.

Belinda chuckled as well. "Impressive."

"Very much so," Caitlin chuckled, as she looked at Vanessa with a wide grin. "So, you're Jack's mom, eh? The two of you seem very alike." she noted.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Vanessa chuckled. "I suppose I could say the same about you and King."

"Yeah, I already heard that one." Caitlin chuckled, as she rubbed her neck.

"Well, nice meeting you," Vanessa said. "I'm sure there are many others you have to meet…little Joy's bringing her Father and friend through the crowd."

"This is my Daddy!" Joy came just around the corner holding Metal by the hand.

"...hello." Metal said with a nod to the three of them.

_"Hi!"_ And perched on his shoulder was Tails Doll, who waved at the three of them.

Belinda grew very interested when she saw them. She still remembered all the things that Sage had shown her all those years ago, and unlike Bruno and Caitlin, she recognized the two of them right off the bat. "Well…"

"Hi!" Bruno laughed. "So you're the girl's new Dad now, huh? Nice to meet'cha! I'm Hunter's Dad!" and he shook Metal's hand.

"And I'm King's mom!" And Caitlin quickly began shaking Metal's other hand. "Nice to meet'cha!"

"...it's nice to meet you, too." Metal chuckled, as he smiled a little.

"And this is my friend, Tails Doll!" Joy pointed to Metal's shoulder where the doll was.

"Interesting friend you have, Joy," mused Belinda. "I'm Belinda; Sage's mother."

_"Sage's mom?"_ Tails Doll hummed. _"Nice to meet you, too!"_

Metal gave her a nod as well.

"It sure is nice to see everyone getting acquainted," Tasha said, still smiling.

"I'll say!" Bruno agreed.

"So, how about we all go and continue the conversation over some food?" Caitlin suggested. "There's lots more to pick from, and I'm sure that some of us are starving!"

"Yeah, c'mon!" And Striker was heading through the crowd before anyone.

Milo chuckled. "Now hang on Striker; wait for us!"

"Yeah, wait up!" And Jack hurried after them. The others soon followed; chatting a little amongst themselves.

"...maan... I'm still surprised that they got here in time for the party." Lin noted, as she was sitting with a couple of plates filled with food by her.

"…hey, is this seat, like, taken?" someone walked by inquiring about the seat next to her, which turned out to be Jam.

Looking at him, Lin smiled. "Oh, not at all! By all means, sit down, if you want!" she said.

"'Kay," With a plate of his own food, he took the seat next to Lin. "What a party, huh?" he said, looking around.

"It's certainly something." Lin nodded, as she took a bite out of some cake. "Mmh... and the chefs have really gone out of their way! This is delicious!"

"Yeah; it's, like, the bomb," Jam agreed, eating his own food.

"...hey, Jam?" Lin eventually asked. "What sort of music do you listen to?"

"Lotsa stuff…" Jam answered, taking off his headphones. "Wanna hear?"

"...oh, sure!" Lin nodded, as she took the headphones, and put them on.

Just then, soft, piano music started playing for Lin.

Lin blinked the moment she heard the piano music. "...huh..."

"Yeah, lots of, like, stuff…depends on what I'm in the mood for," Jam finally reached over and took the headphones off of her to put them on his own ears.

Lin blinked a little, as she looked at Jam. "...so... what are you in the mood for when you play soft piano?"

"Just chillin', hangin' out with others 'n stuff," Jam said.

Lin hummed, as she nodded. "...so, I'm gonna guess that you really like music?"

"Uh-huh," Jam nodded. "It's, like…pretty much my whole life, man…Can't imagine life without music…makes things really mean somethin'."

"...wow." Lin hummed. "Have you ever thought about playing music, then?"

"Yeah; 'fact, I learned how to play lots of instruments," Jam said. "Even really wanted to make a band…but, like, nobody I knew wanted to be in a band; they thought it was kinda stupid…I know a band's not the best way to live, but, I, like, want to be able to share how much I enjoy music with other people…"

"...well..." Lin hummed, as she glanced around her. "...today's probably not the best day to ask around, but... the Music Square is the perfect place to find other music enthusiasts. I'm sure you can find some people who'd love to be in a band with you here."

"…Yeah…but, y'know, most other people I met just wanna be famous for playing music," Jam murmured. "I don't care if I get famous or not…I really like music; it puts moods to lots of things and helps explain feelings that other people can't, and helps bring everybody together…."

"…y'know?" He looked at Lin.

Lin looked back at Jam. "...yeah... I think I get it." she nodded, before smiling. "...I wish I could help you out with the band, but I'm not really that good with instruments; playing with just my left hands kind of puts a damper on that..."

"Yeah," Jam nodded.

Without losing her smile, Lin set a hand on Jam's shoulder. "...if you want my help on something, just give me a call, alright?" she said.

Jam nodded again. "'Kay," and after that, he took another bite of his food.

With a nod of her own, Lin took a bite out of her own food as well.

Flamenco, in the meantime, had watched them talk to each other out of the corner of his eye, and he grew very curious. He recognized their kind of behavior before, and he couldn't help but smile in amusement before he went to talk to other soldiers.

* * *

><p>The party lasted quite a while, all the way into the night. While some headed home to get some shut-eye earlier, others remained until there was no food left, and everything that someone wanted to say had been said.<p>

One of those was Jack, who was walking through the woods after having eaten quite a bit. Striker, Ani, Milo and Vanessa had already headed back to Charon's cave, and they were likely waiting for him there...

Coincidentally enough, Jill was coming back from there, having taken Joy and Tails Doll over there so that they could join in on the whole camping experience. She figured there were plenty of others there to watch her, and maybe it would get Joy's mind off of the nightmares she had been having lately.

As he walked, Jack happened to notice her slowly appearing in his path. "...oh, hey, Jill!" he called with a wave.

"Oh, Jack, hi," Jill greeted. "On your way to Charon and Oblivion's, I'm guessing?"

"Yup." Jack nodded, as he rubbed his stomach. "I'm stuffed, so hitting the hay with the others sounds like a good plan now..."

"I just dropped off Joy and Tails Doll there, just so you know," Jill chuckled.

"Really? That's great!" Jack said with a laugh. "Were the others sleeping, or are they still awake?"

"Still awake, but I think some of them were so tired that they're starting to fall asleep," Jill mused.

"Well, at this time of night, I can't say that I blame them." Jack noted with a sheepish grin.

"I know…I'm pretty tired myself," Jill chuckled again. "I probably shouldn't keep you."

"Alright." With a slight yawn, Jack began walking. "I'll see you tomo-" And in that very instant, he suddenly stumbled, before coming to a halt.

Jill stopped, noticing this. "…Jack?"

"...ngh..." was the only response she got out of him.

"…Jack? What's wrong?" Jill came over and put her hands on his shoulders.

"...this..." he uttered, as he shook his head a little. "...this isn't right..."

"…huh?" Jill was confused. "…are you okay?"

"...ugh... why is she taking so long...?" he grunted.

Jill blinked. "…who…what are you talking about?"

"...you know..." At that point, he suddenly looked back at her. "...has anyone ever told you that you're _really_ dense?"

Jill blinked, surprised that Jack was acting like that…

…then she caught on.

"…oh no! NO! Not this time!" Jill stepped away from him.

"Apparently not, it seems." With a shrug, he just stepped towards her. "You know... you and me never really _talk_, Jill. We got the opportunity, so why not take it?"

"I'd rather not Johnny," Jill growled. "In fact, I'd prefer if you and Callous didn't use me and Jack for your little…egh…" she looked away from him in disgust.

Johnny simply scoffed. "Dense _and_ a prude. Who'd have thunk..."

"Well, I'm not letting this happen again. I-?" Jill stopped, stumbling against a tree. She slammed her fist into the tree, and then relaxed a bit.

"…so sorry it took me that long," she spun around, flashing red eyes at Johnny. "Have no idea why…"

"Well, it could've been worse." Johnny shrugged. "I could've been late in seeing you." Then, he snickered. "Though imagining how terrified Jack would've been upon seeing you would've been priceless."

"Oh, definitely," Callous chuckled, walking back up to him.

"...so, how have you been, Callous?" Johnny inquired with a slight smirk, as he looked at her. "Miss me?"

"Yeah, I sure did," Callous chuckled, smirking back at him. "I was just so bored sitting in her head, really…"

"...well, that won't do." Johnny chuckled...

...before he suddenly snapped his fingers. "...shit; I nearly forgot about that. I found out something important after we met last time..."

Callous blinked. "Oh?"

"...so, I checked on Joy, after Jill got her to sleep..." Johnny began, as he folded his arms. "...and something manages to launch me right out of the house; like I was shot out of a cannon or something."

Callous' eyes widened; actually surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah." Johnny nodded. "There's something inside of her head; something even stronger than Novagod..." Then, he glanced to the side. "...and... it called me 'Father'."

Callous grew silent… and she even started to look a little pale. "…something stronger than…and it called you…_what?_"

"...that's what it said." Johnny nodded. "Hard to believe, I know..."

Callous blinked again, and she looked back in one direction; where that cave was, where Joy was right now.

"...you sense something?"

"…no, just thinking," Callous responded, looking back at him. "…if that thing called you Father, then…what if this was a thing that…you and I created?"

"...that... could be..." Johnny uttered, as he rubbed his neck. "...if... we actually created something back then... do you think it passed onto Jill when your souls merged, and she and Brick made Joy?"

"…that's the best reason I could think," Callous said. "Question is…why now? And just what exactly does it want?"

"...you got me." Johnny shrugged. "I doubt it's to have a happy reunion with its actual parents; before it launched me away, it told me very precisely to fuck off."

"…hm…then we can only guess that it's probably not anything good…" Callous murmured.

"...right; and with our reputations? No one's gonna buy it from us." Johnny hummed.

"…so…I guess the only thing we really can do is wait until this thing starts to act up and get everyone else's attention," Callous said.

"Seems like it." Johnny hummed, before sighing. "Though even I have to admit, it kinda gets me on edge; having to just wait for _someone else_ to catch on."

"Heh," Callous let out a small chuckle. "You mean a few minutes ago with _Ms. Sherlock_?"

"Not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed." Johnny chuckled. "And you have to _live_ with her. The irony just slays me."

"I get opportunities to literally mind fuck her every now and then," Callous said with a smirk. "So that makes up for it."

"Oh, really, now?" Johnny chuckled. "Too bad that I can't see her reactions to those opportunities; that could make for some real entertainment."

"Oh, it's entertaining, believe me," Callous walked up to him closer; her smirk growing.

"...but I bet not as entertaining as what you have in mind," Johnny chuckled, as he just looked at Callous.

"What do you think?" Callous just gave him a smug look.

Johnny returned that look, as he approached Callous as well. "...I think that you and I are gonna keep each other some damn good company."

"You guessed right…and what do you think your grand prize is for that?" Callous cooed, pulling Johnny closer to her.

Wrapping his arms around her to pull her closer to him, Johnny grinned. "...a night with the fucking hottest babe in the world." he chuckled.

"That's right," after that last chuckle from Callous, she leaned in and kissed him. Johnny kissed her back vigorously; caressing her back as he did so.

Callous even started dragging him off into hiding while they continued making out. Just letting her pull him aside seemed to be enough to get him riled up, as he began burrowing his hands underneath her shirt as he deepened the kiss. Callous pinned him against a tree, muttering moans of delight at the feeling of his hands. It didn't take long for Johnny to start caressing her breasts, whilst grunting in delight. Callous moaned, sticking her tongue in his mouth to tangle with his.

Letting his own tongue get tangled with hers, Johnny quickly started to undress Callous. Chills went down Callous' spine, and she snatched the waist of his pants to undress him as well. Just as he managed to toss Callous' jacket and shirt aside, Johnny began removing her jeans as well.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yes, more censored content. What else do you expect from Johnny and Callous?<strong>_

* * *

><p>…and soon the feeling died down once again, leaving them both breathless. Johnny's head fell on Callous' shoulder while he caught his breath. "...fucking hell..." he uttered.<p>

"I know, right?" panted Callous.

As he caught his breath, Johnny looked at Callous again. "...why is it that every time we go at it, it just seems better than the last time?" he chuckled.

"Who knows?" Callous chuckled back. "…I'm just wondering how much longer we have to take over their bodies to do this…"

"...well, it all hinges on Jill living or not." Johnny murmured. "I mean, it's not like I'm able to enter her head, so..."

Callous laughed. "…now THAT would be a mind fuck for her."

"True enough..." Johnny chuckled in return.

Callous just looked at Johnny then. In turn, he returned that look.

"…I can't get over the fact that we might've…created this thing," Callous suddenly murmured.

"...it's... kinda hard to believe, yeah..." Johnny nodded.

Callous got up and grabbed her clothes to start getting dressed again. In turn, Johnny began getting dressed as well. "...so, we just have to sit and wait, huh..."

"…probably the only thing we can do," Callous muttered.

"...shit..." Johnny grunted, as he glanced to the side. "...even if it is the only thing we can do... I don't like it at all..."

"…I don't like it either," Callous said.

"...but it's all we can do..." With a sigh, Johnny folded his arms. "...hard to think that things would turn out like this, huh..."

"Yeah, never saw it coming," Callous said.

* * *

><p><em>A few days passed...<em>

* * *

><p>Perched on the edge of Joy's bed, Tails Doll seemed to be inactive at the moment... until he noticed some movement ahead of him. <em>"...hn?"<em> With a slight hum, he glanced ahead, and noticed that she seemed to be tossing and turning. _"...oh, another nightmare..."_ With a slight sigh, Tails Doll fluttered over to her, and looked down at her. _"...Joy..."_

Joy tossed and turned a bit, wincing.

_"...oh..."_ Holding his head, Tails Doll shook about a little. _"I don't know if I should wake you up or not, Joy..."_

Meanwhile, Joy continued her dream…

_I kept running from those monsters again, but I remembered what Spiel told me a few days ago, and I kept running. I wasn't gonna let any of those monsters get me…and even if they did, I wouldn't be afraid; I'd make sure that they couldn't do anything to me._

_I slipped under a car, and looked around while I was hiding. The monsters ran around, looking for me…they couldn't find me. I kept telling myself it was like a big game of hide and seek and that I just had to be a really good hider. _

"_You can't hide from me, stupid…"_

"_I can try!" I called out. Then the car was lifted up and that black thing was looking at me. "…oops…" I uttered with wide eyes._

_It shot its hand out, and I jumped away, getting back up on my feet to run away as fast I could. It got mad when it couldn't grab me…and for a minute I thought I was safe again. _

_I looked back to find out that it was all gone; nowhere to be seen. When I looked forward again, I stopped with a gasp. Then a large black hand grabbed my face._

"_I'm done playing these stupid games…" the black thing growled like the meanie it was, pulling me to it. "You're still very naïve, so understand something here… you have no power over me…"_

"_Yes I do!" I broke its hand off my face, but it just wrapped its fingers around me again, trapping my arms._

"_No, you don't…" the black thing told me. Then an evil, bad white smile appeared on its face. "…you don't know anything…"_

"_I still don't believe that Mama and Daddy will forget about me!" I yelled back at it._

"…_I still think so, but that's not at all what I was hinting at," the black thing chuckled. "…you think your free will is strong enough to fight me back? Do you really think that?"_

"_Yeah!" I uttered._

"…_well, that still means you're going to lose… because…"_

_That black thing started to change and look different. The black hands were still there, holding me in place, but the black thing just grew new arms while it changed._

_The more it changed, the more scared I suddenly got._

"…_the truth is, I'm really a part of _you_."_

_It got done changing, and I became very frightened again. That black thing now looked just like me; except when it opened its eyes, it looked at me with very light blue eyes, which kind of reminded me of cold ice._

_I shook my head. "…no…that's not right…" and I couldn't believe how scary it was._

_Mama had Callous, so…was this…_my _Callous?_

"_It's true…" She just looked so evil and scary, smiling like that. "…I took longer to develop, and I was born a bit later than you…but I'm still _you._"_

"_That's _NOT_ true!" I screamed. "I could _NEVER_ have something so mean in me!"_

"_Oh, but you have no control over that matter," She laughed at me, making fun of me. "And you wanna know something? A little secret that I have?"_

_I tried to look away, but one of the black hands just turned my face to look back at her._

"_Because I'm part of you, your will doesn't mean anything…in fact, it just means my will is probably just as strong as yours," she chuckled. "All I have to do is make you feel bad about yourself…and the Corruption can feed on it…giving me more control."_

_My eyes widened in shock. There was Corruption inside of me? But…but I was pure! I controlled Purity! There can't be any Corruption in me!_

"_When they realize the truth of what really happened all those years ago, I'm sure they'll forget all about you; maybe even make your Mama cry…" she sneered at me._

"_What do you mean…?" I uttered._

"_Joy, you couldn't have possibly fought that big, bad Deity Novagod all by yourself; you were three years old!" She threw me on the ground and pinned me down, looking right at me with those scary, cold eyes. "All you ever did for anyone with those powers…you couldn't possibly have been that much of a prodigy at it…not unless you had help."_

"…_wh-what are you talking about?"_

_She could see me getting scared and confused, and she liked it, smiling more. "You didn't beat Deity Novagod, Joy…"_

"_I DID!"_

_Darkness exploded out of her, and attacked me. I couldn't see anymore, and I tried to struggle, but it didn't help me. I tried to scream, but I couldn't get anything out of me, and the darkness just took more and more of me away._

"_I'm the reason you beat that bad vampire…you got all your power from me…turning into that big, powerful pirate!" I heard that voice laughing more and more and it frightened me so much I held my hands over my ears to try not to listen to it, but it didn't help; I still heard it. "You're just a weak, defenseless little girl who can't even help anyone with a few simple chores! How you beat Deity Novagod when you could barely even understand everything that really happened?"_

"_No! NO! I was the one that beat him! Spiel said so!" I started to cry. I didn't know what else to do; I felt hurt and scared and all I knew was that I wanted my Mama and Daddy and Tails Doll to come help me._

"_Spiel was wrong!" that voice kept laughing._

"_Why are you doing this to me?" I uttered out in desperation._

"_Why?"_

_I saw her face again, and this time, she looked mad. "I don't have a Mama and Daddy like you do Joy…you wanna know why?"_

_I was afraid to ask._

_"Because long ago, your Mama and Daddy killed my Daddy…and my Mama was sealed into yours…"_

"…_you mean…" It was hard for me to believe it. "…Callous and Johnny are…your Mama and Daddy? But how?"_

"_Don't you know where babies come from?" she asked me._

_I looked away. "…Mama said I wasn't ready to know where babies come from…"_

"…_well…doesn't matter anyway; I didn't come about like normal babies…" she said. "My Mama and Daddy had me a long time before they even knew I existed…but I wasn't born for a very long time; not until your Mama got you in her tummy…" Then her smirk grew to the corners of her mouth. "I went into you when you were in her tummy…and there, I became a part of you…"_

"…_you were inside me the whole time…?" I uttered._

"_Yeah…but now my Daddy's dead because your Mama and Daddy killed him…and my Mama can't be free…so now I want to make them pay…"_

_More of those dark monsters appeared around me, and there was nothing I could do to keep them from getting closer and closer._

"…_no…please don't hurt them…" I begged, watching those monsters get closer toward me… "…they didn't do anything wrong…it's not right to hurt them…"_

"_I don't think it was right for my Father to die, and my Mother to be imprisoned…" spoke that voice bitterly. "So remember my name Joy, and remember it well…"_

"_My name is Malice…and I'm gonna make your life a living _hell."

Joy trembled a bit under the covers, wincing…but she didn't wake up, she just rolled over in her bed. Eventually, though she sat up and rubbed her eyes, tossing the covers off and walking out of her room.

_"...ah- Joy!"_ Suddenly, Tails Doll fluttered towards her. _"Are you okay?"_

"…I need the potty…" she mumbled, still rubbing her eyes.

_"...oh... okay..."_ Tails Doll nodded. _"...just... don't be too long, okay?"_

"…mkay…" Joy muttered, closing the door behind herself when she entered the bathroom. After locking the door, she rubbed her eyes one more time, before she looked in the mirror.

Icy blue eyes flashed back at her in her reflection, and slowly, Joy smirked.

She peered over at the bathroom window, and went over to open it. The window led to a drainpipe outside, which she easily could climb out and slide down from, getting to the ground outside.

"…now…" she murmured to herself, wandering off. "…I'll have to get rid of that tattle tale, Diablo…I never thought someone as loony as him could sense me, but maybe Deity's rubbed off on him a little bit…"

* * *

><p>Off by the HQ...<p>

_"C'mon, let's race!"_ RUCKUS laughed, as he prodded both RACHET and RECEPT. _"C'mon! Race! Race? I'm bored, so let's race!"_

_"...are you an imbecile?"_ RECEPT sighed. _"We're on duty here."_

"_I don't know RUCKUS,_" RACHET said.

_"Aaaaw, c'mon, I'm just so boooored!"_ RUCKUS laughed. _"There's nothing to do but to guard this place!"_

_"...you do know that we're _supposed_ to be guarding the place?"_ RECEPT murmured. _"There's no telling what Raider would do if we just left our posts for even a split second..."_

_"Oh, you're overanalyzing it!"_ RUCKUS chuckled. _"No one's been stalking about here since we started guarding double duty, so I doubt he'll mind if we take fifteen minutes or so of free time!"_

"…_RUCKUS has a point; nothing's been happening at all lately,_" RACHET said.

_"That isn't a valid excuse to run off."_ RECEPT noted. _"If Raider wanted us to stop keeping a lookout, he'd tell us."_

_"But I'm _boooooooored!_" _RUCKUS whined. _"C'mon, RECEPT, be a pal!"_

"…_Yeah, let's have one little race!"_ RACHET finally started to agree with RUCKUS on this one.

_"Out of the question." _RECEPT huffed, as he glanced to the side. _"We have work to do here..."_

_"Oh, don't be such a chicken, RECEPT!"_ RUCKUS called...

...and RECEPT shot a glare at the two other drones. _"...what. Was. That?"_ he hissed venomously.

"…_Uh oh! Now you've done it RUCKUS!_" uttered RACHET.

_"...uh oh."_ RUCKUS gulped.

_"...did you just insinuate that I was... _chicken?_" _RECEPT uttered coldly, as he kept glaring at the two drones.

"…_uh, no! He did!"_ RACHET didn't have any fingers to point at RUCKUS, but it didn't matter.

_"Agh- don't pin the blame on me!"_ RUCKUS uttered in a panic.

_"...alright, then... I'll show you just how much of a "chicken" I really am..."_ RECEPT hissed...

...and with a blast, he suddenly began racing ahead of them. _"Around the mountain, back here, less than ten minutes, go!"_ he called to them.

"_Hey, RECEPT, wait for us!"_ wailed RACHET, flying off after him.

_"Yeah; no fair starting like that!"_ And RUCKUS quickly shot after them.

Suddenly, their communications beeped.

"_You three have moved from your positions; what's going on?_" that was RUSTY on the line.

_"...a race?"_ RUCKUS answered bluntly.

_"No; it's a manner of showing these bufoons that I am _not_ a chicken!"_ RECEPT shot in.

"_You three are aware that you can get in trouble for disobeying orders?_" RUSTY reminded them.

"_Oh!"_ RACHET stopped abruptly. _"Guys! Maybe we shouldn't!"_

_"...ergh..."_ RECEPT eventually came to a halt. _"...you... you're right. I must've gotten carried away, and-"_

_"So what happened to "proving that you weren't chicken", RECEPT?"_ RUCKUS hummed.

Cue a certain growing tear in RECEPT's mind; part of him didn't want to disobey Raider's orders... but the other part _desperately _wanted to disprove RUCKUS' insulting claim.

"…_hey guys, do you hear something?_" RACHET suddenly uttered.

_"...hn?"_ RUCKUS hummed. _"...yeah, I do... it's like... guitars, or something..."_

_"...who would be out playing music at this time of night?" _RECEPT uttered. _"...curious... RUSTY, your thoughts?"_

"…_I'm going to investigate," _RUSTY said. _"If you three even move an inch from your positions, I will be forced to report you to Raider…_"

RUCKUS gulped. _"...that's pretty heavy..."_

"_But…but should we get back to our guard?"_ RACHET asked.

"_What did I just say?"_ RUSTY growled.

_"...hrm."_ RECEPT sighed. _"...guess we'll stay here..."_

* * *

><p>She didn't know why... but for some reason that music just called to her.<p>

She was about to take over the night shift for Flamenco, but Lin had just happened to hear that music playing... and it just seemed really strange to her.

Like, who would be playing at this hour?

Deciding that it was a question that needed an answer, Lin hurried on down her set path; following the sound of the music. Her ears eventually led her down to an empty Music Square…or so it was presumed to be empty. The sound was the loudest over here, and there was a figure sitting on the fountain in the center, holding an object that shined in the moonlight.

That shiny object was what made the noise; an electric guitar.

Blinking, Lin slowly approached the figure; not wanting her presence to cause the music to come to a halt.

The closer Lin got, the more she was able to see the figure. She finally noticed that it was Jam, of all people, just laying back on the fountain, playing an electric guitar in soothing, echoing notes. She blinked at that, but she remained silent.

Jam didn't notice her there at all, and this was one of the first few times she had even seen him without wearing any headphones. They were sitting beside him while he played the guitar; quite beautifully too.

Eventually, she just sat down; completely absorbed in hearing him play like this.

Jam played for a long time…

…even when RUSTY had arrived on the scene from a different direction, he stopped to listen quietly.

Lin eventually found herself smiling whilst hearing Jam play; too absorbed to pay any heed to what was happening around her.

RUSTY saw no harm in the music, so he turned around to leave. "_Now to go fetch those trouble makers…_" he grumbled to himself.

As if he hadn't even said anything, Lin just looked at Jam playing with a smile.

Eventually, Jam stopped playing entirely, and sighed. "…not good enough…"

Lin blinked at that. "...n-not good enough?" she uttered. "But... that was _amazing!_"

Jam actually jumped in surprise. "L-Lin?"

Standing up, Lin quickly approached Jam. "I didn't know you were _that_ good with instruments, Jam! It's unlike anything I've ever heard in my entire life!"

Jam just sat there silently, looking at Lin uncomfortably.

Eventually, Lin blinked. "...wh-what's wrong?" she uttered, as she rubbed her neck. "...did I say something bad?"

"N-no, it's not that, it's just…" Jam looked away from her. "…nobody thinks I'm good…they all, like, say they're much better than me…Don't know how you can say that…"

"...what?" Lin uttered. "...how... how could they say that? You're really good, Jam! Hell, if anything, I'd say that you're as good as Jill with a violin! And that's _really_ good!"

Jam looked back at her in amazement. "…really?"

"_Really_ really!" Lin nodded. "And that's a double really!"

"…wow…" Jam muttered.

* * *

><p>Joy found her way to the HQ. To her delight, there weren't any of the security units on guard here; even the older one that was the most adamant about staying to his post, had somehow left.<p>

This gave her the opportunity she had been waiting for.

She walked up to the door, and knocked on it.

Raider, in the control room, was just about to doze off, when he just noticed that Joy was at the door. "…hm?" And he blinked. "What's Joy doing out here in the middle of the night?"

Instead of sitting around to question it, he pressed the button to unlock the door so the poor girl wouldn't be out in the cold of the night. Joy opened the door and walked in and once she closed the door, Raider locked it behind her. Then he got up and looked down the hall, seeing Joy walk right into the same room where he was.

"…Joy, what are you doing here all by yourself?" Raider asked in wonder.

And he never had the chance to say anything else ever again.

Joy shot a frightening glare at him with shining, icy blue eyes, releasing a black slash of Corruption out of nowhere at him. Raider's eyes widened…but that was the only reaction he was ever allowed.

And with a gush of blood from his neck…his head slipped off his body and plopped onto the ground, with his body to eventually follow.

Joy smirked evilly, without flinching at all even when some of the blood splattered onto her face. She walked around his dead body, and pressed a button on the control panel, looking through the cameras. One of them showed a sleeping Diablo in his cell.

She walked around again, until she finally found the door she was looking for. Another small flicker of Corruption broke the handle, and the door slowly creaked open.

Diablo's eyes popped open, and he sat up in surprise, seeing his door slowly open. It was a loud door, after all…

…and then his eyes widened in the upmost of fear. "…no…"

"…hello Diablo…"

A dark figure stepped into his cell, with an evil smirk.

"…No…no no no NO!" Diablo started to panic, shaking his head. "NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

"I can't do that Diablo…" Joy uttered with a sadistic chuckle. "…you knew about me…and I can't let you tell anyone about me. They may not believe you…but I can't take any chances…"

"Raider help! RAIDER!" Diablo screamed, trying to scoot away from Joy only to end up against a padded wall.

"Raider can't help you Raider…" Joy chuckled, stepping toward him. "…in fact…Raider can't help _anyone_ anymore…"

Diablo's eyes widened, realizing what Joy meant.

Then something happened that Joy never anticipated…

"…I said STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

He got up and ran at Joy, which actually startled her. He kicked her away against a wall, and with the open door, he had gotten out of that room for the first time in a very, _very _long time. He slipped and fell into a pool of blood that Raider was leaving behind, and he gawked at the horrific sight. "RAIDER!" he screamed out of fear, jumping right back up to his feet.

Then he was blasted into the wall by a force of Corruption; something he recognized all too well. He looked to see Joy stomping toward him with a bruise on her face from when he kicked her. She stared at Diablo with an ice cold fury that sent fearful chills down his spine.

"No, no no! PLEASE!" Diablo begged, seeing the little girl stomp closer to her.

"…you gave me an owie, Diablo…it's not nice to hit little girls…" Joy said hauntingly, raising her hands that were emitting with Corruption energy.

Diablo tried to struggle out of his strait-jacket to try and get away from her…

…for the longest time, he had something hidden in his strait-jacket that absolutely no one knew about…just in case he had to try and defend himself. Miraculously, he pulled out of his binds on his jacket, freeing his arms. "Stay away!" he roared, whipping out what he had hidden in his strait-jacket for so long.

One of his trusty knives.

Joy didn't anticipate him actually having a weapon, and having gotten close enough to him, she barely dodged a slice that cut at her arm. She hissed, holding to her arm while Diablo rushed past her to the control panel, and he flipped up a lid for the big red emergency button.

Joy gasped. "No! Don't push that!"

Diablo glared at her, and slammed his fist down on it.

* * *

><p>Throughout the island, a large alarm suddenly wailed, and it startled many of those on the island awake.<p>

"...whuh?" Quickly, King shot up from his bed, looking around him in a panic. "What's going on?"

Further away, even on the top of the mountain, Jack shot up with a startled gasp... or at least, one would assume that it was Jack. _...shit! Something just happened!_

Even the security drones that were ordered to stay put jumped at that. _"Wha- what was that?"_ RUCKUS sputtered.

_"It's the alarm, you dunce!"_ RECEPT hissed. _"What did I tell you about not leaving our post?"_

Back at the Music Square, though, those that were still awake heard that clear as day. "...oh, no! That's the alarm!" Without hesitating, Lin grabbed Jam, and began rushing towards the HQ in a hurry.

"Whoa!" Jam was surprised that Lin grabbed him like that.

Jill shot up from her own bed, hearing the alarm with a gasp. The same went for Metal, as he shot a glance out of the window. "The alarm...?"

_"...Jill! Big bro!"_ At that point, Tails Doll shot into the room, fluttering around them in a panic.

"Tails Doll, what's wrong?" Metal uttered, as he quickly got out of bed.

_"Well, before the alarm went off, Joy said she had to go to the bathroom..."_ Tails Doll began. _"...but she didn't come out, and when the alarm struck, I got panicked, and flew to the bathroom window to see if she was alright... and it was open! She's not in there! She's outside!"_

And with that alarm going off…

"_JOY!_" Jill got right out of bed and ran right out of the room.

Quickly, Metal and Tails Doll rushed out after her.

* * *

><p>Joy growled at him. "…what…have you…<em>done?"<em>

"…I don't know who you are…but you don't have the right to take over Joy like that," And Diablo rushed at her. "Let her go or I'll kill you!"

Joy jumped away from him, shooting another wave of Corruption that knocked him against a wall. "How do you expect to do that, you nutcase? You kill me, then you'll kill Joy too."

Diablo grit his teeth and held up his knife. "…I'll kill you…I swear…and maybe you'll all leave me alone finally…I won't have nightmares anymore…" and he stepped closer to her with his knife.

Joy only scoffed…

…but then her eyes flashed green again, and she held her face. "…mh…?"

"Don't play games with me!"

Joy looked up and seeing Diablo with a knife, she screamed and tried to run away while he swung the knife. "Diablo! Stop!" Joy yelped out.

"Don't act like her!" Diablo screamed. "You can't fool me!"

Joy nearly slipped and stumbled against a wall…with her eyes following the trail of blood to a decapitated Raider on the ground to her horror. Then Diablo started inching closer to her, and she stared up at him in fear, pressed up against that corner. "Diablo, no! Don't hurt me!"

"I SAID STOP PLAYING MIND GAMES WITH ME!" Diablo screamed, raising his knife.

_"LEAVE HER BE!"_

And suddenly, at practically sonic speeds, a blue blur suddenly shot through the doors and _slammed_ Diablo right into his cell; causing the wall he was slammed against to break apart, which left him stuck in the wall.

Joy jumped at that, and her eyes widened. "Daddy?"

"Joy! Oh my god!"

Jill rushed into the room to kneel to Joy, holding her in her arms and covering her face so she didn't see the horrible sight that was Raider. Plenty of others filled into the room then, seeing the same thing…

"...Raider..." King uttered, as he just gawked at the sight.

"...oh... oh my god..." Lin uttered; quickly covering her mouth to try and keep herself from vomiting at this gruesome sight.

Jam had to step back out of the room, just so he could ease himself so he wouldn't vomit.

"What are you doing?" Diablo suddenly screamed out. "You're—YOU'RE PROTECTING THE WRONG ONE!"

Slowly tightening his grip on him, Metal just glared at Diablo. "...explain yourself. What happened here?" he hissed in as calm a tone as he could possibly muster.

"She—she—she walked in here and killed him and-!" Diablo tried to explain but he couldn't find the words.

Jill stood up with Joy in her arms and she glared murderously at Diablo. "DON'T LIE DIABLO!" she screamed, both out of hate and panic.

Joy, meanwhile, kept her eyes on Raider on the ground in shock.

"...this... this is too big to just look away from..." King uttered, as he slowly turned his gaze at Diablo; not a maddened one, nor a hateful one... but a _betrayed_ look. "...Diablo... I thought you could actually have changed for the better..."

"No! NO please! It wasn't me!" Diablo begged.

"…Joy, honey, are you alright?" Jill uttered, turning her face to look at her. "Joy, what happened?"

Joy had no idea what happened. She remembered the bad dream and those monsters all around her, and how she tried to fight them. She was scared, and she wanted her mother and father and Tails Doll, and all of a sudden those monsters left her and she was standing in this room with Diablo looming over her with that knife. "…I…I don't know Mama…" she uttered, feeling tears build up and roll down her face. "…I was scared…and Diablo had that knife, and he…"

Metal shot a glare at Diablo after that. "...you bastard..." he snarled, tightening his grip again.

Diablo started to cry too. "I didn't kill him…I swear…" he uttered.

Jill just looked away from him, hurtfully, and carried Joy out of the room while Joy broke down crying in her mother's arms.

"...Lin... Jam..." King uttered, as he slowly slumped over the control board. "...help Metal out... I want you to lock him deeper down..."

Lin blinked. "...d-deeper...?"

"...solitary confinement..." King uttered. "...he'll have no visitors. None whatsoever..."

"…dude…" Jam looked at King, trying not to look at Raider. "…that's harsh…"

Diablo's eyes widened in fear; "…no…no King please! You have to believe me PLEASE! I DIDN'T DO IT!"

"...Diablo..." King uttered, as he closed his eyes. "...I _want_ to believe you... but I _can't_." With that, he turned his head away from him. "...take him away. I'll... deal with the body..."

Diablo tried to struggle. "No! NO NO NO NO NO!" he screamed.

"...you heard him, you two." Metal uttered, as he grabbed one of Diablo's arms. "You come along, now..."

Gulping, Lin approached Diablo and warily grabbed his other arm; dragging him out along with Metal. Jam came in and took hold of Diablo, helping bind him up again while he tried to struggle.

And he kept screaming. "NO! KING! I DIDN'T DO IT! NO NO NO!"

However, King remained silent, as Metal, Jam and Lin kept dragging Diablo off.

Once Diablo was dragged off, Hunter stepped in, and looked around the area in his own silence.

"...why..."

Hunter looked over at King solemnly.

"...why did this have to happen...?" Gritting his teeth, King was practically clenching his hands against the control panel.

"…I don't know…" Hunter murmured.

After letting go of the control panel, King looked back at the body of Raider. "...let's... let's get him out of here..." Slowly, and quite shakily, King approached the body. Hunter went over to the head, looking at it before he hesitantly picked it up. Grabbing the body, King hoisted it up from the floor, and began walking out of the HQ with it. Hunter followed, trying not to look down at the head he was carrying in his hands.

Soon, the two were gone, leaving only the bloodied room...

...until, sometime later, someone else entered the control room. "...shit... looks like something big went down here..." With that murmur, he sat down to review the footage that the security feed had picked up. "...now... let's see what happened..."

He saw the whole thing before his eyes; little Joy walking into the building, lopping off Raider's head with Corruption, and the battle between her and Diablo before Metal interfered.

"...yup... I knew it..." With a groan, Johnny rubbed his temples. "...sitting and waiting sure paid off, Callous... now Joy's got a psychotic side to herself, Raider's dead, and the only guy who knows about it got locked up." Then, he shook his head. "...the hell do I even care for...?"

Just then, the footage started to blur and fuzz…and some other image started flickering on the screen.

"...hm?" Humming, Johnny looked back at the screen then.

A large, malevolent smirk appeared, as well as ice blue eyes flashing at Johnny.

Johnny simply raised an eyebrow, as he narrowed his eyes. "...hn...?"

The face chuckled. "…_see you later…Father…"_

…then the computers suddenly exploded.

"GAH!" Quickly shielding himself, Johnny was sent flying back a distance; slamming into the bloodied wall. "...fuck..." Coughing, Johnny rubbed his head. "...two times..." Then, he narrowed his eyes, before he began heading out of the HQ. _...sorry, Callous... but I'm through with twiddling my thumbs,_ he thought. _The second that girl tries something new... I'm taking her out._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yeah, uh...there's another reason it's rated M ^^;<strong>  
><em>


	5. Chapter 4

Joy sat all alone in her bedroom at the moment. She was still frozen in shock after what happened last night, and since then, she hasn't been able to sleep.

…how did she end up all the way over there?

She was really scared of what happened…even more scared that maybe…she might've had something to do with it.

A knock came on the door at that moment. "...Joy?"

Joy didn't answer, but she looked up at her door.

Slowly, the door opened, and Metal walked into the room; looking at her. "...hey..." he began. "...did you sleep, Joy?"

Joy shook her head, and then looked away from him.

With a slight hum, Metal closed the door after him, and walked closer to Joy. "...do you... want to talk?"

Joy buried her face in her knees. "…Daddy…I'm scared…"

Looking at her in sympathy, Metal sat down by Joy, and gave her a hug. "...there, there..." he began. "...better to let it all out, than to let it nag at you..."

Joy clutched to him, still thinking. Those things that Diablo said…they really bothered her…

…and it REALLY didn't help what she saw with Raider.

Still, Metal kept hugging her; rubbing her head to try and comfort her.

"…Daddy…why did Diablo…act like that?" Joy uttered.

Metal narrowed his eyes a bit, whilst humming. "...I... can't really say, Joy..." he murmured. "...up until last night, he was docile... so why _would_ he act like that...?"

Joy really wondered what happened…and why she was even there to begin with. All she remembered was trying to fight away the monsters in her dreams…

"...but don't worry, Joy." Metal eventually said. "We'll make sure to keep you safe..."

"…m'kay," She muttered, hugging him tighter. Metal, in turn, hugged her tighter as well.

Joy started to wonder if…Malice…had anything to do with all this…

* * *

><p>"...what... did you say...?" Kiri uttered in absolute distress.<p>

"…I'm…sorry Kiri," Hunter murmured. "…I wish I didn't have to tell you this sort of thing…but because of what happened…he won't be able to have visitors anymore…"

"...n-no..." Kiri uttered, as she shook her head. "...no... it can't be..."

Hunter looked away from her solemnly.

Slowly, Kiri just looked down at the ground with slowly widening eyes. "...he... he couldn't have..."

"…I don't know what else to tell you Kiri…" Hunter said. "…we did go to check the security tapes…but they had been destroyed when we came back…"

Gritting her teeth, Kiri slowly clenched her hands to try and keep herself from crying...

...but that didn't work, so the only other alternative she saw...

"...YOU DUMMY!" With that maddened yell, she aimed a kick at Hunter's shin, before she stormed off; crying profusely as she did so.

"OW!" Hunter didn't see that coming, and he hopped on one foot, holding his shin while Kiri walked away. When the pain faded away though… "…Kiri!"

He really didn't want to make Kiri cry, and now that he did, he felt a little guilty.

Eventually, Kiri just came to a stop as she walked, as she huddled herself against a tree; burying her head against her legs so her loud sobbing was muffled.

A distance away, someone was walking through the woods… and when he got nearby enough, he could hear Kiri's crying. "…is that…?" and he walked toward the direction he heard the crying. Still, Kiri kept crying her sorrows away; unwilling to move even an inch from where she had planted herself.

That someone finally saw Kiri crouched like that by the base of the tree, and silently, they walked over and knelt by her.

They set a hand on her back. "Kiri, what's wrong?" it turned out to be Milo.

Kiri didn't stop sobbing, but she at least glanced up at him. "B-b-big brother's been p-put in... s-solitary confinement..." she uttered.

"Uh oh…what happened?" Milo asked, rubbing her back to try and soothe her.

It didn't seem to help too much, though. "...th-they say that he... k-killed Raider..." she uttered.

Milo was shocked when he heard that. "…what?"

Kiri just kept crying. "...it's not fair... he was getting better..."

"…there, there, Kiri," Milo wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. Sobbing still, Kiri quickly clutched to Milo, and began bawling into his chest. Milo pet her head while he hugged her, letting her cry her heart out. And cry she did; showing virtually no sign of stopping.

Just then, two others came by, and stopped when they saw the scene, which turned out to be Striker and Jack.

"…Kiri? What happened?" Striker walked up to them.

"Diablo was put in solitary confinement," Milo said.

Striker tilted his head. "…what does that mean?"

"It basically means Kiri doesn't get to see Diablo anymore," Milo answered.

"...but... why isn't she allowed to see him?" Jack uttered, as he knelt by Milo and Kiri.

"…they accused Diablo of killing Raider."

"_What?_" Striker jumped when he heard that. "You mean Raider's dead?"

Kiri just nodded.

"...but... but that's horrible!" Jack uttered. "Who would do something like that?"

"Supposedly Diablo," Milo said. "…but from what I heard from Kiri, he's been doing well ever since she started visiting him; at least until last night."

"...so, it couldn't be Diablo..." Jack uttered. "...but then... who...?"

_...oh, if he only knew..._ Milo suddenly heard a voice grunt.

Milo, hearing that voice, wondered something. "Kiri, was anyone else there when this all happened?"

Kiri sobbed a bit, as she tried calming down. "...K-King... and Hunter... and Lin, Jam, Jill and Metal found the scene... th-they saw Raider's body... and Diablo... a-and..." At that point, Kiri's eyes slowly widened, as she stopped sobbing entirely.

"...Joy..."

Milo's eyes widened. "…Joy was there too?"

Striker snapped his fingers. "Hey! Maybe Joy knows what happened!"

"...you think we should go ask her?" Jack blinked.

"...we... we have to..." Kiri uttered, as she slowly let go of Milo. "...I... can't let my big brother be all alone..."

"C'mon Kiri, we'll take you to see her," Striker said, helping her up to her feet.

"Alright, let's go!" And Jack proceeded to run off ahead of the others. Striker took Kiri by the hand and they rushed off after him.

Milo, though, stayed, and folded his arms.

"…so…I can assume that you know what went down?"

_Yep; unlike those other dolts, I actually got to check the security feed. Remind me to thank Jack for that; otherwise, no one would've known what went down._

Milo went to lean against the tree. _What happened?_ Milo asked, using his thoughts.

_Well... you should take a deep breath when I tell you this, because believe me; it's not something you're gonna believe me on..._ The voice took a deeper breath. _...before Diablo was freed... someone else killed Raider._

Milo blinked a little bit, and while putting the pieces together… _…no…no way…Johnny you're not saying that…?_

_Technically, I haven't said anything..._ Johnny sighed. _...but yes... Joy _did _have a hand in Raider's murder._

Milo put a hand to his forehead, just trying to comprehend it. _…Joy…of all people? Johnny, just _what happened?

_...well, I didn't say that _Joy_ murdered him; just that she had a hand in making it happen..._ Johnny sighed. _...you see... there's someone inside of her._

Milo grew very silent.

_...and... it _might_ be because of me and Callous that this thing exists._ Johnny added.

…_how?_

_I dunno; I guess something extra went into Joy when she was conceived after Jill and Callous were merged. Just because I'm dead doesn't mean that I'm all-knowing, kid._

Milo thought for a bit. _…so…you're saying that you and Callous are the reason this thing exists, and Callous had carried something with her when Jill and Callous were merged, passing it onto Joy when she was a fetus…_

_...I guess. The whole thing still has me baffled, too._

Milo's eyes narrowed. _...it's another personality in Joy, isn't it? And not only that, but it's yours and Callous' offspring…am I right?_

_I suppose; since the little thing calls me 'Father', I guess that's the closest thing. So, what; are you gonna start bitching me out because of this? How the hell was both me and Callous supposed to know how this would happen?_

_Hey, admittedly no one saw this coming,_ Milo continued. _But when the hell did it call you 'Father'?_

_...first time, it was when I tried checking in on her; since Callous had felt some manner of disturbance from the house. That was... what, nearly a week ago, now? The second time... was actually yesterday; when I reviewed the footage... she just showed up, and managed to destroy the computers._

…_destroying evidence of what happened I take it,_ Milo figured. _…Johnny, what in the world does this thing want, and why come out now of all times?_

_Hey, I told you; I'm not all-knowing!_ Johnny grunted. _I dunno what this thing wants; all I know is that it's gonna cause nothing but trouble._

Milo scoffed. _Any kid of yours and Callous' always means trouble…_ And then Milo looked out where the boys ran off to. _…nobody's gonna believe this at all…_

_...mine and Callous' thoughts exactly._ Johnny sighed. _...and the worst part is that there's really not a whole lot we can do about it..._

Milo got up from where he was leaning against the tree and started walking. _…Joy won't remember it either, huh?_ He figured, walking the direction the boys had gone.

_Most likely not._

…_then I'd better check on her with the rest of them,_ Milo said.

* * *

><p>Joy was still alone in her room, not having moved at all from her spot this morning. There came another knocking at the door, and when Joy looked back up, Jill opened the door. "…Joy, Kiri, Striker and Jack are here to come see you," she said.<p>

"…m'kay," Joy answered.

"...thanks, Jill." With that, the three of them entered the room; Jack giving Joy a nod. "...heya, Joy." he said.

"…Hi…" Joy said.

"…how're you doing?" Striker asked.

Joy remained silent and looked away from them.

"...Joy..." Kiri began, as she looked at the small ewe with a tilted head.

"...you wanna talk about it?" Jack inquired.

Joy didn't respond.

"…she's been like that all day…" Jill sighed in disdain.

"...I see..." Kiri hummed with a slight nod.

"…I'll go ahead and leave you four alone," Jill said, and afterward, she closed the door.

With that, Jack sat down on the bed next to Joy; patting her a bit. "...you sure you don't want to talk, Joy?"

Joy looked up at them with a sad look.

"...aaw..." With a slightly saddened hum, Jack gave Joy a hug. "There, there..."

Kiri just looked from them to Striker; remaining silent.

Striker wasn't sure if he should say or do anything as well, he just watched Jack hug Joy.

"...don't be sad, Joy... we're gonna help you out..." Jack said whilst hugging Joy.

Joy pushed Jack away then.

"…Joy, what's wrong?" Striker asked, sitting on the bed as well. "We just wanna help you…"

"...is... what happened last night still troubling you...?" Kiri eventually assumed, as she stepped closer to Joy.

"…yeah," Joy murmured. Then she looked at Kiri sadly. "…I'm sorry what happened…Kiri…"

"...you don't need to be sorry, Joy..." Kiri uttered, as she looked earnestly at Joy. "...but... if it's not too much... did you see anyone... suspicious-looking last night...?"

Joy looked down at the ground.

"I didn't see nobody…I don't even remember how I ended up in that room last night…"

Striker tilted his head at Joy.

"...you... don't remember...?" Jack uttered.

Kiri blinked in confusion. "...why is that...?" she wondered out loud.

"I dunno…" Joy muttered.

…but in reality, she was just realizing what could've happened. She was fighting those monsters away in her bad dream, all up until she woke up in that room with Diablo holding that knife…

"Joy, were you sleepwalking maybe?" Striker asked.

"…Tails Doll said that I went to the bathroom and when the alarms went off, they saw I climbed out through the window…" Joy uttered. "…sleepwalking can't do that…"

"...maybe someone helped you out?" Jack blinked.

"But... she was the only one who entered the bathroom, right? Who could've helped her climb out the window from there?" Kiri noted.

"…hey! What if…someone kidnapped you and knocked you out, taking you through the bathroom window?" Striker said.

Joy just looked up at Striker. In all honestly, she knew that wasn't what happened…and even for a five year old, she thought that was a really stupid idea.

"...oh my gosh, that makes _perfect_ sense!" Jack uttered, as he held his head. "We need to find whoever decided to kidnap her!"

"...but I just said..." Kiri began, before she sighed in defeat; convincing those two would be nigh impossible.

"Yeah! Let's go!" and Striker ran out of the room, without giving them a chance.

"Let's go!" Jack repeated, as he ran after Striker; which left Kiri and Joy alone.

Joy just shook her head, sighed, and then buried her face in her knees again.

"...Joy..." Kiri uttered, as she slowly approached the ewe. "...are you... sure that you don't know anything else...?"

Joy looked up at Kiri in dismay.

"...please... you have to know something..." Kiri uttered, as she slowly glanced down at the floor. "...he's going to lose his mind, if he can't talk to anyone... he's been alone ever since Novagod went out of his body..." Then, she shut her eyes closely; gritting her teeth again. "...I... I want to help him..."

…_if you tell her what you think, then she won't like you anymore…it'd be your fault that she can't see Diablo anymore…it'd be your fault that he'll go crazy…_

Hearing that voice in her head, Joy looked away from Kiri. "…I don't know anything else."

Kiri looked back at her. "...nothing...?" she uttered.

Joy shook her head.

_That's a smart girl,_ snickered the voice in her head.

"...but... Joy..." Kiri uttered, as she slowly approached her again. "...please... you must know _something..._ you're the only one I can ask..." Then, she gripped the edge of the bed sheets tightly; looking pleadingly at her. "Please, Joy! I know Diablo wouldn't do something like this... so please, just give me something to work with!"

Joy remained silent, still looking away from her.

Kiri still looked pleadingly at Joy; a few tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "...Joy..."

"…I don't know anything…" Joy muttered, feeling her heart ache.

"...J-Joy..." Kiri uttered shakily...

...and that was all it took for her to spin around and leave the room; hiding her eyes with her arm to try and conceal her tears. When Kiri ran out the door, she almost ran into Milo who watched her run away in shock. Then he looked over to see Joy just about ready to cry as well.

He walked in. "…you okay…?"

Joy shook her head. "…no…I'm not okay…"

Milo sighed, and he closed the door behind him, sitting on the bed.

"…Joy…I know what happened…"

Joy looked up at Milo in shock. "…you…do?"

Milo nodded. "…there's someone else inside of you…and what happened was that they took over you last night and took you to Diablo."

Joy grew very uneasy.

"…look, don't worry Joy," Milo set two hands on her shoulders. "…tonight, when you go to sleep, I'm going to try and help you, okay?"

"…how?" Joy uttered.

"…I know you've been having nightmares, so…I'm going to see if I can get into them," Milo said.

Joy looked at him in wonder.

"…you'll see," Milo assured her. "But you're going to have to try your best to go to sleep; if you need help doing that, then get Metal to tell you a story, or Jill to rock you or something…but you don't have to be alone in this, okay?"

Joy nodded. "…m'kay…"

…and then she burst into tears, hugging Milo. Milo sighed, hugging her.

_...you can't possibly be thinking of going in on your own._

_No, I wasn't planning on going in alone,_ Milo responded, petting Joy's head. _I'm taking you with me._

_Oh, that's better..._ Brief pause. _...wait, what?_

_If this thing is yours and Callous' creation, then you're involved in this,_ Milo spoke through his thoughts. _Besides, you wanted to know as much as I do what it wants._

_...well, yeah, but..._ Johnny began. _...we can't just barge in there. We need some form of plan, you know._

_Hm…_ Milo looked down at Joy, who was still crying.

_...does anything spring to mind? Should I pack a ghost cannon for this adventure?_ Johnny droned.

_The most I was really thinking of was finding out what it wants, and why now of all times to finally come out,_ Milo responded. _Look, I'll try to think of a plan, okay?_

_...you'd better come up with a good plan, alright?_

…_yeah yeah, _Milo responded again, rubbing Joy's back.

* * *

><p>"…It's gruesome…"<p>

"...horrific, to say the least..." Caitlin murmured, as she folded her arms.

Her, Belinda, Bruno and Vanessa were sitting in the lounge of the pub, having coffee that morning. While Belinda, Bruno and Caitlin were discussing what they just learned, Vanessa just sat there silently, thinking to herself about the whole thing.

"…and for that poor child to witness that…" Belinda murmured.

"...it's hard to swallow..." Caitlin murmured.

"…it's a shame…" Bruno muttered, shaking his head.

"...and to think that it'd happen so soon after the party..." Caitlin murmured. "I can't imagine how everyone else must be feeling right now..."

"…some things just don't add up…"

Vanessa had finally spoken, which stole their attention.

"...what do you mean?" Bruno asked.

"…when they went back to look at those security tapes, they found the computer and the tapes destroyed…and that was after they carried Diablo away," Vanessa said.

"...so... would the culprit have gone back to erase the evidence?" Caitlin blinked.

"Yes…" Vanessa said. "That camera would've recorded the whole thing…if someone was locked up for mental illness, they wouldn't have thought to erase the evidence of the murder. Also, the cut had been made much too cleanly, and his knife wasn't big enough to make that kind of a cut. Another piece of evidence is the door handle of the room; it was broken from the outside, not the inside…There's just way too much evidence that suggests Diablo couldn't have been the one to kill him…"

"…but Joy was the only other one there, and she never could have done anything so horrendous," Bruno said.

"That may be true…" Vanessa said. "But it still means that someone else had a hand in this whole thing…"

"You sound like you were right there looking at the crime scene," Belinda mused.

"I just asked a lot of thorough questions is all…" Vanessa murmured.

"...hrm..." Humming, Caitlin glanced up at the ceiling. "...something's up..." she mused. "...something big, I feel..."

"…I agree…the evidence suggests that whoever killed Raider purposely set up Diablo to be framed for murder…" Vanessa said. "…so whoever killed Raider is planning something…"

"...Poor King, having to deal with something his terrible at the best of his time…" Belinda sighed.

"...I feel for him..." Caitlin sighed, as she slouched over the table with a hum.

"…I think I might go have a talk with King…" Vanessa said, standing up.

Caitlin looked up at her. "...really, now?"

"Yes; would you happen to know where he is at the moment?" Vanessa asked.

"...I... would likely assume not too far from the HQ..." Caitlin blinked.

"I'll head there then to look for him," And Vanessa walked out of the room.

Caitlin blinked, as she watched Vanessa take her leave. "...hm..."

Vanessa wandered her way to the HQ and sure enough, there was King standing there with Hunter, both of them talking to each other about something.

"King, you cannot lock up Diablo in solitary confinement; he didn't do it." Vanessa didn't want to wait for them to finish their conversation, so she interrupted them.

Blinking, King looked back at her. "...Vanessa..." he uttered, before he shook his head. "...I'm sorry, but... the decision's been made."

"But you can't do that King!" Vanessa started. "There's just too much evidence that he didn't do it!"

"...such as...?" King hummed, as he looked at Vanessa quite seriously.

"He was bound up in a strait-jacket King! How do you think he got out of his room?" Vanessa asked him just as seriously. "If he had been able to do that, why wouldn't he have done it before? Not only that, but the door handle was broken from the _outside_."

"...so you're saying that someone broke him out." King hummed, as he folded his arms. "Alright, then, answer me this... who could _possibly_ have done that?"

"…I don't know," Vanessa grumbled. "But you guys said that when you came back, you found the computer and the tapes destroyed! Someone in as much mental distress as Diablo wouldn't even think to erase the evidence of what happened there, and not only that but it happened right after you dragged him out of that room! Whoever it was, framed him with the murder," Vanessa growled.

"Vanessa, when we were in that room, it was just the three of them there," Hunter said.

Vanessa started getting impatient. "Maybe the killer fled the scene somehow then!"

"No, Vanessa, you don't understand," and Hunter pointed to his nose. "My sense of smell is just as good as yours. I did not pick up the trail of any other scents besides Raider's, Diablo's and Joy's."

Vanessa grew silent.

"...and as far as I'm concerned... Joy wouldn't be capable of either destroying the security feed _or_ the lock from the outside." King said, as he closed his eyes with a sigh. "...listen... I want Diablo not to be involved just as much as you do, Vanessa... but right now, he's the only real suspect we have. I _can't_ risk him being in the open, until there's definite proof of his innocence..."

"…_When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth_," Vanessa said then.

"…whuh?" Hunter was utterly confused by what Vanessa said.

"A quote from Sherlock Holmes, Hunter," Vanessa said, sighing. "It means that if the suspect, or suspects, is not the responsible one for the crime, then anyone else involved, as crazy as it sounds, could be the murderer…" Then she glared at them. "…and you only _assume_ that Joy isn't capable of doing such things…"

"Now wait just a minute here!" Hunter grew angry with her.

"She defeated a monster no one else could, right?" Vanessa growled. "She defeated Deity Novagod when none of you could, _right_? Just how to you call that _incapable_?"

That just happened to draw King's ire. "...you're not accusing Joy of _murder_, are you?" he snarled.

"Maybe I am King!" Vanessa snarled back.

"...I already told you, Vanessa, Joy isn't capable of doing something like that!" King yelled out of sheer anger.

Vanessa pushed him away. "Don't you DARE tell me that! ANYONE is capable of that kind of thing; you should know that just as much as I do after being trained to kill at that kind of age!"

Hunter kept silent.

"…you honestly think that Johnny was bad back then?" Vanessa growled. "Try living with a whole family that's just like _him…_ I know that _anyone_ can be capable of something like that…"

King just looked at Vanessa in disbelief.

"…but here's one question Vanessa," Hunter asked folding his arms. "…just for the sake of humoring your idea; what would Joy's motive be for doing such a thing, huh?"

And with that, Vanessa became silent.

"…she's the sweetest thing we know; there's no way, even if she was capable, that she would intend to do something like that," Hunter continued.

"...y-yeah... he's right." King slowly nodded. "There really isn't any motive for her to even think of killing Raider..."

Vanessa closed her eyes.

"…then…there has to be some hidden factor that's the key to this whole thing."

"Oh just give up on it!" Hunter snarled.

Vanessa slapped him across the face then, silencing Hunter. King stepped back the moment she slapped Hunter; a bit baffled by that.

"…I heard what happened on this island a couple years ago; that outbreak of Corruption," Vanessa said. "Kiri used to be a frightening child back then, capable of much…she was just about the same age as Joy is now…so even if Joy had no motives for the reason, she is still as much a suspect if she had not only been able to defeat Deity Novagod, but purify all the Corruption that broke out on this island…"

Then she turned and walked away. "So there's gotta be something we don't know about that's going on with Joy…that's all I can think of." And with that, she had left Hunter and King alone.

King just watched her leave with wide eyes.

Hunter rubbed the cheek she had slapped, looking over at Vanessa. "…King…you don't think…?"

"...I... think so..." King uttered, as he rubbed his head. "...what should we do...?"

"…I…honestly don't know…" Hunter muttered. "…when you think about it…she's right…but…"

"...it's just... hard to believe..." King uttered.

"…should we…tell Jill this?" Hunter asked.

"...I... don't know, to be honest..." King hummed. "...I mean... for one thing, it's not something that most would buy hearing... and not to mention, how would she react if she assumed that we were accusing Joy? Hell, how would Metal react to that?"

"…hm…" Hunter muttered thoughtfully. "…maybe…we should wait and see if anything else happens…"

"...hrm..." With a hum, King folded his arms. "...I don't like it... but alright... we'll wait."

* * *

><p>Later that day, Jam was sitting on a hill near the harbor by himself, listening to his music as usual.<p>

"...heya, Jam!" And someone suddenly stood in front of him; giving him a bright smile.

Jam turned off his music and looked. "…Oh, Lin!"

"Are you just listening to music on your own?" Lin hummed.

"Yeah, 'cause y'know, it's what I do a lot," Jam said.

"...well..." With a hum, Lin sat down by Jam. "...I think we could try having both of us sit and listen to music!" she said with a grin.

"Okay, sure," Jam said, pulling one of his ear phones to hand to Lin.

With a nod, Lin took the earphone, and placed it against her ear.

Jam pressed play and Lin started to hear a rocking guitar play a hardcore melody; though thankfully it wasn't too loud for Lin's ears.

"...wow..." Lin hummed, as she closed her eyes with a smile. "...pretty good..."

Jam looked away silently.

Blinking, she looked at him. "...what's up, Jam?"

"…Oh, nothin'," Jam mumbled.

"...it's gotta be something." Lin noted.

"…Just haven't…y'know, talked a lot to other people…" Jam muttered. "...oh, nothin'," and he looked away even more.

However, Lin kept looking at him. "...Jam?"

"…it's nothing…really," Jam said, looking back at her.

"...you sure...?" Lin inquired.

Jam just stared at her in uncomfortable silence.

"...Jam?" Lin uttered a little awkwardly.

"…here, you can listen to my music," he said, putting the device on her lap. "I got…stuff to do." And he was just about to get up and leave when…

"...wait!" And Lin grabbed his wrist at that point. "Don't leave..."

Jam gave her a surprised look.

"...I... uh..." Lin uttered slowly. "...I... wanna spend... more time with you..."

"…you…do?" Jam muttered.

"...y-yes." Lin nodded.

Jam just stared at her then. Lin looked back at him, with a slight smile. Jam slightly smiled back. With her smile growing slightly nervous, Lin stepped a bit closer to Jam. Jam was kinda frozen, and not sure what to do…

"Oops."

Suddenly, he got pushed right into Lin, which also pressed his lips against hers. That froze Lin on the spot; not having foreseen that. Still, though, she didn't break away from the unorthodox kiss. Jam was frozen like that for a while too…

…eventually, he pulled away from her, staring at her. "…uh…"

"...um..." Lin uttered, as she simply stared back at Jam.

Jam started to blush…

…and then he shook his head, glaring at who was standing behind him. "Hey man, like, what gives?"

"I said 'oops'," It was Flamenco standing right there.

Lin blinked at that. "...Flammy? It's not your shift, so why are you here?" she uttered.

"I was just passing by on my own business…" Flamenco replied, looking more amused at Jam.

"Dude, like, watch where you're going, would you?" Jam looked very irritated at Flamenco right now.

Lin, on the other hand, just stood there in baffled silence.

"Well, _hasta luego_," Flamenco bid, walking away.

"…yeah, like, _hasta la bye bye _to you too…" Jam grumbled.

"...huh..." Lin uttered, before she looked at Jam... with a blush that she had yet to actually notice.

Jam noticed it, which made him blush even more. "…um…like, sorry 'bout that…" he uttered.

"...um..." Lin uttered, as she slowly nodded.

Jam couldn't stop staring at her at that point. Neither could she, for that matter, as she kept staring at Jam.

Jam just didn't know what to do. He scratched the back of his head nervously. "…uh…"

"...J-Jam?" At that point, Lin took Jam by his shoulders, and looked into his eyes. "Do... do you... like me?"

Jam blinked in surprise…and eventually answered. "…y-yeah…"

"...you do?" Lin uttered. "...because... well... I like you too..."

Jam's look brightened up. "Really?"

"...yeah!" Lin nodded with a bright smile.

Jam smiled at that.

"...so... what do you want to do?" she suddenly asked.

Jam blinked once more…and took her. "This."

And he kissed her. Almost as if she had anticipated this answer, she quickly began kissing him back. Jam got a sudden burst of energy from all of this, and kissed her harder. That, in turn, spurred Lin as well, as she returned the intensity of his kiss quite passionately. Jam started getting more excited, clutching to her while he kissed her. Lin, too, began really getting into it, as she wrapped her arms around Jam, whilst deepening the kiss. Jam was trembling all over, he was so energetic.

The same could be said for Lin, who began dragging Jam off to a more secluded place. Jam followed her, wondering where she was taking him.

Eventually, Lin had gotten the two of them to a small clearing in the woods, with a pond not too far from them. When they stopped, Lin began kissing Jam even fiercer than before. Jam took the kisses with some surprise, but replied with the same type of force. Growing excited at the same force being pressed against her lips, Lin gripped Jam even tighter in their intense make-out. Jam practically pinned Lin against a tree in the midst of their heat.

Lin seemed more than appreciative of that, as her tongue entered Jam's mouth; so it could tangle with his own. Jam was, once again, surprised by that, but it was her feistiness that really pulled him into it more and more, pressing himself against her body. Clutching to him, Lin uttered out a brief moan as she deepened the kiss even more.

Hearing her moan really sent chills down Jam's spine, because it sounded like a new type of music he had never heard before…and he wanted to hear more of it.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Long story short, they go to her place and get funky. Now let's move on!<strong>_


	6. Chapter 5

When Oblivion heard the news…well, she wasn't sure at all what to think.

She still remembered what Raider was like before the outbreak of Corruption a few years ago…nasty, greedy, rough…how he yanked on her hair without consideration for her… and then she got to know the reformed Raider who had acted much different than the other one. This one had acted politely and kindly and he didn't treat her meanly like before. He even apologized for anything he might have done to her that he couldn't remember…

…it was very strange to get used to, and then just like that, he was gone. Two whole years just wasn't enough time for her to get used to his new personality…but death wasn't ever a happy thing, and she wouldn't wish it on her worst enemies…

…especially one as gruesome as that.

"...you seem unsure on what to think..." Charon hummed, as he looked at Oblivion.

"…I am…" Oblivion replied.

"...hm." Charon hummed, as he closed his eyes; unsure of what to think of this as well. "...you're... not sure whether to mourn his passing or not... isn't that the case?" he assumed.

"…yes…" Oblivion answered.

"...hm..." Charon nodded. "...I can understand that..."

"…just how could it have happened?" Oblivion wondered.

"...it would take a lot of force to be able to kill someone like him..." Charon murmured.

"…and so quickly like that…" Oblivion added.

"...something tells me that we should be cautious..." Charon mused.

"…maybe…we should find the boys and Kiri," Oblivion muttered.

"...right." Charon nodded, as he glanced ahead. "...let's hurry."

Oblivion nodded, and she was about to leave out of the cave, but just then, she stopped when she saw a few coming up the mountain. "…oh! It's them!" she said.

"Hi Oblivion!" Striker called up.

"Hiya Charon!" Jack called as well, with a wave of his own.

"...boys..." Charon hummed, as he looked down at them.

Milo was holding Kiri's hand, and neither of them spoke out while they made it up the mountain into the cave.

"...how are you doing...?" Charon hummed, as he looked down at the kids.

"We tried looking for the bad guy!" Striker said.

"You two aren't going to find the bad guy," Milo suddenly said.

Striker fell silent and looked at Milo in amazement. "…we're not?"

"No," Milo answered bluntly.

"...but... but we wanna try and find the bad guy." Jack noted, as he tilted his head a little.

Kiri just looked at Milo with a sad look in her eyes.

"I know where the bad guy is," Milo said, "and they're in a place only I can get to."

Striker's eyes widened. "Really? You know where they're at?"

Even Oblivion grew surprised at that. Charon himself seemed a bit surprised as well.

"...so... where is the bad guy...?" Kiri uttered.

"…that…unfortunately, I can't tell you guys yet," Milo said. "But it means that I'll have to try something that I haven't done in a long time; astral projection."

Striker blinked. "…what's…astro projection? Is that going into space?"

Milo rolled his eyes. "No Striker. Astral projection is when someone's spirit goes outside of their body and travels around."

Jack blinked at that. "...so... the bad guy is a ghost?" he assumed.

"No; the bad guy is trapped in someone," Milo said. Then he shook his head. "It's pretty complicated and hard to believe; it's best if I tried to tell you after I experience the bad guy first hand." Then he went over to Striker and opened his backpack to dig inside.

Striker looked back at him. "What're you looking for?"

"My things," Milo replied. "…aha!" he pulled out some incense.

"...are... you gonna be safe?" Kiri uttered, as she looked at Milo with a concerned look.

"Yeah, as long as the charms I brought are in here," Milo said. "…they are! Good." And he pulled out various unrecognizable indian artifacts, most of them pendants. "I wear these when I astral project, and no spirit can harm me."

"Great!" Jack said with a laugh. "...so, are you gonna get the bad guy like this?"

"…I don't know, to be honest," Milo said, walking into the cave. "I have to see how bad they are…"

"…would you have to wait until dark to do this?" Oblivion asked.

"Yes. That's the only time she'll be asleep."

Oblivion blinked. "She?"

Milo jumped. "Uh…uh—forget what I said!" and he lit up the incense on the ground.

Kiri blinked as well.

"...so, what will you do until then?" Charon inquired with a hum.

"…I need to meditate to mentally prepare myself," Milo said. "…so until dark, I'm not really going to do anything but sit here."

"...should we leave you alone, then...?" Kiri uttered.

"…you can stay if you want, but you'd have to be quiet," Milo said.

"…so in other words, I'll leave you alone," Striker said, turning right around and walking down the mountain. "Later!"

"...yeah; we won't disturb you." With a smile, Jack turned to follow Striker.

Kiri just kept looking at Milo, before she sat down; she intended to stay, it seemed.

"…I'll leave you alone as well, Milo," Oblivion said with a nod.

"Right; you do that," And Milo finally sat down too, crossing his legs.

With a mere nod, Charon simply lied down, whilst glancing out of the cave; down at the island itself.

With that, Milo closed his eyes…

* * *

><p>…and he sat there, all up until the day faded into the night darkness.<p>

Around this time, Kiri had fallen asleep, as she was huddled against the wall to keep herself warm. The boys had come back too, and the two of them were fast asleep on the cave floor. Oblivion lay against Charon's side while she slept. Even the large dragon was slumbering.

Finally, Milo's eyes opened, noticing that his stick of incense had run out. He set another one down, lit it up, and then he looked outside.

"…it's time…" he whispered to himself.

Quietly, he went back to the same area he was sitting, only this time he laid down and closed his eyes; so he could sleep. With all the meditating he had done for the day, he should be able to immediately fall asleep without regarding whether or not he was even tired.

Minutes later, he was asleep as well…

…and just as soon after that, the next thing he knew he was staring down at all of his friends; even his own body, from above. He looked at himself, and saw that he was transparent.

"It worked," he spoke.

"...about time; I was getting bored of waiting for ya."

"You're lucky it even worked; astral projection usually happens randomly and can't be induced," Milo said, turning around.

There, he saw the spirit of Johnny floating in front of him; his folded arms barely covering the hole in his chest. "...so, do we go and take care of things now?"

"Yeah," Milo said. "Let's go." And he flew off. Johnny flew after Milo.

It didn't take very long to reach Jill's house, and Milo and Johnny went into Joy's room to check on her.

Joy, was wincing and tossing and turning in her bed, looking quite distressed. She had fallen asleep after all…and it looks like she was having that nightmare.

"...this song and dance again, huh..." Johnny hummed. "...alright; before she decides to kill someone else, we should stop the being inside her." Then, he glanced at Milo. "I doubt that you can fight, so leave the being to me."

"I was just gonna say; since I have protection charms on me, I should watch Joy in there while you go fight…whatever's inside her," Milo said, nodding in agreement.

"Alright; then let's stop beating around the bush." Cracking his knuckles, Johnny looked down at Joy. "Let's go."

Milo grabbed Johnny's wrist, and shot right at Joy. There was a big flash for the two of them…

…and the next thing they knew, the two of them were standing in a large, ruined city.

"...well... this is unique." Johnny mused. "Now, where is she...?"

A scream came from one direction, and Milo's head jerked over. "…that's her." With that, he ran in the direction he heard the scream. With a hum, Johnny ran after Milo.

The two of them ran far enough that they saw someone run around from an intersection, and then trip. It turned out to be Joy, and when she tripped onto the ground, she spun around to see large black hands shoot after her. She screamed again…

…then there was a bright flash that chopped away the hands, causing whatever was trying to grab Joy to shriek out in agony. Joy looked shocked, and then turned to where the flash came from.

Milo let his hand fall, having sent that flash. "…I told you I'd help you."

"Milo!" Joy got up and rushed to Milo in tears, hugging him.

"...alright; you two stay behind me." At that point, Johnny walked past the two of them; glancing ahead of him. "Wouldn't want the guys who can't fight to get themselves hurt."

Joy just clutched to Milo, and he picked her up into his arms. "Right," Milo answered.

Cracking his neck, Johnny took a step forward. "...alright; whoever's taken up residence in here, come out!"

"…how'd YOU get in here…?"

A large, black figure slithered out of hiding, followed by numerous monsters.

Johnny just rubbed his neck. "I got some assistance." he said dismissively, before scoffing. "So, let's talk. What are you, exactly?"

"I'm your fucking daughter…isn't that good enough?"

The black thing approached them, and even changed shape again, looking just like Joy but with those cold, icy blue eyes.

Milo's eyes widened at that.

Johnny hummed, as he folded his arms behind his head; not looking as startled as Milo did. "...seems like someone has an attitude problem." he mused dryly.

"Where do you think I got it from?" the girl retorted, folding her arms.

"Who are you, exactly?" Milo asked.

"…her name's…Malice…" Joy uttered shakily, clutching even tighter to Milo.

"...Malice, eh?" Johnny hummed, as he inspected the girl with a hum. "...still... I'm pretty sure that I didn't curse my mouth off when I was a kid."

"Hey, plenty of people sweet little Joy can learn those words from," Malice chuckled. "…besides…I'm pretty sure you killed somebody when you were my age too, huh Father?"

Joy shook when she heard that, and Milo held her.

Johnny just hummed uncaringly, as he rubbed his fist against his chest. "...only because I was trained for it." he mused. "You, on the other hand... not so much. I doubt that being stuck in Joy for this long would've given you the opportunity to train."

"True…but I can make up enough of that for natural talent…"

And Malice smirked very evilly. She hardly even did anything while large, gigantic waves of Corruption shot out of her, parting the ground, sending cars flying while they shot at the three of them.

"...hm!"

Quickly, Johnny suddenly grabbed Milo and Joy, before he quickly leaped into the air to get away from the waves; bouncing off the cars that had been flung at them to get even higher. Malice kept flinging more waves of Corruption at them, and even some of her monsters jumped at them to attack. Johnny, however, didn't seem too worried about that; casually kicking the monsters aside as he kept leaping away from the waves. Milo and Joy ended up getting separated from Johnny, jumping onto the top of one of the buildings to stay out of the line of fire, watching Johnny jump away from the attacks.

While Malice kept up her barrage of attacks at Johnny, some of the monsters tried to run after Milo and Joy. Joy let out a yelp, but Milo simply glared at them. And the monsters were knocked away from them with another flash.

"You can't touch me, Malice…I have numerous protection charms on my spirit…" Milo said.

Malice growled at that, but still tried to concentrate her attacks on Johnny.

Still, though, Johnny was easily moving out of the way of Malice's attacks. "Are you even trying?" he chuckled.

Malice seemed like she'd get angrier… but strangely enough, she calmed down again. "…why are you protecting them?"

Johnny blinked. "...hm?"

"You heard me," Malice said. "…why are you protecting them?"

Humming, Johnny folded his arms. "Why do you wanna know?"

"Because you couldn't care any less about _any_ of them," Malice said. "So it wouldn't make sense why you're taking their side…"

Johnny simply scoffed, as he cracked his neck. "...true, it might not make any sense why I'm on their side..." Then, he closed his eyes. "...but I _am_ on Callous' side. And both of us figure that... well, this ain't how things are supposed to be; you being inside Joy and all."

Malice frowned.

"…you two have gone soft…"

Johnny raised an eyebrow. "...'scuse me?"

"…you and Mother…you've become a couple of push overs…" Malice continued, narrowing her eyes. "You would've never taken their side in a million years, no matter what circumstances called for it…you'd rather cause mayhem and destruction, and make life practically unbearable for everyone else…now you're just making excuses for doing the exact things that you promised yourself you wouldn't do…"

Johnny simply rolled his eyes. "You know, causing mayhem and destruction isn't that easy when you're _dead_." he scoffed. "Come back seven years ago, and then we'll talk about causing mayhem."

"But that wouldn't have stopped you from taking over Jack to do all the things you've wanted…especially with Mother," And Malice grinned again.

Joy shuddered. "…Milo…what's she talking about?"

"You don't want to know Joy…" Milo hushed.

"Is that it, Father?" Malice asked. "Is Mother the reason you've lost your touch? Is she the reason that you no longer act like a _real_ Leoniel?"

Johnny's more neutral look began fading, as he narrowed his eyes at Malice. "...watch your mouth, kiddo..." he growled.

"It is, isn't it?" Malice's grin grew. "You really do love her like that? That must have been why you two got so passive…"

"…in that case, she deserved what happened to her."

Johnny grit his teeth...

...and suddenly, he had broken into a mad dash towards Malice.

"That's how she got so easily killed…so easily repressed into Jill…" Malice was ready for him, with more insults on the way. "…and your guard was dropped when you thought she had come through…only to be stabbed in your broken, bleeding heart…"

"...shut up..." Johnny snarled, as he kept getting closer to Malice.

"You both gave yourselves a weakness…and once they figured out that weakness, they exploited it," Malice chuckled. "…a rookie mistake for someone so talented at killing and fighting…"

"...SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH, BRAT!" And at that point, Johnny had gotten so close that he actually intended to kick Malice without stopping his wild dash.

Malice ducked underneath the kick. "I wanted revenge for what happened to the two of you…but now I see how you let yourselves get put in those positions in the first place…you're both _pitiful_…"

With a fierce snarl, Johnny suddenly grabbed the back of Malice's head, before just _slamming _her against the ground.

Malice lay there on the ground for a while. Then when she pushed herself up, she laughed.

"…just like now…you're letting your guard down."

There was a sudden scream, and a pained grunt. Even Milo had been too absorbed watching what was happening to see monsters sneak up behind him, and while he wasn't very hurt, Joy had been snatched right out of his arms.

Seeing that, Johnny grit his teeth. "Shit!"

The monsters almost looked like they consumed poor, frightened Joy while she screamed out in pain and agony.

"JOY!" Milo yelped.

And Malice smirked. "…_I _have control once again…"

Then there was a bright flash…and a powerful force flung both Milo and Johnny out of Joy's bedroom into the night.

"GAH!" Crying out, Johnny shot a glare at Milo. "...you'd protect her, huh? You goddamn idiot!"

"I-I-I don't know what happened!" Milo uttered, actually afraid of Johnny's look.

Then there was the sound of shattering glass. The two spirits saw Joy's window being broken, with a small figure jumping out of the window and landing on the ground one floor below, taking off in a run.

_"Ah- JOY!" _Fluttering by the window, Tails Doll seemed in distress. _"What was that about? Oh, no... JILL! METAL!" _And he flew off.

"...shit..." Cursing, Johnny glared down at where the figure was running off. "...now she's running off again, and we can't do anything about it..." Then, he glared at Milo again. "Great going! Now someone else might end up dying, because of your fuckup!"

"C'mon, let's at least follow her!" Milo uttered, deciding to fly away before Johnny got even angrier.

"Oh, for-" Cursing, Johnny flew after Milo.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Malice was running very quickly; towards the harbor. "…I'll show them how to be evil again…" she muttered under her pants while she ran. "…and once I get powerful just like Mother and Father did…I won't just make them evil again…but I'll still make Jill and Metal pay…"<p>

Finally, she got to where she wanted; the tombstones on the hill.

She smirked at them.

"You said that Joy had a stronger will than you…so how about I have that battle of wills with you, Spiel?" She laughed, and placed her hands on his tombstone. "Once I absorb your soul, nobody can stop me!" And her hands started to glow.

_"...yeah, no."_

And all of a sudden, a thundering force just shot Malice right off the tombstone. She flew a long ways, and landed roughly on the ground, getting a few scrapes. Growling, she just got back up and glared at the tombstone.

Now, the spectral visage of Spiel slowly revealed itself, as he cracked his knuckles whilst giving Malice a bored look. Malice growled, and shot more waves of Corruption at him with a snarl. However, Spiel simply folded his arms, and gave the waves of Corruption a good kick; dissipating them before they could actually cause any harm..

Malice snarled some more. "…that's not fair…"

Milo and Johnny made it to the area, and seeing the scene…

"…Spiel?" Milo uttered.

"...figures..." Johnny uttered. "...she wanted his spirit to feed her own strength... just like me and Callous did..."

Spiel simply scoffed._ "...so, you think you got a strong will, girl?" _he said.

"You told Joy she had a will stronger than yours…and being part of her, I'd have the same strength of will," Malice said. "So if I can take over her…then I can absorb you!" and she ran at Spiel.

Spiel just sighed, as he slowly raised his foot. "...yeah. Joy has a stronger will than me..." Then, he glanced at Malice. "...but you don't, kid."

At that point, he suddenly stomped his foot against the ground; creating a powerful shockwave that rocketed towards Malice. That knocked her back, keeping her from reaching Spiel, and she landed hard on the ground.

"At least be careful Spiel; she's still in _Joy's_ body after all…" Milo uttered, wincing a bit.

"...hm." Spiel huffed, as he simply cracked his neck.

Glancing at the pig, Johnny blinked. "...something's off, Spiel." he said. "You're not smiling."

"...guess bullying Novagod doesn't keep me from growing sour at this kinda sight." Spiel hummed, as he just sighed.

Malice just got back up, and she looked exhausted now; the stamina of a five year old girl didn't last very long. She had cuts and scrapes and bruises all over her, but she still stepped toward Spiel. "…I'll absorb you…and make them all pay…" she growled, stomping toward him.

"...give it up." Spiel just scoffed. "You're just not strong enough to beat me."

"…I was made from…the buildup of Corruption…from a Leoniel…and the Princess of Darkness," Malice growled, with her icy blue eyes glowing in fury. "…AND THAT MAKES ME MORE POWERFUL THAN THAT LITTLE BRAT THAT EVERYONE CARES ABOUT SO _GODDAMN_ MUCH!"

Corruption practically exploded out of her little body, shooting not just for Spiel but for Milo and Johnny too.

Spiel just sighed. "...and you don't have the will to control it." At that point, he leaped up into the air. "_That's_ why you can't beat me."

With that, he slammed into the ground with such force that energy just flowed from his very being; rocketing out in every single direction.

"Shit!" The force of that attack was powerful enough to even blow Johnny and Milo away from the scene.

Seeing that, Malice only had time to widen her eyes.

The blast knocked her up into the air, and she was so weakened now that she couldn't do anything else anymore. _…stupid body…_ Malice thought, before she was even knocked out of control.

Unfortunately, the body was sent flying so far that it actually splashed into the water outside of the harbor.

When Milo heard that splash… "…JOY!"

"...oh, goddamn it!" Johnny uttered, as he shot a glare at Spiel. "Dumbass! Who's gonna be out at this hour? She'll drown!"

Spiel, however, just looked towards the water with a narrowed look.

Then all of a sudden…a figure shot out rapidly through the brush, running. Milo only caught a small glimpse of the figure before it jumped into the water, and his eyes widened. "Jill?"

Minutes later, the figure popped out of the water, climbing out with little Joy in their arms. Sure enough, it was Jill. Jill grew frantic, setting Joy on the ground. "Joy! JOY! Please, be alright!" she tried to shake her. "Joy!"

It didn't take long for two others to rush out to the scene; Metal and Tails Doll, with the former kneeling by Joy and setting a hand on her, and the latter who fluttered over her. _"...oh, Joy, please be alright...!"_

"…Joy, honey, please don't do this to your mother," Jill uttered, pressing down repeatedly on Joy's chest.

It didn't take very long until Joy started coughing.

"...oh, thank god..." Metal uttered, before he looked at Jill. "...we should take her to the infirmary, Jill..."

"Right," Jill stood up, holding Joy dearly. "Hold on, Joy," and she hurried off with her. Metal and Tails Doll quickly followed her.

Milo watched them run away, and he felt his heart ache a bit. "Joy…"

"...tsch..." Johnny hissed.

"...she's not done." Spiel huffed, as he shook his head. "...oh, she'll be trying something else soon..."

Milo looked at Spiel.

"...you all need to be prepared." Spiel noted. "She's got plans... and it sure seems like she won't stop for nothing to accomplish them."

Milo nodded in understanding, and started to float away. Johnny just scoffed, as he floated down towards Spiel. "...so... back to Novagod, then?"

"...back to Novagod." Spiel murmured, as he sank below the ground.

Glancing at where Milo had flown off to, Johnny began sinking into the ground as well. _...prepare... for what, I wonder...?_

At some point, Milo stopped in the middle of the air, just floating there.

Noticing that, Johnny stopped. _...the hell is he stopping for?_

"…Johnny…if we just sit back like this, thing's might get worse, like Spiel said," Milo uttered. "…should we…try and warn the others?"

Johnny blinked. "...warning the others...?"

Milo spun around, looking at him uneasily. "Tell the others about Malice I mean…if we let things go on the way they do, Joy'll get even more hurt, or worse…I know Jill can't handle that kind of stress…"

"...then how do you suggest we break it to everyone that the offspring of me and Callous is living inside of Joy's head?" Johnny hummed.

Milo fell silent on that.

"...see? Not that easy to break it to people." Johnny sighed.

"B-but we can't just keep quiet about it!" Milo uttered.

"But could you just go up to Jill and tell her that her daughter technically killed Raider?" Johnny hummed.

Milo sighed. "…as much as I should tell her, I know how mentally unstable Jill can still be…"

"Right; and if you tell anyone else, they might be more inclined to let Jill know." Johnny sighed. "...sad to say, but... there's not a whole lot we can do right now."

"…and Jill's powers aren't reacting for some reason…so it's not like she's gonna figure it out on her own…" Milo muttered.

Johnny groaned. "...pain in the ass, right?"

"…yeah, kinda," Milo murmured.

"...well... sad to say, but you just gotta live with it." Johnny murmured, as he glanced to the side.

"…I know I won't be able to get back to sleep after this, so if you don't mind, my spirit's going to wander around a bit before it returns to my body," Milo said.

"...sure, whatever." Johnny hummed with a shrug.

With that, Milo flew off into the night.

* * *

><p>At the infirmary, Joy was laid down to rest on a soft bed.<p>

"...it's a good thing that you got her here as quickly as you did..." Miser hummed, as she looked at Jill and Metal with a smile.

Jill nodded, but still looked worriedly at Joy.

"...if it'll make you feel better, you can stay and keep watch over her tonight." Miser said with a smile.

"...is that okay...?" Metal hummed.

"Yes, it is." Miser nodded.

"…alright…but…" Jill looked away from Joy. "…I need a moment…" and with that, she walked out of the room.

Metal glanced at her as she walked out.

"...maybe you should go and talk to her?" Miser hummed.

"...maybe so..." Metal nodded, as he slowly followed Jill outside.

Metal found Jill leaning against the wall in the hallway, still looking very worried.

"...Jill..." Metal uttered, as he slowly approached her.

Jill gave Metal a glance, and then looked away again.

With a light sigh, Metal stopped next to her. "...do you... want to talk...?"

"…Metal…what's happening to her?" Jill uttered. "_WHY_ is it happening to her?"

Metal blinked, before he glanced to the side; he didn't really have an answer to that question.

"…I…I just don't understand…" Jill sounded like she was ready to cry. "…she didn't deserve this…"

"...she didn't..." Metal nodded, as he set a hand on Jill's shoulder; wanting to comfort her.

Jill turned and hugged him, burying her face into his shoulder. Metal hugged her back; closing his eyes and remaining silent. Jill tried to hold back from breaking down into tears, but she found it hard.

"…this…was the kind of thing I was trying to protect her from…" she uttered.

Metal wasn't entirely sure on what to say, so he figured that he could at least let Jill vent a little.

"…first Raider's death…and now this?"

A few tears dropped to the ground.

"...Jill..." Metal uttered, as he glanced at her.

Jill wiped her eyes and still tried to keep it together.

Gritting his teeth a little, Metal hugged Jill a bit tighter. "...don't worry... we'll make sure to keep her safe..."

Jill hugged Metal back. "…I sure hope so…"

"...so please, Jill... don't cry..." Metal said; rubbing her back to comfort her a little.

"…I'll…try not to," Jill murmured, feeling a bit better when he did that.

"...that's good..." Metal murmured. "...we need to stay strong... for her sake..."

"…right…" Jill replied, wiping her eyes again.

"...now..." Metal hummed, as he looked at Jill sincerely. "...let's watch over her for the night... together."

Jill looked up at him and nodded. Then she pulled away to head back to the room. Metal followed her back inside.

* * *

><p>They stayed with Joy the whole night, dozing every now and then but mostly staying awake, all up until the crack of dawn came and lit up the sky for the next day.<p>

Entering the room with a slight yawn, Miser looked at the two of them. "...my; you stayed here all night?" she hummed.

"…yeah," Jill nodded.

"...mhm..." Metal nodded as well.

Miser couldn't help but smile, before she gave the two of them a nod. "...you two should head home and rest up; I'll keep an eye on Joy for you."

Jill looked at Joy, and then looked at Miser. "…are you sure?"

"Don't worry; I've already slept for the night." she said with a smile. "You two go and get some rest, too, you hear?"

Metal hummed, as he glanced over at Jill to see if she'd go through with it, or stay put here. Jill just looked back at Joy, petting her head comfortingly. Then after she kissed her daughter's forehead, she stood up.

"…alright then…" she murmured.

"...very well..." Metal nodded, as he stood up as well. "...let's be off."

Miser smiled, as she opened the door for them to walk out of. "See you two later." she said with a nod to them.

"…right…see you later Miser," Jill said with a nod, walking out. Giving her a nod as well, Metal walked out after Jill.

They both walked out of the building and back into town, not saying anything for the whole stroll. Not even when they got to her shop, Jill said anything.

As they entered the shop, Metal closed the door behind him. "...do you... feel hungry, Jill?" he eventually said. "...I could make you something, if you'd like..."

Jill shook her head.

Humming, Metal glanced to the side; rubbing his head a bit awkwardly. Jill looked out the window sadly, still thinking about Joy.

Looking at her, Metal placed a hand on her shoulder in support. "...still worried about her...?"

Jill nodded. "…yeah."

"...honestly... so am I." Metal nodded, as he looked out of the window along with Jill. "...but... we're together in this, Jill... so you don't need to worry on your own..."

Jill nodded, and then she looked at Metal. He gave her an encouraging smile, along with a nod. That managed to get a small smile out of her, and she hugged him. Metal returned the hug.

"…Metal…I'm so glad I still have you…" she murmured.

"...I'm glad to still be with you..." Metal responded.

Jill tightened the hug. "…I don't know what I'd do without you."

Metal tightened the hug as well. "...I wouldn't know what to do for myself, if I weren't with you..."

Jill looked up at him then. In turn, Metal looked back at Jill.

"…a lot's happened in seven years…" Jill murmured.

"...quite a lot, yes..." Metal nodded.

"…in some ways, I still find it kind of surprising that we're here…after that long," Jill said.

"...yes..." Metal hummed. "...seven years isn't a brief amount of time..."

"…and…after Deity's…finally gone…"

"...finally..." Metal uttered.

"…I…still can't believe it," Jill uttered. "After trying to run from him for so long I…"

"...Jill." Metal said, managing another smile as he did so. "...as hard as it is to believe... that is the truth. He won't haunt anyone else anymore..."

It made her smile back at him.

Metal couldn't help but place a hand on Jill's cheek. "...seeing you smile... it feels so soothing, Jill..."

Jill actually blushed a little bit. "…does it?"

"...it does." Metal said with a nod.

"…that's good then," Jill said, smiling a bit more.

Metal smiled back at her.

"…I feel safe when I'm with you, Metal," Jill murmured, leaning closer. "…I always have…"

"...you... you do?" Metal uttered, as he gently stroked Jill's cheek the closer she leaned.

"Yeah…" Jill whispered, really close now.

"...that's... good..." Metal uttered, as he leaned in closer as well; letting their lips meet. Jill closed her eyes, slowly melting into it. Closing his own eyes, Metal held her closer. Jill touched his cheeks, kissing him again. Still, Metal kept gently stroking Jill's own cheek, as he gave her another kiss.

Jill felt her heart speed up, because it had been a long time since she and Metal had been alone like this last. Metal felt that same sensation as well, which led to him deepening the kiss just a small tad. Jill allowed him to, touching his chest gently. A faint shiver coursed down his spine, as Metal began slowly caressing Jill's back. Jill sighed in content, stroking his chest with her hands. Letting out a sigh like that as well, Metal kept caressing Jill's back; moving his other hand to caress her shoulder. Jill wrapped her arms around him, so that she could stroke his back as well, while she continued to kiss him. Sighing in appreciation, Metal deepened the kiss a little more, as he began caressing Jill's side. Jill twitched a little since she was sensitive, but she breathed a bit, enjoying it.

Making sure not to be too forward, Metal kept caressing those areas whilst kissing her. Jill wrapped her arms around Metal to hold him while she kissed back, melting even more into this. Metal, too, was getting really into it, as he held Jill even tighter whilst kissing her. Now Jill started stroking Metal's cheek, deepening the kiss a bit more. Sighing in content, Metal moved his hand up so he could stroke Jill's arm. Jill shivered a bit in content.

After a short while, Metal gently picked Jill up, and as he kept kissing her, he began carrying her up the stairs; into the apartment. Jill kept her arms wrapped around Metal's neck while he did this.

Eventually, Metal got the two of them into the apartment, letting him close the door behind them; taking the opportunity to deepen the kiss more. Jill held him closer while he did so, blushing a bit more. Metal was also blushing at this point, as he stroked Jill's cheek more. Jill felt her heart pounding harder in her chest, making her breathe a bit more.

Metal felt himself grow hotter, as he eventually began moving from the entrance further into the apartment; headed for their bedroom. Jill's heart started beating faster and faster the closer they got to their bedroom.

Eventually, the two of them got inside, as Metal locked the door behind them. With that taken care of, Metal returned his full attention to Jill; to kissing her and caressing her. Jill kissed back lovingly, sighing even more at his caresses. Trailing one of his hands down towards Jill's thighs, Metal passionately deepened the kiss yet again. Jill breathed more, keeping up with the passion of the kissing.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yeah, Yeah, I know. Jill and Metal too, but hey, it's a natural stress reliever. Plus, with the kind of foreshadowing we have, they need it. *Censored Content*<strong>_

* * *

><p>They kissed until the feeling died down, and Jill broke her lips away to catch her breath again. Metal's head fell back a bit, as he caught his own breath. Jill pulled off of him, and slumped beside Metal in exhaustion. Truth be told, she didn't sleep very much, and when she tried to, she didn't sleep well. She had been too stressed about what happened.<p>

Turning over so he could look at Jill, Metal placed his hand on her cheek. "...Jill..."

Jill smiled, touching the hand he put on her cheek. "…Metal…"

Metal smiled back at her. "...Jill... I love you so much..."

Jill's eyes felt heavy, so they closed. "…Metal…I love you too…"

Metal's eyes closed as well. "...Jill..."

Jill nuzzled up closer to him, putting her arms around him. "…Metal…"

Metal wrapped his own arms around her as well. "...Jill..."

"…Metal…" after that last murmuring, Jill fell fast asleep. Metal fell asleep right along with her.

* * *

><p>That morning, in the infirmary, the door to Joy's room opened. "Miser?" It was Hunter. "You're needed."<p>

Glancing back at Hunter, Miser blinked. "...what is it, Hunter?" she inquired.

"King needs some help moving Diablo…" Hunter muttered. "…he's…well, not doing good."

"...I can only imagine..." Miser uttered, as she rubbed her neck. "...is it going to take long? I don't want to leave Joy alone for too long..."

"…It shouldn't take that long," Hunter said. "…but if it ends up taking long, I could send someone back here just in case. I know Sonia wouldn't mind…"

"...right." Miser nodded, as she shot the still-sleeping Joy a glance. "...just you wait; I'll be right back." With that nod, Miser walked towards the door. "...let's go."

"Right," and she and Hunter left out the door, closing it behind them.

Instantly, Joy's eyes popped open, and icy blue eyes darted towards the closed door. "…Finally…" she huffed, pushing the blanket off of her and dropping to the ground on her feet.

"…I thought they'd never leave…" Malice grumbled. Then she folded her arms. "…well…so much for _that _plan; what a flop that was…" Maybe Malice had bitten off a bit more than she could chew last time…she may have more power than most others, but like Spiel said, she needed to know how to control it…and with the body of a five year old, things weren't going to go well when trying to do things herself. She'd end up getting Joy killed, and as enjoyable as that would be, it would mean the death of her as well…

"…okay, so maybe I might understand your predicament, Mother," Malice spoke bitterly. "…but there's still gotta be a way to get revenge…"

Just then, Malice's eyes trailed over to something in the corner; an emergency phone. She looked at it for a very long time… obviously there had to be emergency phones to call in the infirmary if something happened… so...

"…I'll have to accept the fact that even with my power, this five year old won't be capable of much…" she muttered, walking toward the phone. "…but…maybe…there's somebody I can call to do the dirty work _for _me…"

The phone was too high for her when she got to it, so she pushed a stool up to it to climb to the phone. At the side, there were emergency numbers. 911 was an obvious one…but there were also a few to the police and even the military.

Malice's eyes centered on the numbers to contact the military; "…Metal Sonic…they're still looking for him, aren't they? None of the public know what really happened to him…" slowly, an evil little smirk grew on her. "…so…if they ever got a lead on where he'd be…they'd jump the gun; no questions asked."

Her smirk grew, picking up the phone off the line. "…they'd come and take him away…and him and Jill and Joy will be separated from each other…it might just be enough to get something going, and maybe from there…"

She couldn't help but chuckle, while she dialed the number. "Well, I'll just have to try it…after all, no one will suspect innocent little Joy…especially when she's crying and telling the military that Metal Sonic hurt her…"

She put the phone up to her ear, hearing the ringing tone. "…now…just gotta work up some tears…"

* * *

><p>"...you've reached GUN's service board; how can I help you?" a fairly-bored female sighed, as she adjusted her headset a tad. Ever since she got the job at GUN, not a whole lot had happened in her life to liven things up. At least the pay was good...<p>

She suddenly heard sniffling on the other end. "_P-Pwease…you hafta help us…_" a little girl's voice uttered.

Perking up, she adjusted her headset there. "...h-hey, don't cry..." she uttered, as she took out some paper and a notepad. "I need you to tell me your name, and the current situation you're in. It's very important that you remain calm..."

"_H-he's gonna…get me…if he f-finds out that I m-made th-this call!" _ the little girl uttered on the other line. _"Pwease! D-don't let him hurt me again!"_ and the voice broke into frightened sobs.

"Ah- please, compose yourself!" she uttered, as she narrowed her eyes a bit. "Don't worry, everything's going to be okay... now please, tell me; what is your name, where are you located... and who are you so afraid of?"

"_I-it's him! It's...it's Metal Sonic!"_

Her eyes widened, as she dropped the pencil. "...are... are you certain?" she uttered, as she slowly gripped down on the paper. "The very same? Are you sure that it isn't an impostor of any sort?"

"_It's him! I'm sure of it! He looks different, and I don't know how, but it's him! He hurt me, and he took me and my Mama to Safe Haven! That's where he's been hiding all these years!_"

"...Safe Haven?" she uttered. "That's where King..." Gritting her teeth, she placed a hand on the desk before her. "...does anyone else on the island know that he has been hiding there?"

"_They tried to stop him; they really did!_" The voice just kept weeping shakily. _"Metal Sonic did something to them; they're under his control somehow! They've kept him hidden on the island without nobody knowing!"_

"...that son of a..." she uttered, as she held her forehead. "...listen, don't worry; we're going to send help as soon as we can. Just stay strong until we arrive there, alright?"

"_O-ok I'll t-try—_uh oh!"

"...oh no..." she uttered. "...don't tell me..."

The voice gasped in fright, "_N-no! No! NO! He's COMING TO GET ME! PWEASE HELP ME!_" And suddenly, the line was hung up.

"Hello?" Quickly, she rose from her seat. "Hello?" she cried out...

...but to no avail; the line remained dead.

"...son of a bitch..." she uttered, as she stumbled back a bit; causing the headset to slip off her ears and slam against the ground.

* * *

><p>In reality, Malice was forced to cut off the phone call there, because she heard footsteps coming toward her bedroom and she wanted to make sure she wasn't caught making that call. She moved the stool back to the place she got it from, and rushed to her bed.<p>

Just then, the door opened, before Malice could even reach the bed.

_Shit!_ She thought, letting the eyes flash green.

"...Joy?" The one who opened the door was Sonia, who looked down at Joy with a confused look. "What are you doing out of bed?"

There was silence for a while…

Joy blinked, looking back at Sonia. She didn't remember standing like this…she remembered sleeping. "…I…fell out of bed?" she assumed, mostly for herself, but answering Sonia's question.

"...huh..." Sonia uttered, as she slowly approached Joy, before picking her up. "...poor kid... good thing Miser told me to come and keep you company, huh?" she said, before helping Joy into bed again. "There we go; just take it nice and easy, you hear?"

"M-hm," Joy nodded. Then she tilted her head. "…where did Miser go?"

Sonia glanced out of the window then. "...she... had to help move Diablo." she answered.

"…oh…" Joy clutched to the covers, looking down uncomfortably.

Sonia looked back at Joy, before rubbing her head. "...don't you worry, Joy; no one else is going to get hurt. I promise."

Joy looked up at her then. "…where's Mama and Daddy?"

"...Miser sent them home earlier today." Sonia explained. "She said that they had stayed here all night long, keeping watch over you to make sure that you weren't hurt... so she figured that the two of them needed to sleep as well."

Joy's eyes widened. "They were here all night?"

"All night long." Sonia nodded. "And not once did they leave you unattended; there was always at least one pair of eyes that watched over you at all times..."

"…wow…" Joy looked down again.

"...pretty nice of them, isn't it?" Sonia hummed with a smile.

"…they must love me lots to do that," Joy said.

"...they love you more than anything else, Joy." Sonia said, as she rubbed Joy's head. "They'd do anything to keep you safe, no matter what."

Joy smiled a bit when Sonia told her that.

Smiling back, Sonia gave her a nod. "Now, go to sleep again; you need to rest up, alright?"

Joy nodded. "M'kay…" and she laid back down.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at this moment, news of that phone call spread around like wildfire…<p>

"...you all heard it, didn't you? He's still around... and we know where he is!"

"_Really?_!"

"Yeah! All this time, without anyone being able to warn us... he's been on Safe Haven!"

"Wow, that brave little girl…I hope nothing's happened to her…"

"So do I... what should we do?"

"Well, isn't it obvious? We need to inform the Commander straight away!"

"Alright!" Someone suddenly walked into the room, giving a stern look. "What's all the damn commotion about?"

One of the soldiers gasped. "It's the Sergeant!"

The Sergeant was a tall, strong, old man with a bald head, and a large scar across his face. He looked very gruff; especially now, when he was giving all the soldiers looks. "Well?"

"...uh... s-sir..." The woman who had originally received the call stood forward with a brief salute. "We've just learned about an emergency situation regarding Safe Haven, sir..."

"…what? Them again?" The Sergeant grumbled, folding his arms. "What is it this time?"

"...an... an emergency call came in, sir..." the woman uttered with a slight gulp. "...we... we have reason to believe that... Metal Sonic is hiding there, sir."

The Sergeant held his breath that moment.

"…what…did you say?"

"Aah!" The woman panicked, and quickly tensed up. "A-an emergency call gave us reason to believe that Metal Sonic has been in hiding on Safe Haven, sir!"

"…who made the call?" The Sergeant asked, still trying to process this information.

"It was a little girl sir…" one of the soldiers answered. "She was afraid that Metal Sonic was going to get her…and she said that her and her mother have been taken as hostages…"

The Sergeant remained silent, with a look of horror on his face.

"...she also said that Metal Sonic has found some way to keep the denizens of the island from telling us about his existence there for this long." the woman uttered. "Likely hence why King and his admins haven't informed us..."

The Sergeant remained silent.

"…sir, uh, should we inform the Commander about this?" one of the soldiers muttered. "This is top priority news…"

The Sergeant remained silent for a longer time, pondering on that.

"...sir?" the woman uttered, looking at the Sergeant with an uncertain look.

Then he got a maddened, grave look. "No, the Commander it very busy at the moment… and with this kind of situation, we can't afford to wait."

"S-sir?" the soldier uttered. "Do you mean to say that we're gonna-?"

"—I don't know yet," The Sergeant interrupted him calmly. "First, we need to put together an able-bodied squad to infiltrate Safe Haven. Also, considering that it's Metal Sonic…we need heavy artillery…"

"...uh..." the woman uttered, as she gulped nervously. "...perhaps... electromagnetic pulse weapons would work against him? Considering that Metal Sonic is a machine, that is..."

"…that may be," the Sergeant said. "See what kind of things we got in the lab…I'm going to put together a squad to get down there ASAP."

"Sir, what about team Alpha and Chaotix?" one of the soldiers mentioned.

"They're overseas on their own missions; they can't be bothered either," the Sergeant said. "We're gonna have to do this on our own."

"...but..." another soldier uttered. "...hypothetically speaking, what if this was just some kind of prank? How would the Commander react if you assembled the forces without her knowledge for nothing?"

"Come on; there's no way that anyone would joke about Metal Sonic." the woman said with a light huff.

"Still, there's the slight possibility, sir..." the soldier uttered.

"…It's Metal Sonic…" the Sergeant growled. "…and that little girl calling was telling us that she and her mother were kidnapped by him, and taken into Safe Haven…what kind of sick little child could play such a prank like that on the _military?_"

The soldiers jumped when he yelled.

The woman, too, jumped at that; clutching to her chest for a moment in brief panic.

"…I'll take the fall if it's a prank, but right now, we need to get ready to head to Safe Haven," the Sergeant growled, turning to leave the room. "Bring me a weapon that can take down Metal Sonic; that's an order." And he was gone from the room.

The room was silent for a moment.

"...well? You heard him; find a weapon, on the double!" the woman quickly said, as she looked at the other soldiers.

"Oh! R-right!" and they all scrambled around.

* * *

><p><em><strong>There's another piece that falls into place...now to wait...<strong>_


	7. Chapter 6

"Today's a nice day, isn't it?" Vanessa chuckled, while she was taking a stroll through the woods with Striker, Jack, Milo and Kiri.

"...mhm." Kiri nodded in response to that.

"Yeah; the sun's shining, and there's not a cloud in the sky!" Jack said with a wide smile. "Today's looking to be a good day!"

"I hope it'll be lots of fun too!" Striker laughed. "I wonder what Snap's up to today?"

Milo, in the meantime, kept silent. His body was well rested and all, but his mind was not; not after what happened last night. Kiri noticed that, but she didn't say anything.

"We could go on some form of super adventure!" Jack said with a laugh. "Like... we could go exploring the whole island!"

"Yeah! Maybe we could go explore some of the explored GUN bases again!" Striker laughed. Then suddenly, he stopped and looked back. "…Milo?"

Milo had stopped long before they noticed, with a grave look on his face.

"…what's the matter, Milo?" Vanessa assumed, glancing back at Milo over her shoulder.

Jack and Kiri looked back at him as well, though they didn't say anything.

"…there's something I need to tell you guys," Milo said, looking back up at them.

"...what is it?" Jack uttered.

"...is it... something serious, Milo?" Kiri assumed, as she held her hands together.

"…I'm assuming it's something that happened with your astral projection trip last night, wasn't it?" Vanessa assumed.

"…yeah…and it's _really_ serious," Milo said.

"...so... what did you find out?" Kiri uttered.

"…Diablo didn't kill Raider…" Milo muttered. "…I know who did…"

Vanessa grew interested. After all, she already could tell that Diablo didn't kill her, and with only one other option, she grew interested in hearing what Milo's answer would be. Would he explain possible motives that Joy could've had? "…who was it Milo?"

Milo opened his mouth to answer, but then he stopped when he spotted something in the air…behind the group.

"…Milo?" Striker muttered.

Milo's eyes widened then. "…I think…you guys might want to move out of the way."

"...why?" Kiri blinked, as she tilted her head.

Jack blinked as well, as he glanced up at the air... and he gaped. "...INCOMING!" Before any more questions could be asked, Jack grabbed Striker, Kiri and Vanessa, before rushing out of the way. Milo managed to jump out of the way at the last minute, just in time for a massive object to rocket by and land right in the spot he had been standing; creating a HUGE crater.

"HOLY COW!" Jack exclaimed, as he looked at that object. "We could've been crushed! What _is_ that thing?"

Vanessa got right up, running to the crater, sniffing around and taking a big look at the object. Eventually, Jack and Kiri stepped closer to the crater, so they could behold the object as well.

As it turned out, it was a fairly big capsule of sorts, with what seemed like a door of sorts on the front; with no visible way of opening it.

"…whoa…" Striker uttered, when he saw it.

"…this thing came from space," Vanessa uttered, actually quite surprised.

"…from space?" Milo was just as surprised.

Then steam shot out from the doors, slowly opened. "EEP!" Milo jumped, hiding behind Striker.

Kiri quickly hid behind Jack, who just remained frozen on the spot.

"…one's alive, but the other two…the other two smell like metal…two robots maybe?" Vanessa assumed. "One of them is incredibly hard to tell; smells like both…"

Milo blinked, seeing only one spirit within the capsule…but he started putting the pieces together. "…wait a minute…"

"Hello?" The first one to come out of the capsule was a Mobian bird.

The second one was a fairly large robot, who barely managed to squeeze itself out of the capsule. _**"...lifeforms detected in the vicinity."**_

"...true enough," a very familiar voice hummed, as the last one to step out of the capsule was a black hedgehog, who rubbed his neck, before he shot a glance towards the group. "...Striker. Milo. Jack." he hummed, before smiling. "...what a surprise."

Jack's eyes slowly widened, before he broke into a wide grin. "...Omega! Proxy!" Quickly, he rushed down into the crater, and practically threw himself on Proxy to hug him. "It's been so long!"

"Oh my gosh!" Striker exclaimed, running and doing the exact same thing as Jack. "It's really you guys!"

"Wow!" even Milo got a bit excited, running to them. "It's really great to see you guys!"

Proxy couldn't help but chuckle, as he hugged them back. "...it's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"A really long time!" Jack said with a laugh. "Man, you guys must've been busy up on the ARK!"

_**"Quite busy, yes."**_ Omega nodded, before he happened to look up towards Vanessa and Kiri. _**"...friends of yours?"**_

Just looking at the towering robot made Kiri hide behind Vanessa; though she still peeked out to just look at the trio.

The bird blinked, looking over at Kiri. "…Kiri, is that you? You grew…"

"Oh, you know her?" Vanessa chuckled.

"I was on Safe Haven for one of the years of training before I went off with Proxy and Omega," the bird said. "…oh! And my name's Stella!"

"...Stella...?" Kiri uttered, as she tilted her head.

_**"She does not seem to remember you, Stella."**_ Omega pointed out, as he turned to glance at the bird.

"...I can't blame her; Stella left the island around... what, nearly five years ago?" Proxy hummed, as he rubbed his chin.

"Well, at least you remember Kiri." Jack noted with a smile. "...oh, yeah, I should introduce you!" Then, he looked up at Vanessa. "That's Vanessa; my mom!"

"...Jack's mother, huh...?" Proxy hummed, before giving her a nod. "Pleased to meet you."

Vanessa nodded with a smile. "I think the boys told me about you two. It's nice to meet you," and then she nodded to Stella. "It's also nice to meet you too, Stella."

"Likewise," Stella said with a smile. "So boys, you happen to know King and the others?"

"Of course!" Striker said.

"How're they all doing, by chance?" Stella asked.

Striker took her hand then and started running off with her. "Come see for yourself!"

"Whoa!" Stella laughed then. "Such energy!"

"...yeah; we should go see King and the others! Come on!" Jack laughed, as he grabbed Omega and began running... only to find that he wasn't moving anywhere; given that Omega was a lot heavier than Jack was able to carry.

_**"...I can walk on my own."**_ Omega insisted, as he began stomping after Striker and Stella. _**"I do appreciate the gesture."**_

With a chuckle, Proxy began heading after them as well.

"...should we follow them?" Kiri asked, as she looked up at Vanessa.

"Sure, I would think so," Vanessa said with a smile. Then she looked at Milo. "What about you, Milo? Are you coming along as well?"

Milo just looked back at her. He was just about to tell them all about Malice, right before that thing crashed down. Yes, it's really nice to see Proxy and Omega, and he partially wondered how this Stella got up there with them, though I'm sure that could be explained…

…but their visit was badly timed. It was only a matter of time before Malice tried something else, and something drastic too…now there was just more to get involved in the whole thing.

"…if you guys don't mind, I'm gonna head off to take care of some things…" Milo finally said. "That okay?"

Vanessa nodded. "That's fine."

"...alright." Kiri nodded, as she smiled a bit. "See you later, then, Milo."

"See ya!" Milo waved, and started running off.

Vanessa figured there was always another time that Milo could tell her. So she smiled down at Kiri. "Shall we?" she said.

Taking her hand, Kiri gave her a nod. "Mhm."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, King and Tasha were on business of their own…<p>

"...Tasha? Wha- what in the world are you doing?"

Tasha looked back at King blankly. "…I had fallen out of my active routine…I was just getting back into my training schedule." She and King were near some of the training equipment, and Tasha figured she'd use some of it to stay in shape.

"...buh- but with the baby still in you?" King sputtered. "I mean- isn't that risky, Tasha?"

Tasha smiled, and even giggled out of amusement. "Twilight, there are plenty of women in my tribe that remained active throughout their pregnancies; my mother included."

"Wha- _seriously?_" King uttered with a wide mouth. "I've never heard of this before!"

"…well…in our tribe, we have to know how to defend ourselves no matter what…" Tasha said.

"...I... buh... and you... and the... geh..." King just stuttered, as he held his head in disbelief. "...sorry, but that just took me off guard for a moment..."

"…do you…not want me to continue my training?" Tasha asked.

"...I, well..." King began, as he rubbed his temples. "...that is... I'm mostly thinking about the baby, you know? I don't want you or the baby to accidentally get hurt."

Tasha looked at her stomach, which was hardly sticking out at all at the moment. "…I figured since I wasn't too far along, it wouldn't hurt…"

"Well, something could happen, and... well, I guess I'm being really overprotective." King sighed. "But you can't be too careful when it comes to things like this, right?"

"…I suppose you're right." Tasha walked away from the equipment she was using, and walked up to King.

"...now, I'm not saying that what your tribe is accustomed to is wrong." King began, as he looked down at Tasha with a slight smile. "It's just... I don't want anything bad to happen by accident."

"…I understand," Tasha nodded, smiling back at him. "…And as a compromise, I won't exercise so much when I get farther along…"

"...that's good..." King hummed, as he placed a hand on her cheek.

Tasha blushed a bit, and touched his hand affectionately. Blushing a bit as well, King leaned closer to her. Tasha leaned in too, and they kissed. King closed his eyes, as he slowly stroked Tasha's cheek. Tasha purred silently at that.

"King! Tasha! Look who's-oh! Uh…are we interrupting something?"

Tasha jerked back away from King in shock, blushing even more. The same went for King, who quickly looked at where the voice came from. "Uh, we, that is-!" he began.

"...maybe we should come back later?" a familiar voice hummed in a bemused tone. "You seemed fairly busy."

King blinked at hearing that voice; surprised enough to temporarily forget having been walked in on. "...Proxy?"

Striker laughed. "King! Tasha! We wanted to tell you that Proxy and Omega came to visit!"

After he said that, Proxy and Omega stepped forward; with the former giving them a nod. "...it's been a long time." he said.

"...it... it certainly has." King nodded, as he slowly nodded.

"Hey, don't forget about Stella!" Jack called with a grin.

"Oh, it's alright," Stella chuckled. "He's just surprised we came here is all…"

"...right..." King nodded, before he smiled. "...it's nice to see you all again."

_**"The feeling is mutual."**_ Omega nodded.

"...so... what's your name, then?" Proxy hummed, as he glanced at Tasha.

"…um…my name is Tasha…" Tasha shyly spoke.

"…Tasha…" Stella murmured. "…I remember you. You're the Chieftain's daughter, aren't you?"

Tasha grew silent, and looked away sadly. "…yes…"

Proxy blinked. "...is there... something wrong?"

King glanced to the side, as he rubbed his neck. "...hrm..."

Striker looked at Stella. "Tasha's dad died two years ago," he said.

Stella's eyes widened. "O-oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to remind you of something like that!"

Tasha tried to smile a bit, in appreciation. "…it's alright…you didn't know."

Proxy hummed. "...so... I suppose we should get caught up with what everyone's been up to for the past few years..." he mused. "...unless you two still wanted to be left alone?" he added with a bemused smile.

"Ah, that's..." King sputtered; instantly blushing again.

"…well…" Tasha was blushing as well.

Vanessa chuckled. "You two are just too cute…"

"...yeah..." Kiri nodded with a slight smile.

"...how are they cute again, mom?" Jack whispered to her in a confused tone; not really getting what she meant by that.

"Nothing," Vanessa chuckled even more, shaking her head at her son's innocence. "I still don't know what's cuter; them as a couple, or them as parents."

Stella gasped. "Wait, _what?_!"

Proxy blinked at that. "...so, then..."

King chuckled a bit awkwardly at that. "...yeah... me and Tasha are gonna be parents." he said with a smile.

"…wow, congratulations King," Stella said, smiling. "That's big news."

"Indeed." Proxy nodded.

_**"Congratulations are in order."**_ Omega hummed.

"...thanks, you guys." King replied with a slightly bigger smile.

"We should show them the rest of the island!" Striker exclaimed.

"Actually...we've gotten to see it before," Stella chuckled. "They came down here before."

"When?" Striker grew interested.

"...like I said, around five years ago." Proxy hummed with a slight chuckle. "We came to find someone who had gotten down to the island before us, and when we finished up, Stella came along with us."

"Wow, really?" Jack uttered with wide eyes.

"Yep, really," Stella said.

"So that's how you were with them," Striker said.

"...oh, I should probably ask." King suddenly said. "How's Meta doing?"

"...Meta..." Proxy hummed, as he rubbed his chin. "...he's doing alright."

"He stayed behind to keep things on the ARK going," Stella said.

"Who's Meta?" Striker asked.

Vanessa smiled even more. "Tell you kids what; maybe we should all head to the pub for something to eat and chat a bit to catch up. How's that?"

"I can go for that!" Jack said with a grin.

"Me too." Kiri shot in with a nod.

"...well, me and Omega don't really need anything to eat..." Proxy hummed, as he rubbed his chin. "...but I suppose we could do that."

_**"I am inclined to agree."**_ Omega nodded.

"...well, let's head off." King hummed, as he looked at Tasha with a smile. "Shall we?"

Tasha nodded with a smile. "Sure."

* * *

><p>Around this time, Jill and Metal had woken up, and were headed back to the infirmary; both of them wanting to check up on Joy to see if she had woken up yet.<p>

Jill looked around a bit, but mostly stayed quiet on most of their stroll. The same went for Metal, though he did glance occasionally at Jill from time to time. Jill at one point noticed Metal looking at her, and tried to smile a little bit. Metal smiled back at her, whilst giving her a brief nod. Jill nodded back.

"Look! It's Jill and Metal!"

Jill stopped, and spun around.

Metal glanced back as well, to see a rather large crowd headed in their direction. "Hiya, guys!" Jack called with a wave to them.

"...well, now..." Metal hummed, as he happened to notice two of those in the crowd. "...Proxy and Omega..."

"Oh yeah!" Striker pulled Stella up. "This is Stella!"

"…so you're Metal Sonic…" Stella murmured in amazement. "…nice to meet you."

Metal blinked a bit at that. "...likewise." he said with a nod.

"...so, you're here too, now?" Proxy hummed in a bemused tone. "I thought you were back at Metropolis still..."

"...well, I couldn't stay there forever, Proxy; times change, you know." Metal noted with a light smile.

Stella smiled at Jill. "It's nice to see you again Jill."

Jill smiled. "The feeling's mutual."

Stella yelped with a jump, "HOLY CRAP! You talked!"

"Y-you talked?" Even Proxy seemed a bit surprised by that.

_**"...a curious occurrence." **_Omega noted. _**"You were still mute when we last met."**_

"A lot happened since the last time I saw you," Jill chuckled, since she figured they'd be surprised by her talking.

"Wow, that's amazing Jill!" Stella said, still in astonishment. "How in the world did you get your voice back?"

Jill started blushing a bit. "…well…that's a—!"

"—lemmie guess; a long story?" Stella murmured, laughing a bit.

"...well... yes." Metal nodded.

"...I figured." Proxy noted with a light chuckle.

"...so... where are you two headed?" Kiri inquired.

"…to see Joy…" Jill murmured.

Striker tilted his head. "…wait, what?"

"Oh, Joy, it's been so long; she must be so much bigger now!" Stella said with a smile. "Where is she?"

Jill looked away sadly.

"…the infirmary."

Hearing that, everyone's spirits suddenly fell.

"...the... infirmary...?" Jack uttered. "...wha... what happened...?"

"…I don't know what really happened," Jill started. "Last night, Tails Doll came and woke us up, telling us that Joy jumped and broke through her bedroom window. Then she somehow ended up in the harbor, almost drowning. She had all these cuts and bruises on her…" Jill couldn't really say anymore.

"…oh my goodness…" Stella uttered.

Vanessa's eyes narrowed a bit. She wondered if Milo knew about this…maybe even saw what happened when his spirit was traveling around last night.

"...that's..." Proxy uttered.

"...yeah... Miser told me about it." King murmured. "...she said that the two of you stayed there all night to watch over her, too..."

"...indeed..." Metal nodded slowly.

"...all night..." Kiri uttered in slight awe.

"...then... then you shouldn't be stopping here!" Jack shot in. "Sorry for holding you up; you should head off and check up on her!"

"…may I…come see her?" Stella asked. "I mean…if it's alright with you guys?"

"…I'm alright with it," Jill said.

"...it's fine with me, too." Metal nodded.

"...then I guess we'll see you later, then, Stella." Proxy hummed.

"Right; see you at the pub," Striker said, waving while they walked away, and after that, Metal, and Jill started walking, with Stella following.

As the three of them walked, they stayed quiet for a little while...

…until Stella started to talk, "…wow…King becoming a Dad, you getting your voice back Jill…I sure missed a lot," she chuckled a bit uneasily, feeling the tension in the air.

"...true..." Metal actually responded, as he glanced to the side. "...a lot has happened over the years..."

"…do you…mind telling me a little bit about what's happened?" Stella said.

"…well, I got back in touch with the Professor and the boys…"

Stella blinked, and then her eyes widened. "Oh! Those boys were them, weren't they? I thought they looked familiar!"'

Jill glanced back. "…Sage showed you my past, didn't she?"

Stella averted her eyes uneasily. "…well…yeah…" Then she looked back at Jill. "…that's not bad…is it?"

Jill shook her head with a bit of a smile.

"...well, if she showed you that, it means that she trusts you." Metal noted, smiling a bit as well.

"…that's good…" Stella said. "…so if I remember…Metal was still in Metropolis…"

"…right," Jill said. "…one day, he decided he'd come back…he found out the news about Brick and my disappearing from the boys, wandered his way to Safe Haven, and found me and Joy."

"...I still can't remember what the bigger surprise for me back then was; that Jill actually was on Safe Haven, or that she had a child." Metal mused with a slight chuckle.

"…but you came back, knowing you had Deity sealed inside of you?" Stella uttered.

"Well, after a lot of things that happened, Deity ended up breaking free, but in the end he was utterly defeated," Jill said.

"Really?" Stella said in awe.

"Yes…and even more surprising was that Joy was the one who beat him."

Stella's eyes widened. "…no way…"

"...even if it's hard to believe, that's what happened." Metal hummed.

"…well, I mean, what did Deity try to do when he broke out?" Stella uttered.

"…there was a large outbreak of Corruption all across the island…he ended up possessing Diablo and from there he infected Kiri, Hex, and Raider…and lots of other soldiers."

Stella's eyes widened in a bit of fear. "…d-did you say…Hex?"

"...yeah." Metal nodded; not really aware of why Stella was fearful of her. "...after Deity was defeated, though, the soldiers were all purified... and from there, Diablo was locked up because of his fragile mental state when Deity left his body, Kiri became friends with Jack the boys, Raider decided to help out around the island, and Hex... she took one of her men with her, and left the island to rethink her life."

"…they all…changed, just like that?" Stella uttered. "Really?"

"You'd be surprised what Corruption can do to someone…" Jill murmured.

"…wait!" Stella uttered. "What about Spiel?"

"…he's dead…" Jill muttered.

Stella grew very quiet. "…oh…"

"...I think aside from what happened to Diablo, Corruption did the most damage to Spiel..." Metal murmured. "...and he didn't even realize it before it was too late..."

"…wow…Corruption took down one of the strongest soldiers on Safe Haven..." Stella murmured.

"…yeah…" Jill muttered. "…but once that happened, everything went back to normal for all of us."

"And Metal, you stay here now, instead of Metropolis?" Stella asked.

"...yes." Metal nodded. "I found something better to do with myself than to rust away in an abandoned city like that..." As he said that, he looked at Jill with a smile. "...I found someone to spend my life with, after all."

"…wait…" Stella blinked. "…so you guys are together as in…y'know, _together?_"

Jill blushed a bit, smiling at Metal. "…yeah."

"...that's right." Metal nodded, as he blushed a hint as well.

"…wow, I wonder what Cowpoke's gonna think."

Jill eyes shot opened and she looked at Stella in shock—"HUH?"

Metal just blinked, as he glanced at Stella. "...Cowpoke?" he uttered in a puzzled tone.

"Uh! Um!" Jill was growing more embarrassed not only because Stella mentioned Cowpoke in front of Metal…but because she just realized that she had forgotten all about him.

Stella started, "Well, the first year that Jill was here, there was this soldier—!"

"—H-Hold on S-Stella!" Jill stammered over her words to interrupt her.

Metal just blinked again, as he looked at Jill; still with that puzzled look of his.

"…um, he was a soldier on Safe Haven the same year I first came here," Jill began, looking at Metal a bit sheepishly. "…He reminded me a lot of Brick and he really liked me so…we…sort of dated toward the end of the year before he left…at the time, we knew that neither of us were ready for a committed relationship but…"

Metal blinked a bit at that, though he nodded to show that he got what she was saying.

"…he said if I was ready again, to give him a call…and I just realized that I had forgotten all about him," Jill murmured a bit guiltily.

"...oh..." Metal uttered, as he rubbed his neck a little. "...do you... think he's still waiting?"

"…I don't know…" Jill muttered. "…that's why I feel guilty about it…"

Stella felt guilty for saying something to make Jill feel that way. "Hey, life happens…for all we know, he might've moved onto someone else too…you never know."

"...right..." Metal hummed.

Jill cleared her throat. "Well, let's continue to the infirmary," and Jill started walking again.

Nodding, Metal followed her silently. So did Stella.

At some point they finally reached the infirmary, and walked through the halls to Joy's room.

As they walked, they spotted Sonia walking out of said door, and when she noticed them, she smiled. "Ah, there you are..." she began, when she noticed the bird following them. "...Stella? Is that you?"

Stella smiled, "Oh, hi Sonia!"

"Wow, it's been ages!" Sonia said with a wide smile, as she approached the bird to shake her hand. "How have you been all this time?"

"I've been good," Stella answered. "How about you?"

"Never been better!" Sonia said with a wide grin. "Man, how time flies... so, how was the ARK? I've always wanted to know even just a bit about that place!" she inquired in a giddy tone.

"It's actually really interesting; I'll tell you all about it later," Stella said with a smile. "…I wanted to come see Joy with Jill and Metal."

"...oh, right..." Sonia nodded; chuckling sheepishly at forgetting that. "...she's sleeping like a log. Just come in." And she allowed the three to enter the room.

Stella entered in, seeing Joy right away. Sure enough, she was fast asleep in the bed, looking like she was actually resting peacefully for once. Stella's eyes widened, not only at how big Joy's gotten but at how injured she looked. "…oh my…"

Jill came over, and brushed Joy's hair back softly, looking worriedly down at her. Walking over to her as well, Metal sat down and placed his hand on Joy's hand; simply looking at her in concern.

Stella stumbled over her in surprise, just looking at her. She remembered what Jill told them, about what happened to Joy, and it sounded so strange. "…wow…" was all she could really utter, along with, "…she grew."

"...she... really has grown, yes..." Metal hummed.

"…the years really have passed," Stella murmured.

"...they... really have." Metal nodded, as he simply looked down at Joy.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Flamenco made a big yawn. He started to wonder where Lin was; lately she's been disappearing a lot, ever since she and Jam hit it off. He chuckled; he really was happy for Lin to finally find someone that liked her like that, but it was funny to hear her talk about him. It was just funny to see her reaction to all of it in general.<p>

Anyway, he wondered where she was because her shift was about to start.

"...FLAMMY!" And, as if on cue, Lin came running towards the harbor in a bit of a hurry. "S-sorry I'm late!" she called.

"Don't you worry about it," Flamenco chuckled. "_Donde estabas?_"

"...ah... at the Music Square." Lin said with a slight chuckle. "I'm trying to see if I can't learn to play some kind of instrument."

"Oh, I see," Flamenco chuckled, standing up from where he sat to stretch.

"...you see what?" Lin blinked.

"Oh, _nada esta_," Flamenco said. Then he walked off. "I'll be going now…"

"...alright; later, Flammy!" Lin called with a wave.

Flamenco waved before he was up the hill and gone.

With a nod, Lin turned to look out towards the ocean; folding her arms. "Alright; watch-time..."

"…uh, like, hi Lin."

Blinking, Lin glanced behind her. "...Jam?"

Jam was standing right there, with his hands behind his back.

"...hiya." Lin said with a slight smile, as she turned to face him. "What's up, Jam?"

"I, like, picked these for you," Jam said, pulling out what he had behind his back…

…which were some exotic flowers he found in the jungle.

Lin gasped. "Oh my gosh..." she uttered, as she just looked at those flowers. "...they're... so pretty..." As she said that, she looked back at Jam. "...for me?"

Jam nodded with a smile. "Mhm."

Smiling back at him, Lin gently took the flowers, and smelled them. "...ooh... they smell nice, too..." she uttered, before looking at Jam again. "Thank you so much, Jam. I should go put these in water."

"M'kay," Jam nodded. "…glad you like 'em."

Nodding, Lin glanced behind her. "...well... I guess I can leave my spot for a moment..." Then, she looked at Jam. "...want to come along?"

"Sure," Jam said, nodding again.

With a smile, Lin gently took Jam's hand, before she led him into the woods; heading for her cottage. Jam simply followed happily along silently.

Soon, the two of them arrived at her cottage, which Lin quickly entered with Jam in tow. As she closed the door after him, she walked over to the nearest sink. "Let's see... do I have any vases around...?"

"Here, like, I'll help you look or something," Jam said, walking around a bit.

"Ah, thanks, Jam." Lin called to him, as she kept looking as well.

Jam kept looking around the house. He hadn't been here very much; well, at least long enough to really know his way around this house. Eventually, though, he noticed an empty vase just standing in a corner; not doing much but gathering dust. Lin didn't seem to have noticed it.

"Ah, found one!" Jam called out, picking it up to dust it off.

"Oh, you did?" Lin hummed, as she glanced back. "Nice... do you think you could take it over here?"

"Sure," And he went over to where her voice came from.

When he got back to Lin, she was still by the sink; giving Jam a nod as he gently took the vase from him, before she filled it with some water. "...hrm... how much would the flowers need...?" she hummed.

"Prob'ly lots," Jam figured, shrugging.

"Right..." Lin nodded, as she filled the vase around seven eighths of the way with water, before she carefully put the flowers in it. "There we go! Now... where to place the vase...?"

"…on the table in the, like, center or something?" Jam suggested.

"...oooh, yeah! Good idea!" Lin quickly nodded, before she walked over to said table and set the vase on it. "...hrm..." Adjusting it a little bit after placing it down... "...perfect!" Immediately after, she came over and hugged Jam. "Thanks, Jam!"

"Sure thing, Lin," Jam said with a smile, hugging her back.

"...oh, I wish I could give you something in return... since you got me those lovely flowers, and everything..." Lin hummed.

"Aw, you don't, like, have to," Jam said humbly.

"Oh, but I wanna..." Lin said with a giggle, when she stopped. "...say... I think I got it."

"…what?" Jam asked curiously.

Lin moved back a bit, so she could look at Jam with a clever smile. "...maybe I could give you some time alone with me?"

Jam gawked at her a bit, blushing. "Oh?"

Lin nodded. "How about it?"

"Sure," Jam answered, with a bit of a sheepish look.

With a coy smirk, Lin moved forward to kiss Jam. Jam set his hands on her waist, kissing her back. Stroking the back of his head, Lin deepened the kiss. Jam's hands stroked her back up and down, while he deepened the kiss even more. Gasping in delight at that, Lin pressed her body against Jam's, as she let her tongue enter his mouth. A warmth sparked in Jam, along with some goose bumps, and his tongue wrapped around hers eagerly. The same warmth sparked in Lin as well, as she began removing her clothes. Jam moaned, helping her while his hands touched more and more of her body. Moaning herself, Lin got her clothes off a lot faster with his help...

* * *

><p><em><strong>Lin and Jam, however...they are one of the few that might go over the top...Best warned now. *Censored Content*<strong>_

* * *

><p>With that over with, Jam collapsed onto the ground beside Lin. Heaving for air, Lin turned over to look at Jam. Jam was just lying there breathing deeply and slowly; almost passed out at this point.<p>

Breathing along with him, Lin placed a hand on his side. "...Jam..."

"…hm…?" there wasn't much of a response in that.

"...you're... amazing..." Lin managed to utter.

Jam managed a faint smile. "…so are…you…"

After that, he was just so exhausted. He wasn't sure if he was even able to move anymore…

…and least all up until a door suddenly opened in the house, and Jam's eyes shot open.

"Lin, you in here?" called a voice.

"...oh, _crap._" Lin uttered, as her eyes shot open as well. She just realized that, even though she locked the front door, there was also a back door to her cottage, and that had been left unlocked…

"Ohmygosh_hideJam!_" And Lin immediately scrambled to get herself and her clothes into the bathroom, which thankfully wasn't in the direction of the opening door. But before she reached the bathroom door... she hesitated. _...oh, crap, I can't leave him behind!_ So, she quickly ran back to pick up Jam, before she turned to head for the bathroom again...

Only, the footsteps came into the room. "Are you—_AYE YAYE YAYE!"_

Jam let out a yelp, but jumped in front of Lin to hide her nakedness. "AGH—you?"

It turned out to be Flamenco, and he stood there, gawking at the two of them.

"Gah- FLAMMY?" Lin sputtered, as she just shielded herself. "Can't you at least knock?"

"What the hell, man?" Jam uttered.

"…you…left your post…" Flamenco could only utter out that much; he was genuinely surprised at what he was looking at.

"Well... I figured I could leave for like five minutes to set flowers Jam had given me in water, and then I wanted to give him something, and... well..." Lin sputtered in an embarrassed tone. "...could you at least turn around so I can put my clothes on?" she said whilst covering herself bashfully.

"…right, right; I apologize," Flamenco said, turning around…and he was quite casual about it too, relaxing a bit after what he saw.

"Like, you got a problem, starin' at her like that?" Jam growled a bit jealously.

"I see naked women all the time, so I can look at them with a straight face," Flamenco answered, still turned around.

Shuddering a bit bashfully, Lin began getting herself dressed.

"Dude, you fucking try and touch Lin that way," Jam growled, "and I'm, like, gonna-!"

"—Lin and I simply good friends, _mi amigo_, and I do not wish to do anything to jeopardize that," Flamenco answered, "…although I'm admittedly surprised to find you in such a situation, Lin…"

"...well, uh..." Lin uttered, as when she finally got dressed, she placed a hand on Jam's shoulder. "...me and Jam just really hit it off..." she said with a smile.

Flamenco didn't look back at them, but they could see him smiling. "And that's _bueno._ I just want to make sure that it doesn't interfere with your job or you might get in trouble with King."

"...right..." Lin nodded. "...say... did you notice anything before you went over here, Flammy?"

Flamenco turned around then. "That was my question."

Jam tilted his head in confusion, and noticing that, Flamenco clarified.

"I was wondering why there were many boats on the horizon."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Oooooooooooh SNAP!<em>**


	8. Chapter 7

Well those _boats_, unfortunately, were military carriers setting the perimeter around the island far enough to seem inconspicuous, while a boat carried a squad of men, including the Sergeant, down to the harbor.

"All clear," called one of the soldiers. "No one standing guard."

"…that's strange…" another soldier murmured.

"…never mind that; for all we know, Metal Sonic might be expecting us and doesn't want to waste his resources trying to prevent us from coming to him," the Sergeant growled.

"…how would you know that, sir?" another soldier asked.

"Private, do not question your Sergeant."

"Yes sir…"

"...alright; everyone, get ready. We'll be landing on Safe Haven shortly..."

Soon the boat docked on the harbor, and all the men trampled out of it, still glancing around to make sure the coast was clear.

Sure enough, not a single person was anywhere near the harbor, as far as the soldiers could see.

The Sergeant motioned them silently, and they slithered into the island through the forest, spreading out to start their search. "Do not engage the locals; repeat, do not engage the locals," the Sergeant warned his soldiers, just before they all separated throughout the island.

"Copy that, sir." the soldiers responded to their superior's order.

The Sergeant spoke into his walkie talkie. "…can you detect the metallix?"

"_He's a few miles east of your position sir; in a building. Over._"

The Sergeant motioned for his group of soldiers to follow him. Then he whispered to one of them. "Retrieve the weapon and meet us up at our destination."

"Yes sir," he replied, quietly pulling away.

The other soldiers remained silent as they followed the Sergeant.

"…_sir, his reading is very small…I'm only detecting small amounts of metallix technology; not even enough to amount to a full bodied robot. Over."_

The Sergeant found that curious. "…perhaps he's found a way to hide himself; after all, no one's been able to find him for all these years…"

"_Copy that,_" replied the voice in the walkie talkie.

"Remain on standby until I give any further order," the Sergeant whispered, now coming onto the presumed building that Metal would be inside.

"_Roger. Over and Out._"

First, the soldiers checked to see if the coast was clear once more. Then they snuck around to see if there was a less obvious entrance into the building. Thankfully, there was a door in the back. They huddled against the wall. The Sergeant stepped around in front of the door and kicked it open, all of them aiming their guns cautiously as they entered the building.

Meanwhile…

Stella perked up. "…did you guys hear something?"

Sonia blinked. "...yeah... it sounded like something being forced open..."

Metal perked up at that with a curious look. "...who could it be...?"

"…I think I'm going to go check it out," Stella murmured, opening the door to walk out. Sonia just watched her leave out the door with a curious look in her eyes.

Jill didn't know why…but she started to get a very bad feeling all of a sudden. She couldn't explain it, but deep down in her gut, something very bad was about to happen. "…M-Metal…" she uttered shakily.

Noticing that, Metal took hold of her hand. "...do you think we should take Joy and leave?"

"...maybe that'd be best." Sonia nodded.

Jill looked up fearfully at Metal. "…it's too late…"

"FREEEZE!"

Suddenly, a bunch of soldiers barged into the room, aiming their weapons at them.

Metal quickly shot the soldiers a look of surprise. "Ngh?"

"The hell?" Sonia sputtered. "GUN soldiers?"

"Put your hands up!" one of the soldiers called out.

The Sergeant glanced over and saw Joy resting in the bed. _That must be the girl that called…she's been hurt recently._ "Escort the child and the mother out," he told one of the soldiers.

"…what?" Jill uttered. "What's going on?"

"Yeah; are you gonna tell us what the hell this is for?" Sonia shouted, as she glared at the Sergeant.

Just then, the Sergeant looked over at the hedgehog in the room…and he saw the robotic parts on him; the leg and the eye. He recognized that eye all too well…

…and he gave Metal a murderous glare.

"…so we finally found you, Metal Sonic."

Jill's eyes widened at that.

Metal's eyes widened briefly, before they narrowed. "...so... you're here for me." he assumed.

The Sergeant turned to a soldier. "I told you to escort the mother and child out!" he yelled.

"No!"

The soldiers were actually pretty surprised to hear Jill yell, and the Sergeant looked at her.

"I'm not leaving!" Jill looked like she was starting to get angry. "You may not understand this but Metal Sonic's changed, and I'm not going to leave him!"

"Ma'am, we will have to resort to force if you do not cooperate," the Sergeant grumbled.

"...Jill..." Metal uttered.

"...you heard her!" Sonia hissed, as she glared at the soldiers. "You don't have any business here, so get out, already!"

"I honestly don't care if you use force; I'm not leaving Metal like that!" Jill growled.

The Sergeant shook his head in pity. _I don't know how he's done it…but she must be under his control as well. _"If you're not going to leave him, then we'll have to take the child to protect her from you."

Jill's eyes widened again…but she could feel a boiling rage bubble up inside of her, not yet evident to everyone else in the room.

"...are you kidding me?" Sonia yelled, as she glared at the Sergeant. "What kind of monster do you have to be to threaten to take someone's daughter away from them?"

"She's clearly injured and needs medical care," the Sergeant spoke, "and her mother doesn't seem to want to allow that. Therefore, she's also a liability to her health—!"

"—_How…__**dare**__ you tell me…that I can't protect my child…_" a bitter, dark voice interrupted him.

A very…ominous, demonic aura appeared around Jill just then. It actually scared some of the soldiers in the room, stepping back a bit cautiously.

"...Jill..." Metal uttered, as he looked at her with a sympathetic, yet cautious look.

"…_you have absolutely __**no **__idea the things I went through that I've protected my child from…_" Jill snarled, oozing a very dark green energy off of her.

The soldiers, including the Sergeant, were surprised. Even Metal seemed surprised by that; _...is that... Unity? But... that would mean that..._

"…_and you're going to tell me how to take care of my __**CHILD?**_"

An extreme force shot from Jill, not only knocking the soldiers back but actually tearing open a hole in the wall for the solders to fly through. Both Metal and Sonia just stood there in disbelief at that manner of extreme force.

The Sergeant got back up, looking at Jill. Then he glared at Metal. "…what have you done to her?"

Metal looked back at the Sergeant. "...I haven't done a thing to her." he replied.

"What the hell are you implying?" Sonia called at her.

"He's Metal Sonic!" the Sergeant yelled. "A robot created by a mad scientist! There's no telling what he's capable o-!"

"—_I want you to SHUT UP!_" Jill interrupted again. "_Now __**you**__ get out, or __**I'll**__ have to resort to force!"_

The soldiers looked ready to comply, but the Sergeant stubbornly stood his ground.

"…men…you have your orders to engage in combat," the Sergeant uttered, raising his gun.

Metal narrowed his eyes at that. "...Sonia."

Sonia quickly turned to look at Metal.

"...run. Run and inform King."

Hearing him say that, she nodded, "...alright; you two be careful." Then, before the soldiers could stop her, she broke into a mad dash towards the woods; disappearing within the trees.

One of the soldiers was going to go after her, but the Sergeant stopped him with a hand on her shoulder. "Let her go. She's not our concern…" the Sergeant said, still keeping his gun pointed toward Jill.

Even more dark energy oozed out of Jill then, and she gave them an even more murderous glare, with glowing white eyes. _"You're not taking her __**AWAY FROM ME!"**_ And energies shot out of her, aimed for the soldiers.

The soldiers attempted to run away from them to find cover, but most of them got struck down; all except for the Sergeant who seemed to be able to avoid them.

Metal simply stood his ground by Joy; narrowing his eyes as he watched this battle.

The Sergeant lined up his gun at Jill and fired.

It looked as if he was hitting her, making bleeding bullet wounds into her. The Sergeant stopped when he saw her stumble back a bit…but strangely enough, Jill was still standing. "…hm?"

Jill coughed up blood, but in reality, she actually coughed up the bullets that were shot into her, and slowly but surely, her bullet wounds were healing.

The soldiers shuddered at that, while the Sergeant just gawked.

_...Corruption..._ Metal thought. _...so it isn't just Jill fighting..._

The dark Unity energies around her suddenly got black, and red, just as Metal had that thought. The shadows around them raised up, and gave empty glowing white glares at the soldiers, turning into lightning quick dogs that charged at them… and started biting the soldiers relentlessly.

They managed to shoot down some of them, but more and more just kept coming at them.

Metal could only gawk at what was happening. "...Jill..."

The dogs reached the men and they cried out in pain as most of the soldiers were being ripped apart by black fangs, even to the point that blood started to splatter out.

And Jill just stood there and allowed it to happen. Metal was more or less frozen in awe, as he just watched this.

The Sergeant, in desperation, shot at Jill more, but even with the bullets hitting her, she just spat them back out, and started walking towards them outside of the building through the hole.

Metal slowly clenched his hands. "...Jill... stop..." he uttered.

But Jill didn't even listen to him; she just kept stepping toward the Sergeant while his men were being torn apart by the dogs.

"Wh-what are y-you?" the Sergeant uttered, starting to lose his composure.

"...Jill... stop..." Metal uttered again.

The Sergeant fell backwards on his backside, and Jill raised her hand.

"...Jill... STOP!"

At that point, before Jill could strike down the Sergeant, Metal quickly grabbed her in a hug; making sure that he was keeping her from attacking him. "Not like this... please, compose yourself!"

The Sergeant was utterly surprised that Metal did that…and even more so when the aura around her started to fade away and the dogs attacking his men vanished.

"...I know that you both are angry... but there are better ways to solve this problem." Metal whispered to her. "Please... just calm down..."

The aura was fully gone now, and he could feel Jill tremble in his hold.

Closing his eyes, Metal carefully stroked her back to calm her. "...there..." he uttered.

The Sergeant was just baffled by this sight…but mostly, he honestly never thought he'd meet something or someone more demonic than Metal Sonic. Getting up to his feet, he pointed his gun at the two of them cautiously.

Suddenly, there was a small harpoon on a wire, shooting out at Metal. Jill's head shot up with wide eyes.

"Metal, _LOOK OUT!_" Jill didn't even give Metal the chance to react, shoving him out of the way. Instead of hitting Metal, it stabbed her in the abdomen instead. She stumbled back, grunting in pain, but she managed to stay standing.

Metal's eyes widened out of terror, and the shock of the moment kept him from even saying a single word.

Jill reached down to grab the harpoon, to try and pull it out. Then she suddenly convulsed very violently, falling to the ground and crying out in pain. She was being shocked my electricity trailing through the wire…coming from a special looking kind of gun that a soldier was carrying.

Metal's eyes trailed from Jill, all the way to that soldier...

...and in that instant, he _snapped._ "BASTARD!" With blazing speed, Metal suddenly appeared right in front of that soldier, before he swung his fist at the gun to knock it right out of his grasp. Once the gun was knocked out of the soldier's hand, Jill stopped screaming out, no longer feeling the shock. She still whimpered in the pain of the harpoon stuck in her abdomen, bleeding.

The moment her screaming subsided, Metal rushed to her side, and carefully put his hand on her. "...oh, god... Jill..." he uttered, as his eyes fell on the harpoon stuck in her. Jill trembled, trying to grip the harpoon, but there had been a lot of voltage pumped into her. She was weakened.

"...here... let me..." Metal uttered, as he took hold of the harpoon in her stead. "...bear with it... this is going to hurt quite a lot..." And he tried pulling the harpoon out of her. Jill let out an agonizing yelp of pain, but after that she calmed down.

"...there... now, hold still..." Letting a pale green light amass around his hand, Metal gently pressed it against the wound.

The Sergeant just stared as Metal Sonic did this, seeing Jill's wound slowly shrink and disappear. When he realized that Metal was actually healing her, his eyes widened.

"...there we go... come on, stay with me, Jill..." Metal uttered.

"…I'm…trying," Jill uttered, holding to Metal weakly.

"...just don't fall asleep... whatever you do, don't close your eyes..." Metal uttered, as he kept healing her.

The Sergeant continued to stare.

_Metal Sonic is a monster…why in the world does he pretend to care for this mother?_

"...alright, that's far enough!"

At that point, someone shot through the woods, and came to a sudden stop right in front of the remaining group. "What the hell's going on, here?" King snarled, as he shot a look of concern at Jill and Metal.

"…King…" Jill uttered, looking at King in dismay.

While the other soldiers that had been torn apart by the dogs were finally getting back up, the Sergeant looked at King.

"...well?" King growled, as he stomped towards the Sergeant. "Care to explain yourself?"

The Sergeant growled at him, "Look! We got a desperate call that Metal Sonic was hiding here! We only responded to the call!"

"Desperate call? What are you talking about?" King growled. "Metal's been living here peacefully for the past two years! _No one_ would've called to say that he's been hiding here like some fugitive!"

"That's certainly how it sounded when that call came!" the Sergeant growled. "Would you really dismiss a little girl crying that her mother and her were kidnapped by Metal Sonic and taken here, and that she was afraid he was going to hurt them?"

Jill looked at the Sergeant with a shocked look. "…what…?"

Metal, too, looked at the Sergeant in disbelief.

"...Metal, kidnapping someone?" King snarled. "...you listen here, buddy; I know Metal well, and I know that he'd _never_ stoop to kidnapping anyone!" Then, he looked at the hedgehog. "Right, Metal?"

Metal slowly looked up at King... before he nodded. "...yes..."

"…that still doesn't change the fact that Metal Sonic still has crimes from his past he has to pay for…" the Sergeant grumbled. "It's still my duty to bring him to answer for them!"

"Under whose command?" King suddenly snapped, as he glared at the Sergeant. "Sending in an unauthorized squad to my island... harming a close friend of mine... refraining from informing me of _any of this..._ if I'm not mistaken, that's a _clear_ violation of the agreement we reached with GUN, and is practically a declaration of war on your part!"

"The world has been searching for Metal Sonic for the past seven years!" the Sergeant roared. "Maybe Metal Sonic may have changed, and you may have your points, but in the end, Metal Sonic still has to be punished!"

"N-no sir! P-Please!"

The Sergeant looked over at Jill again, who was actually crying now.

"…please sir…don't take him away…please," Jill uttered, clutching to Metal. "…I know he still has a past that he turned his back on…but don't take him away from the life he made here…don't…take him away from _me_…or from his daughter…"

The Sergeant was pretty much flabbergasted at that. _Daughter?_

King looked back at Metal and Jill in sympathy.

"...Jill..." Metal uttered, as he held onto her as well.

"…just who in the world are you anyway?" the Sergeant uttered at Jill. "…your powers…they were _unhuman!_"

"…easy for you to say…you weren't attacked by them…" uttered one of the soldiers with a shudder.

"…your Commander knows who I am…" Jill uttered, and then she glared at him. "…and since you entered the island without authorization…you'll be in big trouble for this…"

"Well then can you explain why I got a call from a crying child that said how Metal Sonic hurt her?" Sergeant snarled. "That wouldn't have happened to be your _daughter_, now would it?"

"JOY WOULD NEVER BETRAY HER FATHER LIKE THAT!"

The Sergeant was startled by Jill's outburst. "…f-f-father…?"

"...not her... biological father..." Metal murmured. "...but... her foster father..."

The Sergeant just gawked at them.

"...though..." Metal uttered, as he still held onto Jill. "...you have a point... I _have_ crimes that have been left unanswered..."

King quickly looked at Metal then. "...what are you..."

"...if I want to keep living with my family here..." Metal murmured. "...I suppose that... I need to face the past, one last time..."

Jill clutched to him insecurely. "…Metal…no…"

"...Jill..." Stroking her back comfortingly, Metal closed his eyes. "...I don't want to see you get hurt again because of me... this is something I need to do..."

"...Metal..." King uttered.

"...I will come back... but I need to do this, so nothing like this can happen again..." Metal whispered to her. "...so nothing can hurt you or Joy again..."

A few tears rolled down Jill's cheeks, looking at him. "…promise me you'll come back…" she uttered.

The Sergeant looked away from this in disgust. He couldn't believe there was someone in this world who cared for Metal like that…

"...I promise..." Metal responded with an earnest nod.

Jill hugged him. Metal returned that hug.

Looking at them, King glanced to the side with a thoughtful look.

When Jill released Metal, two soldiers came by, one of them taking his arm. Metal simply allowed him to do so, as he stood up.

"...now hold on." King suddenly said, as he shot a glare at the Sergeant. "...I don't trust you going off with Metal on his own."

The Sergeant looked at him.

"...not to mention, I'm still not happy about what you pulled here today..." Saying that, King folded his arms. "...so I figure that it's only fair that me and the admins tag along, so we can let the Commander hear about your unauthorized skirmish here."

The Sergeant grit his teeth at that, and Jill grew a bit more relieved knowing that Metal wouldn't be taken to GUN all alone.

"…look…you all seem to want to make me believe that Metal Sonic's changed…" the Sergeant growled. "…but I have reasons to doubt his innocence…if you and your admins want to come, then I get to leave my men here to watch the island, to make sure nothing happens when our backs are turned."

Metal looked back at the Sergeant. "...what would possibly happen while you-"

"Fine." King instantly responded.

Metal glanced back at King. "...are you sure?"

"...if it makes you feel more at ease, then I'll allow for it." King hummed. "I can say with great confidence that nothing of the sort _will_ happen in our absence... but if refusing means leaving Metal on his own with you..."

"…and one more thing…" the Sergeant said pointing at Jill, "…I want her to be placed under house arrest when I'm gone."

"What?" Jill jumped up to her feet.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry…but you attacked my men unprovoked," the Sergeant said to her.

"Un—_Unprovoked?_" Jill grew angry again. "You tried to take my child away from me! How is _that_ unprovoked?"

"You let your…dogs…rip apart my men, and would've to the point of very brutal deaths while you stood there and watched," the Sergeant harshly reminded her. "While your intentions were natural, your methods were_ very_ uncalled for."

Jill fell silent after that, looking away uneasily.

Narrowing his eyes, King placed a hand on her shoulder, whilst still glaring at the Sergeant. "...this would only temporary, of course. Once you order your men off Safe Haven, she goes free." he said.

"…agreed," the Sergeant said.

Nodding, King looked at Jill. "...don't worry; we'll have this sorted out in no time at all." he assured her. "Metal's gonna be back home before you know it."

Jill looked at King, certainly hoping so. She attempted a small, hopeful smile, but it wasn't entirely truthful. Metal looked at Jill in sympathy; he could tell that she was worried.

"...I'll go gather the admins." King said, as he looked at the Sergeant. "Wait on the harbor until we get there." With that, he turned to walk away.

The soldiers started pulling Metal away, while a few more soldiers came to Jill. "We're sorry about this Ma'am…" he said.

"…wait, what about Joy? My daughter?" Jill uttered out. "She comes home with me, right? I can't stand having her in the infirmary if I can't see her!"

The other soldiers rubbed his neck a little. "...well... we need to take you to your home..." Then. he folded his arms. "...but... I'm sure that we can bring her with us, as well..."

Jill nodded. "…I would appreciate that…" and then she turned toward some soldiers that came from the infirmary.

"…Ma'am, I don't know how to tell you this…but your daughter's not anywhere in sight."

Jill's eyes widened, and ran into the infirmary frantically. Once she got a look for herself, she started to feel her heart rapidly pound in her chest out of fear. Joy wasn't anywhere; not in the bed, not underneath, not even anywhere in the facility.

The more thoughts that rushed through Jill's head…the more pressure that weighed her down. She broke into a nervous sweat.

All those things…all the things that have happened in the past few days; Raider's death, Joy's injuries, and now this? A child calling GUN to inform them about Metal being here? Diablo insisting that he didn't kill Raider?

…_look dearie…_ spoke a voice in her head; the voice of Callous. _…you have your clues there…so…you're gonna have to put the pieces together for yourself._

Jill's breath grew unsteady. _…Callous…you don't mean to say that…_

There was silence as her response…

…and with nothing to deny her assumption, Jill suddenly lost it.

"_**JOY!**_"

She started thrashing about in her anguish, crying out, hitting things, knocking things over…

"Ma'am!" Quickly, one of the soldiers rushed towards Jill, and tried grabbing her. "Please, ma'am, calm yourself!"

Jill kicked him away against the wall, and screamed out, clutching her head. _"__**NOOO!"**_ and threw more stuff around.

Jill got so out of hand that many more soldiers had to grab her and restrain her. "Ma'am, you have to calm down!" one of the soldiers uttered.

"_**JOY!**_" Jill elbowed him in the face, and kicked the other soldiers away from her, continuing her unstable mental rampage.

At this point, the soldier she had kicked against the wall took out a syringe. "...forgive me, ma'am." Before Jill could notice him, he ran up to her and stabbed it into her neck; injecting the syringe's contents into her.

Jill winced with a yelp, and managed to push him away, but after that, she started to feel dizzy…and soon after that, she lost her balance, and sense of reality after that. Her eyes rolled back in her head while she wobbled and slowly fell over for a soldier to catch her.

"…Joy…" she managed to mutter that whisper before she fully passed out.

"...let's get her to her home." the soldier murmured regretfully, as he hid the syringe on his person. "A few of you, see if you can find the girl somewhere on the island. She must have run away in fear when we weren't looking..."

"Right," some of the other soldiers nodded, scattering away, while the one carrying Jill headed out to find her home.

The other soldier simply walked off after the one carrying Jill off, whilst folding his arms. _...where could she have gone...?_

Well, while he or the other soldiers didn't know that...

...someone else did.

And right now, she was running for dear life through the woods. _...she headed to the harbor... why would she go to the harbor all on her own?_ Kiri thought desperately. _And if they're gonna look for people who might be threatening... what does that mean for Charon and big brother?_

While Kiri was small, she was able to run swiftly, and it didn't take her long to get to the harbor. In fact, she was able to get to the harbor before any of the soldiers did.

The only one that was there…was the girl that went missing, and she stood there on the docks, looking at the boat that was there.

"...Joy..." Kiri uttered, as she debated whether or not to approach the girl.

She continued to stand there, staring at that boat.

Then the girl turned, looking in Kiri's direction.

It was then that Kiri noticed something off about Joy; namely, the color of her eyes.

Kiri looked at those eyes in surprise. "...Joy...?"

Those eyes found Kiri then, shooting a blank, but icy stare from those cold blue eyes.

Then slowly…an evil smirk spread across the five year old's face, shooting it at her.

Kiri felt a shiver go down her spine, though she remained silent.

Just then, Joy flinched and noticed figures coming toward the harbor. She jumped onto the boat, and jumped into one of the compartments on the boat, hiding herself.

That's when some of the soldiers pulling Metal came, along with the Sergeant.

Kiri quickly made sure that she wasn't seen, as she watched this with wide eyes.

Even as Metal was pulled by the soldiers, he remained perfectly silent.

"…why the hell are you acting so…cooperative?" the Sergeant growled at Metal.

Metal was still silent, though he did look back at the Sergeant.

The Sergeant was visibly impatient. "ANSWER ME!" he screamed in Metal's face.

Metal, however, remained calm, even when being screamed at, "...because I see no reason to resist." he responded.

"…what? We're just so insignificant now that you don't even bother to resist?" the Sergeant growled.

"...if I saw you as insignificant, I wouldn't have bothered dealing with you at all." Metal said. "This is a grave matter, and not one to be taken lightly."

The Sergeant scoffed. "You don't really believe that…"

"...you're wrong..." Metal uttered, as he narrowed his eyes. "...in fact... I'd go so far as to say that _you're_ the one who doesn't believe it."

"No…I still honestly think you're trying to fool us all …and you have the nerve to call yourself a _father_…" the Sergeant was very disgusted at that.

Metal narrowed his eyes. "...may I ask what's on your mind?"

The Sergeant glared at him. "Do you really know what it means to be a father, Metal Sonic?"

"...I have been learning for the past two years." Metal responded. "Being a father carries a weight of responsibility on you... you need to care for your child, and be willing to protect her from anything that would cause her harm..."

The Sergeant growled again, looking away from him. "…you have no right to say that…"

Narrowing his eyes, Metal began seeing the pieces fall together.

"...the reason you came to retrieve me... it was entirely personal, wasn't it?"

The Sergeant glared at him over his shoulder.

"...tell me, Sergeant..." Metal began, without losing his composure. "...why do you hate me?"

"…because…you call yourself a father…when your robots killed people and Mobians alike…" he growled. "..including the children of many parents." He looked away from Metal, tighting his fist. "…including _my _daughter."

Metal remained silent, as he closed his eyes. "...I see."

"…you don't know the grief of a parent who's lost their child…" the Sergeant growled. "…and I find it hard to believe that you've changed, and chosen to be the very thing you'd least likely be…the father of a little girl."

Metal remained silent.

"…but the rest of the world wants to see you punished for the same things…" the Sergeant continued. "…they may act like they've forgotten…but no one can forget losing something dear to them like that…it won't bring my daughter back, but it sure as hell can satisfy the thirst for revenge sought against you by many."

And he looked at Metal. "So for you to turn your back on all of that and then call yourself a father…is disgusting to me."

Still, Metal kept his eyes closed, without saying anything.

"…and just what about the woman?" he continued. "…how come she cares about you so much? Not to mention that ungodly power she used on my men…"

Still, Metal refrained from speaking.

"…who is that woman, Metal Sonic?" the Sergeant demanded.

"...who she is has nothing to do with your mission, Sergeant." Metal responded calmly.

"She's obviously involved with you, and therefore, it's relevant," the Sergeant looked like he was losing his patience again. "Who _is_ she?"

"...she is a citizen of Safe Haven, and a mother of a five-year old daughter." Metal responded; still not opening his eyes. "That's all you need to know about her."

"Why are you defending her?" the Sergeant demanded.

"...because I love her." Metal responded.

"…y-you…" The Sergeants eyes widened again at that one.

And he got so angry about that one that he punched Metal across the face. Metal took the punch, but without opening his eyes, flinching, crying out, or anything. The Sergeant stood there then, huffing, staring at him hatefully…

…then he turned around again, waving away his aching hand that he punched him with.

Metal still remained silent; not making a single move.

"…well…I suppose we'll see this problem straightened out at HQ," the Sergeant grumbled.

"...I'm sorry."

The Sergeant blinked, and looked at him.

"...for what happened to your daughter." Metal uttered. "...I do not expect forgiveness from you... but I want you to know that... I'm sorry."

The Sergeant was silent about that one.

"...I do realize that me apologizing isn't going to bring her back... or remedy the fact that you hate me..." Metal continued. "...but... it's the least I could do."

The Sergeant, just as Metal expected, gave him a glower, and looked away from him silently again…but at least he didn't seem as furious as he was earlier.

After having said that, at least, Metal fell silent once more.

Having seen enough, Kiri quickly turned and ran off into the woods. _This isn't good! Something bad's happened to Joy! I... I need to tell everyone!_

* * *

><p>Tasha stepped out of the pub, along with the others in the large group that had gone to hang out at the pub, the boys, Ani, Vanessa, Proxy, Omega…After Sonia came to summon King to an emergency situation at the infirmary, they had been standing out here since then, wondering what was going on…<p>

…then they saw King heading back their way…along with Queen, Miser, Ripper, Sage following him.

Hunter stepped out of the pub. "What happened?" he asked the approaching admins.

King looked at Hunter seriously. "...something big's happened." he began. "All of the admins need to go to the GUN headquarters."

"...why is that?" Proxy hummed.

"...well..." King began, as he glanced down at the ground. "...a Sergeant from GUN was apparently told that Metal was hiding out here... and sent a squadron in to capture him."

"WHAT?" the entire group screamed out.

"Who'd call out Metal like that?" Ani uttered out in disbelief.

"...don't know." King murmured. "...but that's why me and the admins have to go to the HQ; so we can make sure that Metal can come back here as soon as possible..."

"…how long are you going to be gone?" Vanessa asked curiously.

"...hopefully, not for more than a few days." King noted. "Though, with the seriousness of the situation, it could take a while longer..."

"…well gee, I hope it doesn't take very long," Striker murmured.

"...oh, you don't need to worry." Queen hummed. "I'm sure it won't take too long."

"In any case..." Sage began, as she folded her arms. "...they're waiting for us by the harbor, Hunter. We shouldn't keep them waiting..."

"...first, though..." King uttered, as his gaze fell on Tasha.

Tasha walked up to him.

"...Tasha..." King uttered, as he kept looking at her. "...I hate having to leave your side, even if it's just for a short while..."

"…Twilight…" she murmured.

Taking her hands gently, King just looked at her. "...listen... if something were to happen while I'm not around... you could go and see Jill. I'm sure she'd be able to help you out while I'm not here..."

Tasha grew a bit nervous at that, but she nodded.

Managing a slight smile, King placed a hand on Tasha's cheek. "...don't worry... I'll be back in time. I promise."

Tasha nodded. "…okay."

After she said that, King simply stood there in silence; not entirely willing to part from her.

"...King." Miser uttered. "They're waiting."

"...I know..." King replied.

Tasha felt the same way…she even hugged him. "…be careful then," she said.

"...I will be..." King replied, as he hugged Tasha back.

It took forever before the two of them let go of each other.

Hunter set a hand on King's shoulder. "…we'd better go then."

"...yeah..." King nodded, as he looked at the others. "...see you all later..."

With that, the admins began leaving; heading for the harbor.

Tasha watched them leave in dismay.

"…I really hope they get the situation fixed," Ani murmured.

Milo, in the meantime, looked away uneasily. He had a really bad feeling that this was only the beginning of their problems…

"...yeah..." Jack murmured in agreement, as he folded his arms.

_**"...the situation is... troubling."**_ Omega pointed out.

"...the sad thing is that... there's not a whole lot we can do about that..." Proxy murmured.

"…I should go see how Jill is handling all of this…" Tasha murmured, sprinting off—

-to bump into Stella. "Oh, I'm sorry Stella!"

"It's okay, Tasha," Stella said, and then Tasha continued running off.

"…guys!" Stella rushed toward them. "Guys! Something REALLY bad's happened!"

"...something really bad?" Jack uttered. "What are you-"

"GUYS!" And at that point, someone else burst out of the woods; nearly tripping as she approached the group. "...something... something really... _really bad_... just happened..."

"Kiri?" Striker looked back and forth between the two of them. "Gosh; it must be really bad for the two of you to be saying it's a bad thing!"

"Guys, not only did they take Metal away, but Joy's gone missing too!" Stella uttered.

Milo froze when he heard that.

"Joy's missing?" Jack sputtered. "Wha- where did she-?"

"-I know where Joy is!" Kiri suddenly shot in.

All looks shot at her. "Where?" Ani uttered.

"...she... she..." Kiri uttered. "...she... hid aboard one of the GUN ships... on purpose..."

Proxy blinked at that. "...what?"

Striker's eyes widened. "…what did you say?"

"...after she ran off... I ran to the harbor..." Kiri uttered. "...I saw her there, before anyone else showed up... and she looked at me..." Slowy, she placed her trembling hands on her own head. "...her eyes... they weren't like they normally are... they were cold as ice... and blue..."

Milo's eyes widened.

…_Malice…she must've been the one who called GUN!_

"…alright, alright, I can't take it anymore!" Milo suddenly blurted out. "…I know what's going on, and I think I know what might've just happened a few minutes ago as well…"

"Milo?" Striker tilted his head at Milo in surprise.

Now, all looks shot at him instead. _**"...what are you saying?"**_ Omega began.

Vanessa just looked at him. Now would be the time he'd come clean with what he knew…

"…when I spirit travelled last night, I went into one of Joy's dreams," Milo said. "I wasn't going to wander around to see what I'd find…I knew where to look and what…or in this case, _who_ I was looking for. You guys have noticed that Joy's acted really strange ever since the incident with Raider, right?"

"…well, I found out that there something inside Joy; something very dark and bad, and growing in power."

Milo looked at them gravely. "…to put it simply guys…Joy has her own version of Callous inside of her."

Silence.

"...wh-what...?" Kiri uttered.

"…no…no way…" Striker uttered.

"...someone..." Proxy uttered.

_**"...like Callous?"**_ Omega tilted his head at that.

"...you... can't be serious..." Jack uttered. "...since when?"

"She calls herself Malice and, well…" Milo was going to have trouble explaining this bit. "…you know how Joy is Jill and Brick's child? Well…in a way, Malice is Callous and Johnny's child."

Ani just gawked at him. "…how…does that work?"

"Corruption, that's how," Milo answered. "The two of them did the deed and the basic essence of Malice stayed with Callous, even though she couldn't get pregnant, she technically was. Then when Jill got pregnant with Joy, the essence attached itself to Joy and…well, developed into her."

Jack was, amazingly enough, far too horrified by this information to actually freak out at the thought. "...so... she's been inside of Joy... all along...?"

"...Malice..." Kiri uttered, as she slowly clenched her hands. "...she..." Gritting her teeth, she glared at Milo. "...she killed Raider... didn't she?"

Milo looked at Kiri sadly, and nodded.

"…then that explains everything," Vanessa remarked.

Milo looked at her curiously. "…so you knew?"

"There was too much evidence left behind that Diablo didn't do it, so I figured it all out, but I couldn't figure out why Joy would do such a thing," Vanessa said. "…now I know that it wasn't her at all…it was her newfound evil personality you're talking about; this Malice…"

"...wow..." Jack uttered in awe at his mother's explanation.

"...even so... this brings up a different question." Proxy noted, as he glanced at Milo. "...why would Malice sneak aboard the GUN ship?"

"…because she was the one that called the GUN military on Metal," Milo uttered; as an assumption, but what other possibility could it have been?

"...I suppose..." Proxy hummed. "...but here's the thing. If she called for GUN so that they would take Metal away... _why_ does she intend to come along without their knowledge?"

"…her goal is to hurt Jill and Metal in any way possible…for what they did to Callous and Johnny," Milo uttered.

Vanessa looked solemn. "…so revenge…" _…I'd never think that personality could technically be my niece…and Jack's cousin now…_ She rubbed her temples. _…I thought I could escape all this drama…but I suppose I knew better than that…_

"...we have to stop her."

Jack shot a glance back at Kiri when she said that. "...Kiri...?"

"...Jill doesn't know about this... neither does Metal... or King... or the admins... or GUN... or anyone but us..." Kiri uttered, as she looked down at the ground. "...Malice just wants to make others suffer... I... I don't want her to do anything like what she did to Raider and big brother again!"

"…you're right Kiri," Milo uttered. "But I have no idea how-!"

"—Easy. We have to get off the island first, and follow her," Vanessa interrupted.

Milo blinked and looked at Vanessa.

Vanessa looked at Milo. "She's already hurt Jill enough by separating her from both her daughter and Metal…so she's following Metal to inflict harm to him; he's the target now. But with what you boys told me about Metal, he's able to use all three energies. While she's going to attempt to hurt him, she won't be able to against those kind of abilities...at some point, Joy might finally take over…and there's no telling what will happen at that point. It's obvious that Joy's not able to fight her by herself…"

Again, Jack just looked at her in awe.

"...then we shouldn't dwindle." Proxy hummed. "We'll have to take the next ferry off-"

"No, you can't!" Kiri shot in. "...you see... in exchange for the admins to follow Metal to the HQ... GUN soldiers are gonna be stationed here... I get the feeling that the ferry's going to be blocked off while they're here."

"And given the current situation…" Vanessa looked at Omega. "Omega, what is the calculated possibility that Malice will end up interfering with the negotiations that King talked about?"

_**"...an estimated 95% likelihood." **_Omega uttered. _**"Meaning that, most likely, the soldiers will not pull out of Safe Haven for a lengthy amount of time."**_

"...then we're stuck here..." Jack uttered.

"...wait... wait!" Kiri quickly said. "I almost forgot! They're gonna look for people they might suspect to be followers of Metal!" Then, she gripped her head. "Oh no... they could mistake big brother and Charon for people like that!"

"…and even if they don't, they're still not going to be treated very well by the soldiers," Milo uttered.

Vanessa looked at all of them. "…Striker, Stella, you guys need to go explain the situation to Oblivion and Charon. With Charon's size, he should be able to carry a few of us on his back and fly off the island."

"Uh, ok!" Striker said. "Snap's there too, so…c'mon Stella!" he took the birds hand and ran.

"Whoa!" Stella uttered when she was pulled.

"…and as for Diablo…" Vanessa murmured. "…I know where he's at…so leave breaking him out to me."

"...wha... you're gonna break him out, mom?" Jack uttered. "I didn't know you had this kinda side to you!"

"...I'm coming with you, Vanessa." Kiri said. "I don't think he'd be willing to go anywhere without me at this point..."

"If you wish, Kiri," Vanessa said.

Then she looked at her son with a smile. "…just stay with the rest here, Jack. Your mom's gonna be back in a little bit." And after picking up Kiri, she rushed off at a rapid speed, disappearing instantly.

"…Damn…" Ani muttered, seeing Vanessa gone so fast.

"...wow..." Jack uttered. "...I... have..." Then, he instantly lit up with a wide smile. "...THE BEST MOM IN THE WORLD!"

"…no kidding," Milo uttered in response…

* * *

><p>At this point, some of the soldiers that had gone to search for Joy had entered the HQ; going through the rooms to see if they could find the little girl...<p>

"...hn?" One of them, though, happened to come across a room deeper within the HQ, where he could clearly hear someone. "...who's there?" he uttered, as he opened the door into the room.

There were horrible screams of terror inside a large, iron box the size of a giant safe, which almost took up the entire room.

"...oh my god..." the soldier uttered, as he slowly approached the box. "...who is that...?"

"_NOOOOO! SHE'S GONNA GET YOU! DON'T LET HER RUN AROUND!"_ screamed the voice inside of the box.

"...s-sir, calm down! There's no one here but me!" the soldier uttered, as he stopped by the iron box. _...how in the world did he get sealed within this...?_

"DON'T COME NEAR ME!" the voice kept screaming.

The soldier reeled back a bit. "...sir, don't be afraid; we'll get you out of there soon." Then, he reached for his radio. "This is unit Z-42; I've located a prisoner within the HQ building. He is sealed within a heavy-duty iron cell, and is in hysterics. Requesting backup for evac."

"_Copy that, over and out,_" responded a voice in the radio.

Then a hand clamped down on the soldier's shoulder. "That's not necessary…"

The soldier blinked. "...wha... who's-" he uttered, as he shot a glance behind him.

"It'd be best if you let us Mobians handle this one," Vanessa said, walking past the soldier.

She took a long, deep breath…

"…WRAUUUGH!" and she slammed her hand _right through the wall of the box!_

"GAH!" The soldier reeled back at the sight of that... making him nearly stumble over someone else.

"...please, don't take my big brother away..." Kiri uttered, as she looked at the soldier with beady eyes.

"...wha... who... the..." the soldier uttered, as he slowly looked at Vanessa. "...who are you...?"

"…I'm a Leoniel…" Vanessa answered without looking back at him. "…that's all you need to know."

With a powerful force, she literally ripped open the hole she made with her hand, tearing it wider.

In there was Diablo, not only in a strait-jacket but locked up with even more chains and even a muzzle. He was trying to struggle out of his chains in a panic.

The soldier could only gawk at this.

"...big brother!" Quickly, Kiri rushed into the cell to hug Diablo; clutching to him. "Don't worry; we'll get you out of here!"

Diablo actually stopped struggling when Kiri grabbed him. "…K-Kiri?"

Vanessa stepped into the cell, grabbing some of the chains. "We believe you Diablo; you didn't kill Raider, and we know what happened." And she yanked the chains out of the walls, freeing him little by little. "So we're getting off this island."

"...w-wait! Leave the island?" The soldier quickly snapped to attention. "You... you can't! The island's currently under lockdown! We can't have anyone leaving the island until we're ordered otherwise!"

"...we have to go..." Kiri uttered. "...to stop her..."

"...what are you even talking about?" the soldier uttered.

"Look, it would take too much time or effort to explain everything, so it's just much easier if we took the matters into our own hands," Vanessa said, ripping out the last chain from the wall. Then she went to Diablo, who cringed at her. "I'm not gonna hurt you Diablo; I'm setting you free…"

Diablo just looked at her. She started ripping apart the shackles on him, and unbuckled the strait-jacket on him so he could move his arms.

"So whether the military likes it or not, we're leaving the island before the _you-know-what_ hits the fan," Vanessa told the soldier.

He just stood there in both awe and terror; gawking at this powerful lioness...

"...I... I can't allow that." In a terrified tone, he pulled out his firearm, and shakily aimed it at Vanessa. "...l-let him go... and put your hands in the air, ma'am."

Vanessa just looked back at him. "After watching me tear open a cell made out of pure iron, you still have the galls to point that thing at me?"

"...it's... my duty, ma'am." the soldier uttered hesitantly. "Even if you could tear me apart with minimal effort... I-I can't let you leave..."

"…well, I'd have no real intention to do that," Vanessa said.

Then she heard more guns click.

Outside, a bunch of soldiers were lined up with their guns. Though he didn't show it, the soldier instantly felt a sense of relief.

"...trouble..." Kiri uttered, as she just held onto Diablo.

"…Kiri…Diablo…I want you two to stay in this cell for a bit…" Vanessa said, walking toward the soldiers out of the box. "…I don't want either of you getting hurt."

Kiri clutched tighter to Diablo upon hearing that.

"...please, ma'am, don't make any sudden moves..." the soldier uttered fearfully. "...just stand your ground, and no one gets hurt..."

"I could say the same about you boys," Vanessa said, still approaching them. "…except for the whole 'standing your ground' thing. I would very much appreciate it if you just let us go."

"...let's not do anything someone's going to regret..." the soldier uttered; still standing his ground even though he was shaking out of sheer fright, especially since he was the one closest to Vanessa.

"Exactly," Vanessa said. "I'm glad we're on the same page here-!"

"—Ma'am, you take one more step and we will shoot," one of the soldiers warned.

Vanessa just looked at him.

"…okay…I suppose we still aren't seeing eye to eye here…"

The soldier, even though he was visibly frightened for his life, still stood his ground. "...please... just raise your arms into the air..."

"…Look, I'm sorry, but I have things I need to do."

The minute Vanessa took another step, the soldiers opened fire on her.

The instant they did that, Kiri shut her eyes fearfully, and clutched to Diablo.

The soldier in front, however, was just too stunned to even open fire on her.

Vanessa was suddenly in the air, much to the soldier's surprise. She dove with a drop kick to a soldier's head, knocking him against a bunch of other soldiers, knocking them into the wall very painfully. She flash-stepped much too quickly for any of the bullets to hit her, and she punched each one to the ground, practically paralyzing them.

Still, the soldier in front was the only one who wasn't being attacked, as he could only glance behind him with wide, horrified eyes.

Some of the soldiers that were struck against the wall got back up, but before they could fire, Vanessa ran up to one and shot her knee into his stomach, along with slamming his arm against the wall. While the soldier cried out, he dropped his gun, which Vanessa immediately picked right back up and hit him in the face with the end of it.

Once that soldier was on the ground, she aimed her new weapon at the soldiers. "Don't make me use this…now drop them," she said sternly.

Both Kiri and the soldier just gawked at the sheer skill that Vanessa showed. All of the soldiers were just as baffled…enough that they dropped their guns to the ground without another word, raising their hands.

Vanessa looked back at Kiri and Diablo. "Go ahead honey. Lead him out, and I'll follow you closely behind."

Kiri nodded, as she began leading Diablo out of the room.

Vanessa kept her gun pointed at them, walking out of the room backward after Kiri. "…do me a favor, and make sure none of them are dead, would you?" she asked. "…that'd be on my conscience."

And after that, she was gone too.

The soldier just stood there for a while...

...and he dropped down to his knees; letting go of his weapon as he tried catching his breath out of sheer terror.

One soldier gave another one his radio. "Contact some of the other squads; tell them we have a few rogues that wanna try and leave the island," he said.

* * *

><p>Striker and Stella managed to explain the whole situation to Oblivion and Charon…who were understandably horrified at all the things that they told them.<p>

"So we gotta get outta here, or the soldier's will keep us here forever, and we won't do anything about it!" Striker finished.

"…b-but I…Striker…I've never left this island since I got here…" Oblivion uttered insecurely, putting a hand on her chest to try and settle her frantically beating heart. "…not me…or Charon…"

"But we can't stay here either Oblivion," Stella muttered.

Charon was silent, as he looked down at the ground thoughtfully.

"…from how Vanessa explained things, they aren't going to turn out very pretty here," Stella continued, setting a hand on Oblivion's shoulder.

"Guys!"

Running up the hill was the rest of them; Ani was the one who called out, and behind her was Jack, Milo, Proxy and Omega. "Look, we're gonna have to go _really_ soon, because some of the soldiers are responding to Vanessa breaking out Diablo," Ani said to them.

Snap walked up to her. _"Are you suggesting to leave them behind?_" he uttered.

"Course not Snap," Milo replied, "But they're on their way up the mountain now, so it's now or never…"

Oblivion looked away uneasily. "…but…"

…but that would mean returning to the outside world, and all Oblivion could remember was that the outside world was a very intimidating and hard place to be…she certainly didn't want to push Charon back out there after trying to protect him from everyone so long.

"...we have to go." Charon suddenly said.

Oblivion looked up at him in surprise. "…Charon?" she uttered.

"...if we don't... then there's no telling what might happen without our knowledge..." Charon uttered, before he glanced down at Oblivion. "...besides... it's been far too long since I've really taken to the skies..."

"...so... that means that you wanna go, too?" Jack uttered.

"...well, we can't dwindle for long." Proxy noted.

In the midst of all this, Omega remained silent.

"…are you sure…?" she asked up at Charon.

"...yes, Oblivion..." Charon hummed, as he looked at Oblivion with a smile. "...I am sure of this."

"Well I'm glad; we're just about out of time!"

Everyone turned and saw Vanessa running up the hill with that gun hanging over her back, along with Kiri leading Diablo up the mountain. "They're gonna surround the mountain and close in; luckily, they don't know that good ol' Charon's up here. How many do you think you can carry on your back, big guy?" she asked.

"...most of you..." Charon noted. "...but not everyone. That would put too much stress on my back."

"...hrm..." Humming, Proxy glanced at Omega. "...I figure that he'll be too heavy to ride on Charon, regardless..."

"...wait!" Quickly, Jack looked at Striker. "Didn't you work out something on Snap for occasions like this?"

"I was actually just about to do that," Striker said, pulling out a remote. Then he looked at Snap. "Okay Snap; ready to test that new function I put into you?"

Snap gulped. "…_as I'll ever be…_"

Striker pressed the remote, and Snap shattered into little pieces, attaching themselves to Striker. They covered his torso area, and created some plates of armor on his arms and leg for safety. In the back, large rocket boosters appeared.

Snap's holographic head appeared by Striker's shoulder, and he looked at himself with a smile. "…looks good," he said.

"_Systems look to be in functioning order,_" Snap's head spoke, looking at some statistics in front of his eyes.

Kiri blinked. "...a... jetpack...?"

"...seems like it could work." Proxy hummed. "Alright; everyone else, get on Charon!"

"I can fly for a bit with my telekinesis, so…" Ani surrounded herself in a blue glow and raised herself into the air.

Vanessa glanced out the mouth of the canyon. "…they're coming…" she muttered.

"C'mon!" Oblivion uttered, being the first to climb onto Charon when he knelt down for them.

Jack quickly helped Kiri and Diablo onto Charon, before he himself got on. "Mom, Milo, Proxy, Stella, hurry!"

"...hrm..." Humming, Proxy glanced back out of the cave, before he leaped onto Charon's back.

"…but…but what about Omega?" Stella uttered, climbing onto Charon's back.

Still, Omega remained silent... and at that point, he turned around to face the mouth of the cave, and slowly advanced out of it.

"...Omega?" Proxy uttered.

_**"...do not wait for me."**_ Omega uttered. _**"I will catch up."**_

"…are you sure?" Stella uttered.

"No time to wait at this point!" Vanessa said, while she and Milo were the last ones to get on Charon's back. "That's everyone Charon! Let's go!"

Two handles popped out for Striker to take and press down on the buttons, starting up the engine for the jetpack.

Spreading his wings, Charon let out a brief growl, before he quickly ran out and took to the sky; shooting out of the mouth of the cave.

Watching him take off, Omega remained silent. _**"...good luck."**_ With that hum, Omega looked down to see the incoming soldiers.

While the soldiers ran up, some of them stopped in utter surprise at seeing Charon. "Wh-wh-what the heck is THAT thing?"

_**"...you would do well to keep your eyes ahead of you."**_ Omega hummed, as he pointed one of his arms at the soldiers... just as his hand retracted into his arm; being exchanged with a vulcan rifle aimed right at the troops.

"WHOA!" that same soldier gasped at Omega. "I-Is _that_-?"

Without even letting him finish that sentence, Omega began firing at their feet; not aiming to fatally harm any of them, but merely to scare them off. Just as Omega intended, the soldiers halted and ducked for cover from fire.

_**"...turn and flee." **_Omega began, as he slowly stopped firing at them. _**"And do not speak of this event."**_

"We can't do that; we have orders to uphold!" another soldier called, and as a stupid idea, he shot at Omega with his assault rifle.

The shots simply bounced off his robotic hide, and Omega slowly looked at the soldier. _**"...do you have a death wish?"**_ he hummed in a curious tone.

The soldier stopped firing, realizing that it wasn't going to do any good.

_**"...answer the question."**_ Omega said, as he slowly began stomping towards the group.

The soldier jumped in fright, "N-No! I don't have a death wish!"

_**"...good."**_ Omega hummed, as the gun retreated back into his arm, while his hand popped back out. _**"Because I do not intend to spill a drop of blood here. Now, will you follow my instructions?"**_

"…we don't really have a choice…" the soldier muttered, and he looked out at the horizon where Charon's silhouette was along with Striker with his jetpack and Ani with her telekinesis. "…they're already gone farther than we can reach them…"

_**"...just remember; do not speak of this again."**_ Omega hummed, as he looked towards them. _**"...now... if you won't mind..." **_With that, boosters on his back lifted the large robot up into the air, before he began flying after the group.

On Charon…

Diablo looked out on the horizon, toward the sun that was getting lower and lower in the sky the later in the day it got. This is the first time in a very long time he saw daylight…he marveled at it…it was actually very beautiful…

Kiri just held onto Diablo, while looking towards the sun as well.

"...this is really nice..." Jack hummed.

Diablo blinked at it. "…it's…beautiful…" he muttered. "…I haven't seen this in…forever…"

"…you've really been locked up for that long, huh?" Milo said.

Diablo nodded.

"...but now, it's okay..." Kiri uttered. "...you can see the sunset as much as you want, now..."

Looking back at Diablo, Proxy simply hummed.

"...so... I'm curious." Charon hummed, as he glanced back at the group. "Since I've been on Safe Haven for so long... how long will it take us to get to the mainland?"

"It takes us a whole day if we're on our boat; with the jet boosters that is," Milo said. "Flying there should take a few hours."

"...would flying really be faster than sailing?" Charon hummed.

"You have no idea." Jack said with a grin.

Kiri looked down towards the ocean a little. "...this is... the first time I've ever been in the sky like this..."

"…it's nice, isn't it?" Oblivion asked her with a smile.

Kiri managed a slight smile, and nodded.

Diablo looked down at this strait jacket then.

"…I think…it's time that I cast my old shell off…"

He reached down and started unbuttoning the strait jacket.

"…Diablo?" Striker flew nearby, seeing him taking off the jacket.

When he fully unbuttoned it, he sat up to feel the wind against him, and he tossed his jacket off into the air. The jacket sailed far down below; towards the water's surface. Diablo hadn't been wearing a shirt underneath, so the wind hit against his bare chest and brushed through his black hair. His red eyes gained a kind of life in them that not many had ever seen in him at all, and he stared intently at the sunset.

Vanessa smiled at that, looking ahead at where they were flying.

Kiri smiled even wider, as she hugged Diablo again.

"...if any of you need some rest, I suggest you get some before we get to the mainland." Charon hummed. "It'll be night when we get there, so we'll have to find somewhere you all can rest."

"Okay," Stella replied, since no one else really did…

"Look! It's Omega!" Milo called with a point behind them. Sure enough, there was Omega flying through the air, catching up with them.

Stella smiled back at that. "…that's good. I was worried we were going to leave him behind…"

Omega simply waved at them.

Proxy couldn't help but smile as he saw the red robot catching up to them.

Milo looked back on ahead at where they were flying…then he glanced at Vanessa thoughtfully. _…your sister sure knows how to rally up the troops, Johnny…_

_...must be in the blood,_ a voice chuckled by him.

…_blood huh?_ Milo thought.

_Yup. She may have been hiding from it... but there's something from the family in her still._

* * *

><p><strong><em>And you ain't seen nuthin' yet!<em>**


	9. Chapter 8

The following morning, the news had spread practically all over Mobius: Metal Sonic, the same tyrant who had threatened to take over the world, had been apprehended, and brought to the GUN headquarters.

While the details surrounding the capture, including his previous whereabouts, the circumstances of his capture, and other such things were relatively scarce, it sent the whole world in a frenzy. Seven long years of his absence, and he had finally been caught; with his impending sentence being rumored and clamored for by nearly everyone.

Every news channel was talking about it… so no matter what anyone was watching on TV, they saw footage of him…

In the middle of Future City, a couple of adults with their grandfather stopped by the electronics store with all of the TVs on display set to a channel showing the news.

"...whoa, wait a minute." one of them uttered, as he raised an eyebrow. "...they... caught Metal?"

"...well, now..." the grandfather uttered, as he glanced at the screen as well. "...this is certainly an eye-opener..."

All three of them were hawks too; one a female hawk with pigtails by her shoulders, now that her feathers were longer. She raised her sunglasses in surprise. "No way…" and she walked closer toward the TV. "…Punk, they're sayin' that he was at Safe Haven!" she said when she listened to the news. "…wasn't he in Metropolis last time we saw him?"

"...as far as I remember, yeah..." the male hawk, Punk, uttered. "...but... why would he be in Safe Haven, Gale?"

"Maybe he got sick of staying in that city of his?" the grandfather huffed, as he shook his head. "It's been seven years, kids; things change."

"...more than you'd think."

All of a sudden, someone stood next to the trio of hawks; a heavily cloaked wolf with a large rifle on his back and a large-brimmed hat covering his face. "...hm... they caught Metal, did they..."

The female, Gale, looked up at the wolf. "…Lock…"

"...something's about to happen... something big..." the wolf, Lock murmured.

"...what makes you say that?" Punk uttered.

"...I just have a feeling, is all..." Lock hummed, before he glanced at the older hawk. "...you would do well to watch your back, Jet."

"...you just watch your own, kiddo." the grandfather, or Jet, grumbled.

Gale just looked back at the TV.

* * *

><p>In one particular household, a moth had caught a glimpse of the footage…and he froze… "…oh god…" he uttered in wide eyed surprise.<p>

"...what is it?" Walking into the room was a corgy, who saw said footage. "...Metal Sonic's been... captured?" she uttered; adjusting her glasses a bit to make sure she got that.

"…Morrigan…" the moth uttered, looking at her. "...that's not good…"

Blinking, she turned to look at him. "...why do you say that, Autumn?"

The moth, Autumn, looked back at the television. "…I still remember the whole story Morrigan…if Metal's captured then…what's that gonna mean for Jill?" he uttered.

Looking back at the screen, Morrigan hummed. "...I can't say... but I don't think she would take it well..."

"…I don't think so either…" Autumn muttered.

* * *

><p>In another place in the world, at a mansion, a flamingo gasped at the news. "Look!" she shouted with a point to the TV.<p>

Her twin sister came by to look…and her eyes widened. "…is that really Metal Sonic?"

"...what's that, now?" Quickly, an octopus shot by them to look at the TV... and she gawked. "...you're kidding me."

"But I thought he was this really scary robot and stuff! That's a real live hedgehog…with robotic parts!" one of the flamingo sisters exclaimed.

"Just what happened to him?" the other flamingo sister uttered.

The octopus could only gawk at this. _...I don't believe it... he was caught? How did this happen?_

"…wait…" the first sister listened to the news. "…he was on _Safe Haven?_"

The other one's eyes widened more…and then she turned to the octopus suspiciously. "…do you happen to know anything about this Hex?" she asked, folding her arms.

Tensing considerably, Hex quickly glanced to the side. "...well... the thing about that, May... uh..."

The one looking at her, called May, still looked at her, tapping her foot. "...I'm waiting."

Gritting her teeth, Hex tensed more...

...and then she sighed. "...he... _may_ have come to Safe Haven the last year I was there." Then, she quickly looked at the two of them. "N-now, just so you know, he didn't come there with hostile intentions at all!"

May raised her eyebrow. "…you serious…?"

"She is very much telling the truth May," just then, a Siamese cat walked in, remaining composed as ever.

"…_this_ is gonna be an interesting thing to try and explain to us…" May muttered.

"...yeah; it's a long story, alright." Hex murmured, as she rubbed her neck. "...believe it or not, but him showing up was what would eventually lead to me and Koopman leaving Safe Haven..."

"Really?" The other flamingo sister said, looking at Hex over the couch.

"...yeah, Fae." Hex murmured, as she folded her arms. "...now... how to start this..."

* * *

><p>In another area…<p>

"Dad! Hey Dad!" a thirteen year old bloodhound called. "You guys gotta come see this!"

Just then, a group of many different hounds came to the TV just then.

The bloodhound's father, an older bloodhound with a cowboy hat, saw this…and his eyes widened in speechlessness.

"...well, I'll be..." a rottweiler uttered in disbelief.

"...huh." a bulldog hummed, as he rubbed his chin in thought.

The pug looked up at that silently, and then looked over at the older bloodhound. "…Something wrong, Cowpoke?" he asked gruffly.

The bloodhound, Cowpoke, didn't respond to him at all.

"...something on your mind?" the rottweiler inquired.

"...don't push him." the bulldog huffed.

Cowpoke just kept staring at that television thoughtfully. _…Jill…_ That's all he could really think about. It's been such a long time since he talked to her last; a few years… just seeing Metal reminded him of all that…

The other dogs simply watched the television along with him; instead of pushing the issue.

"…I can't believe they'd do something like that…" Cowpoke growled.

Now, the bulldog shot him a glance. "...hn?"

There was a beer can in Cowpoke's hands…and slowly, he crushed it. "…they took him away without even listening to what he'd have to say…" he uttered.

The younger bloodhound blinked worriedly. "…Dad?"

"...Cowpoke?" the rottweiler uttered with a raised eyebrow.

Cowpoke then noticed that he crushed his bear. "…I…need a minute alone…" he muttered, tossing it away and walking out of the room.

The big pug hummed at that.

"…what's…wrong with my Dad, Rott?" the little bloodhound asked.

"...I dunno, Mud-Pie..." the rottweiler, Rott, answered. "...Smokey, Merde, what do you think?"

"...I can't say for sure." the bulldog, Merde, shrugged.

"…hm…" the pug, Smokey, only gave a grunt.

The littler bloodhound, Mud-Pie, sighed. "…I wish I knew what he was bothered by…"

"...he'll tell us when he feels like talking about it." Merde hummed.

* * *

><p>In another area…<p>

"…well now…" spoke a female horse, sitting in a diner while looking up at the TV in the top corner of the restaurant.

"...what do you know... on Safe Haven, of all places?" Sitting next to her was a female rat, who looked at the TV with a raised eyebrow.

"…that's strange…when we were there, we never saw a single trace of him…" the female horse murmured. "…but knowing the press, they probably got the story wrong…"

"…Ivory…" her brother, a very tall male horse, looked at her. "…this is big…"

"…yeah, that's for sure," the female horse, Ivory, spoke.

"...not something to take lightly..." the rat hummed.

"…Brute…Mia," Ivory spoke, standing up. "…we should probably head home…with this news, there's going to be heavy traffic…"

"...right..." the rat, Mia, nodded, as she stood up as well. The other horse, Brute, nodded as well and stood up.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, off in the Mystic Ruins...<p>

"...hrm..." Watching the news whilst seated in his chair, a certain old fox narrowed his eyes a tad.

_"Professor! Have ye read th' news?"_ All of a sudden, the large pirate robot Whisker ran into the room, only to see the Professor already watching them. _"...oh... ye've already seen 't..."_

"...I wonder who would have told them..." Tails hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...I suppose I'll have to contact the Commander about this..."

_"...maybe ye don't have to, Professor."_ Whisker began. _"The news said somethin' about the admins going to GUN headquarters to negotiate somethin'..."_

"...really, now..." Tails hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...I just hope the boys are alright... and Jill and Joy, of course..."

* * *

><p>Off in another house somewhere else…<p>

"…Demi! Crystal!" A brown porcupine called out in utter surprised. "Guys! You gotta come check out the news!"

"...news?" Blinking, a bat with large wings, or Demi, looked back at the porcupine. "What news?" And he approached where his voice came from.

"Just listen!" the porcupine turned up the volume on the TV with the remote.

Another porcupine, this one a royal blue color, referred to as Crystal, looked at it. "…Geez Louise…" she said, eyes widening.

"...you... you're kidding..." Demi uttered.

"…he was at _Safe Haven?_" Crystal uttered. "We haven't been there in a few years, but I never saw anything!"

"I know!" The porcupine pulled up holographic windows from his robotic arm. "…the news is all over!" he uttered.

"...they are, huh..." Demi uttered.

"…Dax, what else can you find on that?" Crystal asked the other porcupine.

"…it says here that the admins of Safe Haven are to meet with GUN to try and negotiate something," the brown porcupine, Dax, said, looking on the holographic windows that came from his robotic arm. "…but there's no further info on that…"

"…Who would've thought…?" Crystal uttered.

"...hm..." Demi hummed, as he glanced to the side. "...what would she think of this...?"

"…Demi, you say something?" Crystal said, looking at him.

"...oh, nothing; just thinking out loud..." Demi replied.

"…hm…" Crystal looked away then, continuing to watch the news with Dax.

_**...worried about Jill, huh?**_

Hearing that voice in his head, Demi simply closed his eyes. _...I can't help it; especially with what I remember being shown..._

_**...you think you ought to swing by and check up on her? **_The voice chuckled a bit. _**Maybe you can say hi to Oblivion as well...**_

Demi simply hummed; while he would've usually blushed upon his inner beast teasing him like that, the situation didn't really call for it. _...I dunno; it's been three years, Blood... just showing up unannounced; not to mention that blockade they mentioned..._

_**...hey, you don't need to worry about getting on the wrong side of the law. I've still got your back, right?**_

_...yeah... I guess you do..._ Then, Demi rubbed his neck. _...maybe when the media stops talking so much about it..._

_**Just let me know if you feel like going, alright?**_

_...I will, Blood._

"…y'know…I think I'm gonna start training again," Crystal said, cracking her knuckles.

"...really?" Demi hummed, as he looked at Crystal.

"Yeah…" Crystal replied, with a couple purple sparks brushing through her spikes.

* * *

><p>And last but not least, in another area…<p>

"…THAT'S Metal Sonic?" there was mocking laughter. "Oh what a joke! He doesn't even look all that intimidating!" it was a young boy bat, and he was laughing his head off to the point where his sides started to hurt.

"...feh... what a joke..." Sitting on a stressless with her legs crossed, an older, female bat with a very dark look to her simply rolled her eyes; not impressed with this sight at all.

"Oh man!" the littler bat laughed. "I gotta go get Mom and Dad on this one!" and he jumped to his feet, running off.

"...sure, whatever..." the female bat scoffed.

A few minutes later, the bat yanked his mom into the room. "Look Mom!" he laughed. "That's supposed to be Metal Sonic! What a stupid thing to be afraid of, huh?"

"…yeah…" the mother, who was a very feminine looking bat wearing make-up with large breasts and hips and curved legs, snickered at the television.

"...whatever happened to getting dad out here, huh?" the female bat in the stressless scoffed. "Didn't you want him to see this pathetic display?"

"Oh shut up! I was gonna do that!" the boy bat yelled.

The mother growled at him. "How about you shut up and go do what you were going to do?"

"Whatever…" the boy wandered off.

With a roll of her eyes, the female bat glanced at the mother uncaringly. "...how much do you wanna bet that he's not gonna come out of his study regardless?" she scoffed.

"You know your father," the mother grumbled, sitting herself on the couch, lighting a cigarette. "…want a smoke, Odium?" she asked, offering her some cigarette's despite the fact that she was too young to legally smoke.

"...why the fuck not," With a scoff, Odium took one of the cigarettes, and lit it. "...so, you got any plans for the night, Desire?"

"Oh, same old, same old," the mother, Desire, chuckled, inhaling her cigarette. "…and really; when are you ever gonna call me 'Mom'?"

"When pigs fly," Odium replied bluntly, as she inhaled the contents of her own cigarette as well. "...besides, you're just my step-mom, anyway..."

"You're not gonna let that go, are you?" Desire grumbled.

"Nope." Odium shrugged. "So, when you say 'same old', do you mean five guys, or ten?"

Desire chuckled. "Wellllll…"

"...oh, just spill it." Odium huffed, before blowing out a ring of smoke. "It's none of my business that you sleep around, anyway."

In the hallway, "Dad!" the little bat boy banged a lot on the door, and then just tore it open anyway. "Dad! You need to look at the news!"

"...what have I told you about entering my study, Rascal...?" a coarse voice growled, as the bat saw someone seated by a desk; his back turned to the door.

"But you have to come see the crap they got on the news Daaaaaaad!" the little boy, Rascal, whined.

"I am already aware, boy." the father said, as he pressed his hands together. "...I had a feeling that it would come to pass like this..."

"…wait, what?" And Rascal grew surprised.

"...never mind that..." With a hum, the father drummed a lone finger against the desk he sat by. "...don't you have some games to play?"

"But I got bored with those games!" Rascal said, stomping his foot. "I want new ones!"

"...you got them yesterday." the father murmured dryly, as he slowly held his hand out... and from one of the shelves, a pen and some paper slowly floated off it, before landing in his bandaged hand.

Rascal pouted with a grunt, "Hmph," and then he walked off.

Without paying him any heed, the father began slowly drawing on the paper; very intricate, almost abstract drawings that, to the common man, would be seen as pure gibberish... but to him, they had a certain meaning.

The door opened again, and Desire sauntered in with her large, swaying hips. "…what are you up to now?" she said, blowing smoke up into his study.

"...I'm thinking." he replied. "Why do you ask?" he inquired, without looking up from his drawing.

"…you draw the weirdest shit, Bismark," Desire muttered.

"...a family tradition, I suppose." Bismark hummed. "I wouldn't be surprised if Odium picked up the pen one day..."

"Would that happen to be a crack that I'm not family, or what?" Desire chuckled. "I'll don't think I'll understand the whole 'Novagod' traditions you have…"

"...perhaps in time, you will." With a hum, Bismark slowly turned to look at Desire; revealing his completely bandaged face, save for his eyes, which simply gazed directly at her. "Now... may I ask why you entered my study?"

"Oh, you've got some all-seeing thing or whatever…so you'd already know," Desire answered.

"...hm. It couldn't possibly be to share your warmth with my cold shell." Bismark remarked with a dry chuckle, before he turned to resume work on his drawing. "No, you're likely here to tell me that you'll be out late again."

"_Very _late, I might add," Desire said. "And I hired a babysitter to look after Rascal; hopefully this one won't run out on him so quickly," and she chuckled.

"...I see." Bismark hummed. "Do you intend to bring Odium along, then?"

"No; she doesn't enjoy the party life," Desire replied. "I hired the babysitter so that Odium wouldn't have to deal with the brat…at least not for the whole night."

"…although now that you mention it, the girl does need to get herself a boyfriend or something," she grumbled. "She's such a drag sometimes."

"Though it doesn't seem that anyone nearby shares her interests." Bismark mused dryly.

Desire shrugged. "You win some, and you lose some…"

"...would you mind closing the door? I'd like to speak to you in private." Bismark hummed.

"…sure…" with a bored sigh, she closed the door and locked it. Then she put out her cigarette in a glass of water that had been nearby. "So what is it this time?"

Turning around again, Bismark looked at her with a piercing look. "...look into my eyes."

Just to entertain him, she looked into his eyes… and immediately froze.

"...I know what you're up to; as with every day you head out..." Bismark began. "...you have no shame, do you?"

"…no…" Desire answered blankly.

"...as expected..." Bismark huffed. "...nothing but a shallow whore... isn't that what you are?"

"…yes…" Desire murmured.

"...though at least, you have your uses." Bismark hummed, as he motioned for her to come closer. "How many did you plan on sleeping with tonight?"

"...seven men…" she spoke, stepping closer to him.

"Seven... you're a real go-getter, aren't you?" Bismark scoffed dryly, as he pressed his fingers together. "...you should be thankful that your looks are stunning... otherwise, I wouldn't even have bothered to keep you around my estate, you slut."

Desire's eyes became in a daze when he called her that.

"...at least you know what your mission is, even though when I'm not controlling you, you have no idea what I'm making you do." Bismark hummed. "Doesn't it please you, to know that you actually fulfill some form of purpose in life?"

"…Yes Master…" she hummed.

"...hm." With a hum, Bismark narrowed his eyes. "...now... how about you kneel, and do what you do best, my little whore?"

Desire went up to him until she was close enough to kneel between his legs, kissing his chest. "…yes Master…"

"...good..." Bismark hummed. "...and while you're at it, why not practice your own personal prayer? Just like I've taught you, my little whore."

"…I have no self-respect for the things I use my body for…" Desire hissed in delight, kissing lower and lower down his body. "…I allow countless men to touch me, just so I could get whatever I want…you're no different…I allow you to use my body so that I can use your money for all the things I want…"

Humming, Bismark kept looking at her. "...go on..."

"…I have no regrets doing the things I do…because—" Desire hovered over that place between his legs with her breath, "—I feel so good doing it."

"...absolutely shameless..." Bismark grunted, as he still kept looking at her.

"…yes…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>*Censor time*<strong>_

* * *

><p>Back in the living room, Rascal game out with a hand-held video game. "Mom and Dad are making those weird noises in the study again," he muttered to Odium, sitting on the coach to play his game. "Just what the fuck are they doing in there to make those noises? They sound really annoying…"<p>

"...oh, just live with it." Odium huffed, as she finished off the cigarette she had gotten from Desire. "You'll get it when you grow up..."

Of course, Odium was fully aware of what was happening; namely, her stepmother being put in her place with the powers her father possessed. This had been going on ever since Bismark remarried, with Odium's full knowledge; she simply didn't care enough to inform Desire that she was being played by the very man she thought she was controlling... after all, it wasn't like she was her real mother, or anything.

"…tcsch, I don't have to talk to you," Rascal grumbled, walking away while continuing his game.

"...fine." Odium huffed. "By the by, you're getting a babysitter tonight." she added dismissively.

As for her thoughts on Rascal... she couldn't stand the little brat, but with Desire being his actual mother, she couldn't exactly lash out on him if he got on her nerves. Sure, Bismark would probably work his magic to make Desire forget about it, but Odium also knew that his patience was far from infinite when it came to covering for her. All in all, she didn't really see Rascal as a real brother to her...

...not like her actual brother was, anyway.

She found it funny, how he had been missing for so many years all because of some obscure family myth; before his wings grew to their gigantic size, she could recall that she had genuinely enjoyed playing with that brother of hers, and that even Bismark seemed fond of him...

...well, whatever the case, he was no longer in the house; leaving her with her slut of a stepmother, and her spoiled spawn. _...at least Dad keeps them under his power,_ she thought to herself, before putting out the last few embers of her cigarette. _If not, then this place would've been like hell to live in..._

In the study, this went on for quite a few more climaxes…up to the point where the two of them were catching their breath so drastically after another one.

"...you last quite a while..." Bismark grunted, as he caught his breath. "...I suppose that's one of your good points..."

While Desire caught her breath, she started to put her clothes back on.

"...you know... our anniversary is coming up soon..." Bismark hummed. "...perhaps I could take that opportunity to discipline you full-time, slave?"

"…Yes Master," Desire replied with a quick breath, getting fully dressed.

"...good..." Bismark hummed. "...now... I assume that you know what to do, when you're out for the night..."

Desire nodded. "…Yes Master…"

"...good." Bismark hummed, before he nodded. "...you may resume control."

Desire was frozen for a moment...

"-so I promise that I'll get after Rascal about bursting into your study," she suddenly spoke. Then she sighed, "well, that was a nice chat and all, but I'm going to be late if I stick around much longer."

"...of course, dear." Bismark hummed, as he gave her a simple nod. "Don't get yourself hurt while you're out."

"Oh don't you worry your silly little head about it," Desire chuckled. Then she turned to leave his study with a wave. "Goodbye my dear!"

"...goodbye." Bismark hummed, before he turned back towards his desk; expecting her to close the door after her. Honestly, the only reason he kept up with her cheating nature was because she was a steady source of income for him; especially after his sister was incarcerated by GUN...

_...Patricia... why do the good women in my life always seem to slip from me...?_

"...hey, dad." At that point, Odium walked into the study; closing the door after her. "...fucked her silly again, didn't you?"

"...I would appreciate it if you didn't use such language, my daughter..." Bismark sighed, before nodding. "...but... yes."

"...well, she deserves it for what she's doing behind your back." Odium hummed. "So, what's your take on the news?"

"...I figured it would happen sooner or later... I've had this vision for quite some time, now..." Bismark hummed.

"...how _do _you see all these things happening, dad?" Odium mused curiously, as she walked up to him. "Does it take a lot of practice?"

"More practice than you could imagine..." Bismark hummed. "...still... something big is in the works..."

"...how so?" Odium hummed.

"...in the future, we will be getting a visitor." Bismark noted. "The very one who orchestrated Metal Sonic's capture, to be exact."

"So you know even that, huh?" Odium mused.

"Care to find out who it is?" Bismark chuckled, as he looked at his daughter.

"No thanks; I'll find out for myself." Odium murmured with a roll of her eyes.

"...my dear daughter..." Bismark sighed, as he placed a hand on her arm. "...so unlike your mother, and yet... you fill me with the same joy that she did."

"...I guess..." Odium murmured, before she glanced away. "...still miss her, huh...?"

"More than anything in the world." Bismark nodded.

"...me too." Odium murmured, before she turned to leave. "...see you later, dad."

"...see you later, my dear daughter..." Bismark hummed, before closing his eyes.

* * *

><p>"I have one question...JUST HOW THE FUCK DID THE PRESS FIND OUT ABOUT THIS?"<p>

Boomer stomped through the GUN base in a furious rampage. "I'd like to know what moron authorized that search so I can plant my boot right up in their-"

"-Now Boomer, you must keep a hold on that temper of yours," Captain Charmy the Bee reminded her. While he remained calm about this, he wasn't in a good mood about this either.

"...Now that the world knows that Metal's still alive," Cal muttered, "does that mean we have to explain the whole thing to the public?"

"But that would mean breaking the promise to Jill about not saying anything!" Rudy protested.

"Rudy's right, y'know!" Newt shot in with a worried look. "Oh, this is just the worst that could've happened!"

"...well, it could certainly have been worse." Natal noted.

"Indeed." Folding his arms, Wiper hissed a bit. "King and the others are currently meeting with the Commander; they should be able to work something out..."

"But what if they aren't able to Wiper?" Rudy asked. "What if they end up putting Metal on trial? ...or..." he gulped, "...the electric chair..."

"Don't worry, Rudy," Cal remarked. "I don't think any of that is gonna happen..." although not even Cal was sure of that.

"...the Commander wouldn't let that happen." Wiper murmured. "She's already angry enough over the operation being carried out behind her back; the last thing she would allow to happen would be something of that caliber."

The seven of them finally got to the door of the Commander's office, and without even entering, they could hear yelling on the inside...

"WOULD YOU KINDLY TELL ME WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD WHEN YOU MADE THAT DECISION, SERGEANT?" they heard the Commander scream.

There was no response, so the group wondered if they should enter or not...

It was too late for that though since Rudy went ahead and opened the door.

What they saw in there was the Commander raised out of her chair, glaring at someone standing in front of her, and King and his admins standing around in the room; except for the Commander, all eyes turned towards the opened door.

"...Uhhhhh..." was Rudy's response.

"...pardon for the intrusion," Cal spoke out, clearing his throat.

"...don't worry about it; I'd want at least Team Alpha around for this." the Commander spoke, as she closed her eyes. "Come on in, and shut your traps."

"...very well..." With a slight murmur, Wiper led the others into the room, before closing the door behind them; the silence heavy in the air.

The Sergeant then turned back to the Commander silently; his eyes closed. "Metal Sonic is a wanted criminal by many, charged with heavy crimes... and we got the call from a frightened child informing us about him..."

Charmy looked at him. _A frightened child?_ He wondered in thought.

"That may be the truth..." the Commander murmured. "...but ignoring the things known about him, you sent a squadron to invade Safe Haven, when we have a clear treaty with them that, unless they openly declare war on us, that we are to refrain from sending armed forces in there... without my consent." Then, out of anger, she took out a cigarette and lit it. "...for god's sake... openly keeping your plans from me..."

"And if you knew he was there all along Commander, sir," he spoke bitterly, "...then why didn't you do anything about it?"

The Commander shot the Sergeant a fierce glare for that. "...because he was, and still is, no longer a threat to the world. The reason why is strictly confidential; something any member of GUN should learn to accept." Then, she folded her arms. "...you do realize that insubordination is a punishable offense, Sergeant?"

"...well, let's not go that far... he likely had his reasons..." Miser uttered; not wanting anything to escalate from this.

"…confidentiality…" the Sergeant grumbled. "…the reason why, is that woman he's with, I'm guessing?"

The Commander remained silent... but eventually, she nodded. "...correct."

"…you need to tell me what's going on Commander," the Sergeant said. "I may have charged a bit blindly into it…but there are a LOT of things that don't add up here; like that woman! When she got hurt, Metal Sonic seemed very concerned about her wellbeing, and he even stopped her from a rampage that could've killed my men…"

Teams Alpha and Chaotix looked at each other uneasily…

The Commander still kept that stern look to her. "...this is top of the line, confidential information, Sergeant." she uttered. "The press, and the other forces of GUN cannot, under any circumstances, find out about this..." Then, she glowered at him. "...if I find out that you've spread this information to others, I will have you court-martialed."

"...you mean that..." King uttered. "...you're gonna let him know?"

"...it seems to be the only way that he'll understand..." the Commander murmured.

Hunter looked at the Sergeant then. "…and I doubt that you'd really believe any of it…"

"…what do you mean?" the Sergeant said, looking at the Commander.

"...to begin with, Metal Sonic submitted his final transmission not as a foreboding warning... but as a means of warding people's attention away from him." the Commander spoke. "...for you see, Sergeant... Metal Sonic intended to battle an opponent unlike anything GUN has ever dealt with before."

The Sergeant had to admit that Hunter was right; it wasn't something that he would believe… "…and just who would that be?" he asked.

"...a remnant of the past; fueled by the power of Dark Gaia itself." Sage replied. "A monster by the name of Deity Novagod."

The Sergeant's eyes blinked. _…another Novagod?_

* * *

><p>A black shadow appeared in the prison ward, and rose out of the ground.<p>

Malice opened her cold eyes and looked around a bit in curiosity… eventually approaching the cells in the ward to take a look at the prisoners.

"...where did you come from?"

"Nowhere you need to know about," Malice answered, looking over at the one that spoke to her.

It happened to be a mole, who simply looked out of his cell with folded arms. His claws were fairly massive, but worn from usage. "...I just find it curious, that a child found her way here..."

"….hey little girl," chuckled another prisoner; this one a panther. "You're a long way from home…where's your Mommy and Daddy, huh?" he chuckled.

"My Mother and Father are dead, thanks for asking," Malice grumbled in response.

"Well…guess that means there's nobody to protect you from getting hurt," the panther remarked with an amused chuckle.

"...oh, do leave her be." a female spoke in a very posh manner; this being a swan who elegantly rested against the wall. "It's not like you can do anything but threatening her from behind those bars, you twit."

The panther lost his smirk, and scoffed. "Whatever…"

"...well..." the mole hummed. "...the question remains; how did she get in here, and what does she want?"

"...I have a theory of my own."

Sitting in one of the cells, a very buff, scarred, rough-looking crocodile was simply looking towards one of the cells. "...the lots of us are in here for relatively minor crimes..." he spoke in a very deep, yet calm voice. "...but we do have a celebrity among us... perhaps she came to visit you? Right... Patricia?"

Malice blinked, and looked toward the dark cell that the crocodile looked at…

…eyes opened up, and glowed brightly in the shadows; glowing in a luminous yellow glow. "…what reason would a kid really have to visit me, Bulk?" a female voice grumbled, getting up on their feet and walking out…only as far as the chains to her shackles would let her.

But it was enough to see most of her. It was a female bat, with long white hair, some of it almost covering up those bright yellow eyes, and her clothes were in rags.

She had traits though, that Malice recognized very much so…

"...perhaps you happened to cross her someday down the line, Patricia?" the crocodile, Bulk, spoke with a gruff hum. "Wouldn't surprise me; you Novagods are an unpredictable bunch..."

"...even the very name brings chills to my spine..." the swan sighed, as she shook her head. "...I would hate to see what she would do to someone like Tear..." And she glanced over at the panther's cell.

The panther, called Tear, looked away. "…keep to yourself, Grace…"

Malice looked at Patricia curiously. "…you're a Novagod?"

"You live under a rock kid?" Patricia asked her. "Yeah, I'm a Novagod…I'm one of the famous Novagods too…GUN made sure everyone knew who I was in case I ever broke out…"

"…so…you're related to Deity Novagod then…" Malice mused with a smirk.

Patricia blinked. "…and…what significance would my dead uncle have with you, exactly?"

"…Oh, you have no idea…" Malice chuckled.

"...now, now..." the mole hummed, as he looked at Malice. "Let's not do anything rash, here."

"Rash?" the swan, Grace, hummed. "Such as what, Rath?"

"...attempting to break her out, or something along those lines." the mole, Rath, responded.

"...you say that, even after your claws failed?" Bulk scoffed. "How would a kid be able to spring us out of here?"

"…you'd all be surprised," Malice chuckled.

Tear just looked at her. "…what's with you kid? Most your age would probably be at least uncomfortable around us…"

"Me? No, I feel right at home...at least with the kind of company I have here," Malice chuckled. "You see…I didn't come here for any revenge against any of _you_; I have revenge against Metal Sonic… who's currently in this base."

Tear's eyes widened. "Really? That metal lug is here?"

"Didn't you see the news, you idiot?"

That was another prisoner besides Patricia's cell; he was a large crane, sitting in his corner eating crumbs off his tray from an earlier meal. "They finally found Metal Sonic after seven years, thanks to a miscellaneous tip from an anonymous source. He was found at Safe Haven, but due to a violation of a treaty that GUN made with the administrators, since they invaded the island without authorization, they decided to meet to negotiate the circumstances…"

"...really..." Rath hummed.

With a drawn-out sigh, Grace closed her eyes. "...truly a shame that they leave small fry like ourselves rotting here, when they should be focusing all their efforts on someone of such caliber..."

"...always one for the theatrics..." Bulk murmured, before he slammed his knuckles together. "...I'm just itching for a way to get out. Being cooped in some cell without physical company simply isn't what I usually favor..."

"Well you're all in luck," Malice chuckled. "I can free you all…if you agree to do something for me."

The crane looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "…you really think we'd go for a proposition that a _kid_ would have for us?"

Grace and Rath simply looked at her with a look of disbelief.

"...now, now; let's entertain the little kid." Bulk chuckled, as he folded his arms. "You tell us what you want, and maybe we'll consider it."

"…I want you to help me get my revenge on Metal Sonic; for what he did to my parents," Malice said.

"...hm." Bulk hummed. "And how would you want us to go about that?"

Malice smirked.

"I'll give you the same power that Deity Novagod created…"

Patricia looked at Malice blankly.

"...power?" Rath uttered, as he narrowed his eyes. "...it... doesn't sound too inviting..."

"...it sounds more or less ungraceful..." Grace scoffed. "...again; a perfect fit for Tear, if I ever saw one."

"Hey!" Tear moaned out, glaring at Grace.

"…what are you talking about?" Patricia finally said, looking at Malice. "…my uncle died before he could even do anything…"

"You know as well as I do, Patricia…that Novagods are known for their experimentation with the supernatural…" Malice replied.

"…my brother's the only one I know that really carries that tradition," Patricia spoke, "But…okay kid; we'll humor you."

"I need all of you to agree that you'll help me if I get you out," Malice spoke.

"What? You want us to pinkie promise?" Tear snickered.

"No," Malice spat bitterly. "That's stupid…"

"...well, being free would be nice..." Rath uttered. "...but... I have no interest in this power you speak of. If you need someone to simply distract GUN's forces, I'll do it, but... I won't have any foreign matter infest me."

"...I would have to agree; this power certainly doesn't seem too inviting." Grace mused. "I would still be willing to assist you; I've longed to stick it to GUN for a while... but like Rath, count me out of receiving any powers."

Bulk, however, scoffed. "...bunch of cowards." he hummed, before he looked at Malice. "...I'm more than willing to try this out." Then, he glanced at the other cells. "...Patricia, Tear, Geese... what say you?"

The crane, Geese, looked away from Malice. "…I'm not into the power idea either…leave me out of that matter…but you break me out and I'll be sure to do whatever you need us to do…"

"I really want to see this power for myself," Tear snickered. "I say that I'll give it a try."

Patricia remained silent, still looking at Malice.

"...well?" Bulk hummed.

"…there's a personal condition I want on the deal," Patricia said. "…I want to know how you know my uncle and what you have to do with him."

Malice smirked. "Deal."

Suddenly, the locks broke on all the cell doors spontaneously, and the shadows pushed the doors open.

Tear's smirk fell. "…what…?"

Both Grace and Rath looked at the opened doors in disbelief for a moment.

"...well, now..." With a hum, Bulk stepped out of his celll, before he looked down at Malice. "...alright; do your thing. But don't think you can just order me around; you just tell me what to do this one time, and when you're done with your revenge trip against Metal Sonic, we split. Sound fair?"

Malice turned and smirked at him. "…as long as you're not overtaken by the darkness by then…"

"…the darkness?" Patricia uttered, once her chains and shackles were broken in thin air.

Malice offered her hand out. "…take my hand, and I'll give it to you…"

Bulk looked down at the hand.

"...careful, Bulk." Rath uttered. "This could be something even you wouldn't be able to handle..."

"...you should keep to your own business, Rath." Bulk hummed. "...I've seen some heavy shit in my life... I can handle this." Without even hesitating, Bulk took Malice's hand.

Malice grinned ever wider. "Good."

And sticky, black goo attached itself to Bulk, growing on his arm.

Bulk winced a bit, but his grip remained firm.

"...ugh; what _is_ that disgusting mass?" Grace gagged at the sight of the goo.

"…it's a power called Corruption; a power that can tear the very being of someone apart, piece by piece in the most brutal ways…" Malice sneered. "…you'd have to be strong to use its power, or you lose yourself to the darkness…the most skilled users were my Mother and Father…"

Tear's eyes widened at that. "…okay, maybe I don't want to use it anymore…"

"Too late…you already agreed to it," Malice said.

The shadows snared up Tear to his horror, and shoved him toward Malice so that she could touch him, and put the black goo on him as well. Tear grit this teeth…it was very painful for him.

It felt somewhat painful for Bulk as well... however, he had endured lots of pain throughout his life; simply clenching his hands and closing his eyes allowed him to get used to the slightly burning sensation of the goo slowly covering his entire body.

"...then... what happens if you... lose yourself to the darkness...?" Rath uttered, as his gaze fell on Tear.

"…well, that's always so different when it comes to who falls into the darkness…if you don't have the strength to handle it, then you can have a very…unpleasant end…"

"…n-no…no I don't wanna do this!" Tear started to panic at this point, trying to wipe away the black goo that only kept growing on him, and causing him even more pain. "NO!"

Patricia just watched this.

It was a baffling contrast; seeing Tear panicking and trying to get the black goo off him, and Bulk merely allowing the goo to consume him, without even batting an eyelid. Both Grace and Rath could only look on in an odd combination of morbid curiosity, utter shock, and genuine awe. Geese shared the same reaction with them.

Tear slammed against the wall, clawing at the goo to get it off, but before he could utter out any screams, the goo grabbed his mouth and sealed it shut, fully consuming his body which tumbled onto the floor weakly.

Bulk, on the other hand, was fully consumed by the goo without even moving a muscle; containing him like some manner of statue.

"...don't touch them..." Rath uttered, as his gaze switched between the goo that covered Bulk and Tear.

Tear clutched to the ground, with his body absorbing in the goo and slowly changing into something else… his body got stronger, healthier, bigger… "…this feels…amazing…" he suddenly uttered, still grunting at the changing process.

As the goo was slowly absorbed into Bulk as well... strangely enough, he didn't seem to change like Tear did. "...it's lost the painful feeling. Now it just feels like slime..." he mused in a curious tone; not disgusted, and not amazed like Tear seemed to be.

"…well? What about you Patricia?" Malice asked, offering her hand to the bat. "You want to partake in family tradition?"

Patricia looked down at her.

"…I suppose you've gotten me curious enough to agree to it," Patricia finally said, taking Malice's hand. When the goo touched her, she felt sharp, small pains like needles digging into her. Wincing, she stumbled back a bit and clutched to the bars to keep herself on her feet.

"...unbelievable..." Grace uttered with wide eyes.

"...just... who are you...?" Now Rath's eyes turned to Malice; looking at her in disbelief.

"…you'll find out who I am soon enough," Malice chuckled, and since Tear and Bulk were finished with their transformations, the only one left to watch was Patricia.

She slowly fell to her knees while more and more of her was consumed by the goo, getting all kinds of mixed feelings. It felt really painful, yes but also…a bit peculiar. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it felt really extraordinary…

So much, in fact, that Patricia moaned and whimpered out, arching her back and clutching to the bars. "Oh god…!" she moaned out.

That caught Bulk's attention, as he slowly turned to look at her.

"...Patricia...?" Grace uttered. "...d-does it hurt?"

"I-I…I can't tell…!" Patricia uttered.

She fell forward a bit, coughing out some of that black goo…which meant that it was now inside of her, while it continued to consume her. "…Uncle…what have you created…?" she uttered out in wide eyed astonishment, still moaning at the feeling of the goo around her.

Still, Bulk just looked at her with an interested hum.

"...it lost its painful feeling for Bulk... it turned into something amazing for Tear... and now this?" Rath uttered. "...what _is_ this form of power...?"

Finally, it fully consumed her, silencing her moans…

…and the shadows all around them suddenly stirred lively.

"…it feels so…_good…_" hissed her voice breathlessly.

The shadows went to her, circling around her in the room, while she put her foot down to stand up. The black goo changed her as well. Her long white hair was braided up, though it left some strands to hang in front of her face. Her clothes weren't ragged anymore; now it was a corset top with leather pants and boots. She looked tougher… as well as darker.

"...well, now..." Bulk hummed with a chuckle.

"...wait..." With a curious blink, Grace looked at all of the Corruption-inflicted inmates. "...how come it changed the appearance of Tear and Patricia... but not Bulk?"

"...it couldn't be that it's rejecting him, is it...?" Rath assumed.

"It's different for everyone, and probably possible that Bulk is just fine the way he is; that was how it was with my Father," Malice said.

"…you have a lot to tell us, kid…" Geese murmured, stepping out of his cell.

"Either way…this is just…good god it's scary and unbelievable at the same time!" Tear uttered, standing up. "I feel like I'm on top of the world!"

Patricia though…gave Tear the classic cold Novagod stare that sent chills down his spine and silenced him. "…we have work to do," Patricia said.

And Malice smirked gleefully at that.

"...alright..." Bulk chuckled, as he cracked his neck. "...now... what do we do?"

"…we search for Metal Sonic in the base… and take him down…" Malice spoke. "…anyone that stands in your way can be disposed of in any way you see fit…you can even wreak your own revenge on GUN if you want," Malice chuckled.

"...alright." With a hum, Rath slashed his claws against each other. "...I'll dig my way around to find Metal Sonic. Tear, you can follow me; I could use some back-up."

"...perhaps we could go and tear up some GUN soldiers, as a means of distraction, Geese?" Grace suggested.

"...that would leave me with you, Patricia." Bulk hummed, as he looked back at the bat. "...how about it? Feel up for tearing down anyone we see with our new powers?"

"…yeah…I could use a test run," Patricia said, looking at her hands. "…Geese and Tear, you go with the others and help them out."

Both of them nodded.

"…what's your name little girl?" Patricia asked. "…and I'm not talking about your host…"

"…so you can see me for what I really am…" Malice chuckled. "…very well…my name's Malice."

"...Malice... seems fitting." Bulk chuckled. "Alright; let's kick some ass!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Things really are going downhill, aren't they?<em>**


	10. Chapter 9

...this was taking forever.

Ever since he had woken up from the nap he had taken on the way here, he had found himself in a... to be frank, very cozy holding cell. It honestly seemed more like a bedroom than an actual prison cell; with a proper bed to lie on, a window giving him some fresh air and light, and a desk; likely to write memoires and such on.

Still, Metal was getting somewhat anxious. Since the day started, he had heard that the negotiation between the Commander and King's admins had basically gone nowhere. Not that the Commander didn't want to help Metal out, but, with his past as a notorious killing machine created by Eggman, it was hard to find some way to help him out without seeming like either a brainwashed victim, or a fanatic supporter of him.

"...just be quick..." he murmured, as he lied down on the bed; closing his eyes to try and get some shut-eye, until more developments would happen.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Metal slowly sat up upon hearing that. "...come in..."

The door was opened by one of the soldiers of the many that guarded by Metal's door, allowing someone to walk in.

"Thanks," Cal said to them, while they shut the door. Then he glanced at Metal. "…been awhile since we've seen each other, hasn't it Metal?" he muttered.

"...a few years now, yes..." Metal hummed, as he glanced to the side. "...so... has there been any progress, Calculate?"

"…We…" Cal sighed at this, bringing up a chair and sitting in it. "…we had to resort to telling him the whole thing...they're all still trying to explain it when I left, and the Sergeant was well…speechless as far as they've told him…"

"...so has pretty much everyone else, though..." Metal murmured. "...but I have my doubts that he'll sympathize with me just because he'd hear the story... he lost his daughter when I conquered Westopolis years ago..."

Cal fell silent at that…he didn't know that, and now that Metal told him, well… he felt guilty. One of the reasons that Metal invaded Westopolis was because of a mistake he had made back then…

"...well..." Metal murmured, as he glanced to the side. "...no one else but me could be considered the culprit of that..." Then, he folded his arms. "...in any case... they won't be finished for a while, I take it."

"…that we can be sure of…" Cal muttered. "…I heard bits and pieces, but what happened out there yesterday, Metal?"

Metal looked down at his hands. "...we were watching over Joy... then, all of a sudden, GUN soldiers storm into the room... when they threatened to take Joy from us... Jill snapped." He shuddered. "She... and Callous, too, I think... they unleashed this chilling power... and these dark dogs tried tearing the soldiers apart. I stopped her before she could cause any casualties... but then she..." He clenched his hands. "...she... saved me from being struck by a weapon designed to short-circuit my systems..."

Cal's eyes widened in shock.

"…is she okay…?" he uttered after a while.

"...yes." Metal nodded. "...she took a hit, but... I managed to heal her. Though... when she was wounded like that, I realized that... unless I find a way to repent for what I've done in the past... then both Jill and Joy could continue to be hurt because of me..."

Cal fell silent again when he heard that.

"...that's why I'm here..." Metal murmured. "...it pains me to leave them, but... I don't want to see them hurt because of me, Calculate..."

"…I can understand that…" Cal uttered, swallowing a little.

"...hopefully, the conclusion that the Commander comes to shouldn't keep me from them for far too long..." Metal hummed with a bit of hope in his voice. "...I wouldn't bear not being able to hear their voices again..."

"…well, we're doing what we can Metal," Cal said as a means to be encouraging. "I just wish that it didn't have to come to—!"

Cal suddenly stopped, freezing in place. Normally, Metal would have questioned this...

...but he froze as well. He recognized that feeling. "...Calculate. Quick, turn invisible. Something's coming... from down below us."

"…I really hope it's not what I think…" Call uttered, jumping up from his seat to turn invisible.

Standing up in his bed, Metal narrowed his eyes...

...and from the floor, someone popped out; landing on his feet in front of Metal. "...here you are." the mole uttered. "We've got business with you."

Metal narrowed his eyes. "...you're not the one..." Quickly, he shot a glare towards the hole; his fist glowing a pale green.

Shadows crept out of the hole then; making Cal's invisible eyes' widen.

And there was a laugh, "Oh man, this stuff is great! I don't know what I was so scared about!" And up came a panther, grinning at Metal.

Metal simply narrowed his eyes. "...be scared of this."

Without missing a single beat, Metal rushed forward to punch the panther's gut with that glowing fist.

The panther got hit, and he howled out more painfully than he should from a punch. He jumped away from Metal, shuddering. "Wh-what did you d-do? Wh-wh-what power i-is that?"

The mole looked at Metal in slight fear as well.

"...this is the antithesis of that wretched power coursing through you." Metal uttered. "...Purity..." With a narrowed look, Metal slowly approached the panther. "...stay still; I'll be rid of the darkness for you..."

"...be rid of...?" the mole uttered. "...you mean... this Purity is highly effective against Corruption..."

"H-hey! That's not gonna h-hurt is it?" the panther uttered.

Seeing no real threat, despite the fact that this panther had been Corrupted, Cal appeared from invisibility. "No, it shouldn't hurt," he spoke out.

"Wha- where'd _you_ come from?" the mole sputtered.

"...it likely felt painful, when Corruption first bonded to you." Metal uttered. "...Purity is a soothing counter-measure to that horrid force. Please, allow me to purify you, before things go horribly wrong..."

"…n-no! It might be a trick!"

And in a panic, the panther shot a punch for Metal's face, coated with Corruption.

Metal, however, simply caught it with the Purity-imbued hand; causing the Corruption to sizzle away. "...you're dealing with someone who has seven years worth of experience with all three forces... you're naught but a novice who was corrupted recently..." Then, he closed his eyes. "...I want to help you; no questions asked. This Corruption might end up killing you..."

"...killing him?" the mole uttered. "...she... didn't exactly allude to that..."

Metal blinked. "...she?"

"…and that little brat never told me there was a way to fight this energy!" the panther uttered, yanking away his hand from Metal.

"…little…brat?" Cal grabbed the panther. "…who? Who are you talking about?"

"This little girl in the pink overalls; maybe five or six," the panther uttered. "She had brown hair and these curly horns and…y'know!"

All color shrank from Cal's face then, dropping the panther to the ground weakly.

One certain color, however, seemed to flow through Metal at that very moment...

...red...

...for _anger._

"...you cannot be serious." Suddenly, Metal grabbed hold of the panther, and slammed him against the door; Purity surging from his hands. "YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS! WHERE DID YOU SEE THIS GIRL?"

The panther screamed, "AAAAUGH!" and tried to keep himself calm from all the pain and panic he was experiencing. "Sh-sh-sh-she b-broke us o-out and s-she gave me th-this p-power and went o-of with Patricia and Bulk!"

Metal kept gripping him. "WHAT WAS HER NAME?" he roared.

"SHE CALLED HERSELF M-MALICE!" the panther yelped. "B-BUT PATRICIA TALKED SOMETHING ABOUT HOW THE GIRL WAS A HOST!"

"Host…?" Cal uttered.

There was no way that description could possibly fit anybody else…even if it had been awhile since Cal saw her, he still knew what she looked like…

…but the news that something had taken over the little girl…he had no idea how to process the news…

…or how Metal would, for that matter…

Metal just looked at the panther in disbelief...

...and tears began swelling in his eyes.

The very thought that something with such malicious intent... such a creature that could imbue others with Corruption... had overtaken his own daughter... it crushed his very spirit to think the thought.

No, it didn't just crush his spirit... it utterly demolished it. Never had he felt such a heavy sorrow sink down upon him... not since Jill had taken her own life just to save him from Callous...

"...my... d-daughter..." Uttering that, Metal closed his eyes to keep himself from just breaking into tears; all while his hands began glowing more intensely with Purity.

The panther grunted in pain, while black goo started to drip off from his feet and sizzle away.

"...she's... being possessed... and she's here...?" Metal kept uttering; clenching his hands tighter around the panther.

"...ah- Tear!" the mole sputtered. "What's he doing to ya?"

"…I…don't know…" the panther, Tear, answered his friend. Even more goo dripped from him, and he started changing back into what he was.

"...why... why did this have to happen...?" Metal uttered, as his head actually sank down; a few sobs escaping him as this thought just struck him repeatedly.

"…I…didn't know she was your daughter…" Tear uttered, finally reverting completely back to his original state while the last of the Corruption dripped and sizzled away from him.

"...no way..." the mole uttered.

"...where... where was she headed...?" Metal uttered. "...please... I... I need to see her..."

Instantly, the mole's eyes shot open. "...oh, _no._" he whispered in terror. "...we need to get out of here."

"Why?" Cal asked.

"...because..." the mole uttered, before he looked at the hole. "...chances are... she's coming right to where we are..."

Metal's eyes widened. "...what...?"

"...but this isn't any happy family reunion..." the mole continued, as he looked at Metal. "...she said she wanted revenge... I think she wants to _kill_ you, Metal Sonic..."

"…that entity wants revenge?" Cal uttered. "For what?"

"…she said something about wanting revenge for what Metal Sonic did to her parents…" Tear muttered faintly.

"…for what she did to…what are you talking about?" Cal uttered, but when he glanced at Tear, he had fainted right then and there.

Metal kept processing this... and then it suddenly hit him.

This Malice... an entity living inside of his daughter, Joy's head... who could use Corruption... somehow, he seemed to just figure it out from putting the pieces together.

"...dear god..." Metal uttered, as he let go of Tear. "...she's out for vengeance... because of what happened to Callous and Johnny..."

"...look, I don't know who those guys are, but we should get out of here." the mole uttered. "I can dig a way out of here; you should be able to run away from here before they-"

"Wait!" Quickly, Metal glanced at the mole. "The panther... he said that two others had been struck with Corruption!"

"...yeah?" the mole uttered.

"...then... where in the building are _they?_"

And suddenly, the alarms started going off in the facility, with flashing red lights and loud sirens.

"...there's your answer!" the mole sputtered.

"...shit." With a hiss, Metal shot a look towards Cal. "You have to hurry and get to the others, before things get too out of control." Then, he looked towards the mole. "You have to take me to my daughter."

"..I... y-yes!" the mole nodded.

Cal vanished from sight then.

* * *

><p>Back in the Commander's office…<p>

"Oh what _now_?" Boomer growled, looking up at the flashing red lights.

"...an intruder...?" the Commander uttered.

"...keke? Who could it be?" Ripper uttered.

"Something tells me that it's big." King growled, as he cracked his neck. "...I'll check it out." Quickly, he walked towards the door, and opened it up.

Hunter suddenly got a really bad feeling though…enough that his eyes widened at it…

"King, NO!" and he pushed his best friend out of the way of the door, right before something shot through and hit the wall behind the Commander.

It blasted a hole clear through the wall... but the only one who actually remained stoic at this was the Commander, who simply glared at the door. "...Patricia Novagod... and Barrage "Bulk" Waters."

"...aaw, you remembered my full name." Standing in the doorway were a male crocodile and a female bat; the former who shot the Commander a wicked grin. "I'm here to get some payback, bitch."

Just as all of the soldiers in the room went on the defensive, the Commander simply narrowed her eyes. "...there, Sergeant... there you can see what evil Corruption may produce."

The Sergeant gawked at the two entering the room.

"…so you know about Corruption…" the bat, Patricia, spoke. "…I suppose you wouldn't happen to know my uncle, would you?" and she raised her arms, making the shadows rise and attack the soldiers.

However, the shadows were met with a psychic barrier, courtesy of Sage. "...I don't think so!" she uttered; keeping the soldiers safe for the time being.

"...your uncle..." the Commander hummed. "...perhaps I do... and perhaps I don't. Tell me why a criminal like yourself should be privy to that manner of information?"

"…because a little bird told me that he created this power…or in this case, a little ewe girl…" Patricia spoke.

Boomer's eyes widened. "…what?"

Charmy grit his teeth. "…I really hoped that wasn't the case…"

"...the hell are you talking about?" King uttered.

Sage's eyes quickly widened. "...oh, no... you cannot be serious."

"...I think we've wasted enough time here." With a grunt, Bulk suddenly rushed up to the barrier, and began rapidly punching it with Corruption; rattling it with every slam against it.

Sage grit her teeth as she focused on holding the barrier up. "...shit... he's strong!"

Glaring at the two of them, the Commander closed her eyes. "...if you want me to talk, then you might as well forget it. I won't say a word to you, Novagod."

"…that's alright Commander…just knowing that you were hiding information from me is enough of a reason for payback, as well as locking me up," Patricia spoke, rushing to aid Bulk in beating down against the barrier. "Besides, it sounds like there are plenty others that know the same kind of information."

"...damn it... I can't keep the barrier up much longer!" Sage screamed.

The Commander simply narrowed her eyes, without looking too worried.

"Alright; just a bit more, and I get to rip you to shreds with this new power!" Bulk called, as the barrier was physically cracking up.

"...Sage..." At that point, Miser stepped forward; glaring at the two of them. "Release the barrier."

Shooting her a concerned look, Sage narrowed her eyes. "...if you say so." Then, while the two Corruption-imbued prisoners were reeling up for another punch, the barrier disappeared...

"YAAAAAHHH!" And Miser charged at the two of them with enough force to tear the walls behind them apart; knocking them away from the Commander's office.

Patricia was surprised by that…but not enough to not do anything in response; she lurched at Miser with her hand covered in Corruption. However, Miser grabbed her wrist and practically crushed it in her grip, before giving Patricia a solid headbutt.

"You fucking bitch!" Suddenly, Bulk lurched forward and snapped his powerful jaws around Miser's other arm.

With naught but a flinch, Miser proceeded to slam Bulk right into Patricia; knocking the two of them away from her.

"...we need to help her." King uttered. "She can't fight them off all on her own!"

"No, we need to get out of here!"

"Cal!" Boomer saw the monkey appear from thin air in the hall. "Just what the hell took your sweet time?" she grumbled.

"Really, _really _bad news!" Cal uttered. "But right now all of us are in danger! We HAVE to get out of here! This whole thing was planned!"

"Planned?" Newt sputtered. "By... by who?"

Sage narrowed her eyes. "...by that little certain ewe." she hissed. Instantly, she looked at Cal. "Calculate, where's Metal?"

"He went to look for her!" Cal uttered.

"...I thought so." With a hiss, Sage turned to look towards Miser; who was still fighting Patricia and Bulk off. "...some of us need to give Miser back-up. If Metal goes up against her alone..."

"...we'll continue the negotiations later." the Commander uttered. "Teams Alpha, Chaotix! Support the Safe Haven administrators in resolving the situation!"

"...yes, Commander." With a nod, Wiper looked at Charmy. "Shall we get started?"

"Yes, let's…" Charmy said with a serious look…

…and a powerful energy exploded out, powerful enough to push Miser back a bit. Patricia panted to catch her breath…clenching her hands.

The Sergeant just stared. He never saw a power like this…until he saw what Jill almost did to his men…and with some of the information that they just told him…he was still silent.

"...not bad..." Bulk uttered. "...you're getting better at it." Then, he slowly opened his mouth, with Corruption gathering in his mouth; swirling...

"...everyone, move out!" Quickly, Sage took the Commander and the Sergeant, while the others quickly ran out of the room...

"...DIE!" And with a mighty roar, Bulk shot out a powerful beam of Corruption; which Miser narrowly managed to duck under, before the office was utterly demolished by this strong attack.

"…damn…" Patricia actually smiled at that. "That's powerful…"

Cal stood there then, pulling out his katanas…

"…you guys are still amateurs at it…" he growled.

"And who are you to call us amateurs?" Patricia scoffed.

"…anyone can use it when they're infected…but it takes talent to be able to repress that kind of power inside you for years on end…"

And a dark glow appeared around his katanas, to Patricia's amazement. She only just now sensed the Corruption in him starting to stir.

"...oh, is that right?" Bulk hummed, before he cracked his neck; Corruption swelling around him in an aura. "...why don't you come and see who the stronger one is; The amateur or the guy with actual practice?"

Cal struck the two katanas together, creating a black flame around his blades. "Let's see then," he said, lunging after Bulk with a few swings of the sword. With a laugh, Bulk began evading the blades, and threw some punches at Cal. Cal was swift to avoid the punches, and he jabbed his katanas more at Bulk.

Patricia, in the meantime, headed toward the group while Cal was busy with Bulk; Corruption oozing out of her hands, "…it feels so…_natural…_for me…" she uttered.

"...must run in the family."

Before Patricia could get much closer, Natal suddenly drew her blade and pointed it at the bat. "...doesn't surprise me."

"...King, Hunter, Ripper, Queen, Boomer, Charmy, Newt, Rudy." Wiper hummed, as he glared at Patricia as well. "Take the Commander and Sergeant with you, and find Metal."

"...right." King uttered. "You all stay safe, here."

"Don't worry about us, King." Miser uttered, as she stood next to Natal whilst glaring at Patricia. "Now go."

"Be careful you guys!" Rudy called out, hopping away quickly.

"C'mon!" he said to the Sergeant, grabbing him and following Rudy.

As the others ran off, the Commander shot another look back at the scene, before she ran off.

Finally, one of Cal's blades struck Bulk... but it barely even scratched him. From what it seemed like, Corruption had considerably strengthened the crocodile's scales. "...that all you got?" With a hum, Bulk aimed a powerful kick at Cal.

Cal was pushed back by that kick, breathing. "…not at all…" and Corruption amassed around him, for him to charge at Bulk again.

"You are all a curious bunch…" Patricia spoke to Natal, Wiper and Miser. "…you knew all along about these powers…and even about my uncle…why is that?" Instead of waiting for their answer though, she threw her arms forward and shot out waves of Corruption at them.

Once more, though, a psychic barrier was formed in front of the waves. "None of your business." Sage uttered.

As the barrier quickly disappeared, Wiper shot forward to quickly jab his fingers into Patricia's body; hurriedly striking her pressure points before she'd be able to counter him.

When Cal charged, however, Bulk just grabbed the monkey, and grew a powerful iron grip whilst keeping him constrained. "...you're not half bad... but nothing special, really." Before Cal could stop him, Bulk grabbed hold of his tail, before he began slamming him against the walls like a flail.

While Patricia collapsed numbly to the ground, Cal grunted in pain every time he got slammed against the wall, and it didn't help that Bulk was holding him by his tail.

"...is this it?" Bulk laughed. "Is this all seven years gets ya, you little monkey?"

That made Cal mad…which gave him enough strength to stop himself on the next wall with his feet.

"Don't mock me…"

And he yanked his tail out, shooting off the wall to kick him in the face…which was basically a punch with his hand-like feet. The punch made Bulk stagger back a bit, but he still kept his cool; wiping his lips a bit.

"...then you'd better shut me up." With a grin, Bulk stomped the ground to send a Corruption shockwave right at Cal. Cal jumped over it, flipping with a couple more kick-punches to him. Bulk proceeded to block these punches, before trying to throw his own punches at the monkey. It became a series of blocks and punches between the two for a while…

Meanwhile, Patricia slowly started to twitch, gaining the ability to move… and she stood up from where she collapsed.

"...don't think you'll be able to stand for longer." Wiper uttered, as he narrowed his eyes. "I can easily strike your pressure points once more."

"...she's going down." Natal uttered.

"…I'm not going to be done for a long time…" Patricia said, moving her should around. "I've been cooped up in that jail cell for a long time…and I want my freedom!"

And she raised her hands, for the shadows to come out of the floor and surround them in terms of numbers to attack them.

However, before Wiper, Natal and Sage could be overwhelmed, Miser was quick to toss them over the walls of shadows, before shooting a glare at Patricia. "Come on, then! See how your shades fare against an immortal!"

Patricia held her hands closely together. "Okay then…"

The Corruption created a long chain with a gigantic spiked ball at the end of it, and she swung it around. "So I can't kill you…but I'm sure I can still make you feel pain!" and she swung the ball at them.

Without even skipping a beat, Miser caught the giant ball with just one hand; managing to stop it after skidding back a bit. "...I doubt it." she hissed, before suddenly reeling the ball towards her, so Patricia would be pulled towards her.

Patricia, being yanked toward her, decided to throw a kick on her way toward Miser.

Miser took that kick... without even flinching. With a yell, she quickly grabbed a hold of Patricia, before suddenly jamming her horns into her chest. Patricia gave out a yell at that…

Meanwhile, someone finally got hit in the frenzy of blocks and punches, and Cal stumbled back, with his glasses falling to the ground while he wiped his bloodied lips.

Smacking his own bloody lips together, Bulk cracked his neck. "...so, you want me to stop mocking you yet? Because you're not very good at convincing me to do so." Without missing a beat, Bulk quickly grabbed the floor underneath him, and tossed his arms up so that Corruption shot through the floor right towards Cal.

Cal was knocked against the wall with a pained grunt, and with that wave, it sent his glasses against the wall, shattering the glass in them.

Patricia pushed Miser away and looked down at her chest where a big bloody hole was where her horn stabbed her.

"...what's the matter...?" Miser grunted, as she wiped the blood off her face. "...it doesn't hurt, I take it."

"…no…it doesn't…"

Patricia looked down, watching the wound slowly shrink away. While she was secretly amazed by this, she wouldn't let that distract her, while looking back at Miser. She was starting to get the hang of this Corruption thing…

And she raised her arms, bringing out blades of darkness that extended out from them.

Cal could feel himself getting weaker, but he remained on his feet, glaring at Bulk.

"...look at you; you're pathetic." Bulk scoffed, as he slowly approached Cal with a smirk; gripping his throat. "...better that I end you right here, before anyone else sees how pitiful you look..." And he opened his mouth; Corruption oozing from his very breath and drool, as he seemed ready to just bite Cal's head off right then and there.

Cal turned away with a wince. "You need a breath mint…" he uttered.

"...you won't need to worry about that; because you'll be dead, soon." Bulk chuckled. "But I guess you should be happy... you won't get to see me killing everyone you hold dear in this goddamn building."

Cal clutched to the hand that held him up, trying to break free…but Bulk could tell that when he said that, it really started to bother him.

"...oh, am I touching a nerve?" Bulk chuckled. "...you know... I've heard quite a bit about you in Team Chaotix and Alpha... in fact, it was the bullfrog who threw me in the clink, before you showed your face around here." Then, he chuckled. "...maybe I won't kill her. Maybe I'd just... corrupt her? It could be interesting to see if she'd lose herself to darkness... or fully embrace it." Then, he grinned wider. "...you've had that thought too... haven't you?"

Cal's eyes widened, gritting his teeth. "…you keep her out of this…" he growled.

"...why? You want her for yourself?" Bulk chuckled, as his grip grew stronger. "...oh, I get it... you're an item, aren't you?" Then, he glanced at Natal, whose attention was on the battle between Patricia and Miser. "...she's certainly a catch... you sure you haven't thought about using Corruption on her? Because I'm tempted to do just that right now..."

Cal's heart started picking up the pace more rapidly…

"…you touch her and I'll make sure you die a slow, painful death…" he snarled, feeling the Corruption inside of him grow more unstable. He wanted to try and control it, he really did…but his growing anger made it harder and harder to do so.

"...oh, is that anger I hear?" Bulk chuckled. "...well, don't worry; I'll be sure to kill you before you can kill me... then I'll take care of your grieving girlfriend. _Very_ good care of her..."

Cal's heart built up…and then suddenly stopped altogether…

Cal's eyes flashed with rage. "RRRAAAAAAUGH!" and he kicked Bulk off with a tremendous amount of power, knocking him against the wall. The air was knocked out of Bulk, but he remained calm; simply glaring at Cal.

That, however, caught Natal's attention, as she turned to witness this. "...Cal...!" she gasped.

Cal heaved for his breath with a growl, feeling Corruption ooze off of him. "Now you made this _personal_!" he screamed at him, holding out his arm. The Corruption created a long scythe like blade longer than his arm, and he ran at Bulk to try and stab him with it.

With a growl, Bulk slammed his arm against this scythe blade; his scales just barely enough to keep it from digging into his flesh. Roaring, Bulk formed a smaller, dagger-like blade of Corruption from his palm, before he thrust it at Cal's gut. Cal snatched his wrist to stop him, clenching down with a grip while he tried to push the scythe blade against him more.

Sparks were literally shooting off Bulk's arm as he pushed against Cal's grip; still trying to even prod him with the blade.

Natal's eyes widened in fear, as she just looked at this whilst being frozen to the spot. "...Cal..."

Cal started to look more demented…he looked darker, and more intent on practically _murdering_ Bulk for what he said, holding the blade in his palm away from him while he continued to push against him; slowly beating him at it.

Bulk started hissing; a bit peeved that he was being outmatched... but still, he kept grinning. "...what's the matter? Go on... kill me." he began taunting; even retracting the dagger blade from his palm.

Cal didn't seem to hesitate, bringing out his other hand to create another blade. Bulk simply grinned; as if seeing Cal lose himself to the darkness was amusing to him.

"...Cal, STOP!" Suddenly, Natal leaped towards the two of them; slashing her sword against Bulk to knock him away...

And before Cal could stop himself, he ended up slashing at Natal…and reacting with a startled gasp afterwards. Natal's eyes widened, as the dark blade quickly pierced her flesh... and black goo began swelling around her wound.

"...well, now..." Bulk uttered, as he grinned. "...guess you got to corrupt her, after all..."

"NATAL!" Cal pulled away, making the blades from his arm vanish. Natal simply sunk to the floor; clutching the wound with a pained look.

Cal's scream had gotten the attention of Wiper, Sage and Miser; all of them looking towards the bullfrog with a startled look.

"...alright!" Before Miser could react, Bulk suddenly rushed to tackle her away from Patricia, before he looked at the bat. "...I think we've done our part. Let's get out of here."

"Right," Patricia grabbed him, and the two of them sunk beneath the floor in shadows, slithering away…

Cal rushed to Natal, holding her. "Natal! I'm so sorry!" he uttered in fright.

"...you... you were... going to lose yourself..." Natal uttered, as she looked at Cal with a pained smile. "...I... didn't want that to happen to you..."

"...shit!" Cursing, Sage glanced to the side. "...Cal, Wiper. Get Natal some place she can rest. Miser, come with me; we need to find Metal." With that, she rushed off; Miser quickly following her.

"No Natal, you…you shouldn't have…" Cal uttered fearfully. "…j-just hold on o-okay? We'll get help for you!" with that, he whisked her up into his arms. "C'mon Wiper!" he uttered, running off in a different direction. Wiper quickly ran after them.

* * *

><p>Malice wandered around the place trying to find Metal, now that the soldiers were taking care of the grunt work that she couldn't handle…<p>

She looked in a lot of rooms.

_Where the fuck is he?_ She wondered… This place was huge for a little girl like her, and if she had to take the time to look through every single room, it'll take forever…and take up time that she can't afford to lose.

Then, she stopped at one particular room.

There, she saw a blue, bloodied figure lying on the ground, with Rath standing over him and breathing heavily; blood dripping from his claws. "...stubborn bastard..." he uttered.

"…did'ja get 'im?" Malice asked, walking toward him.

"...yeah..." Rath uttered. "...he's not dead, though... I figured you'd want the honors."

Malice smirked. "…that was nice of you…" and she walked toward the blue, bloodied figure.

It was breathing, but didn't make an effort to move.

"…look at you…" Malice chuckled. "…didn't think you'd be brought down by me, would you? While Joy is tucked away deep in the recesses of my mind, I cause my mayhem…and there's nothing you could've done about it…"

She giggled devilishly. "I'll take you down…and then Jill…and then once I find out how to bring Johnny and Callous back to life, I'll show those morons what fun they're missing out on…"

"...is that so..." the figure coughed.

"Yeah…" Malice chuckled. "…my Mother may have given up on trying to fight her place, but I sure as hell won't…and Joy's too weak to stand up against me anyway…" she raised her hand to prepare for the final blow.

"...is that so..." the figure coughed again. "...is that so... is that so... is that so... is that so..."

Malice's hand fell back down, with wide eyes. "…what?"

"...is that so... is that so... is that so... is that so... is that so... is that-" And suddenly, the figure's speech became garbled and unintelligible.

"...so?"

At that point, a pair of arms, shining with Purity, suddenly grabbed hold of Malice and kept her from moving. Malice yelped.

"...tell me... what made you think that you would be able to have a lowly thug kill me...?" Metal's voice uttered hauntingly.

Malice grit her teeth. "…I guess I should've known better then!"

"...and what would make you think that I would ever allow you to lay a hand on Jill...?" Metal hissed, as his grip on her kept tightening. "...now... what do I need to do to get you out of my daughter's mind?"

"You think I'd tell you?" Malice growled.

"...of course not..." Then, more Purity surged through those hands. "...I will just have to try, until I find something that works."

Malice growled, and grunted in pain from that.

"...you don't react well with Purity..." Metal mused.

"Gee, you don't think?" Malice snarled…while an aura of Corruption built up around her.

"...uh..." Quickly, Rath began stepping away from this.

"...tsch..." To counteract this aura, Metal formed an aura of Purity around himself. And Malice worked to intensify her own aura, fighting back Metal.

The two auras were practically melding together; though Metal showed no sign of weakening against Malice's efforts. Malice looked like she was trying harder and harder in refusal to submit to it. Likewise, Metal was intent on not giving up in wake of this; his aura growing stronger, and yet... soothing, as well.

Just then, a few tears trickled down Malice's face then. "…hm…?" and she was surprised by it.

"D…Daddy…" uttered a weak, hurt voice from her mouth, while her eyes turned green.

Hearing that voice, Metal's eyes shot open. "...Joy..."

More and more tears flowed from her eyes, clutching to Metal's arms. "…Daddy…" she uttered shakily, while the aura of Corruption slowly started to fade.

"...Joy..." Metal uttered, as he felt himself start crying a bit as well. "...don't worry... I'm here... I'm going to help you..."

"…D-Daddy…" Joy started sobbing a bit. "…Daddy…you have to stay away…you have to stay away or you'll get hurt…"

"...Joy... I... I can't let you get hurt..." Metal uttered. "...I want to help you..."

Joy let out a few more sobs. "…Daddy…you gotta stay away…"

Suddenly, the child spun around in his arms, with those icy blue eyes flashing at him, and she took her arm, aiming a jab right for Metal's gut. "AAAGUH!"

Metal's eyes widened, and he took the punch; enough to send him skidding away from her. Gritting his teeth, he looked back at her. The girl wiped her eyes and huffed angrily, glaring at Metal.

"It's not fair…" Malice growled, clenching her fists.

"...what...?" Metal uttered.

"…she gets two parents…and even if she lost her real dad, she still got another one…" Malice growled…and the angrier she got, the more Corruption emitted from her. "…and everyone makes such a _fucking _deal about her…"

Narrowing his eyes, Purity began swelling from Metal's body as well. "...you're... jealous...?" he uttered.

"…jealous…angry…frustrated…and I hate _all _of you!" Malice growled.

"...just a child, speaking like that..." Metal uttered...

...when he noticed something being tossed at him; making him reach out to catch it. "...hm?"

"Use that!" Rath called to him. "I've heard the stories... you can use Chaos Control! Freeze her in time!"

Metal looked at what Rath had tossed at him... and blinked in surprise to see that it was a green Chaos Emerald. _...a... fake one?_

Malice smirked when she saw that. "Well…"

And the shadows jumped out of the ground, yanking that emerald out of Metal's grasp to bring it to Malice.

Both Metal and Rath reeled back when they saw that. "...no!"

"Maybe I can put this thing to good use!" Malice chuckled. When she gripped the Chaos Emerald, it started to glow…and a large mass of Corruption exploded out of her. "Whoa! It's got power!" she laughed.

"Gah!" Rath sputtered. "Oh... oh no!"

"...tsch..." Metal hissed, as he narrowed his eyes. A Chaos Emerald in the hands of someone of her caliber, even a fake one, could be catastrophic...

Laughing even more, the Chaos Emerald grew brighter for Malice. From her massive aura, many waves of Corruption and Chaos Energy shot at the hedgehog.

Hissing, Metal quickly created a barrier of Unity, which barely managed to hold against that powerful assault. "...damn..."

Malice kept up her attacks, cackling.

Metal kept defending himself as best he could. "...JOY!" he called. "If you can hear me... then please, try and fight back!"

Just then, the emerald shattered in Malice's hands. "…huh?" she uttered, while her aura died out. "…a fake one?" she tossed the remaining pieces away.

Then her eyes peered over, and noticed some containment units…over where Rath was. "…so, they made a bunch of fake ones…" she muttered. The shadows lurched at them, grabbing a few, and Malice was granted another one.

She smirked at Metal. "At this rate, I'll beat you down to a bloody pulp!"

Looking back at her, Rath hissed... "...two can play at that game." Quickly, he grabbed some and tossed them towards Metal, who caught them as well.

"...if you intend to fight... then let's do so." Metal uttered, as he glared at Malice.

Malice raised her hand with the emerald…and then stopped.

"…hm…?"

And her eyes turned green, falling back against the wall, holding her pounding heart…more tears came out of her sorrowful eyes again. "…you gotta stay away from me Daddy…" Joy wept, clenching the glowing fake emerald. "…I gotta make sure Malice can't hurt you or Mama…"

"...Joy?" Metal uttered. "...wait... wait, Joy, don't!"

Joy winced, looking like she was really struggling. Shakily, she held up the emerald. There was only one thing she could do, if she wanted to take herself away from Metal.

"…Ch-Chaos Control!"

And the emerald flashed blindingly.

"NOO!" Metal yelled, as he shielded his eyes from the blinding flash.

Joy let out another sob. "I love you Daddy!"

When the flash was gone, so was Joy. Just like that, out of thin air…she was gone. Looking back at that, Metal's eyes widened...

…and then he sank to his knees, before punching the ground; remaining silent in spite of his anger.

"...METAL!" At that point, King managed to burst into that very room, followed by the others very shortly. "...Metal...?" Metal remained unresponsive, as his eyes were sealed shut.

Charmy stood there, looking around at the evidence. Fake emeralds…a distraught Metal on the ground…

"…we missed her…" Charmy assumed.

"...damn..." Queen uttered, as she glanced to the side.

Slowly, the Commander approached Metal, and knelt by him. "...Metal..."

"...I... I have to get out of here..." Metal uttered. "...I have to find her... I have to stop her..."

"…stop…who?" The Sergeant uttered.

Charmy glared at him. "…the same girl who planned this thing from the get go, which just so happens to be his daughter possessed by an evil entity…"

The Sergeant's eyes widened at that.

"...Metal..." King uttered, as he knelt by the hedgehog as well. "...we'll help you out."

"...thanks..." Metal murmured, without looking up. "...but... I-"

"None of that." At that point, Queen grabbed Metal to hoist him on his feet. "...we're in this together. If it's to bring Joy back home safely... we will aid in any way we can."

"Yeah Metal," Hunter said. "We'll say the same thing to you that we've said to Jill once…you don't have to be alone on this anymore."

Metal looked at them all... and eventually nodded. "...alright..."

"...keeping the fact that Metal's left the premised to the press is going to be tough," the Commander noted, as she rubbed her head. "...especially with this kind of attack on the premises..."

"...Metal!"

At that point, Sage and Miser stopped outside of the door. "...you need to come, quickly." Sage uttered. "Natal... Natal's been hit with Corruption."

Everyone suddenly looked at the two of them with a startled look, but Metal more than anyone else. "...son of a-!" Quickly, he ran out of the room. The group didn't question it, and followed him.

* * *

><p>"…j-just…stay awake…okay?" Cal uttered.<p>

Natal was currently in the infirmary, where she was placed in one of the beds to slowly recuperate; breathing calmly whilst looking at Cal.

"...don't worry... you'll be fine..." Wiper assured her.

Cal just cursed himself in his mind for making such a stupid mistake… they trained GUN soldiers so that their personal feelings wouldn't get in the way of work and cloud their judgment…and because of that rookie move, Natal got hurt…possibly in a fatal way…

…he probably shouldn't have allowed himself to use Corruption in the first place…

"...Cal..." Wiper uttered, as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "...don't worry..."

At that point, Metal entered the infirmary, with Sage and Miser close after him.

Cal looked up quickly. "M-Metal! You're here!"

Metal simply nodded, before he walked over to Natal. "...where did you...?"

Natal simply hissed, before she looked at Metal. "...did... did you find Joy...?"

Metal narrowed his eyes, before looking to the side regretfully.

"…she ran off…" Charmy entered into the room, looking down at Natal with a serious look.

"...I see..." Natal nodded, as she closed her eyes.

"...don't worry; I'll get rid of this for you." Metal uttered, as his hand began glowing with Purity. "Rest easy, now; this won't-"

"No." Natal suddenly said.

Cal shot a look of horror at Natal. "What?"

"...getting Joy back... is really important." Natal uttered. "...you can't waste even a second." Then, she looked at Metal with a slight smile. "...don't worry... Wiper lasted quite a while when he was hit by Corruption... I can last just as long as he can."

"...Natal..." Wiper uttered.

"...don't worry about me; just find Joy..." Natal said.

One could see a few tears roll down Cal's face. "…don't do that you idiot…" he uttered under his breath. "…you don't need to give yourself up like that…"

Natal looked at Cal with a smile. "...don't worry... I'm not going to give in that easily..." she said encouragingly. "...with you by my side... I can overcome anything..."

Metal narrowed his eyes.

"…Natal…" Cal's head fell, clutching to her hand while some more tears dropped to the ground. "…don't do this…"

"...I'll be fine..." Natal assured him. "...relax..."

"...Natal..." Wiper uttered, as he narrowed his eyes. "...don't you dare fall to it."

"...I won't, Wiper." she said with a nod.

Cal grit his teeth, tightening his hand around Natal's. "…as much as I don't want to admit it…Natal's right…" he uttered. "…you can't waste any time if Joy's on the run…or she gets enough of an advantage and we'll never catch her…"

"...I see..." Metal nodded. "...then we should hurry and move out..."

As the others gathered around the infirmary, the Commander pulled the Sergeant to the side; her eyes narrowed.

The Sergeant looked back at her obediently, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"...as said before, the press will not be privy to this information, Sergeant." the Commander spoke. "...I would also like you to be silent about Metal Sonic heading out; after all, we are talking about an entity who may rival Deity Novagod stuck within his daughter... he's the best bet we have against that sort of force." Then, she glanced to the side. "...and..."

The Sergeant remained silent to allow her to continue.

"...I want the majority of our personnel moved to a different base."

The Sergeant nodded. "…yes sir."

The Commander blinked. "...huh." she uttered. "...I... was kind of expecting you to question my command."

"…after what happened today sir…I saw my own past haunting Metal Sonic…and realizing that I brought this into the base, as well as just learning that confidential information…" The Sergeant looked away. "…I have no right for questioning."

"...hm..." the Commander hummed, as she closed her eyes. "...you are a good man." she said. "Your heart was in the right place; given that you didn't know the things I did..." Then, she looked at the Sergeant. "...just... make sure that a select few are left here to watch over Natal."

"…yes Sir," the Sergeant said.

* * *

><p>Jill was just sitting there, on her couch… five times now, the soldiers had to keep drugging her to put her out, every time she had another episode of hysteria. She sat there quietly now, staring wide eyed down at the ground in desperation, still trying to process all of the information…<p>

…she was done with all of this…it should've ended with Deity Novagod dying for good…

…but no…it just came back…it came back, and got worse…

…_Are you ready to talk about it now?_ A voice asked in her head.

Jill didn't respond…she just stared down at the ground lifelessly.

…_I'll take it as a no…_ sighed Callous in her head. _…hey, what's it gonna take for you to respond, huh?_

No answer from Jill.

…_geez, you're turning into a worse mental basket case than Diablo… _Callous grumbled. _…I sure as hell wish Johnny was here…but he went after your little friends when they left off the island._

Jill sure wished that Metal was here…and Joy…but no, both of them were missing and Jill was left all alone again…King's group was gone…so was her friends from the Clubhouse…she was…

…all…alone…

Jill's heart sped up at that thought and she started hyperventilating again.

_Oh god no! Don't have another one of your panic attacks_, Callous groaned. _They aren't doing you any favors!_

Jill clutched to her head, trying to keep calm. She felt tears well up in her eyes…and she tried to breathe more slowly, but it was growing steadily out of control for her.

_For fuck's sake Jill; calm down!_ Callous practically screamed in her head.

_"...Jill."_

Jill's heart stopped, and she froze for a moment…

…then quickly, she shot up to her feet. "M-Metal?"

_Oh! A coherent word! Progress!_ Callous sang in sarcasm, although to be perfectly honest, she was relieved.

_"...sort of..."_

At that point, someone fluttered over in front of Jill; looking at her seriously.

_"...Jill... are you alright...?"_ Metal's voice was coming from Tails Doll's body.

Jill stared at him. "…Metal…" and gently took Tails Doll into her hands.

_"...I was reminded that I could speak through Tails Doll to communicate with you..." _Metal uttered. _"...it's so good to hear your voice..."_

Tears rolled down from her eyes, and she hugged the plushie. "…I'm alright…physically…" she uttered, trying to hold back from crying. "…but…but I've been…worried sick…"

_"...I understand..."_ Metal uttered. _"...it's about Joy... isn't it...?"_

Jill shuddered, and let out a sob or two. "...she's…not here…we tried looking everywhere for her, and I…I just…couldn't control myself…without you or Joy being here…I haven't been able to..." she couldn't figure out to explain it to Metal; all she knew was that she was very hurt from the bottom of her heart.

_"...Jill... Joy was here."_

Jill's eyes widened, and she looked at the doll. "…what…?"

_"...Joy... she had snuck aboard and followed us to GUN..."_ Metal uttered. _"...she... no... no, not her... Malice was her name..."_

Jill gawked at the doll, holding it shakily.

_"...I... I'm sorry... but..."_ Metal uttered. _"...Joy... she has her own version of Callous stuck in her... and she wants revenge, for what happened to Callous and Johnny..." _She could hear his voice cracking a bit. _"...Joy managed to break free a little... but out of fear for Malice trying to hurt me... she fled..."_

Silence.

…_that's what I wanted to try and tell you,_ spoke Callous in Jill's head. _...except the fleeing part…but I could pretty much assume that would happen…_

…Jill couldn't hold back anymore…even more tears poured from her eyes, and she clutched to the plushie again. "…no…"

_"...I'm so sorry, Jill..." _Metal uttered; sobbing a bit as well. _"...we... we're going to find her. Me, King, the admins, Chaotix, Alpha... we're all going to scour the entire world, if need be, just to find her..."_

Right then and there, Jill broke down crying her heart out, falling to her knees on the ground while she still clutched to the doll. She endured a lot of tragedy in her life… most of it bad things done to her, which, after a long time, she built up the strength to last against it. Losing Brick was also very tragic for her…losing someone she loved so much so quickly and painfully…and being separated from Metal, leaving him to fight Deity and take on some of the burden gnawed at her heart for years…

…Now tragedy targeted her daughter…and she didn't know how much more she could take of all this.

_"...Jill... please, remain strong..." _Metal uttered whilst sobbing as well. _"...we will bring her back... nothing like this is ever going to happen again... please, just don't lose hope..."_

"…I miss you Metal…!" Jill wept. "…I don't know how much longer I can hold on without you or Joy…!"

_"...please, Jill... we will return... just... please, stay strong..."_ Metal uttered.

Jill still sobbed, but wiped her tears. "…I'll try…" she uttered. "…just…be careful…and bring her back home…safely…" she wanted to stop crying, but she had no control over herself.

_"...I will..." _Metal uttered. _"...I love you, Jill... and I miss you..."_

"I love you too Metal…with all my heart…" Jill wept.

_"...no matter what... I will come back with Joy, Jill..."_

That filled Jill up with some hope, it really did…but at the moment, she was still trying to comprehend the whole thing…and she just couldn't stop her sobs.

* * *

><p>"Sure has been a long time since you had a bath, hasn't it Diablo?" Vanessa spoke, taking a brush to scrub his back. Both Vanessa and Kiri were in the bathroom, giving Diablo a long deserved bath. The others were starting to smell him…but not as much as Vanessa, who could smell him much longer than the others could. She had a tolerant nose but boy…that smell would've driven her crazy eventually…<p>

The group stopped by Tails workshop in the Mystic Ruins to rest for the evening…and…to tell Tails and Whisker about all that's happened on Safe Haven. It wasn't easy, that's for sure…but Milo was able to fill in any of the blanks with what he knew from his personal encounter with Malice.

After that, they let Tails process the news while everyone else rested a bit…and now Vanessa and Kiri were cleaning up Diablo, who was growing very content sitting in the warm water. He even seemed like a quiet little kid, marveling at all the bubbles in the tub.

"...huh... how ironic..." Kiri hummed, as she kept scrubbing Diablo's back. "...usually, I'd have expected my own big brother to bathe me... not the other way around..."

"Well, you'll have to take care of your big brother for a while, until he gets better Kiri," Vanessa told her. "And it's a big responsibility to take care of someone. It's like being their parent…"

"...a parent..." Kiri hummed, as she looked quite thoughtful. "...I hope I can be a good parent... even though I'm just ten years old..."

Vanessa chuckled. "Don't worry so much about it. You'll have a lot of help here to help take care of Diablo until he gets better enough to be able to take care of himself…and then take care of you."

"...that's a lot of caretaking..." Kiri hummed. After that, she looked at Vanessa. "...say, Vanessa? I was wondering... do you think Jack would be a good parent?"

"That's hard to say," Vanessa said. "Jack's grown a lot since I last saw him, but he still seems like a little kid…and from what I hear, he didn't enjoy finding out where babies came from..."

"...true..." Kiri nodded, as she looked thoughtful again. "...I wonder if he'll ever get more comfortable when it comes to that factoid..."

"Only time will tell," Vanessa said.

"...right..." Kiri nodded. "...and time's also going to tell if big brother's gonna recover quickly, or slowly." As she said that, she resumed scrubbing his back. "...after this, we'll get you something to eat, and then it's off to bed, okay, big brother?"

Diablo nodded. "Alright…"

Vanessa chuckled, while she put shampoo in his hair. "At least he doesn't fuss like a kid."

Meanwhile, in the living room, Oblivion came up to Tails. "…Professor…are you alright?"

Tails simply sat on his chair in thought; looking out of the window without saying a single word.

Oblivion arched her brows, in worry…and then saw an empty tea cup beside him. "…would you like me to get you some more tea?" she asked.

Tails simply sighed. "...I suppose..."

Oblivion picked up the cup, "alright," and turned to go get him some more.

In the meantime, Tails simply sighed. Learning that Joy had something so malicious as that being within her... it was simply unheard of... and yet, it already had consequences; with Metal being taken in by GUN, Raider perishing, Safe Haven being placed under lockdown...

_...all of these problems... all stemming from you, Dark Gaia..._ he thought in disdain. _...a pity that you cannot do much about it, Chip..._

Oblivion returned with his tea, setting it down on the table next to him.

"...thank you, Oblivion..." Tails hummed, as he took the cup and sipped a bit of it. "...hm..."

"…what are you thinking about?" she asked.

"...the situation at hand, mostly." Tails murmured.

"…right…" and Oblivion looked away. "…I'm sure it's a lot to take in…"

"...indeed..." Tails nodded. "...though, the past seven years by themselves have been a lot to take in to begin with..."

"…that's true," Oblivion said, looking out the window.

"...I can only hope that things will get better from here on out..." Tails murmured. "...but knowing our luck..."

"…yes…our luck, as of late, hasn't been the best," Oblivion remarked.

_"...don't lose hope. We're going to do our best."_

Hearing that voice, Tails shot a look towards the doorway, where Whisker was standing silently. "...Metal...?"

_"...good thing that Whisker happened to be around; I figured I could tell you that I'm alright, Tails."_ the pirate robot uttered in Metal's voice.

Oblivion looked at the robot in amazement… then again, she shouldn't be so surprised.

"...you're... alright?" Tails uttered.

_"Me, along with King and others, have been given permission by the Commander to hurry off to locate Joy... hopefully, before Malice gets to use her body for her own machinations."_ Metal continued. _"...I do wish we could come by and visit, but... we can't waste even a moment. At the very least... I wanted you all to know that I'm safe."_

Oblivion nodded. "…thank you…it eases our minds…"

_"...don't mention it..."_ Metal hummed.

"...well... allow us to wish you the best of luck, Metal." Tails shot in.

_"...thank you."_ Metal replied with a slight nod.

"…and be very careful," Oblivion bid.__

* * *

><p><em><em>**_This is gonna be a loooooong series...me thinks..._**


	11. Chapter 10

GUN had been very quiet about moving their forces out of the base; but the Commander, having had a different base been destroyed thanks to the power of Corruption before, was adamant in her decision. With her refusing treatment, Natal the Bullfrog was currently a hazard to those around her, due to the wound of Corruption she currently bore.

Still, a few select forces had remained, just to keep things going; but it was the bare minimum, to say the least. Surprisingly, the Sergeant had volunteered to stay behind with those few forces; leaving a few to keep up communications, and a few to keep Natal's condition stable...

...then there was Cal.

He wouldn't leave Natal's side, no matter what the soldiers advised him to do…and besides, he was already infected with Corruption, so Natal was no harm to him whatsoever…he still felt guilty about that dirty trick that Bulk pulled, tricking him into hurting Natal…he was furious at the crocodile, but more so, he still cursed himself for falling for such a rookie mistake…

…he was really worried about her; there was no telling what the Corruption could do to her. It could either spread and infect her like it did him…or cause a very painful death…for Wiper, it would've killed him if Jill didn't heal the wound when it acted up…he still didn't know how that worked, but either way, it didn't mean good things for Natal…

He stayed up so late with those worries…until eventually it was just him and Natal in the room, and Cal dozed off in defeat.

What must have been hours later, still in the thick of the night... he'd hear a pained whimper.

It jolted him awake.

"Hm?" he blinked quickly.

As his gaze fell on the bed, he saw that Natal was tossing and turning in her bed; writhing in sheer agony, whimpering and moaning.

"N-Natal!" frantically, Cal rushed to her.

As he got closer, he saw that her wound was acting up; black goo frothing around it, and slowly spreading across her.

"Oh no!" Cal uttered.

He knew he couldn't heal it… but he could try to keep it from acting up at least.

He put it hand on it. "Stop it," he growled at the black goo. "Stop hurting her!"

However, it was as if the goo was actively ignoring Cal, as it kept spreading; with Natal's whimpers growing even louder.

Cal grit his teeth. "I said STOP IT!" he yelled at it.

Then he turned his head to the door. "Help! Someone HELP HER!" he screamed.

However, before he could say another word, a hand suddenly shot at his mouth to silence him.

Natal's hand.

"Mph?" was Cal's response.

While she was still asleep and whimpering, Natal _was_ actively gripping his mouth; preventing him from speaking. All the while, the Corruption kept spreading across her body.

"Mph!" Cal tried to pull off her hand.

However, Natal's grip was powerful; preventing him from moving her hand away.

Then, as if that wasn't enough, her mouth opened enough so that her tongue could lash around Cal; knocking him on top of her.

"MPH?" Cal's eyes widened at that. Natal's arms slowly wrapped around Cal, and she kept moaning in pain.

If that wasn't enough, some of the black goop dripped from Natal's wound onto the floor... and the bed the two of them were lying on was slowly sinking into darkness that the goop that spilled onto the floor.

"MMMMPH!" Cal tried to struggle out of his hold; this got from bad to worse. However, still, Natal wasn't able to budge; as if she was actively keeping him pinned.

Not that it mattered, because in a matter of moments, the bed, along with Cal and Natal, had sunk below into darkness; surrounding the two of them in a black void.

The only thing left to do now was to try and pull her hand off his mouth again.

This time, he managed to do that, but the second he did that, Natal's eyes shot open, and she let out a loud scream...

...and the Corruption, in what must have been an instant, completely covered her entire body.

"NATAL!" Cal screamed out in terror, clawing at the goo to try and get it off of her. Sadly, his efforts were futile; for each little scrape of goo he managed to claw off, likely double that amount instantly covered it.

Eventually, though, Natal stirred, before collapsing fully; breathing heavily as the goo slowly stopped; being absorbed into her. In some ways, Cal was glad that the go wasn't going to kill her, but he was also terrified because now she had absorbed it all and was now infected with Corruption.

"Natal!" he took her shoulders and tried to shake her. "Natal! Please! Talk to me!"

Still, there was no reply...

...then... "...Cal..."

When the goo had been fully absorbed into her, Cal saw that her body had changed. She had grown longer and more slender, with her eyes having grown slimmer, her chest having noticeably grown, and her outfit changed into a much more revealing one.

Cal gawked at her. "…N…Natal…?" he croaked.

"...Cal..." Slowly, Natal rose up into a sitting position; inches away from Cal. "...what happened...?"

"…the Corruption in your wound…you got consumed by it," Cal uttered, still shocked at her transformation.

"...did it...?" Natal hummed, as she hummed. "...strange... I always thought it would hurt more..."

"…N-Natal, you're okay, right?" Cal asked worriedly, holding her by her shoulders.

"...yes..." Natal nodded. "...in fact... I feel better than ever..."

"…Natal…" Cal was still worried…and in a way, when Natal said she felt better than ever, it bothered him…

"...I didn't know that... it would feel this good..." Slowly, Natal wrapped her arms around Cal. "...doesn't it feel good for you, Cal...?"

"N-Natal, no!" Cal tried to push her away. "If you let yourself enjoy it, then it'll start consuming you even more!"

"...but... it feels so good..." Natal uttered, as she began crawling seductively towards Cal.

Cal shuddered, both out of fear…and out of arousal…his heart thudded against his chest hotly when he watched Natal crawl to him like that… "N-Natal, don't…"

"...what's wrong...?" Natal uttered, as she pushed Cal down against the bed; pressing her hands against his chest. "...don't you like this...?"

"…y-you can't…l-l-let yourself go to it…" although Cal was having trouble speaking right now, breaking into a nervous, hot sweat, breathing.

"...but... I _want_ to let myself go..." Natal uttered, as she slowly leaned down to him.

"…Natal…" Cal uttered, putting his hand on her chest to push her away…only to discover to his embarrassment that he was groping one of her breasts. He gulped.

Moaning a bit, Natal actually smiled. "...so you do like me..." she whispered. "...good... now... let's both let ourselves go."

"…N..Natal…we shouldn't…" Cal knew he was slowly losing this battle of resistance.

"...please... fall into darkness with me..."

At that point, Natal thrust her lips onto Cal's. Cal laid there nervously with her lips against his, trembling. Stroking his cheek, Natal deepened the kiss. Cal's breath and heart rate sped up, and his hand slowly touched her back. With a light shiver, Natal stroked her hand along Cal's chest. Cal trembled in delight at her touch…ever since he touched her back, he knew he lost, but he lost entirely once he started kissing her back. Placing a hand on his cheek, Natal deepened the kiss even more; moaning a bit.

Cal wrapped his arms around Natal, stroking the parts of her where her skin was revealed. With another moan, Natal allowed her tongue to enter Cal's mouth. Cal twitched at that… he always felt goose bumps when he felt her elongated tongue in his mouth. It kept curling around his tongue, as she caressed his body; moving her hands lower down on him. Cal moaned very unsteadily.

* * *

><p><em><strong>*More Censored Content*<strong>_

* * *

><p>"…It's certainly interesting what Corruption can do…"<p>

"...you said it; especially when it happens between two individuals like themselves." Situated atop a cliff over the GUN base, Bulk and Patricia were looking down at the headquarters, with Bulk having formed a window of Corruption in front of him. "...the two of them won't be getting in anyone's way ever again, that's for sure." he chuckled.

"…which leaves the base open to be taken over," Patricia added.

"Like it wasn't, already." Bulk chuckled. "I just figured twisting the knife in the wound some more would be amusing." Then, he glanced back at Patricia. "Nice work on enhancing the growth of Corruption around the bullfrog, by the way."

"…I appreciate the comment," Patricia answered. "…it was simply experimenting to see how far she could be driven over…and it seems like it did the job nicely."

She looked at her hands. "…it really _is _an interesting energy…"

"...it certainly is." Bulk chuckled. "Makes you wonder what else you could do with it, right?"

"…yes, it does," Patricia said, looking down at the base they were standing on top of.

"...well, since you had your fun with the two chumps..." Bulk hummed, as he slammed his hands together. "...I'll take the lead with this attack." Then, as he stretched his arms out widely, a thick, dark fog began enveloping the base.

Patricia simply watched with a hum.

Slowly, this fog began seeping towards the building itself, until it slowly dissipated; as if it never even was there to begin with...

...and then, the earth underneath it shook.

Patricia just kept watching curiously.

In that instant, a dark geyser erupted underneath the building; utterly consuming it in what could only be described as a tower of Corruption.

"…impressive," Patricia hummed again.

"...it gets better." With a chuckle, Bulk clenched his hands...

...and the geyser stopped with a violent quake; expanding rapidly into a massive fortress built from pure Corruption; dark, noxious fumes billowing from its top, and liquid darkness dripping off its walls into a moat filled with black goo.

Patricia raised her eyebrows.

"...a shame that most of the forces decided to bail; I'd love to see how this massive Corruption increase would've affected them." Bulk chuckled, before he glanced at Patricia. "Shall we pay them a visit?"

Patricia glanced back. "…why not? Lead the way…"

With a chuckle, Bulk leaped right off the cliff they stood on; landing in front of the fort's new entrance. "...now... open up, and let's see how the place looks on the inside..." he hummed, before tossing his arms to the side.

The doors flew open at that…

Inside, there was a dark red carpet on the ground, while the walls were made with a black kind of metal. There were torches lined up on the walls, burning with a black corrupted flame that somehow, lit up the place.

Patricia flew down next to him, folding her arms. "…it seems to like the medieval gothic look," she mused.

"...yeah..." Bulk hummed with a chuckle. "...shame that Rath and the others couldn't see this; I heard they ran off after things went sour with Metal Sonic."

Lined up against the walls, which seemed to have been formed from pure Corruption, were dark suits of armor clutching to various melee weapons. It was as if Bulk and Patricia had actually entered some medieval castle.

…_Uncle sure was particular about his sense of style…_ Patricia thought, looking around.

"...now... are there any soldiers who survived or didn't get corrupted around here?" Bulk chuckled, as he slowly walked forward.

Patricia followed him…

…they walked a little bit into the base before they found someone strapped to the wall. It turned out to be the Sergeant, and it was as if a tree grew from the ground because it's faded, dead branches were what pinned him against the wall, burrowing into the wall to keep him there.

"…well look at that," Patricia said.

"...someone who isn't dead." Bulk chuckled, as he approached the Sergeant with a sneer. "...so, how're you doing, Sergeant?"

The Sergeant glared at him with a hardened look.

"…not good I take it," Patricia remarked dryly.

"…you're not getting away with this…" the Sergeant growled.

"...oh, but we already have." Bulk chuckled. "The few soldiers you have here are probably either dead or slaves to Corruption... the way I see it, you're all on your own."

"And with the way you are, you're not really going to be able to call for back up," Patricia added.

The Sergeant grit his teeth, clenching his fists.

"...I suppose if you had some operatives that were skilled in stealth, you'd have a slight chance... but no; they're occupied at the moment." Bulk chuckled.

The Sergeant's eyes widened.

"Yeah, we got to them both before you could stop us," Patricia said. "So now they're spending quality time together in the darkness…"

"...if it makes you feel better, we could show you how they're doing." Bulk chuckled. "Or maybe you'd like to experience what they're feeling first-hand?"

The Sergeant snarled at them. "Just what the hell do you want with me?"

"…yeah, we could kill you right here and now," Patricia started. "…but we're keeping you alive in case you have important information that can be of any use to us. Seeing as how that little brat ran off on us, I'd still like to know just what my Uncle Deity's been up to since he _supposedly _died…but I doubt you'd know something like that."

The Sergeant fell silent.

…and judging by that silence, Patricia took another look at him. "…you _do_ know, don't you?"

He remained silent, staring her straight in her demonic yellow eyes.

"...well... let's see if he'll talk." Bulk chuckled, before he folded his arms. "I reckon we'll use some serious force for this, right?"

"Certainly…but, my curiosity about my Uncle can wait," Patricia said. "You're a high ranking officer in GUN, so any military information is important…for instance…You wouldn't happen to know where the Commander is, would you?"

"I won't tell you anything…" the Sergeant growled. "…no matter how much you'll torture me…"

"Oh, but I don't think you have a very good idea about what Corruption feels like," Patricia said.

Chuckling, Bulk allowed some darkness to coat his fist. "...you want the honors, or should I?"

"You go on ahead," Patricia said.

Sergeant stared at that fist… after seeing what they were able to do earlier, not to mention what Jill did to his men the previous day…

...he couldn't help but be nervous…but being in the military, the Sergeant hid it well.

Smirking, Bulk reeled his fist back, before slamming it right into the Sergeant's gut. The Sergeant's eyes widened…

…and he cried out in agony. He could take a regular punch…but that one really hurt; burned even.

"...sounds like he enjoys it." Bulk sneered sarcastically, before he punched the Sergeant again. The Sergeant cringed, yelping pathetically again. He had no idea it would hurt so much.

"...I figure you'll start flapping your gums soon enough." Bulk chuckled, as he simply kept pummeling the Sergeant.

The Sergeant screamed out each time he was hit by Bulk, but he tried as best as he could to hold up.

"…Guess that doesn't change the fact you have a strong will, does it?" Patricia spoke.

Bulk hummed, as he eventually stopped punching the Sergeant. "...you know... something tells me that simply punching him won't do." At that point, he grabbed the Sergeant's skull; keeping a powerful grip on it as Corruption still flowed around his hand. "...we'll have to mix it up, to get you to talk."

The halls echoed with the Sergeants pained screams.

"...heh; he's not getting used to this any time soon." Bulk chuckled. "Say, Patricia, you wanna take a shot at this?"

"Sure," Patricia said, and right when she raised her hand.

"OKAY! OKAY!" The Sergeant screamed out. "I'LL TALK!"

"…well, that didn't take long," Patricia said.

"...feh." With a disappointed huff, Bulk let go of the Sergeant. "...alright; talk, then."

"…I won't tell you where the Commander is…" the Sergeant huffed. "…but I can indulge you about Deity Novagod….as a compromise…"

Bulk raised an eyebrow at that, before he glanced at Patricia to see what she thought of that.

"…I'll bite for now," Patricia said. "…but you won't be able to use that kind of deal forever…"

"...alright." With that, Bulk turned back to the Sergeant. "Now speak up."

"…He cheated death…"

Patricia raised her eyebrow. "Go on…"

"…when Dark Gaia was loose, years ago…one of his monsters tried to possess him," the Sergeant started. "…something happened…and your uncle was able to repress the beast inside of him, gaining powers…that's how Corruption was born… and since then, he's been immortal."

"...really, now?" Bulk hummed.

"…he was even the one…who killed Sonic the Hedgehog…"

Patricia's eyes widened at that.

"...so, he was the one...?" Bulk uttered.

The Sergeant nodded in defeat.

"…well what do you know…a Novagod killed the famous Sonic the Hedgehog…" Patricia couldn't help but smirk. "…can't wait to tell my family that one-!"

"—You will not tell your family ANYTHING!" the Sergeant roared. "This is all confidential information of the military!"

"...not anymore, it ain't." Bulk huffed, as he simply glared at the Sergeant. "Especially since you gave up that information to keep us from hurting you."

The Sergeant tried to hide a pained look at that, but failed from the torture he just took.

"...so, now what, Patricia?" Bulk hummed, as he shot the bat a look. "Do we keep pressing him for info, or what?"

"…we'll leave him alone for now," Patricia said. "…although I do get more curious, since that little girl knew all about him…"

"…I wouldn't be surprised…" the Sergeant spoke. "…her mother was involved with him."

Patricia tilted her head curiously. "And just who would her mother be?"

"…a woman named Jillian Condit."

* * *

><p>"...so, where are we headed, again?"<p>

"A party someone's having at their place," May replied, leading Hex along down the streets of the city that night.

"...a party?" Hex uttered in a slightly concerned tone. "...don't tell me... is it one of those parties?"

"Not that I know of," May replied with a shrug. "..but seriously Hex, you went from crazed sex maniac to "oh my god" afraid of it, and even with the things to told me, you just need to lighten up a bit…you're still young, and can still party a bit before you hit your expiration date."

"Hey, hey now!" Hex quickly protested. "I never said I was afraid of it!" Then, she glanced to the side with slight blush. "...I'm just afraid of falling back into that sex-crazed loop again. I don't know what could set it off, so..."

"Well, at least try and relax and have fun," May said.

"...right, right, I'll try..." Hex nodded.

May looked onto the road, where cars were lined up closely packed. "Sure glad we're walking…hate to be in that traffic," she remarked.

"...tell me about it..." Hex hummed as she looked at that manner of traffic.

While walking, they ended up passing a long limousine. In the middle of passing by it, the window rolled down. "You do can see right? How far does the traffic go on?"

May took a glance. "…pretty far," she said, and then looked at the one in the limo. "That's why we're walking."

The bat in the limo folded her arms with a grunt. "…I took hours to get ready for this party and I can't believe I'm going to be late because of the damn traffic."

Hex glanced at her with a tilted head. "...you're going to a party as well?"

The bat turned out to be Desire, and she looked back out at them. "Yes, that's right…the one at the Jenkins manor."

May blinked. "…really? That's where we're going too!"

Desire blinked and gave a…_very _friendly smile. "You don't say?"

For some reason, Hex felt a sense of deja vu upon seeing that sort of smile. "...yeah." she nodded.

Desire looked up and down at them. "Well, you certainly aren't dressed very much for the occasion."

May shrugged. "What can I say? Clothes don't really make you have fun at a party…"

"…true, I suppose," Desire hummed. "…say, how would you two like to hitch a ride with me in the limo?"

Hex blinked. "...a ride?" she uttered, before glancing up along the road. "...well... wouldn't that make us all late for the party, considering the traffic?"

"Perhaps…but to be fashionably late is better than walking up to the party with a…lack of entrance I should say," Desire chuckled. "You show up in my limo, and you'll be instant popularity at the party…"

Hex blinked, as she glanced at May to see what she thought of this.

May started to think about it, and in the midst of her thought, she glanced around.

…then she stopped.

Joy was limping down the street, and unfortunately most of the citizens around her paid the poor, injured girl no heed, walking around her busily. Her tear stained face simply stared down at the ground sorrowfully while she limped on, with arms wrapped around herself to try and keep warm. Ever since she warped away from the GUN base, she had been running, all up until she got to this city. She had no idea where she was, but it was enough as long as she was far away from Metal…

More tears rolled down her sad face and she wiped them away, trying to be strong.

May saw her though… and she tilted her head.

"…Hex…doesn't that little girl look familiar?" she pointed out finally.

Hex blinked, as she glanced to where May pointed... and her eyes widened. "...oh my god... Joy!"

Hearing her name, Joy stopped with a startled jump and looked around fearfully. Then her eyes found May and Hex ahead of her in shock.

"…THAT'S Joy?" May uttered.

"...there's no way I'd mistake her." Quickly, Hex walked towards Joy with a concerned look. "Joy, what in the world happened to you?"

Joy just stared up at her. Sure, she was surprised to see Hex, since she hadn't seen her in two years…but she just couldn't bring herself to say anything.

Hex stopped in front of Joy, and knelt by her. "...oh, you look terrible..." she uttered, before looking around. "...why are you all alone here?"

That brought out a few more tears out of Joy, and she bit her lip, letting her head hang while she tried to wipe away her tears.

Desire stuck her head out of the window, glancing at Hex and Joy with a dry look. "…is this going to take long?" Desire murmured.

May rushed to Joy too. "Joy, what's wrong?"

Joy didn't answer, sniffling. She was trying hard to hold back.

"...Joy..." Hex uttered... and then she sighed. "...oh... this won't do." Then, she looked at May. "...I'm sorry... I can't leave her all alone like this. You go to the party if you want, May; I'll take her back to our place."

May looked at Hex.

"…no, I don't wanna go to a party without you; wouldn't be fair," May said. "I'll come back home with you two."

Desire sighed, and rolled back up her window while her limo pulled up farther in the moving traffic.

Hex nodded a bit at that, before she stood up. "...alright... let's go..."

Nodding back, May looked at Joy. "…how about it Joy? You hungry?"

Joy managed to wipe away the rest of her tears, and nod quietly.

"Okay…we'll take you to our house, so don't worry about anything, okay?" May said, holding out her hand.

Joy just looked at it.

She was still afraid of what Malice could do to other people…and so she didn't want to be with anybody she knew…but her Mama taught her not to go with strangers, and there was nobody else that could offer her any food or a warm bed to sleep on.

So she took May's hand.

Hex nodded, before she began walking. "...it's not too far from here. I'm sure that Fae and Koopman are still at home..."

So they walked the whole way back home, May holding Joy's hand. After a few hours, they were finally back at their mansion, and May walked in through the front door.

She stopped when she heard something… it sounded like… giggling. Knowing her sister to be the giggly type, "Fae?" she called out, turning on the light.

Then her eyes widened.

"EEEP!" Two figures pushed away from each other; Fae being one of them, getting off from the wall and straightening herself. "M-May! Hex! I didn't expect the two of you to be back so soon!"

The other was Koopman, and he looked away from them uneasily.

Hex just blinked at this. "...gah... Koopman...?"

"…were you two just…" May was shocked by this. She pointed at them. "…were you two just…making out?"

"No!" Fae said quickly in embarrassment.

"...you... you were..." Hex uttered, before she looked at Koopman. "...you were just making out, weren't you?"

Koopman said nothing.

May couldn't get over the shock…she even got mad. "Alright, just what's the big idea here?" she said, setting her hands on her hips.

"M-May, please don't get mad!" Fae pleaded.

Hex looked at May in slight surprise; she hadn't expected her to get mad.

"Oh really?" May started. "I shouldn't be mad that my sis is off smooching some guy behind my back? Just how long has this been going on exactly?"

Fae twiddled her thumbs and spoke in a small voice, "…for…maybe three months?"

"_Three months?_" May blurted out in more shock.

"...three months?" Hex blinked, as she looked at Koopman. "...really?"

Koopman cleared his throat. "…yes Madame…it's true."

"Fae, how am I supposed to make sure you don't get yourself into trouble if you go off doing things when I don't know about it?" May started off.

"But May, I'm not getting into trouble! Mordecai is a really nice guy!" Fae protested.

And thus, the two sisters started bickering…

Joy stepped behind Hex a bit timidly, watching them. Koopman noticed her standing there, and he stopped with widened eyes. Hex simply rubbed her neck, as she looked at Koopman.

"Well…I'll talk to you about this later!" May said, finishing their bickering. "The reason we came back early is because we're gonna have someone spend the night."

"Hm?" And Fae finally noticed Joy.

"…Oh you are so _adorable_!" Fae giggled, pinching Joy's cheek.

Joy just winced nervously at that.

Hex simply chuckled a bit nervously. "...she needs some food. Do you think you could fix her something, Koopman?"

Koopman bowed his head. "Yes Madame," and walked off toward the kitchen.

"And you look cold you poor thing!" Fae continued. "I'm going to get you a nice, soft sweater!" and she headed off as well.

Joy just rubbed the cheek she had been pinching.

Hex just looked at Joy with a smile. "...you get used to it." she said in an assuring tone.

Joy looked up at Hex. "…was this where you went when you left Safe Haven?" she asked her.

"...well... yeah." Hex nodded, as she glanced to the side. "...I didn't have anywhere else to go, at first... and, to be honest, I was kinda afraid that I'd get turned down when I came to ask to live here..."

Joy looked at the living room. "…it was really nice of them to let you live here…"

"…you don't remember us Joy, probably because you were too little, but me and my sis were at Safe Haven one year," May said, "so we already knew Hex. Guess that's one of the reasons we decided to let her stay with us until she could pick herself back up on her feet…"

Then she frowned. "…but it's been two years since then…"

Hex just sighed, as she glanced to the side a bit awkwardly.

Joy looked back up at Hex. She certainly seemed a lot different now…Joy knew that she probably changed after all that happened to her two years ago, but it was a bit to get used to…considering the way she used to be.

_Geez, even if she was living in a mansion, she was dirt poor all along? _Malice spoke in Joy's head.

Apparently so…

"...I'll go wash up. You go and get yourself some food, Joy." And Hex walked off.

Joy watched Hex walk off. She still wasn't very comfortable being around people she knew with Malice inside of her…but at the moment there was really nothing else she could do about it.

"Here you are!" Next thing Joy knew, something was thrown on top of her, and Joy was momentarily disoriented until her head came out of a hole. There was a white fuzzy sweater on her now, which was too big on her and hung below her knees.

"Awwwww!" Fae giggled. "You look even cuter now!" Then she took Joy's hand. "How about some TV, huh little missy? You can watch some while you wait for Mordecai to finish making you some food!"

May shook her head at the way her sister acted. She's still frustrated that she had been hiding that kind of development between her and Koopman from them, but in the end her sister was amusing to watch.

Although Hex walked off pretty suddenly…so May went down where Hex disappeared to, making sure there wasn't anything wrong. As she quickly noticed, Hex had walked into her own room; not noticing anyone else following her at the moment. May stopped by the door to peek in and check on her.

Right now, she was just sitting on her bed and staring at the wall thoughtfully. "...hrm..."

May knocked on the door, tilting it open. "Something wrong?"

Hex glanced back at May, before looking back at the wall. "...I guess... I'm a bit bummed out..." she murmured.

"About?"

"...well... a few things." Hex sighed. "...like... I know that you've wanted to go to this party for some time, now, and I ended up botching those plans... and, well... Joy being here rekindled some bad memories..."

"Hey, don't worry about the party; there's always gonna be more," May said. "…but…I guess I can understand Joy bringing back some not so happy memories…"

"...right..." Hex sighed, as she rubbed her hands together. "...just the thought of what I did back then... honestly, I was afraid that I'd never be able to move on from that..."

May hummed. "…things like that just take time…"

"...but I went through something really horrific..." Hex murmured, before she lied down on the bed. "...and now I just can't stop thinking about it..."

May honestly didn't know what to tell Hex at that point. She didn't experience anything like what Hex told her and her sister this morning.

Holding her arm in an insecure manner, Hex glanced at May. "...hey... thanks for letting me stay here..." she said. "...I know you must've heard that countless times by now, but... just thinking about it makes me that much more grateful for it..."

"No problem," May said. "…and…I may joke about how you overstay your welcome and you need to get a job and all that stuff…but in reality I'm glad to help."

Hex smiled a bit. "...I just wish I could repay you somehow... I mean, Koopman's the one who does all the chores, so... I'd like to at least pay you back in some way..."

May shrugged. "I don't really think of that kind of stuff, and I don't really ask for anything in return…you don't have to worry about that."

"...still, though..." Hex slowly stood up, as she looked at May. "...there must be something. I may not have money, but I can do other things, too..."

May grew curious. "What other things?"

"...oh, you know... whatever strikes your fancy..." Hex glanced to the side as she fidgeted.

May blinked.

"…oh…Oh!" May finally caught her drift. "That!"

Hex quickly blushed at that. "...um..."

May blinked at her in astonishment. "…after everything you went through, you'd still offer that?"

Hex rubbed her arm. "...well... if it's alright with you..." Then, she looked at May. "...I'd be willing to do just that..."

May arched her brows. "I don't want to ask that from you…I mean, I don't want to put you through those bad memories…"

"...well..." Hex uttered, as she glanced down at the ground. "...I do have one good memory from back then... when I first met you..."

"…really?" May stared at Hex.

Hex simply nodded. May looked at her for a long time. While it was nice, and even quite a bit generous for Hex to offer herself like that, May wasn't really the type of person to ask for that. Sure, she explored a lot of things when she partied, and she remembered how crazy it was when she met Hex at Safe Haven, but when it came down to it, May just wasn't sure what to say. Hex simply looked back at her.

May walked up to her. "I just don't know Hex," she said.

"...well..." Hex began. "...obviously, we don't need to do it right now..." Then, she glanced at the ceiling. "...it's just... you know... something to consider for a later date..."

"…I still don't think you'd have to pay me back that way," May said. She put a hand on Hex's shoulder. "I don't want to ask so much of you like that."

Hex placed a hand on the hand that now rested on her shoulder. "...well... what other way could I repay you?"

"…I'm not sure, but if you really insist on paying me back, we could think of something," May replied.

"...right..." Hex uttered, as she glanced back at May's hand.

May couldn't help but look at her thoughtfully… she didn't know what else Hex could do to be honest…and despite what she told Hex about the party, she was still going to go wild. It really wouldn't mean anything different anyway…

…without really thinking about it, she moved toward Hex's neck.

Hex blinked. "...May?"

…and she kissed it softly. Hex gasped a little in surprise, though she didn't do anything to stop May. May started kissing her neck more and more, not really thinking. Closing her eyes, Hex kept gasping softly, as she slowly wrapped her arms around May. May touched her ribs, kissing her neck…

…and finally, a thought crossed her mind.

_I just admitted that I was a lesbian, didn't I?_ And she mentally sighed. _Oh well…I mind as well have been one anyway…_

* * *

><p><strong>This<strong>__

* * *

><p>"...mmh..." With a slight hum, Hex carefully began touching May's ribs as well. May liked that touch… and her hands slowly moved up to her chest. Hex gasped a bit more, though more in a pleased manner than anything else. May grasped one of Hex's breasts, feeling her, and even through the dress, she could feel Hex's nipple harden.<p>

A tiny moan escaped Hex's lips; to the point where one of her hands moved to grasp one of May's breasts in return. May gasped a little at that, and started getting into it…

…only for the door to suddenly swing open. "Hex! May! You have to some see—oh my…"

May jumped away from Hex. "Fae?"

Her sister stood there, blinking.

"F-Fae..." Hex uttered, as she looked away with a flustered look.

Fae then smirked at May. "…and you get mad at me for making out with Mordecai."

"What do you want?" May grumbled irritably.

Fae lost her smirk. "You two have to come see! There's a newsflash on the TV updating Metal's story!"

Instantly, Hex looked back at Fae. "...seriously?" Quickly, she ran out of the room, to head for the living room. So did May and Fae.

They saw a horrified Joy sitting on the couch, staring at the TV.

_"...a shocking development! We have received news that the GUN Headquarters has been engulfed in... some unidentified, black mass... and has been transformed into a massive fortress!"_ And at that exact point, footage of the transformed base was shown on the television.

Hex instantly reeled back at seeing that horrific display. "...C-C-Co... Corruption..." she whispered fearfully.

Tears appeared in Joy's eyes and they rolled down her cheeks. "…Daddy…" she uttered in distraught.

_"While our news reporters are incapable of approaching the fortress due to the foreign, likely hazardous nature of the substance, we have received reports that the majority of the forces stationed here have moved to a smaller base. The recently captured Metal Sonic is currently the prime suspect of this henious action; however, so far, no conclusive evidence can certainly point to this fact."_

Joy got up from where she sat. "My Daddy's NOT the bad guy!" she yelled sorrowfully. "He didn't do that!"

May and Fae looked at Joy.

Hex looked at the television with a narrowed look. "...there's no way he'd ever do something like that..." she uttered. "...but... who else would...?"

Just hearing that struck Joy hard. She knew who did it. Malice…

…bursting into tears, she ran out of the living room.

"Joy?" May uttered.

Hex looked back at Joy in shock, but also understanding; after all, her father was being accused of doing something unspeakably evil... but right now, there wasn't really a whole lot that they could do about it...

"…Fae, see if you can talk to Joy and calm her down," May said, and getting a nod from Fae, her sister rushed off where Joy ran to.

Hex couldn't help but sigh, as she leaned a hand against the wall.

"…poor girl," May mumbled. "…I wonder what she's doing by herself all the way out here…"

"...my thoughts exactly..." Hex murmured. "...Metal being caught by GUN, Jill nowhere in sight... none of her friends around, either..." Then, she rubbed her temples. "...how _did_ she get all the way out here by herself, anyway...?"

"…that's a long way for a little girl like her…" May murmured. "…I think there's more going on than anyone's letting on…"

"...should we ask her about it?" Hex hummed.

May looked down where Joy ran. "…she seems pretty overwhelmed about the whole thing…I think we should cut her some slack. At least until the morning…maybe then we could ask her a few questions when she's calmed down."

"...yeah, I was thinking the same thing..." Hex nodded.

* * *

><p>"…no way…" Striker croaked, staring at the TV.<p>

Ani grit her teeth. "…things just got from bad to worse…"

"...you can't be serious..." Jack uttered; gawking at this with wide eyes.

"...apparently, they are." Proxy hummed with a narrow look.

Tails simply kept silent, as he looked at the TV with a frown.

Vanessa stared at this with a hardened look… "…so…it begins."

_**"...the race is on, it would seem."**_ Omega hummed.

_"...arr... things be goin' badly at this rate..."_ Whisker hummed.

"…I'm just glad that Metal and King and the others weren't in the building when it happened," Milo said, after listening to the news. "…but because of this report, everyone's going to treat them like fugitives…"

"…that's not going to be good for them, no…" Vanessa murmured. "…and just like I thought…I think Safe Haven's going to be under lockdown for a long time after this…"

"…_I hope everyone on Safe Haven will be alright…_" Snap muttered.

Jack glanced down at the floor with a worried look.

"...currently, there's not a lot we can do about it..." Proxy murmured. "...the only thing we can do, for now, is to keep looking for Joy..."

Milo looked at his friends. "…Striker, Ani, Jack…" the three of them he said looked at him. "…I think we need to stop by the Clubhouse and make sure we'll have everything we need."

"...right..." Jack nodded.

_**"...we will be waiting here for you."**_ Omega hummed. _**"Take your time."**_

Snap stepped up. "…_I'll come with you…_"

Milo nodded, and the five of them went outside the front door.

Vanessa leaned against the wall with a tired sigh. Right now, Diablo and Kiri were asleep, which was good, because the two of them were the ones that needed rest the most. She wondered just how far the situation was going to escalate…

_"...should we tell Oblivion 'n Charon about this?"_ Whisker hummed, as he glanced at the others.

"…yeah…but not at the moment," Vanessa said. "We'll wait until the boys and Ani get back…"

"...yes... that seems logical..." Tails nodded.

* * *

><p>"…wow…gosh it's been so long since I was back here…" Ani spoke, looking up at the towering tree house before them.<p>

"...it's really been a while, hasn't it?" Jack hummed, as he began walking towards the elevator. "We've kept your room ready for you, and everything."

"Wow. Really?" Ani asked.

"Yeah, c'mon! We'll show you!" Striker pulled her into the elevator, followed by Jack, Milo and Snap.

"Okay; going up!" Jack was quick to start the elevator up; letting it go upwards.

They stood in the elevator, waiting for it to head up. Ani just couldn't help but feel some nostalgia…it felt so long ago when she was running around playing tag and hide and seek with these boys…now that she was older and working at a pub at a warrior nation, she realized how much she really changed.

The elevator doors opened to the familiar hallway. Nothing changed about this place…everything was still where Ani remembered it to be.

The boys came out of the elevator, with her walking out last, still staring at the place.

"...looks pretty good, huh?" Jack hummed with a light chuckle.

"…yeah…" Ani walked in farther.

The boys led her around the tree house, and she only got many more memories out of it. "We let Kiri sleep in Jill's room, since, y'know, she probably won't really use it anymore," Striker told Ani. "But we still leave your room the way it is in case you ever come back for a sleep over or something."

And they opened the door to her room.

Sure enough, it had remained the exact same way as she left it. The only thing that was missing was her stuffed wolf, Cocoa, which was all the way back in her room at Safe Haven. In some ways, she really wished she had Cocoa with her right now; the room, despite having all her old stuff, seemed so empty without Cocoa.

"...see? Everything's here." Jack hummed with a grin.

Ani smiled at that.

"You guys feel free to hang here a bit," Milo said. "Me and Snap will see what kind of things we'll need," and the two of them walked off, leaving Jack, Striker and Ani in her room.

With a smile, Jack sat down, as he looked around. "...man, this brings back memories..."

"…gosh…I miss the old days," Ani spoke, sitting on her old bed. "…we weren't worried about anything back then…it'd just be you guys, and Jill and Brick and we'd all play together and we'd laugh when Brick got embarrassed around Jill…"

Striker laughed, "Haha…yeah…"

"...yeah..." Jack laughed as well.

Ani felt something trickle down her cheeks in surprise. She reached to touch what it was…finding out that they were tears.

Striker blinked. "…Ani?"

"I'm not crying!" Ani turned around and wiped her eyes, wondering where it came from.

Jack blinked. "...you okay, Ani?"

"Like I said, I'm not crying!" Ani uttered, wiping her eyes. She had no idea where the tears were coming from…

…until she took a minute to think, and realized well…all that was happening right now…it was a really tragic thing. Ani realized that it was finally starting to sink in on her…

"...Ani?" Jack uttered again.

"…guys…what happened to all of us?"

Striker's eyes widened when he saw Ani getting upset.

"I mean, what happened to the days where we'd stick together and be friends forever and not have to worry about anything bad?" Ani uttered, trying not to break down but she was pretty near to it. "And now…everything's going wrong!"

"...Ani..." Jack uttered.

Ani kept going, "I mean, Brick's gone, Jill's got a whole new life and never has much time for all of us, I'm so busy at the pub that I hardly get to come back here and visit you guys, and now that Malice has gone and messed everything up, King and my dad are out there somewhere to help Metal look for Joy and Jill's stuck at Safe Haven, not able to do anything and…and…!"

And right then and there, Ani broke down in sobs.

Jack couldn't say anything, as he just looked at Ani with a sad look. Striker looked at Ani with the same kind of sad look…maybe feeling even sadder that Ani was upset.

"…Ani, don't cry…" he muttered, sitting next to her. "Everything's going to be okay…"

But Ani didn't stop; she couldn't.

"...Ani... you don't have to be sad all on your own..." Jack uttered, as he kept looking at her and Striker.

Ani still didn't stop after that…so to try and get her to feel better, Striker hugged her. Ani hugged him back, burying her face in his shoulder. Jack, wanting to cheer Ani up a bit as well, moved to hug the both of them.

Milo came back around, and seeing this sight, he remained silent. Snap was handling things and Milo had come to check on them…to find that Ani was bawling her eyes out while being hugged by both Striker and Jack.

…he could sense a lot of sadness in their spirits.

While silent, Jack patted both Striker's and Ani's backs, to try and cheer them up. Milo's brows arched…he was older and understood more than his two buddies so he and Ani were on terms with maturity…but when a situation like this happened, he was always the one that held together the best…mainly because he would find out about these things ahead of time and know how to react and what to do when the situation did happen…like with the events going on right now…

...still…it was hard on him to see all his friends seem so sad…and it might seem like a silly idea for Milo to do so…but he came over and hugged all of them too.

Still, no one said a single word; as they kept hugging each other in silence.

Ani, feeling all her old friends hugging her around her, started to calm down a bit. While she said that she didn't feel like they were all still together anymore…she couldn't help but feel comforted when the three of them were right there around her. It gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling.

"Ani…even if were spread apart, you know that we'll still be friends forever," Striker said, trying to smile. "…and a lot of bad things have happened for a while…but that still won't change anything about the four of us."

"...we're still gonna be the best of friends..." Jack hummed.

"…and no matter what happens, we can still be there for each other," Milo added.

Ani wiped her eyes, and that managed to get a smile out of her. Jack smiled as well; just seeing her cheer up made him cheer up a bit as well.

"…so don't worry Ani," Striker said, smiling more genuinely when he saw her smile. "…we're gonna go meet up with Metal and King's group so you can see your dad again, and we'll all work together to look for Joy…so we can make sure stuff like this won't happen anymore."

Milo wasn't really sure how true that could be. Everyone was pretty sure that none of this would happen again after Deity Novagod was gone for good, but they were proven wrong… there would always be a chance that something like this could happen again…

…but it's not like he was going to say that out loud and spoil trying to cheer Ani up.

"Right..." Jack nodded.

"…well…" Ani wiped her eyes entirely now. "…let's get everything we need then."

Milo nodded. "Snap and I collected a few things, so you guys have to look to see what you need."

"...alright; I'll go check in my room." Jack hummed. "You guys check your own rooms, alright?"

"Right," Striker said with a nod.

"C'mon Jack; I'll help you out!" Ani said, dashing out of the room.

"Alright!" Laughing, Jack ran after her.

Striker and Milo were left alone in the room. Milo looked over at Striker, who just looked out the door where Ani went. He took a glance at Striker's spirit…and stirred in a particular way that interested Milo.

"…Striker…do you still like Ani?"

Striker started blushing and quickly looked at Milo. "Wh-what?"

"You heard me," Milo replied.

Striker looked away with a sour look. "…no…girls have cooties…"

Milo rolled his eyes with a groan.

"…Striker…you're seventeen years old…"

Striker looked at Milo.

"…Jack may have an excuse to act like a kid because of how Vanessa raised him," Milo said. "…but…you don't. You have your mature moments, but for the most part, you still act like a kid… I mean, on Jill's birthday, you still freaked out when Joy asked where babies came from."

"Because I didn't want to know about that stuff!" Striker yelped.

"No, you asked the question in the first place; I would remember," Milo said. "…but what I mean to say, Striker, is that you're old enough that you gotta start acting your age… you shouldn't freak out about stuff like where babies come from; it's the natural part of life so that all of us can continue to live on and survive."

Striker looked away uneasily.

"…and it all eventually will have to do with the feelings that you have for Ani," Milo said.

Striker gave him a shocked look. "…are you saying that I'd… want to do those kinds of things…with _Ani_?"

"Not right now, I'm sure," Milo said. "…hell, can you imagine how mad Hunter would be if you and Ani ever did stuff like that?" Then he put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "…I'm just saying that as we grow, we'll change our opinions on things. Right now it seems awkward…but if you just stop acting so immature about it, it can turn into something good."

"…I…don't understand what you mean, Milo…" Striker muttered, sweating nervously a bit.

Milo sighed; Striker still had quite the short attention span. "…just, talk to Ani about these things; It's really a kind of subject meant for just you and her only…"

"…so…you're not telling me that I should do that stuff with Ani, right?" Striker asked nervously.

Milo huffed. "…I don't know Striker. You have to establish your guys feelings for each other first and discuss whether or not either of you want to do that stuff…"

Striker started panicking almost. "Well, wh-what if Ani ends up wanting to do that kind of stuff?"

Milo grumbled. "Striker, Ani's a tomboy. She's not the kind to want to get into that stuff…" At least not as far as Milo knew.

Striker breathed in relief.

"Look, we can talk about this later," Milo said. "Just go get your things…"

"Right!" And Striker was out of the room.

Milo pinched his brow tiredly.

_...never thought that he'd have girl problems, _a certain voice chuckled.

…_hey…it's better than trying to talk to Jack about that stuff…_ Milo thought.

_It should be easier, now that big sis is around to keep him from freaking out whenever you try explaining how babies are made._

_...I'm not sure Vanessa is the best for that, especially after what I've heard on how she got Jack…_ Milo thought nervously. _…besides, who's the one that's using his nephew's body for those things? Huh?_

_Oh, relax; with things as they are, it's not like I can do more of those things. the voice huffed. ...though... to imagine that Jack was that kind of kid... honestly, I didn't think that'd ever be the case with her._

Milo sighed. _…I'm getting too exhausted to talk about all these things…_

_...sheesh, sounds like you need to get a girlfriend, too._

"WHAT?" Milo yelped out in total surprise.

_Yep; you _really_ need a girlfriend._ Johnny hummed. _Fuck, you just need to get laid, period._

_Who are YOU to tell me something like that?_ The mere suggestion of that made Milo blush wildly.

_Someone who can tell you that getting a girlfriend would help you a lot with dealing with situations like this._

Milo just got a sour look; similar to the one that Striker had earlier. _I'm ignoring you at this point,_ he thought, walking out of Ani's room.

_Good luck with that; I'm not going anywhere._

* * *

><p>"…there we go." Fae placed a nice, warm blanket over Joy, who was now fast asleep on the couch. "…she's still so cute," she cooed silently.<p>

"...mhm..." Hex nodded, as she simply looked at Joy.

Then Fae sighed while she sat down. "…I hope May doesn't take too long in the shower…I need one too," she moaned.

"...right..." Hex hummed, as she looked up at the ceiling.

"…bathroom's free!" called a voice from the hall.

Fae jumped to her feet happily. "Yes!" and dashed into the hall toward the open bathroom.

Hex simply chuckled, as she began walking off towards her own room. With the night soon to come, and with everything that had been going on, she figured it was time to call it a day...

"…whoops!" and someone ended up bumping into her. "Sorry about that Hex!"

"Ah..." Hex uttered, as she looked at May. "Oh, don't worry about it, May."

"Yeah, I had a towel over my head," she said, pulling the towel off from drying her head.

"...I see." Hex hummed, before she chuckled. "...so, where are you headed?"

"…probably to bed; it's pretty late after all…" May muttered with a shrug. "Although I think I'll stay up a bit longer…"

"...yeah; me too..." Hex hummed, as she rubbed her neck.

"You don't mind if I stayed up and chat with you, do you?" May asked. "Since I'm not going to bed right away…"

"...oh, of course I don't mind." Hex hummed.

"Okay," May replied.

The two of them ended up heading off in Hex's room, May sighing when she sat, and then looked out the window. "…this is crazy."

"...it certainly is..." Hex nodded in agreement.

"…I'm still trying to get over everything you told me this morning," May muttered. "…and then Joy shows up…"

"...if it isn't one thing, it's the other..." Hex murmured.

May still stared out the window. "…is being possessed by Corruption…really that scary?"

Hex looked away. "...it is..." she nodded. "...it's... I don't even know how to describe it..."

May was silent after that.

Hex simply rubbed her hands together. "...just the thought of... having that stuff seep into your mind... it makes you think that you enjoy it, when... when you're actually in constant misery..."

"…really?" May asked, actually looking back at her this time.

Hex nodded. "...only when I was being cleansed did I realize... I was being tortured by that dark magic... if I hadn't been saved, it could have done horrible things to me..."

May looked at the ground.

Hex shuddered. "...if it had kept eating at me... I... I don't even..." She grit her teeth; not exactly wanting to remember more of that.

Seeing her distressed like that, May stood up and set a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you don't have to think about that anymore," she said.

Hex slowly looked up at May.

"…it just sounds… pretty bad and I don't want to have to make you think about those things again," May said, taking her hand of Hex's shoulder.

At that point, Hex hugged May. "...thank you..."

May was surprised that Hex hugged her. "…you're welcome," she finally said, hugging her back.

Hex simply kept hugging her in silence. May hugged back, not entirely sure how long the hug would last.

"...May..." Without breaking from the hug, Hex slowly began stroking May's arm. That sent a few goose bumps up May's arm and down her spine. She had a feeling where this might be going…

* * *

><p><em><strong>And I'm sure the ready does too, so lets be kind and censor all that<strong>_

* * *

><p><em>There I was…running away from those monsters again. We were in the same broken city with nobody else but me…and those monsters too, but I didn't want them to be there.<em>

_I didn't want to run away anymore…but I didn't know what else to do. If Malice caught me again, then she'll take over me again and start hurting Hex and the other people…_

"_Come out come out wherever you are!" cackled her voice in the skies._

_This was not a hide and seek game I liked…I was still scared, and I felt really sad for everything that was happening… I felt even more sad when Daddy was trying to help me, and I had to run away to protect him… I wish I didn't have to run away, but I have to… Malice was really strong, and the only way I can stop her is to keep her from taking over me. _

_I ran into a building that was still standing so I could hide. Behind the wall, I looked around, still scared. Some of the monsters that were chasing after me ran past the building, going away and leaving me alone… other monsters stayed around, trying to look for me._

_So I tried to keep quiet so hard that I covered my mouth._

_I wished a lot of things…I wished that Tails Doll would scare them away, or that Daddy or Mama would fight them away… I wished I didn't have to run away, and I wished that Malice didn't want to hurt my Mama and Daddy…I wished that I was strong enough to fight her and tell her to leave everybody alone..._

"_Boo."_

_I screamed and turned around, falling on my back. There was Malice again, laughing at me in a mean way because she had scared me. "Nowhere to run this time!" she told me, giving me a scary, evil smile._

_That's when I remembered a trick that Daddy told me if I had a bad dream, and he said that it doesn't work all the time, but sometimes it does. He said that I have to pinch myself._

_So I did._

Joy let out a pained whimper, jolting awake. Then she sat up from where she was sleeping on the couch in a dark, quiet, empty living room. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, to make sure she was awake…

…and she realized that pinching herself worked…her arm hurt from where she pinched herself in the dream, and she rubbed it sorely. In the end though, it worked…and Malice didn't catch her.

She got down from the couch… Joy didn't know if she should even stay here anymore…she was so scared that Malice could take over her still and hurt them that she felt like she had to get out of here. She walked down the hall deeper into the apartment…

…and at Hex's door, she heard some noises…Joy actually stopped to listen to them. It sounded like…two people in there, moaning and doing…something. Joy couldn't tell what, but she heard movement on a mattress.

Joy heard snickering in her head.

_Hey Joy…do you want to know what they're doing in there?_

Just then, Joy started hearing them moan louder and breathe harder. It started to scare her…

…_what?_ Joy asked back, shuddering.

Malice chuckled. _Are you _suuuuure _you want to know? Your 'Mama' didn't really want you to find out about it yet… and Sage said that you'd have to be prepared to find out about it._

The moaning got louder and louder. It scared Joy even more. It sounded like they were hurt. "Oh Hex...!" moaned a voice, sounding like May.

"Aaahh... May!" a second voice moaned, sounding like Hex.

Joy stepped away from the door, remembering her mother's birthday when she asked a question and everyone looked nervous when she asked a particular question…

…_you mean…THAT'S…where babies come from?_

_Oh yes…that's where babies come from, Joy…two naked girls rubbing their bodies against each other in hot, lesbian sex._ Malice sneered.

Joy didn't know what words like "lesbian" or even "sex" meant, but her Mama told her that being naked in front of another person was a no-no, and along with all those scary sounds they were making…she was just horrified, frightened and confused all at the same time…

…enough that she just spun around, and ran right when the screaming got it's loudest; she just wanted to get out of here, and quickly, before she found out anything else…

The front door was unlocked, and Joy glanced out into the hallways, seeing that the coast was clear. She walked out the door, closed it as quietly as possible…

…and she ran to the nearest elevator, clicking it. The elevator took her down to the first floor, where the clerk at the desk was half asleep and didn't care whether or not it was safe for a five year old to walk out of the place by herself. Joy got out onto the streets of the night, and from there she started walking again.

Thankfully, she still was wearing the sweater that Fae put on her, and after being full from the delicious meal Koopman made her and getting at least a little sleep… Joy felt like she could get somewhere…

…and once she left the city, she disappeared into the night.

* * *

><p><em><strong>...okay, even for Malice, that was very harsh...<strong>_


	12. Chapter 11

The next morning…

"…we have nothing to do with this…so I don't quite appreciate having to be escorted from place to place." Belinda said. She walked with Caitlin and Bruno, and they were accompanied by three soldiers.

"It's only a precaution ma'am," the soldier answered her.

"Precaution, pffft!" Bruno scoffed. "I'm not a big fan of you military types! Years ago, you guys are what took my son away and you did it again this time…"

"Sir, we don't mean anything in that way," the same soldier said. "Your son was one of the administrators and he went with King on his own volition to negotiate the situation with the Commander."

"Only because you lousy morons caused the mess in the first place!" Bruno growled.

"Now, now, Bruno, calm down," Belinda murmured.

"Getting on the military's bad side ain't gonna look good for us seniors, Bruno." Caitlin hummed; not looking too happy herself.

"Listen; what happened in the past was nothing that we can do anything about. An entirely different squadron under a different commander was responsible for that..." the second soldier uttered.

The third soldier, however, simply glanced to the side with a very thoughtful look on his face.

"…what's taking them so damn long anyway? Negotiations would take long, but not _this _long…" Bruno grumbled.

"Because Metal Sonic is a criminal, or don't you old geezers know that?"

"Who're you calling old geezers?" Bruno snarled, turning around.

There was a tall, strong man standing there, wearing a black suit as his military uniform; buttons down the front of it. He looked at their group with sleek, cold eyes, underneath a white captain's hat.

"I-It's the Captain!" uttered one soldier, standing up straight and saluting. The other soldiers quickly saluted as well.

By the Captain's side, two fairly large Mobians stood next to him. One of them was a cane toad, who looked at the older Mobians with a slimy grin, while the other one was a komodo dragon, who simply kept his arms folded with a small frown.

Belinda didn't like the looks of them at all. "Who're they?"

"My Lieutenants," the Captain bluntly answered. He gestured to the komodo dragon. "This is Lieutenant Brawn."

The komodo, Brawn, simply grunted.

Caitlin looked over at the toad, who still had that smug smirk on him. "...and what about that guy?"

"He is Lieutenant Trash," the Captain answered.

Bruno gave a dry chuckle. "Suits him."

The toad, Trash, hissed at that. "Watch your tongue, geezer." he spat. "You're not liable to insult GUN officials."

"...more like 'GUN officials can't take a joke', if ya ask me..." Caitlin chuckled.

Trash kept snarling.

"Stand down Trash," the Captain commanded.

With a slight hiss, Trash just glanced to the side.

Brawn simply grunted at that.

"…although I would appreciate it if you all showed my Lieutenants some manners," the Captain continued. "Our presence on this island is for the best interest of everyone on the island."

"Really?" Bruno asked. "Because if you ask me, this whole invasion to this island is what really caused this mess in the first place. We were all just fine and dandy without you military officials stepping in to interfere with our affairs, and like King said, you guys had an agreement that the military wouldn't interfere-!"

"—Unless contact was made out of emergency to require the assistance of the military," The Captain cut in, shocking Bruno. "Believe me, I have read that document, and while the call made to us was unorthodox, it fell in line with those guidelines. While the Sergeant may have been hasty to invade the island without confirmation from the Commander, it was still justified by the treaty."

"...by the book, eh?" Caitlin scoffed. "My husband always rolled his eyes at the thought of people like you..."

"Ah- d-don't insult the Captain so openly!" the more thoughtful soldier blurted out.

"...so you'd prefer it if I insulted him in private?" Caitlin chuckled.

"N-no, that's not what I meant!" the soldier uttered in slight panic.

"You may have your opinions, as long as you can keep them to yourselves," The Captian said. Then he turned to walk away. "Now if you'll excuse me, we all have business to attend to."

"What type of business?" Belinda wondered, making the Captain stop.

"We're going to visit your friend; the one under house arrest," He answered.

"...visit Jill?" Caitlin uttered, as she narrowed her eyes. "What for?"

"Civilians have nothing to do with that." Trash scoffed, as he shot the three of them a dirty look. "So mind your own business, if you know what's good for ya."

"You calling us _civillians_?" Bruno was getting irritated again. "Listen bub, if this involves our kids, it involves us, and she's a friend of ours; who seems to be the _most_ involved with this because not only did you take Metal away from her, but her daughter went missing as well!"

"**Enough.**"

At that point, Brawn suddenly turned to glare at Bruno with such a stare that the soldiers around them just fell to the ground in panic. "**You do as Captain says.**"

Bruno glared back at him. "…tsch, whatever…" he scoffed, starting to walk away.

Caitlin turned away with a frown as well.

"...good one, Brawn; as always." Trash snickered.

"**Brawn help.**" Brawn hummed with a nod to Trash and the Captain.

"Now then…Lieutenants, let's go," The Captain said, continuing his walk again.

The two of them followed him.

* * *

><p>There was a knock on Jill's door. Jill was sitting on the couch still stuck in thought when she heard that, and she looked up. "…Come in!" she called, expecting that it was either Tasha or Sonia to come check on her.<p>

Imagine her surprise when a Captain entered in, with two certain Lieutenants. Her eyes widened, standing up. "Wh-what's going on?"

"Nothing you need to be alarmed about, Ms. Condit," the Captain answered. "We came to check up with you to make sure everything was well."

Jill blinked, and then glowered. "…since when did you care for my well-being?"

"Ms. Condit, the reason you were put under house arrest was for your violent actions, and therefore it was to protect everyone. Including yourself."

Jill didn't really care for that, but she sighed.

Brawn still remained silent.

Trash, however, simply glanced to the side.

"…so…how long will I be stuck in my house?" Jill asked.

"…two weeks should suffice," the Captain replied, "though should you give us any trouble before then, we are allowed to extend that."

Jill grumbled. "…so basically it's like grounding a little kid. Fun."

Trash shot Jill a look for that.

"**You misbehave, you get punished.**" Brawn stated bluntly.

Jill sighed again…she didn't like the sound of that…but to be honest, two weeks wouldn't be long. It was the stress of the whole thing that was killing her…could this whole mess last as long as two weeks? Would her daughter be on the run that long…and would Metal spend that long having to look for her?

Needless to say, Jill was very tense.

_Here, let me talk to these morons._

_Callous, no!_ Jill was afraid that she would get her in trouble, so she gripped her head to try and resist her taking over.

Trash raised an eyebrow at that. "...you got a headache, or something?"

"…no…" Jill grunted, stumbling against the wall.

The Captain grew wary, wondering if Jill was just going to try and pull something…

Then Jill's eyes flashed red, and she stood back up straight with her hands on her hips, smirking at them. "There's something I should probably warn you boys about," she chuckled.

Trash blinked at hearing that.

"**...what?**" Brawn hummed.

"Little worry wart happens to have another personality," she said. "And I don't like to take the kind of crap guys like you give!"

Therefore, Jill, or really, Callous, latched at one of them with a kick.

However, the moment it was about to hit Brawn, the komodo suddenly grabbed her leg; crushing it in his grip. "**Other personality misbehave; punishment is in order.**" he uttered.

Callous winced at her leg being crushed in his grip, and tried to yank it out of him, throwing a punch at Brawn.

However, Brawn just swung his fist against Callous' punch; effortlessly knocking her into the wall.

Callous grunted, stumbling a bit to get to her feet. She waved her hand sorely from being hit like that. "Damn…that's not fair…" she grumbled.

"...what, you being knocked about isn't fair?" Trash scoffed. "Get this; there's not a single soul alive that can beat Brawn in a straight-out fistfight. You'd best give up before you get hurt."

Brawn simply turned to glare at Callous.

"…never stopped me before!" And with another roar, Callous aimed a kick with her sharp heal towards Brawn's face.

However, Brawn quickly grabbed her heel, before tossing her right into the floor.

"...see? You're just getting yourself hurt." Trash sneered.

Callous winced some more…then she grabbed Brawn's hand, holding her heel.

"…I'm not fucking letting you bastards push me around that easily…"

Then she pushed Brawn's hand back. Brawn blinked, as he pushed against her hand; narrowing his eyes. Callous was slowed down, but slowly getting to her feet, she pushed back his hand still.

The Captain's eyes widened at that. _…I've never seen anyone push Brawn back before…_

Brawn grunted, as he kept trying to push against Callous. Since Callous was pushing him back with one hand, she made the other into a fist and threw it toward his stomach.

Quickly, Brawn grabbed that fist with his other hand; pushing Callous back as best he could. "**...ngh...**"

Callous now pushed him back with both her hands, and she smirked. "…what's the matter, you big lug?" she snickered. "Breaking a sweat?"

Brawn remained silent, as he kept pushing against her. Callous pushed him back a bit more.

"You sure are lucky I don't have my powers…I'd rip you viciously apart right now," Callous said bitterly with that sinister smirk. "Guys like you would never stand a chance…"

Brawn still remained silent, as he pushed against her.

"...I guess I gotta step in." Trash scoffed. Just after he said that, he suddenly spat a large glob of mucus at Callous' eyes.

"EGH!" That force her to be pushed back by Brawn right into the wall again, and she hurried to wipe the stuff off of her eyes in disgust.

Before she could do that, though, Brawn was quick to aim a powerful punch at her gut. Callous cringed and grunted; coughing after a hit like that to her gut. After that, Brawn grabbed her and tossed her to the floor again; expecting her to stay down this time. Callous hit the ground with a thud, shaking the house. Callous kept grunting in pain, trying to wipe the mucus off her eyes.

"**...you behave.**" Brawn uttered, as he slowly raised his foot over her stomach.

"...well, Captain? Do you think she's had enough?" Trash said with a snicker.

"…that's only up to her to decide…" the Captain murmured. Callous eventually got back up and once she got the mucus off her eyes, she glared hatefully at Trash.

"_I'm_ supposed to be the one with the dirty tricks up my sleeve!" and with a roar, she ran at Trash.

With a grin, however, Trash suddenly spat more mucus; this time at her feet, to restrain her. Callous had been blinded by her rage so she fell to the floor with another thud. Growling, she still tried to crawl toward him.

Smirking still, Trash spat more mucus at her face; this time, though, the mucus felt like something was searing Callous' face. Callous tried to wipe the mucus off quickly, wincing and grunting at the pain.

Smirking, Trash walked up to Callous, and stomped his foot against her back; grinding his heel arrogantly. "...see what happens when you don't think? You get hurt." he sneered.

Callous grit her teeth when he dug his heel into his back. "…I'm gonna get you bastards back for this…" she growled.

"Then that would earn you more time to be cooped up here," the Captain responded. "Do you really want us to do that Ms. Condit? Or…well, whoever you are."

"It's Callous!" she snarled.

"**Other personality unlike original Condit.**" Brawn observed.

"...tsch..." Trash scoffed, as he glanced at the Captain. "...permission to knock her out, sir?"

"…permission granted," the Captain said.

"Now wait just a minute _here_! I'm not letting you bas-!"

And Trash suddenly kicked the back of her head with enough force to actually knock her unconscious. The Captain looked at her body lying there limply. He grew thoughtful… for the reason that she was under house arrest, and just now seeing that she could actually push back Brawn…

…she wasn't an ordinary civilian.

"...your thoughts, Captain?" Trash hummed, as he looked at his superior officer.

"…Brawn, take Ms. Condit to her room," The Captain ordered.

Nodding, Brawn picked up her body, and walked towards her bedroom without any fuss. The Captain looked at Trash thoughtfully.

"…she's not an ordinary civilian…" he murmured.

"...you can say that again..." Trash huffed, as he folded his arms.

"…we'll have to keep a close eye on Ms. Condit, and this…'Callous'…as she calls herself," he said, folding his arms. "…I think that woman needs a therapist."

"...on an island ruled by a tiger who can shoot lightning?" Trash scoffed. "I'm sure that any therapist from around here would be just as crazy as Condit would be."

"…you would probably be right about that," the Captain murmured.

"...well, we've got a whole island to look over, sir." Trash scoffed. "Shall we get to that?"

"Yes, Lieutenant," the Captain answered.

"Alright; let's go..." With a nod, Trash began heading for the door.

* * *

><p>"…everybody all set to go?" Hunter asked.<p>

"Yes." Queen nodded.

"You'd better believe it." Sage hummed.

"...yes." Miser hummed lowly.

"Kekeke, I'm ready." Ripper nodded.

"...yeah..." King hummed as well, as he glanced to the side.

"It seems like most of us are ready." Wiper hummed.

"...hm." Metal simply nodded.

"…it's not gonna be easy though," Boomer said. "The media decided to brand us fugitives…which sure makes it fun to get around."

Rudy kicked his legs from where he was sitting. "Aw, I'm sure it won't be that bad Boomer! We're all really good at not getting near public places."

"Yeah, but you're not," Boomer moaned, rolling her eyes.

"Now, now, Boomer, it isn't the time to start your shenanigans with Rudy," Charmy said. "…with as many of us as there are, we're going to have to split up, to make the search easier...but first we have some friends to meet with."

"…Captain?" Boomer looked at Charmy wonderingly.

"...you'll see." Metal hummed, as he cracked his neck.

"...so, where's the road gonna lead us, y'know?" Newt hummed.

"...I would prefer us to split into two groups." Metal hummed. "I lead one, whilst King leads the other. I suppose that would make some sense..."

"Right..." King hummed, as he rubbed his neck. "...but we'll need a way to communicate with each other."

"Luckily, our friends that we're meeting up with will bring such devices," Charmy said.

"Right." Metal nodded. "...now, we should split our group in half. I can go with Team Chaotix and Wiper, while King and his admins can travel in a group of their own."

"I can agree on that," Boomer said. Everybody else nodded.

A huge shadow flew over them, and Rudy looked up into the sky. Then he beamed. "Guys, look!" he pointed up at the sky.

"...there they are." Metal hummed with a smile.

"...well, I'll be." Queen uttered.

"HIIII, GUUUUUYS!" As it turned out, the shadow flying over them was Charon, with a lot of people either seated on him, or flying next to him; Jack was one of those seated on the dragon, as he was calling and waving to the people down below.

Striker was one of the ones that were flying beside him, easily landing by the group on the ground with a salute. "Nice to see you guys!" he greeted, while Snap's holographic head smiled on his shoulder.

"No way!" Rudy exclaimed. "I thought you guys were stuck on Safe Haven!"

"We would've been, if Vanessa didn't suggest that we leave before things get worse," Ani said, landing beside Striker. "And she was right!"

_**"Her decision was sound."**_ Landing by the group was Omega, who gave them a wave, just as Charon landed on the ground.

"...it's good to see you all safe." Proxy hummed, as he jumped off Charon's back, while the others followed.

Rudy ran to go hug his other friends. "It's still really good to see you guys!" And taking Ani and Striker's hands, he started hopping. They all joined hands and started hopping in a circle, laughing.

"Well isn't that adorable," Vanessa chuckled.

"It sure is." Charon hummed with a slight chuckle.

Then Ani broke free and she went to hug Hunter dearly. After last night, crying about being separated, she needed one. Hunter hugged her back, but wondered why Ani rushed up to him and hugged him so hard.

"...c'mon, big brother..." Gently helping Diablo off Charon, Kiri soon followed. Diablo, staying close to Kiri, stared at all of them.

Hunter grew surprised to see Diablo, while he let go of his hug with Ani. "…you guys broke him out of solitary confinement? How?"

"Vanessa," Stella answered, pointing to her.

"...she's really strong." Kiri uttered, as she looked at her with a slight smile.

King simply hummed, before he slowly walked towards Diablo. Diablo grew more uneasy the closer King got. Then Vanessa set a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay Diablo; he's not going to hurt you," Vanessa said, to try and assure him. Diablo glanced at her, and then slowly looked back at King.

King stopped in front of Diablo, and still just looked at him. "...Diablo..." Then, he sighed. "...I'm sorry."

Diablo blinked at him.

"...I was wrong. You weren't the one who killed Raider." King said, as he kept looking at Diablo. "...I just hope that you can forgive me, for suspecting you to begin with..."

Diablo stared at him a bit longer. "…we…just have to find Malice…and stop her…" Diablo spoke, still nervous around King, but he nodded confidently.

King nodded in return. "...right."

"Alright; Charmy said that you had devices that would let us communicate with each other." Wiper hummed, as he stepped forward. "Where would they be?"

Milo came over to Ani, reaching into her knapsack to pull out communicators. "Courtesy of the Professor," He said, tossing one to King and another to Metal.

"...glad to see that Tails is with us on this." King hummed.

"Indeed." Metal nodded. "Now... I believe we should hurry and split up. The more we wait, the further away Malice gets from us."

"Right," Vanessa said. "I figured that you already selected your own groups, so the kids and I should take our own path as well."

Stella looked at Wiper. "Is it alright if me, Proxy and Omega join your group, Wiper? I'd give up some weight on Charon's back."

"...I don't see why not." Wiper nodded.

"…alright," Vanessa said. "So I've got me, Jack, Milo, Ani, Striker and Snap, Kiri, Diablo, Oblivion and Charon. What about you guys?"

"Me and the admins are one group." King nodded. "Metal's with the rest."

"So we have our groups." Sage hummed. "Shall we move?"

"Yeah!" Striker said, rising up into the air with his jetpack.

"Okay kids; all aboard," Vanessa said, and it didn't take long for her group to climb back onto Charon.

"Good luck everyone," Oblivion said to them.

"Same to you." King said with a nod.

"...mhm." Metal nodded.

With that, Charon took to the sky, flying off with their group.

"…alright…we'd better split up now," Charmy said, looking at all of them while putting the communicator in his pocket. "…likewise; we wish you luck."

"...right." Metal nodded.

"Right." King nodded as well. "Now, move out!" With that, the two groups began spreading out.

"…I sure hope that Cal and Natal are okay…" Rudy murmured, hopping off with Charmy, Boomer, Newt, Wiper, Stella, Proxy, Omega and Metal.

"...so do I..." Wiper murmured.

"…they're both strong agents, I'm sure they're hanging in there," Charmy said. "…we just have to concentrate on looking for Joy now…"

With King's group, Hunter looked ahead of their path. "So where should we start looking?"

"...well, she used Chaos Control, so..." King murmured. "...I would imagine that we investigate the closest towns."

"Well, we can't exactly let ourselves be spotted, now..." Ripper murmured.

"That's why we'll have to be cautious." Queen noted. "Something I hope we all should be aware of how to be at this point..."

"…at least it was a fake one she used that crumbled after she used it," Hunter said.

"...wait." At that point, Miser stopped. "...if Malice was interested in the powers of the Chaos Emeralds... wouldn't she try heading for Metropolis?"

Ripper glanced at Miser for that. "...how would she know that they were there?"

"She might not know... but there's a good chance that Joy would know it." Miser uttered.

"…which could also mean that Joy's trying to keep Malice from taking over her, and she'd be running in the completely opposite direction," Hunter added. "Metal said that Joy left because she didn't want him to get hurt…"

"True enough..." Sage nodded. "So, on the off-chance that Malice managed to take control over Joy, she would likely be too far away from Metropolis to even think of getting there before Joy could regain control."

"...that gives us an edge over her." King hummed.

"And with three groups looking for her, especially one that's flying in the air," Hunter said, "that gives us a chance to find her."

"...then we shouldn't delay. Let's move!" And King began breaking into a sprint.

"...same as always..." Queen hummed, as she and the others followed him.

"He just wants to find her as much as the rest of us do," Hunter said. "…he just has more reason to do so…"

"...right..." Sage nodded, as she looked back at King.

Right now, his thoughts were running back to someone else; someone he wished he could be with, if this whole situation wasn't keeping them apart from each other. _...Tasha... I can only imagine what you're going through right now... please, just wait for me..._

* * *

><p>The situation happening on Safe Haven didn't really bode well with her people…it was bad enough that the majority of them disliked King and his group when they first came here, under the impression that they were going to take their home away from them. After the outbreak of Corruption though, most of them were in debt to King after that, since King protected them when their Chieftain died, all up until they were all purified.<p>

Now…they saw the GUN soldiers the same way. They still felt like the island was taken by force, and not only that, but the tiger that protected them all was taken away because of them.

Tasha felt that way too…but as the leader of her people, she couldn't let those opinions interfere with anything. She just had to make sure that the soldiers kept their distance away from them to let them breathe a bit, and that the soldiers weren't going to try anything funny with her people. They may not have powers like the Safe Haven soldiers, but they could still defend themselves if need be. In fact, if they weren't so outnumbered by the soldiers five to one, they would try to fight for their home back.

But now was not a good time for any violence.

Tasha managed to escape having to be escorted by soldiers though; she shot through the trees with the vines, which was how she usually got through the jungle. She was heading toward Safe Haven again to make sure her friends there were doing alright.

Then she suddenly slipped….

…luckily, being a cat, she landed on her feet, but what caused her to slip was a nauseous feeling in her stomach that struck her.

"Oh no…"

And she stumbled against a tree while she hurled out the contents in her stomach onto the ground in the bushes.

Morning sickness; just one of the things with being pregnant.

"**...who goes there?**"

Tasha coughed in surprise, looking up at where she heard the voice.

Ahead of her, a large komodo dragon stood; wearing a GUN uniform. He simply looked down at her with a silent, yet piercing look. Tasha looked back, a bit timidly but she tried to hide it. She didn't like the looks of this GUN soldier.

"**...you hurt?**"

Tasha stared at him a moment longer. Then she shook her head. "I'm not hurt…" she spoke.

"**I see.**" The komodo nodded, as he folded his arms. "**Name?**"

"…my name is Tasha," she answered.

"**Brawn.**" he introduced himself. "**Where you heading?**"

"…Safe Haven," Tasha answered, since lying to a GUN soldier wasn't the best idea.

"**...you from native village?**" Brawn assumed.

"…yes," Tasha answered guiltily.

"**...what business you have in Safe Haven?**"

"I wanted to check on my friends and make sure they were alright," Tasha replied.

"**...your friends being?**"

"…most of the Safe Haven soldiers are my friends," Tasha said. "But the ones closest to Twi—I mean, King…"

"**...like the woman in house arrest, Ms. Condit?**"

"…yes, she is one of them," Tasha admitted.

Brawn glanced to the side. "**...the Captain say nothing about visitors to Condit... but he want natives to stay in village...**"

"…but you don't understand," Tasha spoke. "King and I are partners, and it's my job to check on his friends when he's not there to do so…" She was really trying to make an excuse, since now she's been able to come and go as she pleased between her tribal village and Safe Haven…

…now, not so much.

…and she meant her and King being business partners instead of…you know, _partners_.

"**...I...**" Brawn hummed, and rubbed his neck a little. "**...well... if you and King are partners...**"

"I truly mean no harm, sir," Tasha spoke. "It's my duty as the leader of my people to travel between the two and ensure that all is well…and I would really have no reason to try and harm any of you…"

Well, actually, yes, she would have a reason to hurt them for dragging King off, but once again, she wasn't going to let her feelings interfere.

"**...oh... you leader of natives.**" Brawn hummed in realization. "**That mean it alright. You can-**"

"Oh, don't tell me that you're buying into this crap." At that point, a cane toad suddenly leaped down from the trees; landing behind Tasha.

"**...Trash.**" Brawn uttered.

Tasha spun around with a gasp.

"…sir, I really am telling the truth," she uttered to the toad, Trash.

"Yeah? Well, where's your proof?" Trash scoffed. "For all we know, you could just be some chick who's claiming to be the chief."

Tasha would've gotten angrier at that, but she kept calm.

"…my Father was the Chieftain of my tribe…and because of events that happened two years ago, he passed away…" she spoke, trying not to sound bitter. "…therefore…the role of Chieftain falls to me."

"**...she sound sincere.**" Brawn pointed out.

"...I don't buy it." Trash huffed, as he approached Tasha. "Listen here, dollface; you may not think so, but right now, we're in charge of the island. You would do well to keep that in mind."

"…I understand that…" Tasha muttered. "…but my people have been living here long before Safe Haven was even established…It may have been abandoned GUN base ruins back then, but it was our home..." Tasha actually gave Trash a pleading look. "…please…I really don't mean any harm going to Safe Haven to check on my friends…"

Trash simply narrowed his eyes, as he glanced at Brawn, who merely looked at Tasha in... what seemed like sympathy. Tasha looked away from them uneasily, touching her tummy without thinking about it.

"...well... maybe I'll be willing to let this slide." Trash hummed, as he shot a look back at Tasha. "...but it's not gonna be free of charge."

Tasha grew more nervous, looking back at Trash quietly.

"...it's kinda tempting to take advantage of this situation..." Trash hummed, as he kept looking at Tasha. "...but I have a feeling that the Captain wouldn't be too happy about me taking advantage of the Chieftain. However... I'm sure that citizens of the village are fair game, right?"

Tasha's eyes widened. "…wh-what are you talking about?"

"Here's the deal; either you just go back to your village and get some actual _proof_ that you're the Chieftain, or we can let you slip past without any hassle... at the cost of a few villagers to have fun with." Trash chuckled, as he folded his arms.

"**...I no need to have fun.**" Brawn murmured.

"...don't mind him; he's just shy." Trash scoffed.

Tasha was flabbergasted. "…I-I can't let you do that!" she uttered.

"...oh, well; back to the village with you, then." Trash said with a sneer.

"…what would you consider as proof?" Tasha then asked, gritting her teeth.

"...hm; that's a good question," Trash hummed, as he smirked. "Guess you just have to be creative about it."

"…alright then," Tasha said. "Remain here, and I will bring you my proof." Then she turned around to start walking.

Trash just glared at her as she walked off, while Brawn simply looked after her.

It took an hour, but Tasha eventually came back, carrying two things; an old looking, rolled up piece of paper, and a long, wooden staff that was decorated with vines, feathers, beads, and painted many different colors.

Trash raised an eyebrow, while Brawn simply hummed. "**...what are those?**"

"This was my father's staff, and among my tribe, the one who carries it carries the title of the Chieftain; any others in my tribe are absolutely forbidden to touch this. If I held this and I wasn't the Chieftain, then I would never have been able to come back to you," she spoke. "…and this parchment…"

She unrolled it, showing some writing and a picture of a strange looking dot… "…it says that anyone with this birthmark," she pointed to the strange dot, "is part of the Chief family and is destined to lead the tribe."

She rolled the paper up, and turned her back to them, moving some of her hair aside. "I have this birthmark on the back of my neck.

And sure enough, that same identical dot was found on the place she said it would be.

Trash narrowed his eyes a bit.

"**...that proves it.**" Brawn hummed.

"…and lastly," Tasha said, facing them to glare at Trash. "…it was insulting that you questioned my role as a Chieftain, but I played fair and brought you proof, instead of selling out my people in compensation. I acted in the best interest of my people; therefore, that all should be enough to convince you that I am the Chieftain of my tribe."

Trash narrowed his eyes, before hissing. "...fine."

Brawn then walked towards Tasha, and gave her a nod. "**I escort you; GUN not get wrong idea if you with me.**" he told her.

Tasha nodded to Brawn. "Thank you."

Brawn simply nodded, as he turned to begin walking...

...when Trash shot Tasha a glare. "...you're gonna slip up some time, Chieftain... and I'll be waiting for that moment."

"…I don't intend to deceive you of anything," Tasha said, glaring back at Trash while she walked with Brawn. "I only want to see my friends and make sure that you aren't taking advantage of your power over them."

With that, her and Brawn were gone. Trash simply scoffed, as he began walking off again.

* * *

><p>Joy was tired…she had been travelling all day, and it felt like she hardly got anywhere…she wasn't used to moving around so much, and she felt so lost in this park during the nighttime.<p>

_Way to go squirt; you lost yourself in a _park! _Boy, I bet you feel proud of yourself!_

And Malice only made her feel worse when she talked. She would say lots of mean things to Joy, and it just made her feel more tired. Joy wanted Malice to be quiet and leave her alone, but that wasn't going to happen. She was lucky that she got through two cities though, but getting lost in the green park of this city wasn't very good for her…

…she also hadn't eaten anything all day, and she felt dirty. She needed a bath too.

Frankly, Joy needed a lot of things, but she didn't have any money to buy food, or transportation to get her around.

Then there was a crackle in the sky, and Joy jumped with a gasp frightfully. Then she looked again. She had seen a flash of purple shoot up in the sky.

Memories of early days of Safe Haven came back to her.

And her eyes widened in hope, rushing towards where she saw that flash shoot out of.

"Well, I know shooting lightning up at the sky is a bad idea, but it looks so freakin' awesome!" Crystal the Porcupine said. "Besides, I think we could use a thunderstorm…it wouldn't hurt," and she laughed.

Then she heard rustling nearby.

"Who's there?" Crystal demanded with a spin, crackling her fists with purple electricity.

"…C…Crystal?"

Crystal stopped, watching someone walk towards her…and her eyes widened. "…oh my god…"

* * *

><p>Dax saw storm clouds outside, and he tsked. "Crystal's shooting lightning into the sky again," he sighed. "No matter how many times I tell her not to do that, she does it anyway…"<p>

"Well, she _did_ take lessons from King; I assume he really rubbed off on her." Demi noted, as he was reading a book. "...hopefully she'll stop before things get too out of control..."

"I doubt it…but at least if Crystal gets struck down by lightning, she won't get hurt," Dax mused, going back to surfing the net on his robotic arm. "Guess we'll just have to expect some rain during the evening."

"...well, I wasn't planning on going outside, so it doesn't matter to me." Demi shrugged.

The door opened just then.

"That you Crystal?" Dax asked, though he figured it would be her anyway, considering that no stranger would be that rude to burst into their home like that without knocking…unless it was a burglar. Dax doubted that though, because Crystal's figure rushed into the room they were in…and carrying something.

Or _someone._

"Guys!" she uttered with a shaky voice.

Dax was shocked to hear that kind of startled tone in Crystal's voice, so it must have been serious. Then when he saw Crystal and who she was carrying… his eyes widened while he stood up quickly. Noticing that, Demi looked back at Crystal... and as his eyes widened, he dropped the book, and shot up to his feet. "...dear god..."

There, in Crystal's arms was weary little Joy, clutching to Crystal and shivering coldly.

"Joy!" Dax went to Crystal to take a better look at the child. Demi approached her as well; looking at Joy with wide eyes.

"…I found her wandering through the park I was training in," Crystal uttered, also looking down at the pale Joy.

"…that doesn't mean anything good at all," Dax uttered. Then he rushed off. "Set her on the couch! I'll get some blankets for her!"

Crystal nodded and went to place her on the couch. Demi just kept looking at Joy. _...your thoughts?_

_**...something big's happened... what's more, I sense something in her... distress... and... darkness...**_

_...darkness...?_ Demi simply blinked at hearing that, before shaking his head.

"…I'm gonna get something to eat for her; stay here with Joy, Demi," Crystal said, rushing off.

"...right..." Demi nodded, as he slowly walked over to the couch; kneeling down to look at Joy.

Joy looked up at him with a sad look. "…Demi…"

"...hey, Joy..." Demi hummed, as he tilted his head. "...don't worry; you're safe, now..."

"…but…but you're not gonna be safe…" Joy uttered, looking away from him.

"...why do you say that?" Demi uttered, as he looked at Joy in concern. "...is someone chasing you?"

Joy shook her head.

_Now Joy, I think you know better than to tell everybody the truth,_ Malice started in her head. _You start talking about me…and I just might start hurting people…_

Joy grew scared and shut her eyes. _Malice, please, don't hurt anybody anymore!_

At that point, however, Demi's eyes widened. "...Joy... you're not alone." he uttered.

Joy gasped and looked back at Demi fearfully.

"...please, it's okay; tell me what's wrong." Demi uttered, as he placed a hand on Joy. "...tell me about... this other being in you..."

"…b-but…but she'll hurt you…if I tell…" Joy uttered.

"...no, she won't." Demi said with a nod. "...I have a friend of my own, that'll protect me. Now go on; tell me about her..."

Joy shivered some more, looking at him. She forgot that there was something in Demi…it was hard for her to remember much from back then…

…and tears started appearing in her eyes. "…She…she wants to hurt my Mama and Daddy, Demi…" she uttered, trying to stay calm but she looked ready to break into tears. "She wants to hurt everybody and I had to run away to keep her from hurting everybody!"

"...I see..." Demi uttered.

_**...doesn't sound like she's someone willing to coexist with her.**_

With a sigh, Demi rubbed Joy's head a little. "...what's... her name?"

"…M…" the harder she tried to say it, the less control she had over her tears. "…It's…M…Malice…"

And then she started breaking down into sobs again. Hearing that name, Demi narrowed his eyes a bit, before he slowly hugged Joy. "...there, there..."

Joy hugged Demi back tightly, crying into him. Demi simply closed his eyes whilst Joy cried her eyes out.

_**...we need to be on guard from now on. No doubt she's got her eyes on us, now...**_

_...right..._

Dax came in with blankets, and saw Joy crying her heart out with Demi. Silently, he came over and set the blankets down. "…here we are," he whispered, so that he didn't necessarily interrupt the two of them. Demi appreciated that, and had a feeling that Joy did so as well. Dax sat down next to Joy on the couch, watching her cry like this.

It was a painful sight to see a little girl cry so hard, and he couldn't bear to leave her alone…even all up until Joy finished crying and started wiping her eyes again.

"...don't worry, Joy... we'll watch over you." Demi said assumingly to her.

Joy clutched to Demi. Demi held to her as well. Dax picked up one of the blankets and covered Joy with it. "Here," he said. Joy grabbed the edges then and wrapped it around her, shivering a tad while trying to warm up.

"It's a good thing you came here Joy; it looks like rain out there, and I think if you were walking around, you'd catch a cold," Dax said.

"...right..." Demi hummed, as he slowly turned to look out of the window. And sure enough, water droplets started hitting the window.

"...we should turn the heat up in the house." Demi suggested. "The weather might make the temperature decrease..."

"Right," Dax went over to a thermostat on the wall, and pressed it to increase the heat. In the living room, a fireplace lit up and within moments, the room was warmer.

Crystal walked into the room with a plate. "Well, it's not much Joy; just some leftovers, but it's something!" and Joy sat up when Crystal set the plate on the coffee table near the couch. Joy got off the couch, blanket still wrapped around her, and immediately started eating hungrily.

Demi simply watched her eat, before he rubbed his neck.

"Kid, did you eat at all today?" Crystal asked in amazement. "You're really scarfing that down!"

After Joy swallowed, she looked away bashfully. "…no…I didn't…"

"...geez..." Demi uttered with wider eyes. "...you haven't eaten at all, today...?"

Joy shook her head in response.

"Well then, guess I'll have to get more for you!" Crystal said. "Dax, Demi, see if you can find a good movie to pop in for her or something!" and Crystal was gone out of the room again.

"...right..." Demi hummed, before he looked at Dax. "...so... what kind of movie would she like?"

"…well, nothing scary, that's for sure," Dax said. "That leaves out a bunch of our killer horror movies…and she's too little for thrillers…"

Dax went to look at their shelf. "Do we even HAVE any kid cartoons?" and he browsed through them.

Joy just sat back down on the couch glumly. Demi looked at Joy in some sympathy.

* * *

><p>"Man, this is such bullshit!"<p>

"Shut up Ed," Seymour grumbled, while the four of them were walking through the woods at night.

"...I can't believe that we're being bossed around by GUN. This ain't why I came to Safe Haven!" Marco hissed, as he folded his arms.

"...hrm..." Will merely grunted.

"…there's not a whole lot we can do about that right now," Seymour said. "Not until King comes back."

"And what's taking him so long?" Ed asked.

"Seriously! King should've been able to get this over with in just moments!" Marco huffed. "What's taking him?"

"You know, you boys really like to whine."

Hearing that, Will glanced over towards where the voice came from; where they saw Sonia leaning against a wall. "...Sonia?"

"...if you want to make a difference, there's a meeting over at Spiel's old camp right now." Sonia said. "Lin and Flamenco are there to make sure that things don't get too heated over there."

Everyone in Will's group looked at each other.

"…sounds like something we should go to then," Seymour said, turning to head towards the direction where Spiel's old camp was.

"...you coming too, Sonia?" Marco hummed, as he began heading over there as well.

"...nah." Sonia murmured. "...I need to go and see if Jill's doing alright..." With that, she began walking off.

"...hm." With a hum, Will began walking towards the camp.

When the group got to the camp, one of the large tents were lit up, with a whole group of Mobians sitting around the table in there. Will, Seymour, Marco and Ed each entered into the tent, and got lots of looks.

"…oh, it's only Will's group," Blitz spoke.

"...the heck's that supposed to mean?" Marco huffed.

"...you just calm down; we're glad that you wanted to show up." Ruki hummed, as she closed her eyes. "...Fort Gierig's still feeling a bit empty, though..."

"...alright; what's this about?" Will hummed. "Sonia told us that we should head here if we wanted to make a difference, so... what do ya have in mind?"

"…I guess you can, like, call it a rebellion, man," Jam said.

Ed blinked. "…a rebellion? Against the GUN soldiers?"

"You'd best believe it." Marlo hummed, as he folded his arms.

"...we have all lost respect for GUN for practically taking the island over." Phyrra sighed.

"…but, wouldn't the soldiers be able to stop something like this?" Ed asked.

"They won't get a chance," Francis said. "We'd have those security units keep an eye on them; you know? RACHET, RUCKUS, RECEIPT."

"RUSTY still won't budge from his spot on HQ," Blitz added.

"...understandable..." Marco nodded.

"So we got lots of people ready to help out!" Slamming her hands on the table, Maya looked seriously at the four in the opening. "And we're gonna kick out those GUN dummies!"

"Maya, calm down..." Ruki sighed, as she tapped her pincers together. "...even if we are planning a rebellion, we can't afford to be reckless."

"Yeah, we're really just kinda planning to knock those GUN soldiers around to show them that they're not in charge of Safe Haven, or any of us soldiers on it," Francis threw in.

Flamenco was simply sitting in a chair in the corner, drinking some wine. He hadn't had some in a while and it was keeping him pretty relaxed throughout all this. "_Si…_ some of the soldiers here don't have manners."

"...especially those lieutenants..." Lin murmured, as she was glaring at the table.

"...well, to be fair, the only offensively annoying one would be that toad." Marlo huffed. "The komodo seems to be too thick-headed to be harmful when he's not with anyone else."

"I know, right? Trash; his name just suits him, don't it?"

More shocked looks shot over at the tent entrance, seeing Bruno, Caitlin and Belinda enter.

"You guys too?" Blitz uttered in amazement.

"Yep," Bruno answered with a grin. "Us old folks are bored and want in."

"...you are not even soldiers here on Safe Haven..." Phyrra pointed out.

"No, but hey; we're stuck here anyway, so why the hell not?" Caitlin chuckled.

"...well, the more, the merrier, I suppose." Ruki nodded.

"So…what exactly would we do to rebel against the GUN soldiers?" Ed asked.

"We can, like, spray graffiti on their ships," Jam snickered, holding up a can of spray paint.

"I like that idea!" Lin shot in.

"...I would think more along the lines of a prank!" Maya shot in. "Like, we lay a trap that they get caught in and look really silly in!"

Seymour hummed. "Maybe…but I don't know…maybe it's gotta be stuff with a good kick to it…"

"Look, your goal is to teach GUN that they aren't in charge of you," Bruno said. "So what kind of things do you do to show that?"

The Mobians were silent.

"...um... wreck stuff?" Lin suggested, as she raised her flail-arm.

"…I guess," Bruno muttered. "But I mean, you gotta make sure that GUN knows you don't want to be pushed around by them, instead of just leaving hints like graffiti and pranks. Sure, we don't want to seriously hurt them; they don't wanna try and hurt us. But it wasn't right for them to lockdown the island and assume that they are the authorities in a situation like this."

Ruki hummed. "...then do you have something in mind?"

Bruno was silent after that.

"…actually no," he chuckled sheepishly. "I just thought I'd help stir ideas…eheh."

"…so much for _that_ motivational speech," Francis grumbled.

"Alright; back to the drawing board for us." Phyrra sighed.

"...well, we have to think of something!" Maya called. "We can't just sit here when he made that speech! That'd just be silly!"

"…wait…I thought of something…"

Everyone looked toward Belinda.

"...you have a plan?" Ruki hummed curiously.

"Well, instead of spreading graffiti or playing pranks…why not protest in a way that would be much more noticeable?" Belinda said. "…like _dumping their cargo into the ocean._"

Everyone's eyes widened at that.

"...well, now... didn't think you'd be that kind of thinker." Caitlin mused with a wide grin.

"...dumping their cargo..." Ruki hummed. "...that... that's brilliant!"

"Most clever." Marlo hummed.

"I vehemently agree..." Phyrra agreed.

"We get to make big splashes, right?" Maya called excitedly.

"Yes," Belinda chuckled. "It doesn't harm them…but it's a serious enough message to get their attention."

"_Si,_ I agree," Flamenco said, raising his glass.

"I agree, too!" Lin laughed.

"...well, damn," Will couldn't help but chuckle. "I can't believe that I'm saying this... but this sounds right up my alley." Then, he folded his arms. "Count me in!"

"Me too!" Blitz called out.

"Count _all_ of us in," Francis chuckled.

"...alright; then we need to start planning." Ruki hummed with a grin. "We need to strike at night; when most of the soldiers will not be on patrol."

"Better yet, get some of them drunk!" Bruno laughed.

"Get all of them drunk!" Maya laughed as she tossed her arms into the air.

"Oh…I'm gonna enjoy planning this," Bruno snickered. "…and let's get Trash drunk too…"

Jam chuckled at that.

"We gotta make him the drunkest of them all!" Lin laughed. "He'll have the hangover of a lifetime!"

"And then we'll make sure to get blackmail on him of all the embarrassing stuff…" Ed laughed.

"…that's…actually a very sound idea," Seymour said with a blink.

"...funny how it just sorta built up like this." Marco pointed out.

"Well, it works. So, let's get cracking!" Will laughed.

* * *

><p>"...oh gosh..." Sitting on a chair, Sonia just looked at Jill with wide eyes, after having been told a great deal of information.<p>

"…yeah…" and Jill was still as distressed as ever. The only reason that she hadn't told Sonia this until a whole night later was because she was still trying to absorb all that information.

"…Jill…" Tasha uttered, setting a hand on her back. "…I'm…I'm so sorry…"

Jill didn't say anything, but she did appreciate that.

"...for this to happen... oh, of all the rotten luck..." Sonia uttered, as she glanced at the floor. "...damn..."

Jill's look hardened, rubbing her eyes. "…and to make matters worse, I'm going to get a daily visit now…from those Lieutenants…"

Tasha wasn't aware of military rankings, so she didn't know who Jill was talking about. She blinked. "…who?"

Jill rolled her eyes after rubbing him, "Brawn and Trash."

Tasha's eyes widened at that.

"...those two, huh?" Sonia shuddered a bit. "...both of them rub me the wrong way; Trash because he's just despicable, and Brawn... him being both so strong and simple rubs me the wrong way..."

"…Brawn thankfully didn't give me any trouble," Tasha said. "…he's the reason I was still able to come here, but Trash…" She got a sour look.

Jill clenched her fists.

"...guh." Sonia shuddered again.

"…he's one of the first few people that both me and Callous can agree to hate," Jill growled.

"...now _that's_ a rarity..." Sonia huffed. "...and he became a GUN lieutenant? For crying out loud... if Wiper were here, he'd probably show that little toad a thing or two."

"…he'd have better luck than Callous did…" Jill muttered. Then she stood up with a sigh, pacing around the living room a bit. She was still worried no matter what would happen.

"...well, the first thing we have to do is to figure out how to deal with this... house arrest you've been placed in." Sonia murmured, as she rubbed her chin.

"…the way I see it, the only way I'll get out of it is if I behave through two weeks…" Jill said. "…but eventually I might get fed up with being cooped up in here, or Callous might decide to pop out and we all know how she doesn't like to be told what to do…"

"…yes…" Tasha murmured uneasily.

"...not to mention, I get the feeling that those lieutenants might get the idea to lengthen your sentence for the smallest things." Sonia murmured. "We should find a way to keep them from doing that..."

"…I wouldn't know how to do that…" Jill sighed, still pacing around the room.

Sonia sighed as well. "...sheesh..."

Jill looked out the window wistfully, into the night. She was still worried about Metal, and especially Joy more than ever. She was the one that finally put Deity Novagod in his place in hell…but now she's struggling with her own inner demons, and at such a young age. If she had her own version of Callous in there, Jill at least would've hoped that something like this would wait to hit Joy until much later, maybe towards puberty.

"...hey... Jill, don't worry, alright? They'll come back." Sonia said in a somewhat reassuring tone.

"…I…just didn't want this to happen," Jill uttered. "…I wanted to protect her from things like this…now I'm stuck here, and I can't go after her if I wanted to…"

Sonia sighed a bit at hearing that, as she looked sympathetically at Jill.

"…it's the waiting here that's going to kill me," she uttered. "The waiting in my house, and being cooped up in here by the military…sooner or later I'm going to get cabin fever and probably have another hysterical attack…" Jill murmured.

Tasha sighed like Sonia did, looking down at her tummy while she touched it.

Jill finally came over and sat down. "…some conversation, huh?" she said, trying to lighten the mood a bit at least.

Sonia smiled a fairly weak smile. "...you said it..." she hummed.

"…thanks for coming to check on me guys," Jill said, trying to smile. "…at least it won't be so bad if I have the two of you to talk to…I won't be lonely at least."

"Yes," Tasha agreed, trying to smile as well. Sonia nodded, as she set a hand on Jill's shoulder.

Tasha finally stood up. "It is starting to get late…I should be heading home."

Jill looked up at her. "Alright then."

"...just watch where you're going, alright?" Sonia hummed. "...I'll be heading home as well, then."

Tasha nodded. "We'll see you tomorrow Jill," Tasha bid.

"Right, bye guys," Jill said, watching the two of them leave out her door.

Sonia glanced at Tasha. "...you want me to follow you back to the village, just in case?"

Tasha smiled. "I should be fine. Thank you for your concern though."

"...alright. See you tomorrow." And Sonia began walking in a different direction.

Tasha headed off into the woods by herself. She thought about how hard it was for Jill…Her daughter was the one who caused this mess; well, not her, but her alter ego. She was on the run, and Metal and the others went to look for her…it was hard for everyone, but really hard for Jill. She had endured a lot of tragic things and it was just happening again.

Tasha felt bad…but she also felt sad for herself, maybe even a little angry. These strange powers caused something so terrible that King had to depart for a while. She held no anger towards Jill… but she understood her Father's warning about such powers. For some reason he was very adamant about beings with unnatural power like that…

…something she never wondered about until she thought about it now. "…Father…what did you mean by your warnings?" she mumbled, touching her tummy.

"...now what are you mumbling about in the night?"

Tasha gasped with a startled jump, looking towards that voice.

As it turned out, it was Trash, who simply looked at her with a scowl. "...well?"

"…I was just talking to myself about my father…" Tasha spoke, looking away from him.

"...right, right..." Trash hummed, as he slowly approached Tasha. "...so, just exactly how did you... wildcats... find your way to this island?"

"…I don't know…I was born here and grew up here," Tasha answered, looking back at him warily. "…there have been many generations of my tribe on this island…"

"...how many?" Trash hummed in disbelief.

Tasha looked away from him uneasily, "Three or four generations."

"...hm... guess that makes sense." Trash scoffed. "After all, it's been nearly 70 years since the place was destroyed by Eggman..."

Tasha looked back at him. "…if I may, I wish to go back to my village…"

"Oh, right, sure, your village..." Trash huffed, as he approached Tasha. "...but I'm sure that they can wait for you for a little longer."

Tasha stepped back a bit. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"...nothing major; just a bit of payback for earlier." And Trash suddenly grabbed Tasha, and pinned her against a tree.

Tasha's eyes widened, and she tried to struggle. "N-NO! Please!"

"Oh, be quiet; it'll be over quicker that way." Trash sneered.

"But you can't!" Tasha begged. "I already belong to someone else!" and she tried to struggle even more.

"Belonging to someone else? Feh." Trash scoffed, as he kept Tasha restrained. "A quick fuck isn't gonna make you my slave, or whatever you wildcats do when you have sex with outsiders..."

"No…please!" Tasha kept begging. "Don't do this!" she managed to kick him off, and with that, she dashed away.

Before she could flee, though, Trash suddenly spat out mucus to strike her feet. With a yelp, Tasha fell to the ground with bound feet.

"See, if you hadn't started to run, we wouldn't be in this situation..." Trash hummed, as he menacingly approached Tasha; chuckling as he did so.

Tasha looked up at him in fright. "Please…no, don't do this to me!" she kept begging.

"Relax... it'll be over before you know it." Trash chuckled, as he was almost up to Tasha...

BAM!

And all of a sudden, he had been knocked right to the ground; clutching to his bleeding nose. "AGH! WHO THE HELL-?"

"...sheesh... fucking creep." Wiping the blood off his fist, Tasha's savior quickly wiped the mucus off her feet. "...you okay?" Will huffed, as he looked at her.

"…Will…" Tasha was really surprised to see him, but she was relieved that he came to her rescue. "…yes, I'm okay…"

"...good." Will huffed, as he helped her on her feet. "...you shouldn't walk on your own at night; you never know what kinda creeps you might run into." As he said that, he glanced at Trash, who got to his feet.

"...bastard... assaulting a GUN lieutenant..." Trash hissed, as he glared daggers at the jackal. "...you won't get away with this! I'm going to inform the captain of this; then you'll receive a fitting punishment!"

"...what, before or after I tell your boss that you tried raping the Chieftain?" Will spat. "Now scram, already."

With a ferocious snarl, Trash began running away; still trying to stop the bleeding from his nose.

"...feh." Rubbing his neck, Will sighed. "...I may be an ass to others most of the time, but there's some things that even I won't stand by."

"…thank you," Tasha said, looking at Will. "…and I will promise to be more careful at night from now on…"

"...make good on that by going with an escort at night." Will replied. "Just to make sure that no more GUN assholes show up, I guess I can lead you back to your village."

Tasha nodded. "…again, thank you."

"Don't mention it; I got a reputation to keep, after all..." Will hummed. "So, shall we?"

Tasha nodded again, and the two of them walked off farther into the forest.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Let's make a TV show called "Everybody Hates Trash." I think it'll get great ratings XD<strong>_


	13. Chapter 12

"Aw, she's adorable when she's asleep!" Crystal chuckled, looking at Joy who was fast asleep on the couch.

"...she sure is." Demi hummed with a small smile.

"…do you think one of us should camp out here to be with her, to make sure she's not scared if she wakes up?" Dax asked.

"...I'll do that." Demi nodded.

Dax looked at him. "You sure?"

"Positive." Demi nodded.

"…okay then," Dax said.

"I'm gonna head to bed!" Crystal said, walking out. "See you guys in the morning!"

"…night Crystal," Dax said.

"...good night." Demi nodded.

"…want me to get you some blankets so you can sleep out here?" Dax asked Demi.

"...sure." Demi said with a nod. "I'd appreciate it."

Dax stood up and walked out of the room. "I'll get some then."

When he left the room, Joy turned over on the couch, and kept sleeping. She looked very relaxed now, compared to the distress she was experiencing when she was awake.

Seeing that, Demi felt a sense of relief...

_**...don't lower your guard.**_

_...I won't._

Dax came into the room then. "Here you are Demi," he said, handing him some folded blankets and he set the pillow down.

"...thank you, Dax." Demi hummed, as he took the blankets.

"I think I'll head to bed too," Dax said, walking out again. "Good night Demi."

"...good night, Dax." Demi said with a slight yawn.

When Dax went out, Joy started sucking her thumb in her sleep. Demi slowly looked at Joy, before he yawned once more. Joy looked really comfortable in the blanket…and it really was nice to see her at such peace.

Demi couldn't help but smile... as his eyelids slowly grew heavy, and he fell asleep.

* * *

><p><em>I don't know why…but I wasn't in that sad, broken city anymore…I was in a pretty field with flowers, and it was sunny, and nice…<em>

_I looked around. I thought that Malice was gonna attack me again…but…there was no broken city, and there were no monsters around._

"_Joy!"_

_I looked behind me, and my eyes got bigger. "Mama?"_

_I saw Mama standing far away, but I could still see her. She was waving at me and smiling. I didn't know what to say. I haven't seen her in a long time in my dreams before…but it was really nice instead of those nasty monsters. I started to really miss my Mama now, and I started to run for her. "Mama!" I called._

"_C'mon Joy!" Mama laughed. "We're gonna go swimming!"_

_I liked to swim, but I wanted to go hug my Mama really bad, so I tried to run faster. "Wait for me, Mama!" I called._

"_Hurry Joy!" Mama kept calling._

_I tried, I really tried. I missed Mama so much that I started to cry again, but I didn't let my tears slow me down. "Don't leave me behind Mama!" I cried._

_Finally, I got to her. I hugged her really tight. "Mama! Don't leave me!"_

_I felt Mama hug me back. "What's wrong Joy? Why are you crying?"_

"_I miss you Mama!" I cried. "I feel lost and I don't wanna hurt you! But I really miss you Mama!"_

"_Oh, it's okay Joy…"_

_Then I felt something really bad…and then I knew that Mama wasn't the same. I opened my eyes and I screamed, getting scared again. It wasn't my Mama anymore; it was one of those monsters that tried to look like my Mama. She had sharp teeth, and she opened her mouth._

"_**It's okay…I won't leave you ever again Joy!"**__ the monster laughed, and it looked like the monster was gonna eat me right up._ _It's mouth got really, _really_ big, and I couldn't run away because it was still holding me._

"_No!" I cried._

_Then the monster shot at me with its opened mouth. _

Joy cringed in her sleep with a gasp and looked distressed again. However, as Demi slept, he didn't seem to notice this.

Her eyes popped open then, with cold blue eyes.

Malice chuckled. "Well, your little pinching trick won't work all the time, you little brat," she chuckled to herself in a low whisper, pushing the blanket off of her.

Then she looked toward Demi.

Still, he was asleep.

"…another Novagod…" Malice murmured with a scoff. "…for Patricia's nephew, he's certainly not much…" She walked toward him. "Well, I told Joy I'd hurt the people she told about me," she whispered with a wicked chuckle.

When she was right up to Demi, she raised her hand with an aura of Corruption around it.

The moment she did that, however, Demi's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist tightly; actually causing the Corruption to dispel from her hand.

Malice blinked with widened eyes. "Huh?"

_**"...you weren't counting on more than two eyes watching over you, did you?"**_ Demi spoke in a booming tone; though, from the looks of it, he was still asleep.

Malice grit her teeth. "…that's right…I totally forgot about you, didn't I?"

_**"...a rookie mistake... one that will cost you deeply."**_ At that point, Demi's eyes shot open; his pupils thinning out like a reptile stalking its prey. _**"...how else did you think that Demi would be able to sense you?"**_

Malice yanked her hands right out of his hold, stepping away.

_**"...you intended to turn us into one of your corrupted slaves?"**_ Slowly, Demi rose from his chair, as he cracked his neck. _**"My apologies, but I intend to stay away from that dark matter... it would be murder on my host, you see."**_

Malice grumbled. "…yeah…you're different, that's for sure…and yet you've run in the Novagod bloodline for how long?"

_**"Generations; I've lost count of how many."**_ Demi spoke. _**"Though believe me; I'm glad that I never came in contact with Deity. That would have been a nightmare to live within..."**_

"And you all though he just died," Malice chuckled, finding it quite amusing actually.

She suddenly threw two balls of Corruption at Demi.

In the span of a millisecond, however, Demi's wings suddenly flapped with enough force to disperse the Corruption before it struck him. _**"...painfully basic. You're no soldier, child; you're just going to get hurt."**_

Malice growled. "I'm not gonna get hurt! I'm one of the most powerful wielder's of Corruption ever!"

_**"...so was Deity."**_ Demi pointed out, as he folded his arms. _**"And he was defeated."**_ With that, he suddenly flapped his wings once more to create a powerful gust of wind, to blow Malice back.

Malice yelped, being shot out of a window, shattering it.

With a hum, Demi shot out of the same window; keeping his eyes on Malice.

Malice managed to land on her feet. "Better be careful," she chuckled. "You don't want to hurt the girl, do you?"

_**"...Demi may not want that."**_ he spoke again, as he narrowed his eyes. _**"...however... I'm an advocate of direct punishment." **_Baring his fangs, Demi shot towards her.

Malice whipped her hand and shot waves of Corruption at Demi.

However, with his giant wingspan, Demi shot past the waves with impressive speed; all until he got close enough to snag Malice by her hair.

Malice yelped, trying to kick and punch at Demi to let her go.

However, Demi simply didn't budge, as he glared at Malice. _**"...you will let Joy resume control... and you will recede back into her mind; not to resurface."**_ he hissed.

"Oh, and just what can you possibly do to me if I don't, huh?" Malice barked back at him.

_**"...you don't want to know."**_ His fangs gleaming in the night, Demi glared at her. _**"...but if I must, let me tell you this; I can attack you directly, and leave Joy unharmed."**_

"Bull…" Malice groaned.

_**"...do you want me to show you?"**_ Demi hissed. _**"It's not going to be pleasant for you..."**_

"No! I want you to let me go!"

Malice coated her foot in Corruption and tried to kick him. However, as he shot his other hand at that leg, he grabbed it and stopped her. _**"...no."**_

With that, he suddenly bit down on her neck. Malice yelped out. Tightening the grip his fangs had on her neck, Demi kept biting her...

...and soon, Malice felt a certain sensation tingle at her...

..._pain._

It didn't seem like a physical pain either…it felt like some kind of…mental pain. A headache was coming over Malice, and she whimpered in agony. It kept growing, and Demi still kept biting down on her.

Malice had no idea how he was able to do this…but she couldn't take it for much longer.

"…Okay! OKAY!" she cried out desperately.

_**"...hm...?"**_ Demi hummed; though his teeth remained lodged in her neck.

"Okay! I'll give her back control!" Malice yelped. "Just let me go!"

With a grunt, Demi slowly released his grip on Malice. _**"...the pain will linger for around half an hour if you recede away... but if you don't, it could last much longer."**_

Malice just grumbled.

Then her eyes turned green again.

She blinked. "…D…Demi…?"

Demi looked at her with a slight nod, as his eyes returned to normal. "...don't worry... I won't let her do any harm, Joy."

Joy's eyes widened. She realized that Malice had taken over her again…but Demi was holding her and he wasn't hurt…which meant that Malice didn't hurt him.

"…OW OW OW!" She suddenly yelped, also realizing that Demi was still holding her by her hair.

"...o-OH!" Quickly, Demi let go of her hair; placing her on the ground safely. "...sorry about that..."

Joy rubbed her head where her hair had been pulled sorely…

…then she threw her arms onto Demi, hugging him insecurely.

Demi hugged her back; patting her to make her feel at ease.

"…I'm sorry Demi…" Joy spoke, holding him tighter. "…she…she tricked me…she made a monster that looked like my Mama and I missed her so much I ran to hug her and she ate me up like a big scary monster!"

"...don't worry; that was just a dream..." Demi whispered. "...but if it's in your dream that she takes control... haven't you thought of fighting back in a dream?"

Joy held to Demi, but thought about that. All this time, she hadn't tried to do that yet… "…but…but those monsters are so scary and big…" Joy said. "…and Malice…she says such mean things…makes me feel like all I can do is run away…"

"...yeah... it may be scary..." Demi nodded. "...but, it's not real... it's all make-believe, that Malice tries to make you think is real..." Then, he looked at Joy. "...if you can convince yourself of that... I think you can give her a nasty surprise..."

"…really?" Joy looked up at him in surprise.

"Yeah." Demi nodded, as he smiled a bit. "...just try not to let her scare you... and you can give her a good scare in return."

Joy stared up at him in amazement.

…and slowly…a small smile formed.

Demi chuckled a bit. "...you're smiling... that's good."

"…thank you Demi…" and Joy went back to hugging Demi tightly. Demi hugged her back. They stayed like that for a long time.

…up until Joy started to tremble weakly.

Demi blinked. "...Joy?"

"…I can't move anymore…I'm really tired…"

And with that, Joy collapsed limply.

"...Joy..." With a sigh, Demi flew back in through the window, before he placed Joy on the couch once more; tucking her in once more.

Joy breathed a bit easier…and dozed off again.

Smiling, Demi folded his arms. _...she's so peaceful..._

_**...don't lower your guard; she could still be snared in by her.**_

_...true..._ He sighed. _...by the way, you're paying for the window._

_**Oooh... you're no fun, sometimes...**_

_Well, that's what happens when you use the wings inside Crystal's house._

Blood noticeably dripped down from Joy's neck where she had been bitten…and suddenly, cuts from where she was thrown out of the window became evident as well.

When he saw that, Demi's eyes widened. "..._what?_"

_**Oh, dear... looks like she took a heavy beating...**_

In panic, Demi knelt by Joy's side. "Oh, no... how did this happen? She seemed just fine before..."

Joy winced a little, but other than that, she continued to sleep.

Though it relieved him to see her sleep peacefully, the cuts and bleeding didn't help much. "...why..." he uttered.

Joy shivered and pulled the blankets closer to her weakly.

Gritting his teeth, Demi simply placed a hand on her. _...I'll watch over you, Joy..._

A few hours later, Demi had fallen asleep beside her…or where she used to be. The girl had gotten out of bed, and toward the broken window, with one glance behind her with cold blue eyes.

…_can't stop me from leaving at least…_ Malice thought, climbing out the window and running out.

_**"...you just don't seem to learn."**_

Even with his eyes closed, Demi slowly rose up, and flew out after Malice; intending to catch her.

Outside, Malice looked back and caught a few glimpses of him. _Shit!_ She thought, vanishing into the brush of the woodland around the house.

Still, Demi pursued her; following the sound of her footsteps.

…all of a sudden, Demi ran into someone in the middle of his flight, tumbling over onto the ground.

Stopping, Demi quickly looked at the one who fell over.

"…ow…" whimpered a hurt voice on the ground.

Instantly, Demi's eyes shot wide open.

"...it... can't be..."

The figure on the ground jumped.

"…that voice…"

"...is... that really you...?"

Slowly, Demi approached the figure; looking down at it with a surprised look.

The figure saw him, and jumped to her feet. "Demi?" Then she stumbled. "Ow!"

"Ah- you're hurt!" Quickly, Demi took hold of her. "Oh, I- I'm sorry... I didn't see you..."

She blushed, and a pair of amethyst, glimmering eyes looked up at him. "…Demi…is that…really you?" Oblivion uttered.

"...y-yes..." Demi uttered, as he looked at the unicorn with a surprised look. "...Oblivion... wha-what are you doing here...?"

"…we…I…um…" Oblivion just couldn't help but stare at him, almost forgetting about her twisted ankle.

"Oblivion! Where are you?"

Oblivion gasped in surprise.

Demi heard that as well. "...who-"

And all of a sudden, a large crowd suddenly shot out of the brush, stopping by Demi and Oblivion... and with this manner of crowd, Demi could only gawk; especially at the gigantic dragon, the trio of lions, the owl girl, the snow leopard the bear flying with a jetpack, and the husky-wolf hovering telekinetically by the dragon.

"...Oblivion... who is that?" the dragon uttered, as he looked at Demi with a narrow look... whilst smelling something curious.

"…um…uh…" Oblivion was lost for words.

The bear, Striker, gave Demi a shocked look. "No! No way! It can't be him!"

"That's because it's not," the husky-wolf, Ani, said. "…Demi, is that you?"

"...Demi?" Jack uttered, as he looked at the bat. "...no way! I mean, the wings are bigger, but... he looks just like-!"

"-I'm not him." Demi quickly said. "...I may look like him, but... I'm not him."

The dragon, Charon, simply hummed; still looking at Demi with a narrow look.

"Long story short guys, he's related to him," Ani said, lowering to the ground. "This is Demi. He was at Safe Haven a few years ago."

"…so…you're related to Deity Novagod." Vanessa walked up to Demi, looking at him curiously.

"...I am." Demi nodded. "...until I came to Safe Haven... I thought he was simply dead..."

Diablo was standing there with wide eyes, color draining from his face in horror while he stared at Demi.

"...big brother, no..." Kiri hugged him to make him less afraid. "...he's not like him... I can feel it; he just looks like him..."

Diablo just kept staring silently…

…then, he started to breathe harder and harder; hyperventilating even.

"...big brother, calm down...!" Kiri uttered.

Demi looked at Diablo with a raised eyebrow. "...sir... are you alright...?"

Diablo gripped his head, shaking it.

"_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"**_

"Diablo!" Milo uttered with a startled jump at his hysterical screams.

Diablo kept screaming, "_**NONONONONO!"**_

"Please, big brother, stop!" Kiri cried out.

Seeing this, Demi closed his eyes. "...hm... before I learned the truth, I'd have assumed that he was screaming because of the wings..."

Milo tried to rush to him. "Diablo, you gotta calm down!"

Diablo just kept screaming and screaming.

"Please, big brother, just calm down!"

Demi just looked back at Diablo in slight dismay.

Vanessa finally just walked up to him and slapped him in the face.

Diablo stopped, just standing there, slowly looking back at Vanessa in shock.

"...Vanessa...?" Kiri uttered.

Demi blinked at that, as he looked at Vanessa with a surprised look.

"…Diablo," Vanessa took him by the shoulders. "Listen to me. He may look like Deity, but that's only because he's from his family line. He will not hurt you in any way, shape, or form, and even if he tried, we would all do everything we could to protect you."

Diablo stared at Vanessa…and it managed to calm him down, but he still looked very nervous.

"…I promise, that he will not hurt you," Vanessa repeated.

Everyone else was silent as well...

"...I promise as well."

That earned Demi some stares, as he had spoken up. "...I promise that I will not harm any one of you, in any way, shape or form."

"…Demi…" Oblivion looked at him.

Diablo also looked at him…still uneasy of course but…he wasn't freaking out anymore.

"...I don't know how long you've traveled, but... maybe you can rest over at my friend's place? I'm sure that they won't mind." Demi suggested.

"…that would be very kind of you, Demi," Oblivion said, taking a step and then, "…OW!"

"Oblivion!" Ani uttered. "Are you okay?"

Instantly, Charon growled.

"Oh- sorry, that was my fault..." Demi uttered. "I accidentally knocked her to the ground, and... she twisted her ankle..."

"How could you do that?" Jack sputtered, as he looked at Demi with a pout. "You promised that you weren't gonna hurt us!"

"I-It was an accident, Jack!" Oblivion uttered. "He didn't mean to!" And she looked at Demi. "Why were you flying so quickly anyway?"

"I..." And Demi's eyes shot open. "...oh, shoot! I forgot about her! She must've ran away!"

Milo and Vanessa looked at Demi.

"…who? Who ran away?" Milo uttered while walking toward him, getting the feeling of who he was talking about.

Demi grit his teeth. "...she... Malice... she took her away..."

They all gave Demi shocked looks.

"You saw Joy?" Striker screamed out.

"...yeah..." Demi nodded. "My friend happened to find her, and took her to our place, so she could rest... but Malice first tried attacking me... and then she fled."

"...and you chased after her...?" Kiri uttered.

Oblivion put a hand over her mouth. "…and you ran into me, which allowed her to get away…I'm so sorry!"

"But we didn't even see her run by!" Ani said.

"…She must have submerged into the dark to get away…" Milo muttered. "…once a Corruption user does that, it's pretty much impossible to follow them at that point…"

"...kkh..." With a sigh, Demi glanced down at the ground.

"...maybe we should head over to your place, for now..." Jack suggested. "...I think we're all kinda exhausted..."

"That's for sure…" Vanessa huffed, wiping her brow.

"...we should go there, then..." Kiri nodded.

Nodding as well, Demi looked at Oblivion. "...here; let me carry you, so you don't have to-"

"That won't be necessary." With a slight growl, Charon stepped closer to Demi and Oblivion; giving the bat a brief glare before looking at Oblivion in concern. "...I'll carry you there..."

Milo could see a bit of an aggressive aura in Charon's spirit, but he understood that Charon was just being protective over Oblivion. Vanessa hummed at this curiously.

"…oh…alright," Oblivion spoke.

Nodding, Charon carefully picked up Oblivion, before glancing at Demi again.

Demi blinked; the look that Charon gave him wasn't exactly a hateful look, or even an angry look... it was more like a look that told him not to try anything suspicious. It had been the first time he had gotten that kind of look, so it stuck with him.

In any case, Charon carefully placed Oblivion on his back, before giving Demi a nod. "...lead the way."

Demi nodded, before he began walking to lead them to Crystal's house.

Vanessa noticed the broken window when they got there. "…I see you had quite the struggle with Malice…I don't think your friend would like the broken window."

"...I know... a different friend of mine's going to pay for it..." Demi hummed.

"...why not pay for it yourself?" Jack tilted his head curiously at that.

"Oh, well... because he broke it; not me." Demi explained.

Milo took a second look at Demi…

…he sensed something odd about his spirit; not necessarily bad, just odd. It seemed like there were two spirits in there, but joined as one. Milo assumed that Demi had something inside of him…which could probably explain why he fought back Malice.

And he's a Novagod, from what he heard. That could mean anything.

He looked back at Charon, knowing that he wouldn't fit in the house…and then he noticed Oblivion nearly asleep on his back. "…I think we need to call it a night," Milo said. "We're getting pretty tired…and we can explain everything in the morning when we're rested up."

* * *

><p>Crystal let out a yawn that morning, walking down the stairs. "Hope today'll be a good day…" first she stopped by the kitchen to open the fridge. She wanted to have a bowl of cereal, but saw no jug of milk in the fridge. "Demi!" she called out, closing the fridge. "We're out of milk again!"<p>

She walked into the living room…and stopped.

"Huh?"

She saw a whole crowd of Mobians in her living room, lying all around the room fast asleep.

She gawked at them.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"

Sadly, it was loud enough that everyone woke up because of it.

"WHUH?" Striker snorted awake from his snoring, and slipped of the chair, "OOF!"

"…ow…don't yell so loud…" Ani grumbled, wiping her eyes.

"...gnuh...?" Jack yawned, as he slowly looked up. "...'s it time for breakfast...?" he yawned.

"...ngh..." Kiri uttered, as she slowly rose up; rubbing her head a little.

Vanessa opened her eyes and sat up. "…oh, hello," she spoke.

While everyone woke up, Crystal just gawked at all of them. "…Demi!" she called out.

"...yes?" Crystal heard his voice call from outside... where she saw that he was replacing a broken window.

She walked up to the window in shock. "Demi, what the hell is going on?" Crystal asked. "All these guys sleeping here? And where's Joy?"

"Gone," Milo answered.

Crystal shot another shocked look at him.

"...she fled during the night. I tried following her, but... I lost her." Demi murmured, as he kept setting the window up.

"…what?" Crystal uttered. "…but why…?"

"…I think we can explain that," Vanessa spoke.

* * *

><p>"WHO DUMPED OUR CARGO INTO THE OCEAN?"<p>

"...I... I have no idea...!"

"**...this... not good.**"

Both the Lieutenants were answering to a very unhappy Captain. "Just what were the two of you doing anyway? If there weren't any sea men on duty out there, you should've made sure there was, or at least patrolled the harbor yourselves! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"

"...I had some business to take care of..." Trash murmured, as he glanced to the side. "I don't know why there weren't any patrolmen around the harbor..."

Brawn, on the other hand, glanced away from the captain with a thoughtful look.

"Oh, and just what business was so important that it required your attention, Lieutenant Trash?" the Captain demanded.

Trash hissed. "...one of the soldiers assaulted me in the middle of the night." he murmured. "I tried looking for our troops to bring him in, but... no one else was at their post."

"And what reason did this soldier assault you, Trash?" the Captain asked again.

"...completely... unprovoked, Captain..." Trash murmured.

Brawn simply hummed; still not looking at the Captain.

"…I can tell a liar when I see one Lieutenant," the Captain growled. "…but I'll deal with you later. You're scheduled for your check-up on Ms. Condit."

"...yes, sir." Trash huffed. "...I'll get right to that, then..."

"And I want _both_ of you go; you remember what happened yesterday with Condit…" the Captain grumbled, rubbing his temples. "In the meantime…I have to report to the Admiral about what happened with the cargo."

"...fine..." Trash hummed, as he turned to walk for the door. "...Brawn, come on."

However, Brawn stood put; still not looking at the Commander.

The Captain looked at Brawn. "…what is it Brawn?" he asked.

"**...Safe Haven soldiers...**" Brawn hummed, as he narrowed his eyes. "**...they get GUN troops... drunk...**"

Trash looked at Brawn with some surprise. "...you kiddin' me?"

"…elaborate, Lieutenant," the Captain told Brawn.

"**...they claim to want to befriend troops.**" Brawn began. "**Troops invited to pub. Everyone get drunk... me included.**" He closed his eyes shamefully when he said that last part.

"…I see…" the Captain sat back in his chair. "…then that means that this had been planned."

"...so... they tricked us." Trash hissed.

The Captain's eyes narrowed. "…I repeat. This I will discuss with the Admiral. You two go to your duties."

"...yes, sir," Nodding, Trash headed out of the office, with Brawn slowly lumbering after him.

The Captain sighed, once his two officers were gone. Sometimes the two of them were a handful… "…now to report to the Admiral…" he muttered.

* * *

><p>Jill was minding her own business, washing dishes in her kitchen.<p>

"…Tails Doll, what time is it?" she asked curiously.

_"...ten o' clock in the morning." _Tails Doll hummed, as he fluttered around Jill.

She sighed. "…they're gonna be here again soon…" she muttered.

Tails Doll sighed. _"...I don't really like them that much..."_

"…neither do I Tails Doll…" Jill said. "…but…there's not much I can do about that."

Tails Doll hummed...

...and with that, the door opened. "...you in here, Condit?"

Jill scowled.

"…yes," she groaned.

"...good." With a grunt, Trash stepped into the kitchen, with Brawn following him. "What're you up to this fine morning?"

"…chores…" Jill answered bluntly, going back to her washing of the dishes. "…I don't really have anything else to do…"

"Well, if you behave, you won't need to stay here for longer than you need to." Trash murmured.

"**...have you eaten?**" Brawn hummed.

"…yes," Jill answered Brawn.

"**...good.**" Brawn hummed. "**Day not come to good start without food.**"

"...that's Brawn for ya." Trash hummed, as he folded his arms whilst leaning against the wall. "...so... how's Callous doing?"

Jill finally looked at them, with a light glare at Trash. "Would you really like to ask her that yourself?"

"...if she won't mind getting her ass kicked again... I don't see why not." Trash chuckled.

_"...don't test your luck." _Tails Doll grunted.

Brawn blinked at the sight of Tails Doll. "**...what's that?**"

"…that's Tails Doll," Jill answered, finished the last of her dishes. "…she's Joy's doll, and a family friend."

"...a family friend?" Trash scoffed. "He looks kinda freaky, if you ask me..."

Tails Doll glared at him... at least, until Brawn approached him; and admittedly, for the small plushie, the larger komodo dragon was an intimidating sight.

"…you wouldn't understand…" Jill grumbled, turning to fold her arms and glare at Trash.

"...what exactly don't I understand?" Trash huffed. "If you ask me, that plushie's just a huge load of-"

"**-cute.**"

Trash shot a surprised look at Brawn for that. "...whuh?"

"**...cute.**" Brawn hummed with a slight smile, as he poked Tails Doll a bit; much to the surprise of the doll.

Jill looked at that. "…he seems to like Tails Doll," she remarked, looking back at Trash.

"...that's just him." Trash hummed. "...why don't you and the doll go and get to know each other in the living room?"

"**...can I?**" Brawn hummed, as he looked at Jill.

"…as long as you're alright with it Tails Doll," Jill said, looking at the plushie.

_"...alright..."_ Nodding, Tails Doll fluttered to the living room, with Brawn following him outside.

Jill figured that Brawn wouldn't hurt him. For a guy with muscle, he seemed very simple; not necessarily a bad thing, but it was just something that was evident.

"...isn't it sad; having your daughter's plush without your daughter nearby?" Trash huffed.

Jill gave a murderous glare at Trash.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to me about my daughter."

"...you should choose what you say to me carefully, Condit." Trash growled, as he glared back at Jill. "You fuck with me, and I'll make your life a living hell."

"I've already been to hell and back more times than I can count, _Trash,_" Jill spoke bitterly. "I doubt that you can make it as bad as what I've gone through."

"...oh, I can try." Trash hissed. "So you'd do well to show me some respect."

"I grew up with the idea that you had to _earn_ that kind of thing," Jill spat back. "You haven't earned my respect yet."

"...right now, there's no such thing as _earning_ respect." Trash hissed. "You're in house arrest, under the mercy of GUN... you should drop that high and mighty attitude; it'd suit you better."

"Oh really?"

Jill was really starting to get irritated with him again…for some reason, he was a lot more annoying that having to deal with Callous and her fascination with bugging the crap out of her. It was probably because Jill had lived with Callous much longer than she had to deal with Trash…

…it still was no excuse for Trash's rudeness though.

"And what about last night, huh Trash?" Jill started, glaring at him. "Sonia told me what happened this morning."

"...what of it?" Trash hissed.

"…it's not in my nature to be cruel, but I could just tell your Captain about it the next time he comes over," Jill said; "you know, about your attempt to rape the Chieftain of the tribe."

_Wow…now I'm starting to question who's the wicked one,_ snickered a voice in Jill's head.

Trash narrowed his eyes a bit. "...you wouldn't _dare..._"

"He'll find out about it sooner or later; there's no point hiding it," Jill told him. "And knowing you, you'll probably try something like that again."

Trash scowled, as he still kept glaring at Jill.

"…so let's make this clear, Trash," Jill said. "You don't talk about my daughter, or Metal Sonic, or try to demand my respect. You'll have to _earn_ it from me."

"...feh..." With a scowl, Trash's eyes narrowed. "...for someone who's in house arrest, you're awfully demanding... it's like you think that _I'm_ supposed to take orders from you."

"Well I sure as hell am not taking orders from _you,_" Jill retorted. "I'm just establishing that is all."

"...no; you're demanding." Trash huffed, as he began approaching Jill. "Something you're not in a position to do."

"And besides extending my sentence to house arrest, just what else could you possibly do to me?" Jill grumbled.

"...this."

Suddenly, Trash spat into his own hand, before he grabbed Jill's neck with that hand; causing her to feel a burning sensation along her neck.

Jill let out a pained cry, grabbing his hand to try and pull it off of her neck. However, Trash's grip remained strong.

"...my mucus has a few special properties that affect people differently." he explained, as he glared at Jill. "For instance, the pain you're feeling now is comparable to being burned with acid; though you won't suffer the same kind of damage, you'll still feel the pain."

Jill just kept screaming in pain, clawing at his hand to pull it off.

But still, his grip was firm. "...you think I'm gonna let it slide, that you have the gall to threaten me? I'm not gonna let that kind of behavior slide... so if you don't shape up, I'm gonna have to exert this kind of force each time I come by here."

Jill glared at him. "I've been through worse pain than this, Trash! You think I'm _intimidated_?" but she still screamed, since it did burn.

"Oh, I can make it hurt a lot worse than this..." Trash sneered. "When I'm through with you, you won't be able to glare at me like that, you little basketcase-!"

_"YOU'RE the basketcase!" _And suddenly, someone appeared in front of Jill; spraying orange gas right at the toad's face, which caused him to release her.

"GAH!" Coughing, Trash backed off; trying to wave the orange gas aside.

Jill covered her mouth so she wouldn't breathe the gas, glaring at Trash.

Coughing, Trash looked back at Jill... or not; his gaze was vacant and blank, as if he was someplace else. "...wha... where am I... who's there...?"

Jill stepped away from Trash, touching her throat sorely.

"...wait... that voice... no... no, not _you..._ you're supposed to be dead! Wha- what are you- no! No, get away from me, you hag!" In a panic, Trash backed into the wall; looking like he was about to hyperventilate.

No matter what fear he was experiencing, Jill just gave Trash a cold look. "…you deserved it…" she muttered under her breath.

"...no, stay away! _Stay away!_" Trash yelled. "_I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY, YOU FREAK! WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE ME BE? GET AWAY FROM ME, MOTHE-!_"

And all of a sudden, Trash was smacked across the face by Brawn, which seemed to knock him right out of his fear-induced stupor.

Jill still rubbed her throat, looking at them.

"...geh... what... what was that...?" Trash breathed, as he looked at Tails Doll in disbelief.

"**...Trash. Leave.**" Brawn uttered, as he looked back at Jill and Tails Doll.

Hearing that, Trash wasted no time in retreating out of the kitchen.

Jill looked at Brawn then.

"**...what happen?**" Brawn inquired.

"…he grabbed my throat and burned me," Jill said, "and he threatened that he would do that to me again and again."

"**...I see.**" Brawn hummed. "**...he like that. He very brutal about job...**"

"…yeah…brutal…" Jill mumbled. "…I just told him that if he wanted my respect, he had to earn it…"

…then she smiled at Brawn. "…so far Brawn…you've earned my respect."

Brawn looked at Jill again. "**...why?**"

"…because even if you're doing your job, you do it without having to act like a jerk toward me," Jill said, and thankfully, it was because of his simple nature. All in all, it was actually a _good_ thing.

"**...well... you nice.**" Brawn noted. "**...other personality, though... Callous... not nice.**"

"…I know…" Jill said. "…but Callous doesn't come out a lot, so you won't have to see her very much."

"**...don't want to use force.**" Brawn noted. "**Have to use force against her... but don't want to.**"

"…right…I know…" Jill said. "…I'll try to make sure Callous doesn't come out."

_Tsch, fat chance. I come out only because you're too much of a wuss to throw a punch at them,_ Callous grumbled.

_Oh, and who's the one that got knocked out by Trash?_ Jill retorted.

There was silence after that.

"**...alright. I talk with Trash; try to make him mellow out.**" With a nod, Brawn turned to leave. "**...see you tomorrow.**"

Jill nodded. "…see ya…"

Once they were gone, she looked at Tails Doll. "…thank you Tails Doll…"

_"...no problem."_ Tails Doll hummed.

Jill actually came over and hugged the little plushie. "…I really hope your Big Brother hurries…" she murmured.

_"...he'll hurry..."_ Tails Doll nodded.

* * *

><p>"…oh my god…" Crystal uttered in horror, covering her mouth. "…I…I had no idea any of that happened…"<p>

"…so we're all trying to look for Joy," Milo finished, looking sadly at Crystal.

"...yeah..." Kiri nodded, as she huddled closer to Diablo and Vanessa.

"...and she managed to flee..." Demi murmured.

"…I'm so sorry," Crystal said. "If I knew about all of this, I would've kept a closer eye on her."

"It's okay Crystal, you didn't know," Ani said.

Dax rubbed his chin. "…you know…with as many of you out there looking for her, your search needs more of an advantage," he said. "GUN hasn't reported her missing at all?"

"Yeah, and quite frankly, that's strange in my opinion…" Vanessa murmured.

"…someone needs to post a missing report on her," Dax said, "so not only are you guys on the lookout, but so is the entire public."

Striker beamed at Dax. "That's a GREAT idea!"

"I agree!" Kiri nodded. "That way, we'll be sure to find her!"

"That's an awesome idea!" Jack said with a wide smile.

"Then we shouldn't delay." Demi hummed, as he looked at Dax. "Would you mind posting that report?"

"But wait, we don't wanna talk about why she's missing!" Striker uttered.

"They don't necessarily work that way Striker," Dax said, bringing up the holographic windows on his arm. "All you really do is report who's missing, and when she was last seen. They don't really need to know why she's gone; it's just a way to ask everyone out there to let us know if they saw her."

He started typing. "I know a few websites. Just let me do all the work and there will be plenty of missing persons ads of Joy. That way, you'll be able to find her quicker…or at least be able to pick up her trail."

"In the meantime, wanna go check on Oblivion for us, Demi?" Vanessa asked.

"...uh... sure." Demi uttered, as he turned to leave.

Last night, with Oblivion having fallen asleep on Charon's back, Vanessa took her and carried her up to Demi's room to sleep, while Demi slept elsewhere and Charon slept outside, since he couldn't fit into the house.

When he got to his room, he saw that Oblivion was still asleep, cozily nuzzled under the covers against the soft pillow. To Demi, it looked like Oblivion hadn't been sleeping very well for a while… and sleeping on a cold, cavern floor could do that to someone. She looked very content and relaxed, breathing steadily.

Humming, Demi took a seat next to Oblivion's bed, and just looked at her; managing a smile at seeing her look so relaxed. She yawned in her sleep, cuddling into the pillow more.

_**...I bet that a certain someone's happy to see her.**_

_Wha- what are you saying?_

_**Oh, it's just so obvious. You were so delighted to see her, even with Joy and Malice fleeing.**_

_...would you stop teasing me?_ Demi rubbed his neck a bit with a sheepish smile and a blush. _I was just surprised... even if, yeah... it's good to see her..._

_**...too bad that her friend doesn't seem to like you, though.**_

Demi lost his smile. _...he's... probably just protective,_ he assumed.

Just then, Oblivion slowly opened her eyes. Blinking a few times, she yawned again and rubbed her eyes…

…and when she saw Demi, she shot up. "D-Demi?" she uttered in surprise, blushing at the fact that he was right there when she woke up.

"O-Oblivion..." Demi uttered, as he glanced to the side. "...g-good morning..."

"…I didn't know you would be…right there…" Oblivion murmured shyly. "…oh… and um… Good morning to you too," She rubbed her arms a bit. "How did you sleep?"

"...good." Demi replied. "...what about you? How did you sleep?"

"…alright…" Oblivion started to blush awkwardly. "…we…didn't sleep in the same bed, did we?"

"...no; I slept elsewhere." Demi said. "I figured you'd need some space..."

Oblivion relaxed at that. "…I see…okay."

"...so... you okay, aside from that?" Demi hummed. "...your ankle's not hurting, is it?"

"It doesn't hurt…but I should see if it can handle any weight," And Oblivion pushed the blanket off to set her feet on the ground, slowly standing up. Demi stood up as well; watching her to see if she would be hurting or not.

Oblivion took a few small steps around the room without too much trouble. "…yeah, I think it's healed," she said, looking back at Demi.

He smiled at her. "...that's good..."

Oblivion smiled back. "Are the others awake?" she asked.

"Yes; they've been briefed on the situation." Demi nodded.

"…so they've told your friends…" Oblivion murmured. "…have you been living with Crystal and Dax ever since you left Safe Haven?"

"...yeah." he nodded. "It beats living alone; being with friends really has done wonders for me..."

Oblivion smiled at that. "That's good…and…well, how's Blood?"

"He's doing better." Demi hummed with a smile. "We've gotten really acquainted for the last three years..."

"…you…may be a bit curious about Charon, I'm sure?" Oblivion asked, stroking her sparkling, white hair shyly.

"...a little, yes." Demi nodded. "...so... what can you tell me about him?"

"…well…a few years back, do you remember when I told you that I was hiding a friend on Safe Haven to protect him?" Oblivion mentioned.

Demi blinked. "...so... Charon's that friend?"

Oblivion nodded.

"...well... I wouldn't have guessed that he'd be so... big." Demi hummed. "...he seems like a really close friend of yours."

"He is…" Oblivion said with a smile.

Demi smiled as well, as he glanced out of the window. "...he also seems... protective of you."

"…I suppose I could understand that," Oblivion said.

"...considering what you're all dealing with, he has every reason to be protective..." Demi hummed.

"…yes," Oblivion responded.

"...hm..." Looking down at the floor, Demi hummed. "...Joy... she was so afraid of what she could do..."

"…was she?" Oblivion asked, arching her brows worriedly.

"...she was..." Demi nodded. "...she said that Malice had deceived her in her dream... and deliberately terrified her beyond belief..." Then, he folded his arms. "...Blood was capable of pushing Malice back, but... I wish that Joy was able to do that as well..."

"…so…she really is struggling," Oblivion murmured, looking at the ground. "…poor girl…"

"...though... I told her to try and... scare Malice back." Demi hummed. "...I didn't want to see her so saddened... so I wanted to help her to fight against her..."

Then, he looked at Oblivion. "...I... still want to help her."

"…do you?" Oblivion said, looking at him.

"...yes." Demi nodded. "...so... I want to come with you guys, when you head off to find her."

"Really?" Oblivion's eyes widened at that… and she couldn't help but smile.

"...really." Demi nodded with a smile of his own.

"...so you'll be coming with us?"

"GAH!" Quickly looking back at the window, Demi saw that Charon was looking through it.

"...good morning, Oblivion." Charon said with a nod to her.

"Oh, good morning Charon," Oblivion said, surprisingly not startled by that. "How did you sleep?"

"Good, I suppose." Charon hummed. "Feeling the wind made it a bit harder to sleep than usual, though..."

"…I'm sorry to hear that," Oblivion said.

"It's not really a problem." Charon hummed. "I'm probably just used to sleeping in caves."

"...I wonder if there's a bed in the world that'd be in your size." Demi mused. "Being able to sleep in a bed would beat out sleeping in a cave, if you ask me..."

Charon simply hummed at that. "...so, you're coming with us. I presume that you're prepared for anything, then?"

"...yes." Demi nodded.

"...good." Charon nodded, as he glanced at Demi; with the same manner of look he had looked at Demi with the night before.

"From what Demi told me, everyone's awake downstairs and Demi's friends have been told what's going on," Oblivion said.

"...I see..." Charon hummed.

"...oh, yes; Dax also had the idea to let people know that Joy was missing." Demi shot in. "Without elaborating on the circumstances, he'll report that Joy's missing, so we have a better shot of finding her."

"Oh, that'll be good!" Oblivion said.

"...that way, we'll be able to find her faster..." Charon hummed.

"Exactly." Demi nodded. "And hopefully, before she gets too far from our reach..."

"…we should head out soon then," and Oblivion turned to walk out of the room.

"...right..." Demi nodded, as he watched Oblivion leave.

"...don't think that I don't recognize your smell."

Demi instantly froze, as he looked at Charon, who narrowed his eyes. "...I'm allowing you to travel with us, because I can feel that you're sincere in wanting to help her... but I will not tolerate you fooling around with my friend."

"...wha... f-fo-fuh-" Demi sputtered.

"I'll be watching you, Demi." Charon growled. "...I'll keep a _close_ eye on you." And one of his eyes widened a bit, as he looked intensely at Demi.

Demi could only look back at Charon. "...well... could you at least not keep a close eye on my room?"

Charon didn't budge.

"...okay..." Demi sighed in defeat.

"…Charon? Demi? Are you two coming?" Oblivion called.

"...uh... oh, yes!" Demi nodded, as he hurried after Oblivion; leaving Charon to walk around to the entrance.

In the living room, Dax finished up by turning off the holographic windows. "Okay, it's all set and done. Those missing persons reports should show up eventually."

"Thanks Dax; that's gonna be really helpful!" Ani said.

"I don't even know how we're gonna be able to thank you!" Jack said with a wide smile.

"...well... thank you so much." Kiri said with a sincere smile.

"Sure thing guys; anything to help a friend out," Dax said.

Oblivion walked into the room then, looking around. "So it was done?"

"Yep," Vanessa answered. "It's nice to see you on your feet again, Oblivion."

"Yeah!" Jack said with a grin.

"...so, everything's been dealt with, then?" Demi hummed curiously.

"Sounds like it!" Crystal said, leaning back in her seat. "So whenever you guys are ready, go ahead and take off."

Oblivion looked at Crystal. "You don't mind if Demi came with us, do you? He insisted on it."

Crystal blinked…and smirked at Demi. "Really now?"

"...what's that look for?" Demi blinked. "I want to help them out, yeah; you don't need to look at me like that, Crystal..."

Jack, obviously not getting it, patted Demi on the back. "Well, you seem like a nice guy, so I'm fine with you coming along!" he laughed.

"Yeah, I think so to!" Striker agreed. He too didn't get what Crystal was smirking about.

"Yeah, I can get behind that," Vanessa said, smiling at Demi.

Demi smiled as well. "...thank you."

"...okay; then we know what to do." Kiri said with a smile. "Let's go find Joy."

Crystal pulled something out of her pocket and tossed it at Demi. "Demi, catch!"

Demi caught it, and looked at it; finding it to be a cellphone. "...alright." he nodded. "So if any of us learn anything valuable, we can contact each other."

"Right," Crystal said.

"…say, uh, you wouldn't mind if we ate something for breakfast, do you?" Striker asked, patting his growling stomach.

"Go ahead; anything good you find in the fridge is fair game," Crystal said. "…no milk though, so cereal's out of the question."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yay! The more the merrier!<strong>_


	14. Chapter 13

Patricia walked around, looking at their newly acquired base…it was very interesting indeed what the powers of Corruption can do…

"...Patricia." At that point, Bulk walked out of one of the rooms; cracking bloodied knuckles as he glanced at her. "How's it going?"

"Good. Just looking around the place," Patricia said. "…have you gotten anything else out of the Sergeant yet?"

"...nothing regarding where the Commander and the rest of GUN's forces buzzed off to." Bulk hummed. "I have to give him some credit; he's loyal to his superiors."

"Well, I suppose we'll give him a break then; I assume you tortured him all night, and we don't want to kill the bastard," Patricia remarked.

"Of course not," Bulk chuckled. "...by the by, you wouldn't happen to know how the _lovebirds_ are doing?"

"Ecstatic as always," Patricia replied. "They certainly can go a long time at it…"

"I mean, they haven't even slept. Guess not being able to handle Corruption at least makes your longevity increase..." Bulk remarked. "...now, then... while we let the Sergeant rest, we should probably start thinking of what to do from here..."

"I've been thinking about that," Patricia said. "…ever since we got these powers, we've been able to do a lot more… but even then, only two Mobians can only do so much… I say that we start a little army of our own of Corrupted."

"...an army, eh?" Chuckling, Bulk turned to look at Patricia. "I like the sound of that. What do you have in mind for that?"

"…well, I would say we go kidnap random people to Corrupt… but I get the feeling we need trained warriors for what we want to do," Patricia said.

"...trained warriors..." Bulk hummed, as he rubbed his chin. "...well, there's some things that come to mind. For instance, bounty hunters around here are recognized as being pretty powerful in their own right; there's something to look into..."

"…right," Patricia nodded.

"...then, something else comes to mind..." Bulk hummed, as a large grin slowly formed itself. "...Safe Haven; a trove full of warriors in training."

Patricia smirked. "That's right…I didn't even think of Safe Haven."

"Likely because the majority of soldiers living there wouldn't be seasoned warriors, but in-training rookies." Bulk pointed out. "However... with that kind of warrior nation where people come and go every year... surely there's records of everyone who's ever been to the island there?"

"Yeah, and then we can track them down to Corrupt them," Patricia said.

Then something occurred to her. "…my family…"

Bulk blinked. "...what about them?"

"…my Uncle created this, so it felt so natural for me," Patricia said. "…so…maybe my brother and his family could be fond of this as well."

"...you think we oughta pay them a visit?" Bulk hummed.

"…maybe…not at the moment, but it was a thought," Patricia said.

"...alright; then we've got bounty hunters, Safe Haven, and your family to consider for our army." Bulk chuckled, as he cracked his knuckles together. "...now I'm getting excited for what we'll _do_ with that army."

"We're gonna become a force that the world shouldn't mess with, that's what," Patricia said. "We're gonna see how much we can take over and run before we have enough power so that no one can try and take us down."

Bulk laughed loudly at that. "All this, because some brat happened to give us this power! Talk about being born under a lucky star!"

"Speaking of the brat, I wonder where she is," Patricia murmured.

"Probably finding some others to Corrupt so she could take a potshot at Metal Sonic." Bulk assumed. "Some who'd obey her orders more willingly than the two of us."

"…hm…" Patricia rubbed her chin. "…you know, if we let her loose too much, she might become a thorn in our side; considering that she doesn't seem to share the same kind of motives as we do…"

"...so... what? You're saying that we kill her before she can become too much of a threat?" Bulk hummed.

"…yeah, actually, I am," Patricia said. "Thankfully, though, she's still nothing but a little kid…so she wouldn't be as hard to kill."

"...you know... that's an absolutely depraved idea." Bulk noted... and he grinned. "I _love_ it. When do we start?"

"When we get ourselves some bounty hunters to hunt her down," Patricia responded. "After all, we can't leave the base unattended."

"Well, of course." Bulk nodded.

"So, I'll head out in a bit for Safe Haven to see what they've got," Patricia said. "You don't mind holding up the fort, do you?"

"Not at all." Bulk chuckled. "It gives me the chance to polish my skills."

* * *

><p>"Not much information in Future City…" Boomer mumbled, while she, Charmy, Rudy and Newt were walking through the city.<p>

"Well, we shouldn't take very long; Metal, Proxy and Omega are waiting outside of the city for us," Rudy spoke, hopping along with them. "I just hope Wiper and Stella have better luck than us."

Yes, when Metal is branded as a fugitive, that limits his freedom to wander into populated areas, so while Proxy and Omega stayed with him on the outskirts of town where no one could see him, the rest of them traversed into Future City to see if they could find any leads on where Joy would be. Naturally, they separated to cover more ground, and they were one group while Wiper and Stella were another.

"...sure hope that Wiper and Stella find something out, y'know..." Newt murmured.

"…well, in the meantime, it would be smart to stock up on some food," Charmy said.

Meanwhile, across the city with Wiper and Stella…

"Wiper, look!" she pointed to a nearby TV.

Somehow, there was a picture of Joy and it reported that she was missing. Strangely, the picture was of a much, much younger Joy from a few years ago.

It was the only picture Dax had, when he, Crystal and Demi were training at Safe Haven all those years ago. Luckily, he had it so he could provide visual ID on Joy.

Frankly, Stella was amazed by it.

"...so... someone's put out a notice for her...?" Wiper hummed with a slight hiss. "...this makes things better for us..."

"…I just wonder…who would've been able to do that," Stella murmured. "…but yes, it'll make things much easier."

"...hm." Wiper nodded.

Stella turned to walk again, but she accidently bumped into someone else that had been looking at the TV. "Oh, pardon me sir, I'm sorry!" Stella uttered.

"...don't mention it." the person she bumped into hummed, as he turned to look at them. "...well, would you look at that."

Stella couldn't help but stop and stare at who she had bumped into.

"...Lock." Wiper hummed.

Yes; right next to the two stood the bounty hunter Lock the Sniper; still adorned with his coat and wide hat that covered him from view, with his rifle still hanging securely on his back. "...curious to see you here, Wiper." he mused.

Stella just continued to stare.

"...so, what brings you here?" Lock hummed.

"Well, we're out here looking for... well, _her._" And Wiper motioned towards Joy.

"...I see... so she's gone missing as well..." Lock hummed again, before his gaze happened to fall on Stella.

"…o-oh!" Stella grew embarrassed, realizing that she had been staring and looked away hurriedly.

"...is your friend okay?" Lock hummed curiously.

"...I... don't know..." Wiper hummed, as he looked at Stella. "You okay, Stella?"

"…I'm fine," Stella replied. "Just maybe haven't gotten enough sleep…" She looked at Lock. "You're Lock? The famous bounty hunter?"

"...yes." Lock nodded. "And you are... a friend of Wiper's, I assume?"

"…yes…you see, there are many of us looking for Joy," Stella said. "…something really bad has happened…although, I'm surprised that you know Joy…"

"...I'm a friend of her parents." Lock explained.

Stella's eyes widened. "…I didn't know that…"

"You learn something new every day." Lock hummed, as he glanced to the side. "...though I should let you know... I probably won't be the only bounty hunter looking for her."

Stella grew worried. "…I forgot…if this is put public, then everyone's keeping an eye out for her…"

"That's true..." Wiper murmured.

"...you would have to need someone who's well-known in the bounty hunter circle, who wouldn't look for her simply for the chance of a reward." Lock hummed.

"…we'll have to find her before any others do then," Stella uttered.

"...I'll be glad to help you out, then." Lock shot in.

"...I see." Wiper hummed. "It's good to know that you're with us on this."

"…oh, uh, my name is Stella," she introduced herself, even though Wiper technically already introduced her.

"...a pleasure to meet you." Lock hummed, as he gave her a nod.

"Well look, it's Lock…and Wiper from Team Alpha."

Stella glanced over, seeing two hawks approach them…she didn't know why, but she got a weird feeling about them…

"...Gale and Punk." Lock hummed, as he glanced at the two hawks.

"So, what brings you here?" Punk hummed, as he cracked his neck a bit.

"We're looking for someone." Wiper quickly replied.

Gale looked past them at the TV, noticing the ad. "…that…little girl looks like Jill," Gale uttered in surprise.

"…that's who we're looking for," Stella said. "…it's…Jill's daughter, Joy."

"...wait... Jill has a daughter?" Punk sputtered.

"...don't you know anything?" Lock hummed. "It's been seven years, you two; get with the times..."

"Hey, we've been busy living our own lives!" Gale protested.

"While you two have been living your lives, though, there is trouble brewing on the horizon," Stella told him.

Gale glared at her. "Just who the heck are you, anyway?"

Stella grew nervous. "O-Oh…I'm…Stella."

"...a friend of Wiper's." Lock hummed, as he returned a similar glare at the two hawks.

Punk reeled back a bit from that kind of glare. So did Gale. Stella managed to relax a little bit when Lock defused their looks at her.

Then she looked out around the city. It had been a very long time since she was last here…not since the car accident that happened to her parents.

"...something on your mind?" Wiper hummed.

"…just haven't been here in a long time," Stella murmured.

"I see..." Wiper murmured.

"...you know..." At that point, Punk looked back at Stella. "...you seem kinda... familiar..."

Stella looked back at them.

"…yeah, you do look kinda familiar…" Gale said, taking a closer look at Stella; so close that Stella actually leaned away nervously, while Gale squinted her eyes to look at her.

"...maybe you've seen her elsewhere?" Lock assumed.

"...no... for some reason... she just looks familiar..." Punk mused, as he rubbed his head.

Stella blinked. "…well…I'm not sure why you would think that…"

"...hm..." Lock hummed, as he folded his arms.

"...hn... I just can't shake the feeling that we've..." Punk murmured.

"…yeah, that we've met before…or something…" Gale added.

Stella was growing very uncomfortable. "Um…could you stop staring at me please?"

"Alright, you heard the kid!"

At that point, an elderly goshawk approached the group; looking at Punk and Gale with a narrow look. "If she's getting uncomfortable, you stop staring."

"G-Gramps!" Gale jumped back.

"Wha- I thought you were still asleep!" Punk uttered.

"Well, you thought wrong." the goshawk murmured, as he closed his eyes. "...sorry about that; my grandchildren can be like that."

"...no worries, Jet." Lock hummed.

Stella's eyes widened. "Jet the Hawk?" She had no idea she'd see another legend so soon…and she was even more surprised that the two hawks here were his grandchildren. They were lucky.

Jet hummed, as he turned to look at Stella. "...you alright there, kiddo?"

"I-I'm fine!" Stella quickly answered.

"Right..." Jet nodded... before humming.

"...gramps?" Punk uttered.

"...you two kids go on home and prepare dinner. I'll catch up to you." Jet suddenly said.

"…uh…" Gale was confused by that. "…sure…" and she walked off. "C'mon Punk." Punk followed her.

Wiper looked at Jet with a raised eyebrow. "...so, what's this about then?"

Jet remained silent; though he looked at Stella seriously.

Stella bit her lip…she was getting a lot of stares lately. "…is…something wrong?"

Jet hummed. "...for some reason... you remind me of my daughter..."

Stella blinked. "…really?"

"...yes. Your look, and even your nature... it strikes me as similar." Jet hummed, as he rubbed his chin. "...very curious..."

"…which is strange…because…I look a lot like my mother…" Stella spoke.

"...your mother?" Jet hummed.

Both Wiper and Lock glanced at Stella when she said that.

"…yes…" Stella looked down at the ground then. "…both her and my father died in a car accident…in this city. I don't remember very much from back then because I was in the crash too…I hit my head…"

Jet's eyes widened. "...she did?"

Stella nodded. "Yeah."

"...how tragic... and coincidental." Jet murmured, as he glanced to the side. "...because I happened to lose my daughter in a car crash as well... along with her husband... and their own daughter..."

Stella's eyes widened. "…really…?"

"...yes..." Jet murmured.

"...well, now..." Wiper hummed.

"...this seems far too coincidental. There has to be more to this..." Lock mused, as he looked from Jet to Stella.

Just then, Stella glanced at her wrists. They were covered up by her long sleeves, but underneath them there was something on her wrists; something she had been born with. Jet hummed, as he glanced at her wrists as well.

Eventually, Stella raised her hands and pulled her sleeves up to look at her wrists.

There were flames on there; a birthmark she had that had been passed down from her mother's family. They were very important…

"...those flames..." Jet uttered.

Stella noticed that Jet had the same kind of flames on his own wrists, and she looked up at Jet with a surprised look.

Her foggy memory started to clear up a bit, the more thinking she did. "…my mother said these were an important birthmark…" she said. "… that very important warriors were born with…"

"...important warriors... like the Babylonians..." Jet uttered.

"Oh, can you two just make the connection already?"

Stella gasped, noticing that Charmy, Boomer, Newt and Rudy were standing there, looking at them.

"...how long have you guys been standing there?" Lock hummed.

"Long enough, y'know." Newt shot in.

"Your stories match up, and she carries the birthmark of the Babylonian warrior," Charmy pointed out. "So that means…?"

Stella looked back at Jet.

Jet, in turn, looked back at Stella. "...you're... my daughter's daughter..." he uttered.

"…but…but I…" Stella couldn't believe it. Was she really descended from the Babylon Rogues? The evidence seemed to suggest that, but she still had a hard time believing it…

…all up until some of her memories started coming back to her. There was a reason she got a weird feeling around Punk and Gale…she recognized them too, just like how they recognized her, only…she remembered them being much littler. She remembered a baby and three year old, and she was five. She remembered that one time, a very old goshawk came and visited them to see the baby.

She started to recognize Jet then.

"…you're right…" Stella uttered, with her eyes widening. "…you're my grandpa…I remember…because you came to see the new baby…"

"...yes... the youngest of the three..." Jet uttered as he nodded.

There was a longer moment of silence.

..then Stella threw her arms around Jet, hugging him closely. Jet was quick to hug her back.

"For the longest time I wondered where my family was!" Stella uttered. "I was alone for such a long time!"

"I... I had no idea that there were any survivors that day..." Jet uttered. "...the loss weighed on me a lot... but now you're here...!"

Stella looked at Jet. "That means that Punk and Gale are my brother and sister!"

"That's right!" Jet nodded.

"…oh my gosh!" Stella hugged Jet again, crying tears of joy. "I still have a family!" Jet hugged her back; crying happily with her.

"...well... seems like one family's been reunited..." Lock hummed, as he glanced to the side.

"…and one more to go," Boomer said, looking at the TV to see the missing report on Joy. Newt and Wiper looked back at that as well.

Stella managed to stop crying, wiping her eyes. Then she looked at the group. "…I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean to take up time; I had no idea this would happen…" She uttered.

"Hey, don't worry about it!" Rudy said, smiling and hopping happily. "You found your family again! That's a good thing!"

"Yeah, y'know! This is a really good thing!" Newt shot in.

"…but we mustn't dally much longer now; we have friends waiting for us," Charmy said. "And if we haven't found anything here in Future City, then we'll have to move."

Stella blinked, and then looked at Jet. She just found her family, and now she has to go again?

"...sounds like you're doing something important..." Jet hummed, as he looked at Stella. "...I'd love to catch up, so... whenever you get the time, just come on over. You're more than welcome to visit."

Stella nodded. "Yeah…thanks."

Jet smiled, before he looked at Lock. "...if you're going with them, make sure that she's unharmed."

"...alright." Lock nodded, before he adjusted his hat a bit. "Shall we go?"

"Y-Yeah!" Stella said, looking at everyone. "Let's go!"

* * *

><p><em>A few days later…<em>

* * *

><p>This evening, Joy was once again out of breath and tired, hungry…she still hadn't had a bath yet. She was devastated that Malice managed to swipe her away from Demi, one of the people that had actually been able to help her out against Malice without getting hurt.<p>

Joy got so tired though that when she eventually got to a small neighborhood, she went to sit on a bench under the streetlight on a curb. She lay down on the bench, shivering in the cold…but she was so tired she needed sleep.

So her eyes fell closed and she dozed off.

"...oh my goodness!"

At that point, someone happened to notice the sleeping ewe, and stopped in front of her. "...you're..." Then, she gently shook her, to try and wake her up. "...can you hear me?"

Joy's eyes winced, unable to open. "…who…are you…?" she mumbled in exhaust.

"...don't you remember me? Joy, it's me... Morrigan."

"…Morrigan…?" Her memory was foggy on that, though being tired didn't help, or the streetlight that shined down on her to blind her eyes.

"…we'd better get her inside," spoke another voice, and a pair of warm arms picked Joy up.

"...right." the first voice agreed.

Joy felt herself being carried away…and that was the last she remembered before she blacked out and fell asleep again.

* * *

><p>"…it's getting late…" Hunter sighed. "…I think we'd better set up camp guys."<p>

"...right..." King hummed, as he rubbed his neck. "...Sage, you think you can be the lookout for us tonight?"

"Leave it to me." Sage replied with a nod.

"Kekeke... me and Queen can prepare some food." Ripper suggested.

"The rest of you, get some rest." Queen shot in.

"...right..." With a yawn, Miser sat down on the ground.

"…I'll build the fire…" Hunter mumbled, stumbling off into the woods.

Moments later, they got the fire going, and Hunter even brought some logs to lay down to give some seating for everyone.

"...this sure brings back memories..." King hummed.

"…yeah, it does…" Hunter murmured. "…sure is convenient that we remember how to do everything…"

"Those skills do come in handy..." Queen mused.

There was silence for a brief period of time…

…and Hunter felt like it was awkward, so he tried to start up some conversation. "King," he said, looking at the tiger. "Have you thought about any names?"

"...hm?" King blinked, as he glanced at Hunter.

"...you know... for the baby." Sage mused.

"...oh... well... nothing yet." King hummed, as he rubbed his neck. "I'm... mostly wondering if it's going to be a boy or a girl..."

"…right…" Hunter said. "…well, doesn't hurt to think of names ahead of time…if Ani had been a boy, I would've named her Forest."

"...really, now?" King hummed.

"...well... I'm sure that whatever name you come up with... it'll be a good one." Miser noted with a smile.

"_King, are you guys there?" _spoke a voice in King's pocket suddenly. _"This is Milo. We want to know how you guys are doing._"

"Oh." Taking the communicator out of his pocket, King cleared his throat. "We're here, Milo. We've just set up camp... with no real clues yet."

"_Oh, that's okay. We've got some things going on," _Milo said. "_I know we probably should've called you sooner, but a few days ago we tracked Joy's trail to Crystal's house. Crystal said 'Hi' by the way."_

"Really?" Hunter grew interested hearing that.

"Well, now... so you met Crystal." King hummed. "...what of the trail?"

"_Well, so what we've been told, Crystal found Joy in the park in the town they live in, and brought her to her house where Dax and Demi live with her. Joy managed to confess to Demi about Malice, which caused her to take over to try and Corrupt Demi, but uh…his feral side came out, and managed to actually subdue Malice back into Joy's mind. Unfortunately, Malice took over hours later and got away, and Demi ran into us."_

"...I see..." King hummed, as he nodded.

"_After we explained everything to them, Dax posted some missing persons reports about Joy, to help our search or at least help pick up the trail, so if anybody finds Joy, then Crystal will get a call and she'll let us know about it. Demi decided to come with us too, so he's helping out as well," _Milo finished explaining.

"_Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?_" Spoke another voice in the communicator.

Hunter's brows raised. "Charmy?"

"_I'm glad to hear that; we saw the reports flash on the televisions in Future City a few days ago when we passed it," _Charmy threw in. _"We also recruited another helper on our end; Lock._"

"_No way! You guys got Lock to help?"_ Striker jumped in, sounding excited.

_"That's right."_ Lock's voice shot in from the communicator as well.

"...so we have both Demi and Lock helping out, too..." King mused, as he smiled. "...and with the reports posted... we'll have a better chance of finding her."

"...so does other people..." Queen hummed,

"_What?_" Striker sounded shocked.

"_It means that other bounty hunters will be looking for Joy as well,_" Charmy explained for Striker's sake. _"So that means that even some bad people could be on the lookout for her too._"

"…_maybe…posting that Joy was missing was a bad idea…_" Striker mumbled.

"_Oh, no! You guys did a very good thing!"_ Stella said to try and assure Striker. _"But it just means we'll have to hurry and find Joy._"

_"...and with three teams looking for her, our chances are higher than others."_ Demi murmured.

_"So we simply need to double our efforts in looking for her."_ Metal shot in.

"Right." King nodded. "Everyone... we're going to find her."

"_But King…once we do find her, what do we do from there?"_ Milo asked in wondering. _"I mean…Malice may just be a kid, but she's a really unstable one…considering that Callous and Johnny are her parents."_

Hunter jumped, "they're WHAT NOW?"

Silence.

"…_oh yeah…I forgot to tell you guys that, didn't I?_"

"...you know; that's actually really important info to forget telling us." Queen noted dryly.

"…_I'm sorry guys, I thought you already knew,_" Milo murmured. _"…but that's why Malice is on her rampage; she wants revenge against Metal and Jill for what happened to Callous and Johnny…although Malice still has abandonment issues with the two of them…_"

Hunter could only stare at the communicator. "…well…guess King and Tasha weren't the only ones that found out they were parents…"

"...you can say that again." King uttered with a surprised look.

"_But I asked because Malice will not want to cooperate whatsoever; she's manipulating Joy's feelings so that she can stay in control of the whole situation. If we ever found her and tried to take her, Malice would come out and fight back aggressively…"_ Milo said. _"Some of us could probably hold our own…but not everyone._"

"…_are you implying that we try and destroy Malice somehow?"_ Charmy asked.

"…_Malice has been inside Joy ever since she was a developing fetus, so there would be no way to destroy Malice without hurting Joy too…."_ Milo muttered.

"...so how exactly would we be able to stop her...?" Miser uttered.

"…_we're still trying to figure that out," _Milo said. _"I mean…Demi's feral side was able to suppress Malice back, but that's not going to get rid of her; if anything, it'll make her more unstable and aggressive toward everyone…_"

"...I see..." Miser hummed with a nod.

"...so, really, our best bet is that Joy is able to start fighting against Malice on her own..." King concluded.

_"...right..."_ Metal murmured.

"…_Demi managed to tell her that Joy was able to fight her before she was gone…"_ Milo said. _"…so it's a matter of Joy building her strength…"_

"…I really hope that's the case…" Hunter murmured.

"...right..." Ripper hummed as well.

"…_well, we know how late is it, so that's all we have to say,_" Milo said. _"I hope you guys sleep well tonight._"

"Same to you guys." King nodded. "Good night."

_"...good night."_ Metal hummed.

Once the communicator turned off, Hunter sighed. "…Sage, why didn't you tell us that Johnny and Callous were responsible for creating Malice?"

Sage simply shrugged. "It's not like it would've made much of a difference if I told you before we all split up." she noted.

"...still... this all happened because of them..." Queen murmured.

"…that kind of a killer in Joy…" Hunter uttered, rubbing his temples. "…Leoniel instinct and Callous' attitude…dear lord, I have a headache."

"...poor thing..." Miser murmured. "...having to let something like that stay in her..."

"...keke..." Ripper sighed.

"…I can understand even more why she'd have such a hard time fighting her," Hunter said. "…I just hope that Joy is strong enough to start fighting Malice back."

"...so do the rest of us." King murmured.

* * *

><p>That night, Jill was trying to get sleep…but she wasn't able to sleep.<p>

Jill had a long history of insomnia for many, many reasons that stressed and worried her out. This time was no different; she worried about Metal and Joy, and wondered if this nightmare was going to end.

Tossing and turning in her covers, Jill eventually gave up and sat up in her bed, looking at the empty place beside her in depression, where Metal would be.

_"...Jill...?"_ Fluttering into the room, Tails Doll looked at her.

"…I just can't sleep is all, Tails Doll…" Jill replied to him.

_"...oh... that's too bad..." _Tails Doll uttered, as he perched himself on Jill's shoulder.

Jill pet him on her shoulder, and stood up from her bed, walking out of her room. "I just need to do something to occupy my mind…" she said.

_"...I see..."_ Tails Doll hummed.

Jill entered into her living room, standing around for a bit.

She could see out her window that there were GUN soldiers patrolled on the steps of her malt shop and she sighed. They were making sure that she wasn't getting out on her own. Even then, it wouldn't hurt to open her window for some fresh air.

When she did that, one of the soldier's heads turned. "Ms. Condit, you should be asleep," he called to her.

"I can't sleep," Jill simply called back. "…so I'm taking a breath of fresh air…"

"...if you say so..." another soldier hummed.

Jill sat in the chair beside the window, closing her eyes to feel a cool breeze brush against her face. Then she looked down at her violin tucked underneath the table next to it.

…it had been awhile since she last played it, and it was something to keep her mind busy with.

The soldiers jumped again when they started to hear music coming from her window, and quickly looked to see Jill playing her violin. She was playing a somber, quiet, gentle piece. She may have been playing her violin to keep her mind from thinking, but her music expressed the turmoil and sadness she felt.

…and it carried.

"...you guys hear that?" Marco uttered, as he looked up into the air when he heard the music start playing.

"...yeah... sounds like music," Will hummed.

"…I think I know who that is…" Seymour mumbled.

"...yeah... it's probably her." Will hummed.

Elsewhere, Sonia was sitting outside of her own cottage; looking up at the sky when she heard the music playing. "...Jill..."

In another part of the island, Jam looked up at the sky. "…I feel ya, man…" he sighed. "…like, tons of sadness and whatnot…"

By the harbor, Lin and Flamenco looked upwards as well. "...someone's sad." Lin spoke, as she drew a slight sigh.

"…and I know that violin anywhere…" Flamenco sighed as well, slumping back in his chair.

Elsewhere, the two lieutenants looked up when they heard that sound. "...who's playing music at this hour?" Trash huffed, as he rubbed his head.

"**...sad...**" Brawn hummed.

Tasha was all the way back in her village, and the music carried out even to there. She looked up from her window, listening to the music. "…I share your pain, Jill…" she sighed. "…I hope they come back soon…"

...then suddenly, the music stopped. "...hm?" Tasha wondered why it stopped so suddenly.

Well that's because Jill's bow slipped off and she had fallen asleep right there in her chair.

Tails Doll remained silent, as he simply looked at Jill. _...sleep well, Jill..._

* * *

><p>Joy slowly opened her eyes the next morning. She thought she'd still be in that bench outside in that neighborhood…<p>

…but instead she was in a soft, cozy bed. She felt comfortable, and warm…she didn't want to wake up yet because she wanted to enjoy the feeling of being in a bed, so she closed her eyes again, and nuzzled to the pillow.

"…those wanted posters are everywhere…"

Joy didn't move, but she stayed coherent enough to her voices while her eyes were closed.

"...so obviously someone's looking for her..."

"…they took Metal away from the island…the base was taken over by a black, mysterious force…you think she ran away from Safe Haven to try and find Metal?"

Joy clutched to her pillow. It was actually the complete opposite…but she really did want to be with her Daddy again, instead of running away all the time.

"...that's... entirely possible... though without Jill or anyone else watching over her? Why would she be all on her own?"

"…maybe something happened to Jill too…"

Joy wondered something…who were they? They seemed to know her mommy and daddy…and sure, they seemed a bit familiar, but Joy couldn't remember much.

"...you don't think... now that Safe Haven's in lockdown, Jill's stuck there? Then... how would Joy have been able to bypass that...?"

"…there's either something Joy needs to tell us…or something we'll have to call to ask about…" that voice spoke. "Whoever put up those missing ads of her must know what's going on."

"...right..." There was brief silence. "...I'll prepare some breakfast. Would you see if she's awake, yet?"

"Yeah."

Joy cletched the pillow in her tiny hands, feeling scared. She didn't know that there were posters saying that she was missing, and because of that, if she was found, then that would mean that they'd call whoever put those posters up and then her friends would find her.

Joy didn't want that.

Footsteps entered the room and stopped. "…still sleeping I guess," the voice said, and the footsteps turned…

Joy shot up. "No! Don't call them, please!"

"Joy?" Standing there was a moth, and he spun around in surprise when Joy sat up and shouted that.

"...oh, she's awake?" that other voice called from the other room.

"…apparently so," The moth called back, going over to sit by Joy on the bed.

"…please Mr; don't call them and tell them where I am, please," Joy uttered."

The moth tilted his head at her. "…why not?"

Joy was silent, looking away uneasily.

"…and why did you call me Mr, Joy? Don't you remember me?"

Joy looked up at the moth blankly.

The moth took her hand and placed it on his side. "…years ago…you healed me, right there," he said.

Joy looked at where he put her hand, and then looked back up at the moth. She was starting to feel a sense of déjà vu from this…so yeah, she was starting to remember. "…I remember…" she said.

"...awake at last, hm?" At that point, someone else came walking in with a tray of breakfast prepared for Joy; a female corgy wearing glasses. "Here; you should eat a little."

Joy looked at her, and started to recognize her too.

Then she remembered a name before she fell asleep last night.

"…Morrigan?" she uttered, looking at the corgy with wide eyes.

"...that's me." Morrigan nodded with a smile, as she set the tray before Joy. "Here, Joy; eat. You need some nourishment, I can tell..."

Joy picked up some of the silverware on the tray and she started eating.

"And later, how does a bath sound? You look like you need one," the moth suggested.

Joy nodded.

Morrigan couldn't help but smile a little at that.

Joy looked up at the moth while she ate, and she spoke after she swallowed her food. "…now I remember you," she said. "…you're Autumn."

The moth, Autumn, nodded. "I knew you'd remember me sooner or later…"

Sitting down next to Autumn, Morrigan looked at Joy. "...do you like the food?" she inquired.

"M-hm!" Joy replied, swallowing another bite. "It's very tasty! Thank you!"

Autumn smiled. "…gosh…you've really grown since I last saw you Joy…"

"...well... it has been four years..." Morrigan mused.

"…a very long time…" Joy agreed, finishing her breakfast.

"...now..." With a hum, Morrigan rubbed her hands together. "...I'll go get the bathwater ready."

"Mkay," Joy said.

With a nod, Morrigan began walking out of the room. "Just bring her to the bathroom when I call for you, Autumn."

"Right…" Autumn said. Then he looked at Joy. "…so…why don't you want me to call?"

Joy looked up at him, and looked down sadly. "…because…you'll…get hurt…"

Autumn blinked.

After a brief moment... "Alright, the water's ready!" Morrigan called.

Joy looked up, and got down from the bed. Autumn though, took her shoulder. "….listen Joy…if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine," he said. "…but we want to be able to help you, and in order to do that, we need to know what's going on…so after a bath, would you like to tell us a little bit about what's going on?"

Joy became uneasy…but she remembered what Demi told her. She couldn't be afraid of Malice forever…she had to start fighting back at some point.

She nodded.

"…okay then," Autumn let her go, and slowly, Joy went to where Morrigan's voice had called from.

* * *

><p>"...hey. You guys hear about the GUN base?"<p>

"Yeah; things have been fairly heavy on GUN lately. I hear that some people are protesting them keeping Safe Haven in lockdown for so long..."

"Well, Metal Sonic _was_ discovered there; they're just being careful."

"Yeah, yeah, but some people think that just because he was hiding there, GUN's taking it out on Safe Haven..."

In a fairly run-down bar located in Station Square, a group of very shady-looking characters had gathered to discuss certain events amongst themselves. One of the bar's residents, a female chameleon, simply kept to herself as she listened in on the gossip.

At the table with the chameleon, there was a cat wearing a hat with a large feather, which was tipped down in front of her face to shroud it in the dimly lit bar. "…doesn't sound good…" she whispered to the chameleon.

"...you're telling me..." the chameleon sighed, as she sipped on a bottle of soda.

"…I don't like rumors…" the cat whispered. "…but it's been the talk among everyone…I'm really starting to get worried for our friends…" Especially a certain little toucan for her, personally.

For the chameleon, it happened to be a lively husky-wolf that she was worried for. "...you know... we could just try and sneak our way in there." she whispered.

"…through all that military?" the cat chuckled. "…that sounds like a pleasant challenge…"

The doors opened then, and when those in the bar looked to see who it was…most of their eyes widened.

"Oh my god! That's _Patricia Novagod!_"

"Seriously? I thought she was behind bars!"

The chameleon quickly shot a look towards the one who had entered the bar, before looking away. _...what is she doing here?_

The cat shot a really shocked look at the doors, staring as Patricia Novagod stomped into the bar.

"Just announce my entrance to the world, why don't'cha?" Patricia scoffed.

Then her eye caught Cyrene.

The cat shuddered…she didn't know why…but there was something very different about her.

The chameleon shivered a bit. _...please don't come over here, please don't come over here, please don't come over here...!_

Against the chameleon's wishes though, Patricia headed toward them; still looking at the cat. "…Cyrene Margarita Xirgu…" she spoke out. "…been awhile…"

The cat, Cyrene, grit her teeth. "What was that about announcing names to the world? And how the hell did you get out of prison?"

"Try and guess," Patricia said with a wicked smirk.

The chameleon kept silent, though she was obviously dreading the outcome of this conversation.

Cyrene narrowed her eyes at Patricia, trying to hide her uneasiness. "Just come right out and tell me Patricia; I don't like playing these games."

"Oh…you think I'm playing games?"

Dark energy appeared around Patricia's hand and she punched the ground _right near Cyrene's seat._ It caused a shockwave that sent the tables, including theirs, up and crashing a few feet away, and there was a crater on the ground where Patricia had punched.

Getting up from the ground where she had been knocked down on, Cyrene was practically horrified.

Patricia continued to smirk that wicked smile. "Still think I'm playing games now, Cyrene?"

The entire bar was filled with silence for that, as everyone looked at Patricia in both awe and terror... everyone except for the chameleon, who prayed above all else that she wouldn't get involved in this.

Cyrene stared at her. "…where did you get that power?"

"From a little girl, believe it or not," Patricia said. "….would you like to know what this power feels like?"

The chameleon's eyes widened a bit, and quickly, she made a subtle motion of her head for Cyrene to _decline_, above anything else.

Cyrene, seeing her motion, looked back at Patricia. "Not interested."

"Well then…" Patricia turned around and looked at the others in the bar. "What about the rest of you? Want to see what this power is like for yourself?"

She was met with resounding silence.

"...alright..." With a slight huff, an older skunk stood up from his seat, whilst giving Patricia a look. "t... you're freaking everyone here out. If you're not here to drink, I suggest you leave."

"…drinking huh? Not a bad idea. Haven't had one since before I got put in prison," Patricia chuckled. "…but guess what bub? You just volunteered yourself."

Suddenly, the shadows popped out of the ground, grabbing the skunk.

"What?" the skunk yelped, as he looked at the shadows with widened eyes.

Seeing this, the chameleon clasped her hand in front of her mouth to keep from screaming.

Patricia walked up to the skunk, and raised her hand for a black goo to coat it.

Even though the shadows surprised him, the skunk returned a narrow glare at Patricia. "...whatever the hell you're up to, don't expect me to find you intimidating, Novagod."

"Oh, I'm not intending for intimidating you," she said. "In fact…after this, I think you'll enjoy it. I know I did."

When she threw her hand toward the skunk though, someone jumped in front of him and got the hit, getting the goo on her.

It was Cyrene.

"Hm?" Patricia was surprised at this.

"CYRENE!" the chameleon suddenly yelped, before she covered her mouth again.

The skunk blinked at this. "...you...?"

The black goo started to climb on Cyrene, and she collapsed onto the ground, grunting, whimpering in the burning pain she felt.

"…well…either way, it works…" Patricia said.

"...oh my god..." the chameleon uttered, along with some of the other people in the bar.

"...what kind of force is this...?" the Cyrene uttered, as she shot Patricia a glare.

"…it's called Corruption, last I was told," Patricia said.

And suddenly, Cyrene let out a blood-curdling scream, writhing on the ground while the goo continued to spread on her. Everyone instantly backed away from Cyrene upon witnessing this.

When the goo was nearly around her, Cyrene shot a look at the chameleon. "Nage! Get out of here!"

The chameleon, Nage, gasped at that. "...but... what about you, Cyrene?"

"Leave me! Go!" She screamed, before she was completely enveloped with the goo.

Nage could only gawk at this with a horrified look in her eyes; tears starting to well up in them. "...Cyrene...!"

Her blackened body fell limp on the ground then, while it absorbed in the goo.

Patricia scoffed. "…always been such a drama queen…" Then she smirked at Nage. "What? You're not gonna make a break for it?"

Nage was practically frozen to the spot, as her gaze slowly moved to look towards Patricia.

"…some friend you are if you waste that kind of sacrifice," Patricia chuckled, approaching Nage.

Nage still kept looking at her... and in that instant, her gaze narrowed considerably.

"YOU MONSTER!" From out of nowhere, Nage suddenly lashed a long chain at Patricia; managing to wrap it around the bat's neck, before the other end of the chain returned to her grasp.

Patricia gulped when the chain was around her neck, but she didn't look panicked at all.

"...you're gonna pay!" Nage hissed, as her grip on the chain tightened.

"...kid, wait!" the skunk called out; but it was too late.

With another cry, Nage suddenly yanked on both of the ends of the chain with such force, that whatever was coiled by it would be separated from what it was connected to... such as Patricia's head.

Much to the horror of everyone in the bar, Patricia's head popped off of her body to the ground, spewing black goo from where her head had been severed.

Swirling the chain around to rid it of the black goo that had gotten on it, Nage kept breathing heavily whilst glaring at Patricia's body. "...take that..." she hissed.

…then there was something strange that was evident.

The body did not fall to the ground.

"...what the hell...?" Nage uttered, as her eyes widened. "...why is it... still standing...?"

"...kid, back off!" All of a sudden, the skunk got in front of Nage; quickly taking one of the table's legs and breaking it off, so he could wield it as a makeshift weapon. His glare remained on the body.

Patricia's head melted into black goo…and slowly, it crawled its way toward the body, climbing up to the neck where more black goo was drooling out of.

"...wha... what _is_ she...?" Nage sputtered.

"...a demon. Plain and simple." the skunk hissed, as he narrowed his eyes. "...nothing I haven't seen before..."

The goo built up on her neck, until it eventually formed something.

Patricia's head.

Blinking, she simply looked at Nage and the skunk. "…well, that wasn't very nice…"

"...n-nice...?" Nage hissed, as she narrowed her eyes. "You... you did god-knows-what to my friend! And you think I'm not nice for taking you down?"

"...you shouldn't argue with her." the skunk hummed, as he narrowed his eyes. "...Novagods... each one I see is nothing more than scum..."

"…you seem to know what you're talking about," Patricia said. Then she noticed Cyrene starting to get up, and she looked at her.

She looked slender and more attractive looking, wearing black lace garments while the feather on her hat lit up with a purple flame.

"...Cyrene..." Nage uttered.

"...guess we're not too welcome, here." the skunk hummed, as he glanced to the side; at the others in the bar. "...I would suggest that, unless you want to lose your humanity, you get the hell out of here."

Cyrene then let out a chuckle. "…none of you are going _anywhere…_"

Just then, walls of Corruption shot up around the bar, covering up the doors and windows in the place and effectively trapping them all.

Nage's eyes widened. "...Cyrene?"

"...no use." the skunk warned her. "...Corruption's taken over her..." Then, he hissed; smiling a coy smirk. "...damn... I'd have hoped to not remember that stuff again..."

"…so you've seen this power before?" Patricia inquired. "Where?"

"...none of your business, Novagod." the skunk hummed, before he looked at Nage. "Pack your things, kid; we're out of here."

"...but... she sealed the exits..." Nage uttered.

"...that's not gonna stop me." the skunk hummed, before he looked back at Patricia and Cyrene.

"…oh really?" Patricia spoke. "…Cyrene."

Cyrene, without warning, shot at the others in the bar and touched them quickly, spreading black goo on most of them…

…except a dragonfly, who managed to duck under her and roll away to stand near Nage and the skunk. "I'm NOT letting that stuff touch me again…"

"...amen to that." the skunk hummed, as he took out a small, sticky ball from his pocket. "...we're getting out of here. _Now._" And with that, he hurled the ball at one of the walls...

...and it began beeping rapidly, before suddenly exploding; creating a large hole in the wall. "Everyone, run!" Grabbing Nage and the dragonfly, the skunk ran out of the hole; along with the other few people who were quick enough to evade Cyrene.

The rest that had been touched were all currently squirming on the ground, screaming in terror and agony.

"...hm…" Patricia was very curious as to why or how those two knew about Corruption…

...and, honestly, Nage wondered the same thing, as she and the dragonfly were being carried off by the skunk, until they had managed to leave the city behind. "...there... we should be safe for now." the skunk hummed.

"...wha... how did you..." Nage uttered, as she looked at the two of them. "...who are you?"

"...apologies." the skunk hummed, before he turned to look at Nage. "...the name's Fargus, kid."

"...uh... mine's Nage." Nage replied, before she glanced at the dragonfly. "...you?"

"Toki," the dragonfly answered.

"...Fargus... and Toki..." Nage uttered.

"...so, you're probably wondering why we knew about that stuff Novagod was using back then..." Fargus hummed, as he looked back at the city. "...the reason is... we've been subject to it before."

Nage's eyes widened. "...seriously...?"

"You know Safe Haven?" Toki started, folding her arms. "Well, we were both part of a year of training there…a year where there happened to be an outbreak of the stuff."

Nage's eyes widened. "...seriously...? When?"

"About two years ago," Toki answered.

Nage gawked. "...seriously? It happened the year after I was there?"

Fargus blinked. "You were on Safe Haven, too?"

"Oh my god, I... I didn't know!" Pacing back and forth, Nage bit her nails in worry. "Wha... but... how were you...?"

"...seems like we're gonna have to explain this to her, Toki." Fargus sighed, before he looked back at the city. "...but I think we should move away from here. There's no telling if Novagod's planning to follow us..."

"Yeah…" Toki nodded. She set a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon; we'll explain as much as we can."

"...right..." Nage nodded, before she slowly looked back towards the city.

"...I'm sorry about your friend... but right now, all you can do for her is pray. We need to move." And Fargus began walking off.

* * *

><p>Charon's group was flying high in the sky that day…<p>

…when suddenly, Demi's phone started ringing.

Humming, Demi quickly picked it up. "Hello?"

"_Dax, it's Crystal! Somebody called saying that they found Joy!"_

"...seriously?" Demi uttered. "That's great news! Who made the call?"

"_It's a guy named Autumn; apparently he's been to Safe Haven before and he knew Joy and Jill, and he wanted to know what was going on. I told him that I'd call some friends of mine to come pick Joy up at their house and from there you guys would explain to him what's going on! Here's his address!"_

And Crystal told him what town he lived in, as well as the actual address of the house.

"...gotcha. I'll tell the others. Later, Crystal!" Demi called.

While Demi hung up, Vanessa hummed. "I'm guessing someone found her. Who is it?"

"...someone called Autumn." Demi responded. "Crystal told me where he lives; Joy happens to be there right now."

"No way! Autumn found her?" Ani exclaimed in amazement.

Milo looked up at her. "You know him?"

"He was another soldier that was at Safe Haven years ago," Ani replied.

"...Autumn..." Kiri hummed, as she rubbed her chin. "...I... don't think I remember him..."

"...well, we'll see him when we get there!" Jack said with a wide grin.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Bet you're wondering what'll happen now, huh?<em>**


	15. Chapter 14

Joy was all cleaned up now, and while her clothes were being washed in the machine, she was wearing a pair of fuzzy pajamas that were quite a bit big for her, but it was something that Morrigan provided her to wear while her clothes were getting washed.

Joy, still being exhausted, fell asleep again… which left Morrigan and Autumn alone to chat.

"…I called the number from the missing report," Autumn said. "It was a girl that had been at Safe Haven and knew Joy and Jill…she said that some friends of hers would come pick up Joy and they'd be able to explain to us what's going on."

"...I see..." Morrigan hummed, as she adjusted her glasses. "...at least her friends will be able to take care of her..."

"…Morrigan, she seemed visibly afraid of me calling that number…" Autumn murmured.

Morrigan looked at Autumn in surprise. "...why?" she uttered.

"…I'm not sure…" Autumn glanced over at Joy in the other room. "…but people looking for her, along with what happened with Metal and whatnot? I don't think she's looking for Metal…I think she's running away from something."

"...running away..." Morrigan hummed, as she adjusted her glasses. "...I wish we knew what happened to her..."

"…I'd hate to ask this of you…" Autumn murmured, looking back at Morrigan. "…but when she wakes up…do you think you could use some of your hypno-therapy?"

Morrigan hummed, as she adjusted her glasses a bit. "...do you want her to tell us what she's been running from?"

"Yeah…and…why she seems so afraid," Autumn said. "…asking her what's going on would be too much for her, I'm sure. We could wait for those friends to tell us when they get here."

"...I see..." Morrigan nodded, as she adjusted her glasses. "...well... if it's just that, I suppose I could give it a shot..."

Autumn nodded.

"...but not until she wakes up, of course." Morrigan hummed. "Lord knows, she must've been through enough as is..." As she spoke, she glanced back at Joy within her room, while placing a hand on her own stomach.

Autumn came behind her and hugged her, putting his hands on her stomach as well. Morrigan simply closed her eyes. Autumn nuzzled his head to her neck lovingly, stroking her stomach.

"…I can't imagine anything like that happening to our little one…" he mumbled.

"...neither can I..." Morrigan hummed, as she let out a small sigh.

"…I just hope everything gets better for them…" Autumn murmured.

"...me too." Morrigan nodded.

After a while of silence, Autumn kissed her neck. Morrigan smiled a bit at that, as she glanced at Autumn. Autumn smiled back.

Then there was a buzzing noise down the hall. "Sounds like the dryer's done," he said, pulling away from Morrigan to walk down the hall.

Morrigan watched him leave, as she rubbed her arm a little.

There came a knocking at the door then.

Humming, Morrigan began walking to the door, as she adjusted her glasses. _...must be her friends._ she thought, as she reached to open it.

"Hello," greeted a voice. "We're here for Joy…"

Morrigan stopped; that certain tone of voice didn't sit well with her. "...who is it?" she uttered, as she carefully took hold of her glasses.

Suddenly, a punch slammed Morrigan in the face, sending her across the room.

"Oh, nobody important," a voice chuckled.

The punch destroyed her glasses, but she didn't seem to mind, as she tossed them aside; glaring at the one who punched her. "...bastard..."

The one who punched her stepped in, chuckling. It turned out to be a dark looking fox with sharp teeth and strong looking arms. "Now where's the little brat?" he asked.

Morrigan spat, as she glared at the fox. "...I'm not telling you. Now leave my house this instant."

"Tell me, or this might get ugly for you," the fox held up his hand, oozing with dark energy while he ominously stepped toward her.

Seeing that energy, Morrigan narrowed her eyes. _...that energy... it's like the one Autumn..._

"...you don't seem to know your place." she hissed, as she quickly glared directly at the fox's eyes. "..._freeze._"

The fox did.

"...now... tell me what you want with Joy." Morrigan spoke in a commanding voice.

"…to kill her…so she doesn't interfere with the boss' plans," the fox answered blankly.

"...and just who is this boss?" Morrigan hissed.

"Patricia Novagod," the fox answered.

Morrigan's eyes widened. _That criminal?_ she thought, before narrowing her eyes. "...and just where is she located?" she demanded... unaware of the figure slowly rising up from the ground behind her.

"She's on the move; not in one spot," the fox told her.

"...then tell me what she's planning! Right away!" Morrigan spoke, as the figure behind her fully emerged from beneath the floor; grinning wickedly.

"She's planning to build an entire army of corrupted soldiers, creating a force that no one would dare challenge," the fox answered.

"...no way..." Morrigan gasped, before she shook her head. "...alright... now, with that... I want you to forget everything that she's ever com-AAAH!"

And suddenly, she was grabbed from behind by the figure behind her; a male, gruff-looking sparrow. "Whoa, whoa, there; we don't want to do anything you'll regret, right, bitch?" he chuckled.

The fox blinked and snapped out of his trance. "What the hell did you do to me?" he growled at Morrigan.

Morrigan glared back at the fox. "...hypnotism." she spat. "Perfect for brainless thugs like you."

"Oh, she has a mouth on her." the sparrow chuckled, as he smelled Morrigan a bit. "...say... this bitch is pregnant."

Morrigan quickly looked back at the sparrow. "How did you-?"

"This gives me an idea..." Chuckling, the sparrow glanced at the fox. "...you think we could corrupt the fetus without corrupting her?"

Morrigan's eyes widened considerably, and she began struggling to get out of the sparrow's grip. "Let me go, you... you freak!"

The fox grinned. "It'll teach her not to mess with us."

"Let my wife GO!"

Suddenly a punch came at the sparrow from nowhere.

It forced him to let go of Morrigan, who quickly stumbled away from him and the fox; breathing rapidly out of shock.

The sparrow rubbed his face where the fist had struck him, as he glared at the one who punched him. "...bastard..."

Autumn took Morrigan away from the two of them, standing in front of her to protect her from them.

"She's your wife, huh?" the fox grumbled. "Tell her to keep her mouth shut then, if she knows what's good for her."

"You don't lay a hand on her or my child!" Autumn growled.

"...oh, so you're the father, eh?" the sparrow chuckled, as he coated his hand in dark ooze. "...then how about we corrupt you, and have _you_ corrupt your own, unborn child?"

"...you will not touch my husband, you freaks!" Morrigan yelled at them.

Autumn's eyes widened. _…corrupted…Corruption! _"No thanks! I've almost been corrupted before, and I don't like the feeling!" he snarled. "So if you step any closer, I swear I'll rip your heads off!"

"Then tell us where the girl is so we don't have to!" the fox barked back.

…_they're looking for Joy,_ Autumn thought nervously.

However, that threat just made the sparrow cackle.

"...what's so funny?" Morrigan uttered.

"...oh, go on, little man." the sparrow chuckled mockingly, as he stepped closer to Autumn. "Rip my head off... see what happens."

Autumn got more nervous at that, but he stood his ground.

"Oh…I don't think he'll have the guts," chuckled another voice.

Autumns eyes widened, and he looked down the hall. "…J…Joy?"

Sure enough the little ewe was standing there…but her eyes…they were different. They were a cold, ice blue color, and she smirked at the two intruders. She was now wearing her clean overalls that came fresh out of the dryer.

The fox looked at her. "There you are!"

"...well, that makes things simpler for us." With a smirk, the sparrow began walking towards Joy...

...until Morrigan suddenly got in between them; glaring at the sparrow. "You will not lay your hands on-!"

And the sparrow smacked Morrigan across the face with such force that she was slammed brutally against the wall; leaving her to slump to the floor while the sparrow kept approaching the ewe.

"MORRIGAN!" Autumn yelped, running to her worriedly.

Joy scoffed. "You didn't have to do that. If you'd like your head ripped off that much, then I can do that for you."

The sparrow chuckled. "Listen, Joy... I don't want there to be bad blood between us. Patricia simply wants you dead, so you won't be any trouble to her. So... no hard feelings; this is just business, right?"

The little ewe growled. "You imbecile, I'm not Joy…if you call me that again, then you'll be sorry!"

"Oh?" The fox chuckled. "…Joy…"

She stood there, glaring at them.

"…Joy Joy Joy Joy Joy Joy Joy Joy Joy Joy Jo-!"

Suddenly her ice cold eyes flashed, shooting out a powerful wave of Corruption at the two that blew off the wall of the house, sending the two of them outside.

Landing on his feet, the sparrow shot a glare at the fox. "...tell me why I shouldn't kill you for being such a fucking idiot..." he hissed, before he looked back towards the house.

The little ewe stepped toward the hole in the wall…but not before glancing at Autumn and Morrigan.

That stare sent chills down Autumn's spine…he had no idea what to think of Joy's sudden change of behavior, or the fact that she, too, was using Corruption. He gawked at her. Morrigan simply looked at her weakly; the hit she took had been a powerful one, which left her too weakened to look as shocked as she actually was.

The girl gave them a creepy smile…and then headed out of the house toward the two outside.

Autumn was frozen after that…but he quickly picked up Morrigan worriedly, taking her into the house. "M-Morrigan, are you okay?" he uttered, bringing her to their room.

"...I... ngh..." Morrigan winced in pain, as she looked at Autumn. "...I... feel dizzy... but the baby... the baby's safe..."

"…Listen, stay here!" he uttered, setting her onto the bed softly. "Okay? Stay here, stay out of danger…"

"...Autumn..." Morrigan winced again. "...please, don't go out there... it... it's dangerous... I... I don't want to lose you..."

"…You won't lose me…" Autumn uttered, stroking her cheek. "I promise you won't lose me…"

She stroked his cheek as well. "...please... don't leave my side, Autumn..."

"…Morrigan…" Autumn uttered.

Meanwhile, outside…

"Well if you're not Joy, then who are you?" The fox asked, while the ewe stepped toward them.

"I'm Malice," she replied. "And if you morons think you can kill me, you'd better think again…"

"...oh, is that right?" the sparrow huffed. "We'll see about that."

The fox smirked and cracked his knuckles, "Alright, lets-!" and suddenly, Malice was in front of him with a blast of Corruption to the face, knocking the fox into the road. The sparrow narrowed his eyes, and ran at Malice with a Corruption-fueled kick. Malice simply glanced at the sparrow and a huge blast of Corruption hit him away from her, preventing him from kicking her.

He came to a skidding halt; gritting his teeth. "...you're strong." he mused.

The fox got back up from where he was struck down on the road, and ran at Malice with a roar…

…but like his counterpart said, he was an idiot; enough of one to run at Malice that way and not to see what Malice would do next. She whipped her hand, creating a sharp wave of Corruption that struck the fox head on…and chopped him in two.

The sparrow scoffed. "...idiot... pull yourself together, so we can finish this properly."

That's when the sparrow noticed something wrong… the fox didn't respond. The parts of him fell to the ground, and a black fog sizzled out of him while he screamed in terror and agony.

The sparrow's eyes actually widened at that. "...wha...?"

Malice smirked at the sparrow then, approaching him. "You're next."

The sparrow narrowed his eyes, before Corruption gathered around his hands in an aura. "...come and try it." he uttered.

Malice started to chuckle…which grew into a laugh.

"...what's so funny?" the sparrow uttered; actually getting unnerved by that laugh.

Malice took a breath to calm down. Then she gave the sparrow a wicked look.

"Get him."

From out of nowhere, monsters of the shadows roared and charged at the sparrow. The sparrow's eyes widened, as he tried punching away the incoming beasts.

Big mistake.

One he tried to punch opened its mouth and chomped down on his fist. Screaming in gut-wrenching agony, the sparrow tried throwing the beast away from him. It was no use though; the beast had a good grip on his fist. It also gave way for the other beasts to start biting him in other places. Shrieking, the sparrow thrashed about wildly in pain, as he looked back towards Malice.

The evil little child just stood there, chuckling as she watched her pets slowly but surely rip the sparrow apart with their teeth.

As he was being ripped to pieces, he felt the pain being numbed out...

...enough so he could channel _some_ Corruption around the only place that wasn't being mutilated; his head. "...you _bitch!_" With a roar, he managed to fire off a lone blast of Corruption from his mouth at her.

"HM?"

It hit Malice since it took her by surprise and knocked her over onto the ground.

"...take... that..." the sparrow managed to hiss, before his death cries rang throughout the neighborhood whilst the monsters devoured him.

Suddenly, she blinked while she was lying on the ground, with her green eyes staring at the sky in wonder.

Then she heard the screams…

With a gasp, Joy sat up…and he eyes widened in the horror of what she saw.

She could catch the glimpse of a lone arm grasping out to the air in absolute vain, as the monsters surrounding it kept dragging it down, until it was completely gone... along with his fading screams.

Joy slowly scooted away on the ground…until she bumped into something.

She looked back…and let out a terrified scream. There was another body there, cut entirely in half with the look of horror stained on the fox's face.

In the house, Autumn heard the screams, and he helped Morrigan up to go see out the hole in their house.

When he saw everything outside, his eyes widened. "…oh my god…"

Morrigan clasped her hand in front of her mouth at this horrific sight.

They just stared…

Joy finally noticed them standing there, gasping.

"…Joy…?" Autumn uttered.

"...Joy..." Morrigan uttered as well.

Tears appeared in Joy's eyes. "…no…" she got up to her feet, stepping away from them.

"Joy, wait!" Autumn uttered.

But it was too late; she turned right around and ran away frantically.

"Joy!" Morrigan called to her, but to little avail.

When Joy was gone, the monsters that were gobbling up the sparrow vanished into the air… leaving his mangled, torn up carcass on the ground.

Autumn gawked.

"...oh, god..." Morrigan uttered, as she had to turn away and cover her mouth; gagging a bit at the mere sight of this. Autumn put a hand on the back of her head, holding her and keeping her from having to look at this.

He could handle a sight like this…mostly since he's seen dead, mangled bodies before…

…and thinking back on those icy blue eyes Joy had, the fact that she could control Corruption…and the evidence suggesting that Joy probably killed these two…

"…she's running away from _herself_," he concluded. "…she didn't want us to call anyone because she was afraid that…force inside her…was going to come out…" It was definitely not Joy doing all of this, that's for sure…

"...that's..." Morrigan uttered.

"…I can't believe something like this has happened…" Autumn uttered. "…c'mon, let's get back inside until her friends get here…we can tell them what happened," and he helped Morrigan limp into the house.

* * *

><p>When the sun was starting to set, Charon's group was just coming up on the neighborhood that Demi told them about.<p>

"Alright; Joy, here we come!" Jack called with a laugh.

"...finally..." Kiri uttered.

"...hm?" Demi blinked, as he narrowed his eyes.

"...something the matter?" Charon hummed, as he glanced back at Demi.

"...something's off." Quickly, Demi flew ahead of the group; descending towards the ground.

Vanessa caught a whiff of something, and she smelled more of it. Then her eyes widened. "…oh no…"

Striker looked at her. "What is it?"

Vanessa tensed up. "…I smell blood."

Just as Demi landed on the ground, his senses proved Vanessa right; he had landed on a lawn with blood spread all over the grass. Though it was dried up, its stench was unmistakably blood.

_**...someone was murdered here.**_ Blood mused.

_...no... Malice..._ Hissing, Demi looked towards the house that looked like it had taken a severe beating. _...you didn't...!_ Gritting his teeth, he ran inside of the house the moment Charon and the others landed.

Ani, seeing the blood and the house in its state, "…Autumn!" and she rushed in.

"Ani, wait!" Striker called out when he landed, following her along with the rest of them. The hole in the house was even big enough for Charon to get into the house some of the way.

Demi and Ani burst into a room, and there were a couple of yelps; a fist being thrown at Demi out of defense.

Demi quickly grabbed the fist; keeping it at bay. "Where is she?" he sputtered in panic.

"...Ani...?" a female voice uttered.

Ani recognized that voice. "Morrigan?"

"Ani!" It was Autumn who had thrown the punch at Demi, but he pulled his fist away when he saw the husky. He looked so frenzied that he actually grabbed her in a hug. "Oh god Ani, I'm so glad to see you here right now!"

"Autumn, Morrigan, what in the world happened here?" Ani uttered. "Where's Joy?"

Morrigan glanced to the side with a saddened look. "...she... ran away..."

"...she ran...?" Demi uttered, as he looked from Morrigan to Autumn. "...then... what... what happened here...?"

Autumn grew grim. "…some…kind of unknown force came out of Joy…she was able to use Corruption…and she denied that she was Joy."

Some of the others got into the room too.

"…you're talking about Malice," Milo said.

Autumn looked questionably at him.

"Crystal said we'd explain what was going on to you," Ani said. "…so we will."

And just like they said, they sat down with Autumn and Morrigan and explained everything happening in enough detail, as quickly as possible. First off, Ani had to tell Autumn all the things that happened when Metal visited Safe Haven, and once they told that story, they explained out Callous and Johnny conceived the force known as Malice that stuck with Callous until Jill became pregnant with Joy, thus developing into her from birth.

Autumn was amazed…and even more horrified when he found out all of this. Morrigan, too, shared his look of utter horror and awe.

"…so, we're looking for her," Ani finished up, looking at the two of them. "We don't know how to get rid of Malice, because so far, it's up to Joy to fight her back…but…"

"...I see..." Morrigan uttered.

"...I'm sorry to ask, but... I need to know." Demi uttered, as he looked at the two of them. "...the blood outside... what happened there? What did Malice do?"

"…these two guys showed up at our door, demanding for Joy," Autumn said. "BOTH of them were corrupted!"

Milo and Vanessa's eyes widened. "They were using Corruption?"

Autumn looked at Morrigan then. "…tell them what you found out."

"...those thugs..." Morrigan hissed, as she folded her arms. "...they came to our doorstep, intending to kill Joy, so she... or Malice, I suppose... wouldn't get in the way of their boss' plans; to create an army of corrupted..."

Demi blinked. "...did they say any names?"

"...one." Morrigan's eyes narrowed. "...Patricia Novagod."

Demi's eyes shot wide open, and he stepped away in abject shock. "...P-Pa... Patricia...?"

Ani's eyes widened too. "…Demi…isn't she…your aunt?"

Autumn gave Demi a shocked look.

"...I... thought she was in prison..." Demi uttered, as he held his head in terror. "...how... how did she get inflicted with Corruption...?"

"…the outbreak of Corruption at the base…"

Everyone looked at Autumn.

He looked up at them. "On the news, it reported that one of the GUN bases had been overtaken by a mysterious power…I knew it was Corruption…and that was the same base that King, Metal and the Commander were making the negotiations…"

His eyes widened. "I think Malice followed them to that base without them knowing, which was how she got off the island…and maybe she found the prison where…Patricia Novagod was."

"...and she, in turn..." Demi shook a bit in fright, as he stepped back. "...no... not again... why did it have to be _my _family this all started from?"

"Demi, calm down," Vanessa said, taking him by the shoulders. "I know it looks really bad…but we have to stay calm about all of this."

"...but... what if she decides to... target my other family members?" Demi kept uttering, as he gripped his head tightly.

"...please, calm down." Morrigan uttered, as she suddenly looked into Demi's eyes...

...and the bat slowly did calm down. "...a-alright..."

"…this isn't good," Milo murmured. "…not only do we have Malice to worry about…but now there's another rising power on the loose…"

"...we can't focus on one and leave the other be..." Demi murmured. "...did they say where Patricia was located?"

"...I only learned that she was on the move." Morrigan murmured. "Never in just one place..."

"...tsch..." Demi hissed, as he snapped his fingers.

Oblivion looked sadly at Demi. She really wished there was some way she could help Demi so he didn't have to feel like his family was responsible for everything…she at least wanted to see him cheer up.

"...did you at least see where she ran off to?" Charon inquired.

"...well..." Morrigan hummed, as she glanced at Autumn.

"…she ran northwest…" Autumn said.

"...she must've ran a while ago..." Kiri murmured. "...if we head that way, too, maybe we'll catch up to her?"

"...then what about Patricia?" Demi uttered, as he glanced at the floor. "We can't just leave her to do as she pleases..."

"…at the moment, I don't see anything we can really do about that Demi," Vanessa said. "We'll just have to try and find Joy before Patricia's messengers do."

"...right..." Demi murmured.

"…well…now what do we do?" Striker asked.

"...I suppose we should keep following Joy..." Charon noted.

"...well... it's _also_ getting late..." Demi mused. "...perhaps we could set up camp for the night..."

"…Do you guys want to stay here for the night?" Autumn offered. "…I'm sure it beats camping out in the night."

Demi hummed, as he glanced at Vanessa. "...what do you say?"

"…I think we'll take you up on that offer, Mr. Autumn," Vanessa said, taking his hand to shake it.

"…right, okay then," Autumn said.

"...I'll prepare the guest rooms, then." Morrigan nodded, as she began walking out of the room.

"Wait, Morrigan, you're not in the kind of shape to do that!" Autumn uttered, running out of the room after her.

With a slight sigh, Demi glanced outside. Oblivion looked at Demi, and set a hand on his shoulder. Demi simply sighed, as he glanced down at the ground again.

"…please don't look so glum, Demi…" Oblivion murmured.

"...I wish I could." Demi replied with a dreary sigh, as he rubbed his own arm. "...first Deity... now my aunt..."

Oblivion's brows arched in sympathy, and she gave Demi a hug.

Demi simply closed his eyes, as he grit his teeth a bit.

Happening to glance at that, Charon hummed silently; seeing the pained expression Demi wore. _...hrm..._

"…Demi…" Oblivion murmured worriedly.

"...I... need some time alone. You guys stay here; I'll be back..." With that, Demi broke away from Oblivion, and wandered off.

"...Demi..." Kiri uttered as she watched the bat leave.

Oblivion watched him walk off with a heavy heart. Charon glanced after him as well, with a slightly narrowed look. _...maybe..._ "...Oblivion."

"…yeah?" Oblivion looked up at him.

"...do you think you could follow him? I think he needs some cheering up..." Charon hummed, as he glanced at Oblivion.

Oblivion nodded, and rushed off toward where Demi went.

He had wandered a good distance away from them; on the edge of a nearby forest; where he simply sat and looked towards the horizon with a look of sorrow.

"…Demi…?" Oblivion spoke, stepping toward him.

"...my family... just seems to keep attracting the darkness, doesn't it...?" Demi murmured.

Oblivion didn't say anything, looking sadly at him.

"...why is it that out of all the families that exist in this world... mine had to be the one to cause so much suffering...?" Demi sighed, as he buried his face in his legs out of shame.

"…I…don't know…" Oblivion said, sitting next to him and putting a hand on his back.

Demi simply sat there. "...why..." he uttered; fighting the urge to sob.

"…Demi…" Oblivion reached to hug him again.

When she hugged him, it was Demi's breaking point; as he began softly sobbing a bit. Oblivion held him closely, rubbing his back to try and comfort him. It seemed to help a bit, but not by too much, as Demi kept sobbing. Oblivion let him release all of it out, feeling sad for him. She wished she could help him feel better…but she just didn't know what to say about all of this. Eventually, it came to a point where Demi spun around to hold Oblivion tightly, as he kept crying. Oblivion jumped a bit when he did that, but let him hug her, continuing to let him cry.

"...I... don't know what to do..." Demi kept sobbing, as he held onto Oblivion tighter.

"…nobody would in your situation…" Oblivion tried to hush him, still rubbing his back.

Still, Demi kept crying and crying; though at least, it seemed like he was beginning to stop sobbing. Oblivion brushed his hair back gently. "…I don't know what to tell you Demi…but…I want you to know that no matter what happens…you'll always have me for support."

"...Oblivion..." Demi uttered, as he slowly pulled away so he could look at her. Oblivion looked back at him, smiling. Demi managed a small smile as well.

"…do you feel…at least a little better?" she asked him.

"...a... little..." Demi slowly nodded.

"…that's good," she said.

At this point, Demi found himself just looking into Oblivion's eyes. Oblivion looked back.

"...Oblivion..." Demi slowly uttered; his gaze remaining fixated on her.

Oblivion blushed a little bit. "…Demi…"

A light blush came over Demi as well. Oblivion continued to stare back at him.

As if it was unconscious of him, Demi slowly leaned towards her. Oblivion remained frozen, letting him come closer. With a gulp, Demi gently set his hand on Oblivion's cheek.

Oblivion slowly touched the hand he put on her cheek. "…Demi…"

"...Oblivion..."

And with that, Demi moved forward enough to let his lips meet Oblivion's. Oblivion stayed there, closing her eyes. Demi closed his eyes as well, as he stroked her cheek with his thumb.

Oblivion stayed there, kissing him softly while getting lost in thought. It had been a few years since she saw Demi last…and before she had been convinced that she wouldn't be able to be involved with anyone back then…

…though with everything that's happened, and after seeing Demi again… Oblivion could feel the rekindling spark inside of her. She realized how much she really missed him… The same could be said for Demi. Blood's teasing notwithstanding, his thoughts had often gone back to Oblivion being on Safe Haven while he had been spending his days with Crystal and Dax. Now that they were all on their own... the realization that he had missed her ignited the spark within him once more.

Almost unconsciously, his wings slowly covered the two of them, as he still kept kissing her softly. Oblivion wrapped her arms around him, kissing him. Demi wrapped his own arms around Oblivion in turn.

Oblivion broke from kissing to breathe, caressing him. "…I missed you Demi…" she whispered.

He caressed her back. "...I missed you too, Oblivion... so much..." he uttered.

"…I…had no idea when I would ever see you again…" Oblivion murmured.

"...neither did I..." Demi whispered. "...but... we're... together, now..."

"…yeah…" Oblivion leaned in and kissed him again. Demi kissed her back, as he kept caressing her. Oblivion shuddered at his touch, stroking his hair back. Demi stroked her hair as well, as he deepened the kiss a little. Oblivion blushed while she kissed him, touching his cheek. Demi blushed as well, as he caressed her back. Oblivion clutched to him, feeling her heart beat faster. Demi felt his own heart beat faster as well, as he deepened the kiss.

They deepened the kiss enough that Oblivion felt Demi's tongue in embarrassment, blushing even more. Demi blushed as well, though he didn't exactly retract his tongue from where it was. Oblivion's fingers crept up his back softly while she continued to kiss him more deeply. Demi shivered at her touch, as he deepened the kiss along with her; enough for their tongues to intertwine.

Throughout all this…Oblivion wondered a bit nervously what Charon would think of all this… but she tried not to let that bother her.

Slowly, Demi's hands crawled up along Oblivion's back as well; tracing his fingers across her body. That made her shiver some more and breathe harder, kissing him more longingly. Demi kissed her back just as longingly. Oblivion eventually had to break from kissing again to try and catch her breath; it had been a long time since she experienced this, and it was a bit much for her all at once.

Demi took the moment to catch his breath as well; though he still kept caressing Oblivion lovingly. Oblivion wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him closely and dearly. Demi held her in such a manner as well.

Soon, though, he began gently kissing her neck as well. Oblivion's head fell back while he kissed her neck, gasping slowly in delight. Demi left more lingering kisses along her neck, all while he kept caressing her. Oblivion stroked the back of his head, sighing in content and more delight. This felt so familiar to her…

Demi occasionally grazed his teeth against her skin; though he didn't seem to move beyond that as he kept kissing her.

…yeah…this started to seem familiar to Oblivion. Even if she enjoyed the feeling, she started to wonder what happened last time…there was a point where she didn't remember very much at first, and over time when she started to remember things, she was amazed at how she acted…

Slowly, it began seeming like Demi was grazing his teeth more and more against her neck.

And she was beginning to remember what caused that.

"…D…Demi?"

Hearing her voice, Demi actually stopped. "...Oblivion...?"

"…your…teeth," Oblivion murmured.

"...my... teeth..." Demi uttered... and his eyes widened slightly. "..._oh._ I-I'm sorry..."

"Th-that's okay," although Oblivion was blushing wildly at that.

"...I... guess you're wondering what would happen... if I bit you..." Demi murmured.

"…n-no, I…I remember what happened…years ago…" Oblivion murmured.

"...I see..." Demi uttered. "...back then... I didn't know what caused it... but now I do..."

"…what…caused it?" Oblivion wondered.

"...due to Blood's presence in me... my fangs have a... unique property." Demi began. "...not only can they drain from a body... but they can inject as well. Not only fluids like blood or water... but... feelings... such as anger, happiness, sorrow... passion..."

"…so…you…injected…" Oblivion just couldn't continue that sentence, but she could understand what happened.

"...n-not on purpose!" Demi quickly said. "...Blood unconsciously influenced me... I-I didn't intend to do that, but... I..." He sighed.

"…no, it's okay, I understand," Oblivion said.

"...Oblivion..." Slowly, Demi moved to look back at her. "...I... don't want to make you go through anything you don't want to do... because I don't want to hurt you in any way..."

Oblivion smiled a little. "…don't worry Demi…you never hurt me at all…even back then." Then she looked away uneasily. "…I'm just…afraid to get carried away like that again…with all our friends so close by…"

"...right..." Demi slowly nodded, as he glanced to the side as well.

"…and…well…I'm afraid that Charon might take it the wrong way," Oblivion added.

"...right..." Demi nodded again.

"…but…I didn't know that was the reason…" Oblivion uttered. "…have you…used that to your advantage with anything else?"

"...never for personal gain." Demi uttered. "...though... that was how me and Blood managed to repel Malice..."

"…so you bit her…and gave her pain?" Oblivion asked.

Demi nodded. "...just to try and keep Joy safe..."

"I see," Oblivion answered.

"...and despite that... she ran off..." Demi sighed, as he closed his eyes.

Oblivion didn't say anything, and she just looked at Demi. Demi then held Oblivion closer in a hug. "...thank you, Oblivion... for being here for me..."

Oblivion hugged him back. "It's the least I could do Demi…I really do care about you…"

"...I care about you too... oh so very much..." Demi whispered.

After a long moment hugging, Oblivion looked at him again. "…maybe we should…head back."

"...yeah..." Demi nodded. With that, he moved his wings away so they weren't covered anymore.

Oblivion slowly helped the two of them get to their feet.

Once he was on his feet, Demi gave Oblivion a brief nod. "...let's go."

Oblivion gave him a quick peck on his cheek, before the two of them started walking. As they walked, Demi couldn't help but place a hand on his cheek; smiling a little at that.

* * *

><p>Patricia made it through the front doors of the dark hall to their base. "…they haven't come back yet…" she murmured to herself. "…it shouldn't take them this long…even with all that power that little brat has; it still could've been an easy job for them."<p>

"...you don't think you're underestimating the brat, do you?" Standing in the hallway as Patricia entered it was Bulk, who shot her a doubtful look. "If those guys haven't shown up again..."

"…they were just Corrupted… and the brat claims that she was born with the powers…" Patricia muttered, stopping by Bulk in the hallway. "…yeah, you're probably right…"

"...it's not a huge loss, really." Bulk huffed. "If they couldn't even escape to tell us that they failed, they weren't worth the effort to begin with."

"…which means we'll have to send stronger hunters out there after her," Patricia said. Then she looked at him. "So how were things at the base while I was gone?"

"Eh; fairly uneventful." Bulk shrugged. "The Sergeant's still silent about the Commander's whereabouts, the lovebirds are still going at it, the base is holding up... all in all, nothing out of the ordinary." Then, he folded his arms. "So how was your day, Patricia?"

"Found an old friend of mine and Corrupted her along with a bunch in some bar," she answered in a shrug. "…three of them managed to get away unscathed, but hey, not my concern. There's not anything they could do to be in the way…"

"...I see." Bulk hummed. "So all in all, a job well done... you probably need some kind of reward."

"A reward, huh?" Patricia hummed.

"Yeah; just something to treat yourself to for doing a good job." Bulk chuckled.

"...you happen to have anything in mind?" Patricia asked.

"...I can think of a few ideas." Bulk chuckled, as he rubbed his chin.

"Like?" Patricia raised her eyebrow at that.

Bulk glanced back at Patricia. "...oh, you know... this and that." he chuckled with a smirk.

Patricia blinked.

"…I'm not catching your drift."

Bulk blinked at that. "...you don't?" Then, he sighed. "...this is gonna be awkward..." Then, he looked back at her. "...okay, think of it like this. What are the lovebirds doing right now?"

"…oh, I see now," Patricia hummed. "…that long without that kind of company, huh Bulk?" She's been in a jail cell near his for a few years; she knew him fairly well.

"...it's been a while, yeah." Bulk nodded. "So I figured it must've been the same for you, right?"

"…I suppose so," Patricia answered. "…but wouldn't that distract us from our job?"

"Oh, please; it's not like we'd be like the lovebirds going at it 24/7." Bulk chuckled. "Just enough to satisfy ourselves, and then it'd be back to business."

"…if you say so," Patricia said.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Don't even try to imagine with that large crocodile...<strong>_

* * *

><p>Then it died out and Patricia collapsed against the wall, breathing. Bulk held to her and breathed right along with her; worn out from that intense climax.<p>

"…goddamn that was intense…" Patricia breathed.

"...it sure was..." Bulk breathed as well.

Patricia looked back at Bulk. "…really has been awhile since we got any of this, wasn't it?"

"...yeah..." Bulk nodded, as he looked back at Patricia.

She wiped her brow, pulling off of him. With a slight sigh, Bulk stepped away from her. "...good to get it out of your system, at least..."

"Yeah…otherwise, like anything else pent up, it'll eventually explode out of you," Patricia said, getting dressed again, "and that's the last thing we need with Corruption."

"True," Bulk nodded. "...pity no one told the lovebirds that." he chuckled mockingly.

Patricia let out a chuckle at that as well. "Well, they were afraid of the energy taking over them, and now they're too weak to fight against it."

"Irony at its finest." Bulk chuckled, as he folded his arms. "So, what's next on the agenda?"

"Since those two failed to get Joy back by now, we'll have to see if we have anyone stronger, and if not, then we go look for a stronger candidate to go after her," Patricia said. "In the meantime, we need to build up more forces, and maybe step up the torture methods for the Sergeant if he's not talking."

"Leave that to me." Bulk chuckled, as he cracked his neck. "...speaking of... don't you think you could go and visit your family? I'm sure that they'd love to see you out of prison."

"Right…and now that I think about it…" Patricia started walking off. "…Bismark could have a lead for me with that foresight of his…"

Bulk chuckled, as he turned to walk elsewhere. "...well, you have fun with that, Patricia! I'll go pay the Sergeant another visit!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>...and no, they aren't just gonna be another Callous and Johnny.<em>**


	16. Chapter 15

He laid there in exhaustion…for days on end, him and Natal had been at this, and now he felt so weak. He cursed himself for not having more energy, because the thirst for pleasure was driving him crazy.

Lying by his side, Natal trailed her fingers across Cal's chest; breathing along with him. "...Cal..."

Cal sighed in content at that. "…Natal…"

"...Cal..." Natal sighed longingly, as she moved to kiss Cal's neck.

Cal sighed again, closing his eyes to enjoy this…

…but he could hardly move. He couldn't do anything he was so weak. They hadn't slept or even eaten for the days that they've been at this whole thing…

…and it bothered him, because now he couldn't do anything in response to Natal's love.

"...Cal..." Natal whispered, as she kept stroking his body and kissing his neck; though it was apparent that she, too, was quite fatigued.

"…Natal…it's not fair…why can't I move…?" he uttered hoarsely.

"...I... don't know..." Natal breathed. "...but don't worry... I won't... stop..."

Cal just wanted to close his eyes for a moment, but his carnal need for her kept him awake…

…it was unpleasant being put in that position…

Tiredly, Natal kept on caressing his body; breathing heavily as she slowly began kissing down his collarbone and chest.

…and for that matter, it felt unpleasant being so tired and there was a big empty pit in his stomach, tormenting him. He wondered if Natal felt that same kind of exhaustion from all of this…if she felt…unpleasant…

The fact of the matter was, Natal felt more than unpleasant. She felt tired, hungry, disgusted, shameful, miserable, and much, much more... but the Corruption was twisting those unpleasant feelings into carnal desire; leaving her with no ability to speak up of her actual state of mind.

Heaving a longing sigh, Natal's kisses kept trailing further down; though quite slowly compared to before.

"…Natal…" Cal uttered. "…we…have to get out of here…"

He had no idea why that came out of his mouth…until he started thinking and realized that they really did have to get out of here. They were so addicted to the pleasure they felt that they risked their very health… that revelation started to give him the strength to move, but not to enjoy more pleasure…

…no, it was the strength to get up and try and get out.

"...C...Cal...?" Natal uttered weakly, as she only managed to look up at Cal again.

Slowly, Cal pushed himself to sitting up, looking around. They were surrounded by darkness…just how would they get out?

"…Natal…if we don't get out…" he uttered. "…we'll die…"

"...die...?" Natal uttered, as she weakly tilted her head.

The black goo seeped away from Cal, and more and more of his thoughts became clear. They were in the dark…and Corruption users could easily slip away in this place. He took Natal, "C'mon," and tried to pull her up.

As she was pulled up, she felt very limp; Corruption had taken a heavy toll on her strength. "...Cal..."

That made Cal worry for her…and the more he worried about her, the more strength he got to hoist her up onto his back. "We're getting out of here…" he uttered, taking the first few shaky steps.

"...Cal..." Natal uttered, as she breathed uneasily.

Cal took more steps, and he gained more strength. He realized that he was actually resisting his Corruption when he walked…and he started to run. Sure, he didn't have much strength, but his adrenaline was kicking in. He knew that he had to get Natal and him out of here before he loses his resistance again.

"...C-Cal..." Natal uttered more shakily as he picked up the pace.

He grit his teeth and tried to run as fast as he could, pushing against his aching muscles.

"...C-Cal..." Natal whispered.

"…we're getting…out of here Natal!" he uttered, still pushing against his body to run swiftly.

Natal weakly looked at Cal. "...how...?"

"…we run…" Cal uttered. "…we run as far and as fast as we can!"

They ran for a long time after that…Cal had no idea how long they ran, but as long as he kept running, they'd get farther and farther away from that horrible place…wherever they were…

…at some point, Cal just couldn't take it anymore…he pushed his body to his absolute limit, and he saved the last of his strength to jump up as far as he could, grunting in pain from it.

Up on the surface, on the ground, the two of them rose out of it, and Cal stepped out onto grasslands. It was far away from the base, which was good…but also, a cool breeze was blowing across the grasslands.

He breathed fresh air in relief…they had gotten away…

"...Cal..." Natal uttered, as her eyes slowly began closing.

Slowly, he placed Natal on the ground, looking at her. "…we're safe now, Natal…" he uttered.

"...we're... safe..." she whispered, as she simply breathed.

He shook feebly, and knew that his strength was ebbing away again…

He put a hand on her cheek. "…I love you Natal…"

She barely managed to look back at him with a weak smile. "...I... love you too... Calculate..."

Cal smiled back at her.

Then suddenly…he collapsed beside her.

While she would have reacted with panic... right now, she was just too exhausted to do anything but lose consciousness right along with him.

Luckily, though, they weren't alone on these grasslands…

"…so now what do we do?" Toki wondered, while her and two others traversed these grasslands.

"...we'll need to keep walking, I suppose." Fargus hummed, as he was tinkering with some gadget in his hands as they walked.

Nage, on the other hand, remained completely silent, as she simply looked down at the ground below them.

"…but I mean, shouldn't we go to Safe Haven and try and help them out?" Toki wondered.

"If we could find a way to get past the blockade that GUN's set up without being pinned as criminals, that would be a viable idea..." Fargus hummed.

"…Why they hell are they still there, anyway?" Toki uttered. "I mean, their base was taken over…shouldn't they-!"

And Toki stopped when she looked ahead of them.

Fargus and Nage looked ahead of them as well; their eyes widening in surprise.

"...oh gosh!" Quickly, Nage ran over to what they had seen.

They had found the unconscious Cal and Natal on the ground.

"Hey! That's Calculate and Natal from teams Alpha and Chaotix!" Toki uttered, rushing to them as well.

"...well, I'll be darned!" Fargus quickly ran up to them as well.

"...they're unconscious..." Nage uttered, as she was checking their pulses. "...and they look horribly malnourished..."

Toki went to pick up Natal. "We'd better get them some help then!"

"I agree." Fargus nodded, as he picked up Cal. "Let's hurry."

"Alright." Nage nodded, as she looked at the two of them in worry.

"I know where the closest town is, and where their inn's at. C'mon!" And Toki ran off to lead the way. Fargus and Nage ran after her.

* * *

><p>...she felt... lighter...<p>

She couldn't count how many days she had cursed her decision not to let Metal treat her; even when Joy's safety really did take precedence over her own. What made her regret that decision was that in her folly, she had allowed Cal to be taken by darkness with her...

...speaking of... why did that dark feeling seem more... distant?

Her eyes slowly opened, as she found herself looking at a ceiling; in a place she didn't recognize. "...ngh..."

"She's awake!" she heard a voice call out.

"Really?" responded another voice.

All of a sudden, a pink chameleon entered her line of sight; smiling greatly at seeing her awake. "Oh, man, I was really beginning to worry!"

Then came a dragonfly, looking down at her with some relief. "Oh thank god…you're the first one to wake up!"

"...first... one...?" she uttered; blinking a few times... and then shooting up in a sitting position. "Cal!"

"Whoa, there; don't worry, he's still asleep." the chameleon uttered, as she set a hand on her shoulder.

"Nage, why don't you get her something to eat? Soup preferably; she hasn't eaten in days and she needs something easy," the dragonfly told the chameleon.

The chameleon, Nage, gave the dragonfly a nod, and hurried out of the room.

"...ngh... I..." she uttered, as she slowly glanced at the dragonfly.

"Just lay back down," she said, trying to ease Natal and comfort her. "You've been through something pretty bad, so you can't exert yourself too much."

Blinking, Natal did as the dragonfly said; lying down on the bed again. "...ugh... everything's a blur..."

"…you're Natal from Team Alpha, right?" the dragonfly asked. "Where's the rest of your unit?"

"...my unit..." Natal uttered, as she looked at the ceiling. "...Wiper... Newt... they're..." Then, she winced a bit. "Ngh..."

"…remember…don't exert yourself," the dragonfly reminded her.

"...right..." Natal nodded, as she slowly looked at the dragonfly. "...who... are you...?"

"My name's Toki," the dragonfly replied with a nod.

"...Toki..." Natal uttered, as she slowly nodded. "...I see..."

"…do you remember anything that happened? Anything at all?" Toki asked her.

"...I..." Natal uttered, but she winced again. "...I... think... but trying to remember hurts..."

"...Okay then," Toki said. "If remembering hurts, then you don't have to try right now. We just need to get some nourishment into your system…" she held up a glass of water to Natal. "Here, fluids would be a good thing too."

Natal shakily took the glass, and looked at it. "...okay..." With a nod, Natal downed the water in a split second; gasping at feeling the cool liquid rush down her throat.

"Slowly now," Toki warned, taking the glass back when it was empty. "You don't want any of that coming back up."

"...right..." Natal uttered, as she held her head.

At that point, Nage entered the room again; carrying a bowl of soup with her. "Here we go!"

"And I'll be back with a fresh cup of water," Toki said, heading out of the room with the glass.

Natal blinked, as she looked at the bowl of soup that Nage placed by her side.

"Go on; eat up! This'll make you feel a lot better." Nage said with a smile.

Natal simply looked at the soup with a tilted head.

Toki came back with the glass filled with water again, and noticed Natal. "…something wrong?"

"...no..." she replied, as she slowly took a spoonful of soup, and placed it in her mouth...

...and her eyes shot wide open when she got a taste of the soup.

"...too hot?" Nage assumed. However, Natal's response was to shake her head.

"…what is it?" Toki asked, setting the glass beside Natal on the end table.

As she removed the empty spoon from her mouth, Natal looked back at the soup. "...it's... divine..."

Without warning, she began eating the soup quite heartily; taking the occasional break to drink from the glass before resuming her meal.

"...uh... is it normal for people to start eating like that?" Nage uttered.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Toki uttered. "I told you to take it slow! You have to make sure your stomach can handle it!" However, Natal didn't seem to hear that, as she just kept eating rapidly, until the bowl and glass were completely empty.

Nage just looked at Natal with wide eyes at that; tilting her head slowly.

"...that was..." Natal uttered, before she looked at Toki and Nage. "...can I... have some more?"

"Not right now; we have to see how your stomach handles the food before we give you more," Toki said, taking the bowl and glass. "In the meantime, you need constant fluids and rest."

"...but..." Natal uttered, as she placed a hand on her stomach. "...I feel... hungry..."

"...is... that normal, Toki?" Nage uttered, as she glanced at Toki worriedly.

"…it sounds like she really did spend a few days without food," Toki spoke. "…we'll wait an hour, okay? After that and if you kept it down, I'll get more soup for you, okay?"

Natal nodded.

"Now, I'll be back with some more water," Toki said, walking out.

Nage simply sat down, as she looked at Natal, who kept looking down at the bed with a thoughtful hum.

Moments later, Toki came back with another glass. "I checked with Fargus on Cal, but…he's not awake yet…" she murmured.

"...he isn't...?" Natal uttered, as she took the glass.

"…no…" Toki murmured. "…but we'll stay here with you guys at this inn until both of you are nursed back to health."

"...right..." Natal nodded, as she slowly drank from the glass of water.

"…so…you know what's going on, right?" Toki asked. "…I mean…about the whole Metal Sonic thing…"

Natal held her head a little. "...mhm..." she nodded.

"…do you know that the base where they were holding the negotiations was taken over? By Corruption?"

Natal's eyes widened drastically, as she shot a shocked look at Toki.

"I'm gonna guess that you didn't know that," Toki said, sitting down. "It was plastered all over the news when it happened…and Metal Sonic and King and his troupe have been labeled as fugitives."

"...no..." Natal uttered.

"…and now there are missing posters of that girl; Joy," Toki also told her. "…not only that, but me, Nage and Fargus just got away from someone that was using Corruption; that crook, Patricia Novagod."

Natal gawked. "...Patricia..."

"...you know her...?" Nage inquired.

Natal looked at the bed with a shaky look. "...I... remember... the base..."

Toki blinked, and then her eyes widened. "Wait a minute…were you at the base when it happened?"

"...yes..." Natal nodded, as she slowly nodded. "...her... and this crocodile... he provoked Cal... I tried stopping him... but..."

Toki remained silent to give Natal a moment to speak and think.

"...it consumed me... consumed Cal... consumed the base..." Natal uttered, as she helplessly held her head.

"..._it_?" Nage uttered. "...you mean... Corruption?"

"…you were consumed by the Corruption?" Toki grew solemn.

Natal slowly nodded.

"…do you remember what happened after that?" Toki asked.

Natal nodded again, and she shuddered. "...I... wish I didn't..."

"…yeah, it's never a pleasant thing," Toki replied. "I should know…"

Natal looked at Toki. "...you... were corrupted...?"

"...surprised me when I heard it, too." Nage nodded.

"I remember seeing you on Safe Haven the year there was that large outbreak," Toki said. "I was one of the soldiers that had been infected…"

Natal blinked. "...I... see..."

Just then, the door opened and Toki turned. "Fargus…is he awake?" she asked the one who entered into the room.

"...yeah." the skunk who entered, Fargus, nodded.

Natal looked at him with a hopeful smile at that.

"...but he's got a fever, so... he's not getting out of bed any time soon."

"...a fever?" Nage uttered. "Man..."

Natal's smile slowly faded; though she still seemed somewhat hopeful.

"…how bad is it?" Toki asked.

"...it's pretty severe, but... it's nothing he can't recover from, at the very least." Fargus murmured.

"...guess we have to stay here for a while, then." Nage assumed.

"Did you manage to get him to eat something?" Toki asked Fargus.

"I got him some soup." Fargus noted. "...it went slowly, but he did finish it up eventually."

"...huh; that's the opposite of what happened with Natal." Nage noted; something that caused Natal to look aside with a slight hum.

"At least he ate something…" Toki hummed. Then she looked at Natal. "…you should sleep."

"...right..." Natal nodded, as she lied down again, and closed her eyes. "...I... don't know if I'll be able to fall asleep, though..."

"...oh, you can do it." Nage said with a smile.

"At least try," Toki said. "Both you and Cal need as much rest as possible."

Natal simply nodded.

"...in the meantime..." Fargus hummed, as he rubbed his chin. "...we oughta keep our eyes peeled. You never know what sorta hoodlums are wandering around, these days..."

"Right," Toki said.

* * *

><p>She stood there in front of that mansion, looking up at it. "…it's been a long time since I saw this place…" and she walked toward it, just opening the door.<p>

When she opened it, she noticed a teenaged bat standing in the hallway, noticing the door open... and she gawked in slight surprise. "...Auntie Pat?"

The one who walked in, Patricia, stopped. "…Odium, is that you?" she asked.

"...yeah." Odium uttered, as she kept gawking at Patricia. "...Auntie Pat... how come you're out of prison already?"

"Broke out," Patricia answered, rubbing Odium's head. "Geez, Odium, you grew."

"...well, it's been a few years, so..." Odium hummed. "...so, what brings you here, Auntie Pat?"

"I'm looking for your father," Patricia said, and then from the corner of her eye, a figure ran through the house.

"BAM!" something was shot at Patricia, which she caught in a split second. It was a foam dart. Patricia then looked down at a little bat.

"…who the heck are you?" the little bat asked.

"…A family member; what about you?" Patricia asked.

"My name's Rascal!" he said.

"...stepbrother. And annoyance." Odium explained dryly.

"…your father remarried?" Patricia uttered in surprise, looking at Odium.

"No duh, moron!" Rascal barked. "Geez, where've you been all this time?"

"Prison," Patricia answered darkly with a wicked smirk. "And if you don't shut your pie hole you little brat, I'll make sure to do it for you."

Rascal jumped with a yelp, scooting away from Patricia.

Odium hummed. "...guess prison really toughened you up, Auntie Pat. Dad's gonna be happy."

"Oh, there's a lot I could talk to your Dad about," Patricia chuckled.

Odium hummed, before shrugging. "...you did come at kind of an inconvenient time, though. Dad and Desire's having a conversation in his study at the moment, regarding their anniversary. I was actually gonna take the squirt out to get him something to be occupied with, while the two of them were left on their own."

Hearing that, Patricia looked at Odium questionably. "…wait a minute…where's Demi?"

Odium blinked, before nodding. "...Demi... uh... turns out that he became the black sheep a few years back..." Then she looked at Patricia. "...he got the wings."

Patricia looked at Odium for a long time.

"…the wings? What kind of stupid thing is that?" Rascal uttered. "All bats get wings-!"

"—I want you to shut up and leave right now," Patricia snapped at Rascal. "You are not part of my family and you have no right to speak to my niece like that."

Rascal actually shuddered at that. Eventually, he scampered off.

Odium didn't even bat an eyelid at Rascal opening his mouth, as she kept looking at Patricia.

"…so he got the wings, hm…?" Patricia murmured thoughtfully. "…I…guess that could explain his disappearance…but what about your mother? If Bismark remarried…what happened to her?"

Odium still didn't break away from looking at Patricia. "...she... vanished in an accident."

Patricia frowned. "…I'm sorry to hear about that…" and she sighed. "…damn, I was in prison for a really long time…"

"...yeah... you sure were..." Odium sighed.

"…so, I guess I have to wait for them to be done with their conversation, huh?" Patricia asked.

"Oh, no need, we're finished."

Patricia looked up and saw another bat… "…oh, no wonder he's such a brat, if he's got you for a mother."

The bat gave her an offended look. "Who the hell are you to tell me my son is a brat? He's a darling little angel!"

"The Devil was once an angel too," Patricia added with a smirk. "You must be Desire."

"And who are you?" the bat, Desire, demanded, folding her arms.

"Why, I'm old Auntie Patricia," Patricia introduced, outstretching her arms. "You wouldn't know me, seeing as I just broke out of prison."

Desire gasped. "P-Prison?"

"...family business." Odium hummed dryly, as she glanced at Desire. "...it went faster than I expected, though."

"So if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to my brother," Patricia said, walking past her. Desire glared at her, not liking her one bit. There was just something about Patricia that really…disturbed her.

"…I'm going to be doing a few errands, and then I'll be home for the night," Desire told Odium before she left out the door.

Odium simply scoffed. "...sure, whatever..."

Patricia made it down the hall. Luckily, the place hadn't changed a bit, so she made it down to his study easily enough. Desire had left the door open, and she knew her brother's ability with foresight, so she simply walked in, and closed the door behind her.

"…Hi Bismark," she said.

"...my dear sister..." The bat sitting on his own by his a desk chuckled, even without turning to face her. "...I see you've gotten ahead in life."

"That's for sure," Patricia chuckled back. "Now, you know why I'm here, I'm sure…but I gotta say, remarrying to a slut like that? That's not like you Bismark…"

"...a simple matter of change, after you were locked away... and I lost my dear wife..." Bismark hummed. "...but remarrying has had its conveniences. She's as empty-headed as a sack of bricks, and easily persuadable. I may despise her to my very core, but at the very least, she keeps income flowing to my doorstep..."

"…and maybe a little extra on the side, too?" Patricia mused.

"As I said; easily persuadable." Bismark hummed. "In fact, for our anniversary, I've thought of sending Odium out of town with Rascal... just so the little brat wouldn't get in the way of my disciplinary measures..."

"Right," Patricia said. "Now, let's get down to business."

"Quite. You're here for young Condit, are you not?" Bismark hummed.

"Right," Patricia answered.

"...well... I can tell you that she is on the move; and that she will never stop for too long at any given place. Therefore, pinning her down would practically be impossible..." Bismark hummed, as he turned around to face Patricia. "...however, my dear sister... I do know of a specific place she will be stopping at, in the near future..."

"…where?" Patricia asked curiously.

Bismark chuckled. "...here."

"…she's gonna be here, huh?" Patricia hummed, rubbing her chin. "…well, that's gonna be interesting."

"Indeed..." Bismark hummed, as he rubbed his hands together. "...though... unless interventions are made... things do not look bright for us..."

"…really?" Patricia said, blinking.

"...that girl... she brings nothing but misfortune to my doorstep." Bismark mused. "...carrying that dark energy that coils around your very soul this instant, my sister... the same energy old Deity created."

"…what about it?" Patricia scoffed.

"...a certain event will break loose the malicious being... and she will, in turn, form us all into slaves of the dark." Bismark mused. "...to be perfectly honest... I do not wish for me or my daughter to succumb to such a fate."

"But the brat and the slut can be victims, right?" Patricia said.

"...I don't see why not. She'll come here after the anniversary, so really, I won't have lost anything of value." Bismark hummed.

"…what about Demi, huh?" Patricia suddenly asked. "I heard he got the wings…"

"...Demi..." Bismark hummed, as he narrowed his eyes. "...that... is a curious case... I doubt that one with the wings would be a harmless being if infused with that manner of power..."

"…so…has he…developed anything with the beast inside him or something?" Patricia asked.

Bismark hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...a bond."

"…already a bond, huh…" Patricia murmured. "…if the kid's gonna be here, are they gonna be here too?"

"...I cannot see him or the beast being here when she arrives..." Bismark hummed.

"Well I know not at the same time, bro, I meant sometime after would they show up?" Patricia asked dryly.

"...a while afterwards, yes..." Bismark hummed.

"…gives me a good idea where they're at…" Patricia said, rubbing her chin. "…you'd probably get pissed if I sent some bounty hunter to your doorstep when she finally arrived, huh?"

"...quite." Bismark hummed. "Bounty hunters are such a rough pack of creatures... I am fond of this mansion, and would hate for such beings to besmirch this place..."

"…and you're not gonna try and bring her down yourself either, huh?" Patricia muttered.

"...I will try... but only if she thinks she can force me into becoming her servant." Bismark hummed, as he narrowed his eyes. "...I do not take orders from anyone... especially not a child."

"…so I'll have to just wait until she's on her own and vulnerable before I start hunting her down again," Patricia figured.

"...seems like it." Bismark mused. "...though you should be careful... if you don't see where you're going, you may find yourself at a grisly end, my sister..."

"Oh, what's the worst that could happen?" Patricia scoffed. "This Corruption's been good to me; I have pretty good control over it."

"...true, true." Bismark hummed. "...but there are those who can counter-act it. All I'm saying is that I don't want you to grow careless... I don't want to lose you, like I lost my wife..."

"Aw, my bro seems to care about me," Patricia teased.

"Wasn't it always like that?" Bismark chuckled. "You always got into trouble, and I had to bail you out every time..."

"Right…this time I got the help of a little kid…although," Patricia came up to him, pulling out a sack. "Here's for you, for old time's sake. Figured I'd snatch some up before coming to see you," and she handed Bismark the sack.

Shaking the sack a bit to hear the rustling of metal within it, Bismark hummed. "...you are far too kind, Patricia. First you grace me with your company, and now you bear gifts? We should have a celebration together, just for old time's sake..."

Patricia chuckled. "Yeah, it'd sure be nice…taking the time to talk to family…but you know that both you and I are busy at the moment," she replied.

"Of course." Bismark nodded, before he extended a hand to her. "...just remember, my sister... you will always be welcome as my guest..."

"…thanks bro," Patricia said, taking his hand.

"Don't mention it." Bismark chuckled.

"…well, I'll head out then," Patricia said, pulling away. "Wanted to stop by and say hi, among other things."

"Best of luck on your endeavors, then, Patricia." Bismark hummed, before he turned back to the desk.

"Same to you, bro," Patricia replied, closing the door to his study behind her.

She headed out of the hall and into the main room where Odium still was. "Well, I'm heading out kiddo," she told her.

"...already?" Odium hummed, as she looked at Patricia with a surprised look. "...but you just got here..."

"Yeah, I know, but I'm a pretty busy gal nowadays," Patricia said.

"...how so, Auntie Pat?" Odium hummed. "Did'ya meet a new guy while in prison, or something?"

"Nah, I'm just putting together something; kinda like a gang, really," Patricia replied. "I figure since my ass gets in so much trouble, I'd need to get a group that watch out for me so that your dad doesn't have to save me all the time," and she chuckled.

"...yeah... dad always said that you were the kind to get yourself in trouble a lot..." Odium nodded, as she folded her arms. "...he even says that I remind him of you at times..."

"Oh what? Have you been getting into trouble?" Patricia mused, smirking at her.

"...nothing big, really." Odium huffed. "Just some robberies here and there, the occasional protest by setting signs on fire... the usual."

Patricia chuckled. "You're still like the cute little kid I remember," she said, patting her head. "I know you probably hate being treated like a kid now that you're older, but still."

"...eh, it's not that big of a deal." Odium shrugged. "Now that I get to boss around the little squirt, and know that dad gives my stepmother what's coming to her, I can get by."

"Yeah, it sure is fun messing with the idiots of the world, isn't it?" Patricia chuckled. "Well, it was good to see you Odium…and I think in a little bit, I might go find your little brother and see how he's been all these years."

Odium hummed at that, before she actually smiled a bit. "...when you see him... tell him I said hi, okay?"

"Right," Patricia answered, leaving out the door.

"...see you around, Auntie Pat..." Odium hummed.

* * *

><p>Later that night, both Odium and Rascal were gone from the manor, leaving only Desire and Bismark on their own.<p>

"…you never mentioned your sister to me, Bismark…" Desire grumbled.

"...didn't I?" Bismark hummed. "...hm. Must've slipped my mind..."

"…is all your family like that?" she huffed, folding her arms.

"Not really..." Bismark hummed. "...well... some of them might be... I have some family members who live overseas; we don't usually keep in touch that often..."

Desire folded her legs from where she was sitting on the couch. "…she was…disturbing."

Bismark glanced at her. "...how so?"

"Well, first off she was blunt and rude to me and Rascal," Desire complained. "…but…then something about her just gave me the willies. I can't tell what…but I didn't like it…"

"...perhaps it was just your imagination?" Bismark mused with a slight chuckle.

Desire huffed and scowled at Bismark. "At the very least, you could tell her to have some manners!"

"How so?" Bismark mused. "She's always been brash; it's part of her charm."

Desire grumbled. "…some charm…"

"...it's a family thing." Bismark hummed.

"…I can see that," Desire murmured.

"...what's that supposed to mean?" Bismark hummed, as he glanced at Desire.

"Oh, it's nothing dear," Desire said. "Just still not entirely understanding your family is all."

"...you'll learn in due time." Bismark hummed, as he kept looking at her. "...so... what were you doing out today?"

"Shopping," Desire answered, growing a smug look.

Humming, Bismark looked directly into her eyes. "...is that all you did?"

Desire looked back at him, losing her smug look. "…yes, that's all I did…I even shopped for your gift."

"...is that so?" Bismark hummed. "A gift for me? Whatever could it be?"

Desire managed a small, naughty chuckle.

"…I'm wearing it…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>And I'm sure you can see where that's going, so I'll just cut it there.<strong>_


	17. Chapter 16

Vanessa enjoyed the cool breeze of the night as Charon flew through the sky. She hadn't really experienced flying like this before…better yet, she hadn't been on any kind of adventure like this before. Unlike most Leoniel's in her family besides Jack, she had a passion about adventure…something that she may have repressed for many, many years when she dealt with her family. When she gave birth to Jack, though, her true colors were allowed to be shown and probably most of that rubbed off on Jack.

She couldn't help but smile.

Then someone leaned against her back, and when she glanced, she saw Milo trying to keep his heavy eyelids open. Then she noticed Oblivion having the same problem.

"…I think we should land soon Charon; everyone's starting to get tired," Vanessa spoke.

"...right..." Charon nodded, as he slowly began heading down towards the ground.

Kiri let out a small yawn, as she was huddled closely to Diablo. Diablo had an arm wrapped around her, and he was wide awake; probably experience with years of sleep deprivation.

Luckily, Vanessa was able to catch a glimpse of a pond with a few waterfalls around the area Charon was going to land before he submerged beneath the treetops. She hummed, rubbing her chin at that.

When they landed, Ani collapsed onto the ground. "I'm exhausted!" she huffed, with Striker landing beside her on his jetpack.

Landing on the ground beside them, Demi let out a small sigh. "...me too." he breathed.

"...we should begin setting up camp." Charon suggested, as he glanced at the group disembarking. "Vanessa, Jack, do you think you can gather some firewood?"

"Sure thing, Charon!" Jack called with a smile; he was as wide-awake as Vanessa was.

"Sure," Vanessa answered, hopping off Charon. "C'mon son!"

"Coming, mom!" Jack laughed, as he followed her.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, they got the whole camp set up.<p>

Vanessa, while sitting by the campfire, saw Ani scratching…a lot. "Something wrong, Ani? You're scratching a lot…"

"Oh…" Ani looked a little embarrassed. "…nothing…it's just that when I don't have a bath or a shower for a while, I start getting dandruff…"

"...yeah..." Kiri was scratching a bit as well. "...it's been a while since we bathed, hasn't it? The only one who's had a bath recently is Diablo..."

"...hrm... and in the wilderness, there's really not a lot we can do about that..." Demi noted, as he rubbed his neck a little.

"Actually," Vanessa spoke up. "While Charon was landing, I saw a pond."

Ani blinked. "…so…you're saying take a bath in the pond?"

"Why not?" Vanessa asked.

"That's not a bad idea, actually!" Jack chimed in with a smile. "We could all use a bath, right?"

"…but…I don't know…" Ani seemed awkward about that. Taking a bath means having to get naked…and out here in the wilderness, with the boys here?

Vanessa could tell she felt awkward and understood why. "Well, it we'd all like to bathe, we'll have to take turns on it. Girls first."

"…a-all…girls?" Oblivion asked, wide eyed.

"Yeah," Vanessa said. "You know, I don't get much time to bond with just girls, and I could use a bath myself."

"...well... I guess that works out." Kiri nodded.

"...but why can't we bathe along with you girls?" Jack asked obliviously. "It's not that big of a deal, is it?"

"...actually, Jack, it kind of is." Demi shot in.

"...how?" Jack inquired.

"...it... just is." Demi sighed; not exactly sure why he wasn't getting it right off the bat.

"..._hoooow?_" Now Jack tilted his head; looking genuinely interested in knowing what the fuss was about.

"It's not appropriate for boys to see girls when they take baths, Jack," Vanessa said, waving her finger. "Now Ani; you have soap and stuff, right?"

"…yeah, I packed some in my bag," Ani replied.

"Good," Vanessa said. "You, Oblivion, Kiri and I will head for the pond then."

"Okay." Kiri nodded, as she stood up. "We'll be back soon, I guess..."

"...but how isn't it appropriate?" Jack inquired once more; now looking outright confused.

"Jack, if you leave it be, we can start making food for the girls when they get back." Charon quickly shot in before anyone could answer him.

"...oh, okay; that sounds like a plan!" Jack said with a wide smile.

Milo sighed with relief, glad that Jack's attention could be so easily diverted like that. He watched Vanessa walk off, having to take a timid and very shy Oblivion with her, trying to talk but Vanessa not giving her a chance, and Ani and Kiri followed her.

That left all the guys.

Diablo sat by the fire, looking worriedly at the girls.

"_Don't worry Diablo, they should be fine,_" Snap said, who was his full robot self; not attached to Striker anymore.

"Yeah; mom's there to take care of them!" Jack said with a grin.

"...right; while we're waiting, let's start preparing something to eat." Charon hummed, before shooting Demi a glance. "Can you check what we have?"

"Uh, of course." Demi nodded, as he hurried over to their backpacks and began looking for food.

Striker sighed. Now he got bored, and he never really cared much for cooking the food; just eating it. It was just the way Striker was… So he glanced over at Jack with a grin. "Hey Jack!"

Jack glanced back at Striker. "Hm?"

"TACKLE ATTACK!" Striker shot at Jack with enough force that it knocked the two of them onto the ground and proceeded to wrestle with him.

"Ah- HEY!" Jack laughed, as he wrestled Striker back. "You don't do tackle attacks before everyone's ready! Here comes revenge!" And when Jack got Striker in a headlock... "NOOGIE ATTACK!" And he began rubbing his knuckles against Striker's head.

"AGH!" While laughing, Striker tried to struggle out of his headlock, and when he wasn't able to, he licked his finger. "WET WILLY!" he laughed, sticking the wet finger in Jack's ear.

"GAAAH!" Jack laughed. "NOT THE WET WILLY!" To compensate, Jack tried rubbing his knuckles more against Striker's head. "TASTE THE NOOGIE!" he laughed more.

Looking at the two of them with a bemused look, Demi shook his head. "...at least they're in high spirits." he mused.

Snap shook his head at the two wrestling. _"Boys will be boys…_" Though when he looked at Diablo, he could see the leopard get considerably tense.

"Guys, why are you f-fighting?" he suddenly uttered. "Stop! Stop hurting each other!"

"Diablo, you can relax; it's just rough housing," Milo told him. "Boys do it all the time…it's good, clean fun."

"Until you get mud involved!" Striker laughed, picking up some mud that happened to be on the ground and throwing it into Jack's face. "Now it's good,_ dirty_ fun!" he laughed.

Pulling off some of the mud on his face, Jack looked at Striker with a mischievous grin. "...alright... MUD WRESTLING!" And with that, he quickly grabbed Striker and rolled both of them right into the mud.

"...oh, brother." Charon mused with a slight chuckle. "Now they _really_ need a bath..."

While the two of them wrestled in the mud, Milo couldn't help but smile. Good old times.

Until eventually, Striker stopped. "Wait…it's missing something…"

Slowly, he turned to look at Milo with the same mischievous grin that Jack had minutes ago. "…or _someone._"

Jack grinned as well. "You're right... it _is_ missing someone." he snickered.

Milo's smile faded.

And he gulped. Demi couldn't help but blink at that.

Both the muddy boys stepped up toward Milo menacingly.

"…n-no, guys, no!" Milo uttered. "I don't wanna get covered in mud o-okay?"

"But we'll get a bath later anyway, so it won't matter!" Striker chuckled.

"L-look, can't we uh…think it through here?" Milo chuckled a bit nervously, leaning away from them.

"TOO LATE!"

Both boys grabbed him, and Milo tried to struggle. "NO! NOT THE MUD!"

"YES, THE MUD!" Jack laughed; and just like that, the three of them fell into the mud with a loud splat.

Milo whined while both Striker and Jack laughed and the three of them wrestled around in the mud. Finally though, Milo started laughing through it and the three of them just had a grand old time. Diablo watched them with a peculiar, but quiet look. Snap actually smiled at that. Demi had a bemused look while watching this, while Charon simply chuckled.

When the three muddy boys piled onto each other just to laugh, Striker looked over at Diablo. "Hey Diablo, do you wanna try?" he laughed, since Diablo was watching them.

Diablo's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah; come on, Diablo!" Jack called with a laugh.

"…but…I'll get dirty…and…I don't wanna get hurt," Diablo muttered.

Milo blinked and stood up, walking to Diablo. Being covered in mud and seeing what the boys did to him, Diablo yelped out and jumped to his feet, stepping away from Milo.

Milo just stopped and looked at him. "It feels uncomfortable sometimes Diablo, maybe you'll even get hurt a little bit…but that's what being a boy is about. It's a chance to be rough without really hurting anybody for real."

Demi and Charon looked at the two of them with a hum.

Milo tilted his head. "Don't you remember doing that kind of stuff while you were a kid?"

Diablo shook his head. "…to be honest…I don't remember much of my childhood anymore…in fact, a lot of my memories when I was a kid aren't really there, and the ones that are, are still super fuzzy…" then he held his head unsteadily. "And the memories I do have…"

…he shuddered. "…oh god Milo…the nightmares…"

"Hey," Striker snapped Diablo out of his thoughts. "…we were just asking if you wanted to wrestle with us. It's supposed to be fun, and it shouldn't have to make you think about those bad things. We just thought maybe you'd like to try having some fun too is all."

Diablo looked at them uneasily.

"C'mon Diablo, just try a little bit," Striker said in encouragement.

"Yeah; try it for a little while!" Jack said encouragingly.

Diablo stared at them, and then at Milo for a long time.

"…um…okay I guess…"

Milo actually smiled. "Okay…now brace yourself!"

"Huh?" Milo actually grabbed Diablo and yanked him over, knocking him into the mud with the other boys. Diablo yelped out when he got covered in the mud.

Laughing, Striker took Diablo in a headlock and started giving him a noogie. "See, Diablo? It doesn't hurt!"

"No it doesn't!" Jack laughed, as he grabbed Striker to give him a noogie as well.

That made Striker release Diablo and he laughed, trying to get Jack off him while Diablo fell back into the mud, and he looked up at them rough housing like this with wide eyes.

"Isn't this fun?" Jack laughed, as he kept giving Striker that noogie.

"C'mon Diablo! Join in!" Milo came up behind Diablo and shoved some more mud in Diablo's face. Diablo didn't expect it so he frantically wiped off the mud, coughing. Then he grabbed some mud of his own to throw at Milo in defense. Milo was surprised by that so he got hit in the face himself.

He laughed, wiping the mud off. "That's the idea!"

Diablo saw that Milo wasn't hurt by that; that he was laughing and smiling and having a good time like the other boys.

…that actually got a very small smile out of him.

"INCOMING!" Striker managed to get out of Jack's hold and tackle Diablo down into the mud again. "DOGGY PILE ON DIABLO!"

"MORE LIKE BEAR AND LION PILE!" Jack laughed, as he leapt on top of both of them.

And Milo jumped at the top, chuckling.

Diablo's smile widened. Even if he was being crushed by their weight, there was just something about this that was…well, energizing. In fact, it gave him enough energy to shove himself off of the ground and knock the boys into the mud.

And from there, the four of them started wrestling around in the mud, Diablo getting more and more into it and starting to enjoy himself. He even laughed every now and then.

Snap just blinked. _"…I don't think rough child's play is a…practical means of treating someone who is mentally handicapped."_ Then he sighed. "_Well, at any rate, I suppose I'll have to help out with the cooking._"

"Right..." Demi chuckled, as he had brought out the food they had at the moment. "...seems like we'll have to shop for supplies tomorrow..."

With a hum, Charon glanced off towards where the girls had gone. _...they're probably doing fine at the moment..._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Okay, yes nudity...but hey, nothing sexual about it. Just girl's taking baths. If you don't like it, skip ahead, but I gotta tell you that you'll miss out on some funny stuff XD<strong>_

* * *

><p>In the meantime, the girls found the pond that Vanessa was talking about. While Vanessa just smelled the nice, swampy scent that the pond had and enjoyed it, Ani stood there staring blankly at the water while Oblivion seemed very uncomfortable.<p>

Kiri, in turn, simply looked at the water. "...is it... safe to bathe here?" she uttered.

"Well, pond water probably isn't the cleanest, but it's something," Vanessa said. Then she looked at the other two. "…what's the matter? Are we going to take a bath or what?"

Ani gawked at Vanessa. "You want us just to strip off our clothes and jump in just like that?"

Vanessa chuckled. "You're starting to sound like Milo."

"But…but Vanessa…" Oblivion spoke uneasily. "…do you just want us to do that? Take our clothes off just like that and get into the water?"

Vanessa blinked. "Yeah. I mean, we're all girls here, aren't we? It's not like there isn't anything we each haven't seen." Then she chuckled again. "Besides girls, I'm a mother. I've had to see Jack's parts too when I gave him a bath, so there's really no need to worry about what I'd think."

"...um..." Kiri uttered, as she looked back at the pond water. "...well... I guess..."

Oblivion looked away, stroking her hair. "…I…would still feel more comfortable with someplace…more private…"

Vanessa tossed her a bar of soap. "You can go over by the waterfalls if you feel that uncomfortable about it Oblivion; it's out of view so we won't look at you, but it's still close enough in case you need help with anything."

Oblivion looked at the bar of soap in her hands, and then at Vanessa. Eventually, she nodded, and walked around the pond toward the waterfalls.

"How about you, Ani?" Vanessa asked, looking at the husky wolf. "Would you like to be in a more private spot too?"

Ani looked back at her. "…well…to be honest, I was worried about the boys accidentally coming over here. I guess I can live with being naked in front of other girls…but _never_ in front of the guys."

"I'm sure Charon and the rest of them will make sure they don't head our direction until we come back," Vanessa said. Then she looked at Kiri. "Will you be alright too, Kiri?" she asked. "You're old enough now that you can bathe by yourself, and you can if you want to."

Kiri looked up at Vanessa, and gave her a nod. "...I suppose..." she said.

"Okay then," Vanessa said, reaching to take off her shirt. "C'mon girls. Just think of it as swimming with no clothes on."

"…well, I guess when you put it that way," Ani said, hesitantly unbuttoning her pants.

Nodding a little, Kiri began slowly removing her dress.

Naturally, Vanessa was the first one to be stark naked, and she hopped into the water from a rock. "Cannonball!" which made a big splash behind her.

Kiri quickly covered herself to try and shield herself from the water; even if it wasn't too close to her and Ani.

Vanessa's head popped out and she sighed in content. "Water's nice! Not that cold!"

Ani finally finished stripping down, trying to cover her naked self awkwardly, but she looked at Vanessa.

"It's okay girls, come on in," Vanessa encouraged.

Kiri looked at Ani with a slightly awkward look once she got undressed; since she was way younger than Ani and Vanessa, she wasn't too conscious about her own body, but she hadn't exactly bathed in a pond like this before.

"…well…" Ani sighed. "Here it goes." And she ran up the same rock Vanessa did, jumping into the water. "GERONMINO!" she shouted, splashing Vanessa, which made her chuckle.

With a slight sigh, Kiri just walked slowly into the water; not really in the mood to toss herself into it like Vanessa and Ani did.

* * *

><p>Oblivion got to the area with the waterfalls, and sure enough, it was a more secluded area where the other girls couldn't see her. While it eased her on that matter, she still felt uncomfortable about it. Then again, she should take the opportunity to bathe whenever she can…it did feel uncomfortable to be all dirty and grimy when you haven't had a shower in a long time. They probably could've showered at either Crystal's house or Autumn and Morrigan's house when they stayed there those nights…but she supposed that all of them felt it could've been a bit much just taking up their bathroom like that…<p>

So with a cautious glance around to make sure she was alone, she slowly took off her dress, folding it up neatly and setting it on a dry rock where it wouldn't get wet. She shivered in the cold of the night with nothing on, and hoping that the water was fairly warm, she jumped in.

She yelped, realizing that the water wasn't that warm. Thankfully though, it wasn't freezing cold either, since the cold of the night hadn't quite chilled the water yet. It just meant that Oblivion needed a moment to get used to the water. She looked around once more to make sure no one was around…

…Oblivion was just a very withdrawn person, considering the things in her past that she's ran away from. Even if it was in front of other girls, even if it wasn't going to hurt her…she still didn't want them to see her naked; which is actually quite interesting regarding what happened with her and Demi years ago. That popped up in Oblivion's mind while she swam around in the water a bit, and she started getting lost in thought about it.

She was hesitant back then about confronting her feelings for Demi once he saved her from Raider like that; she just wasn't used to people standing up for her like that besides Charon, and to be honest, she was the one protecting Charon back then.

…she couldn't help but admire it, which probably ignited that flame of affection for Demi, and naturally, she'd be afraid to get involved with anyone when she had to protect Charon back then…

…but meeting the third time, hardly really knowing Demi other than about the demon inside of him…and what escaladed between them from just a simple, shy kiss? That was something that still baffled Oblivion to this very day. She would never let herself go like that, and even if she was hesitant every now and then, there was just something about Demi that allowed her to relax… even in that moment where Oblivion felt the most vulnerable, she looked at Demi and felt like she could actually trust him… like she could actually trust someone other than Charon…

Maybe it was just desperation… after all, Demi would have been leaving pretty close to when their experience was, and Oblivion knew very well from experience that when she let someone she felt like that for just leave, or worse, have to erase their memories because of bad times, those feelings would linger inside of her and eat away until it just…got lost in time, and she wouldn't have to think about it anymore. Demi was a really nice guy, who really did seem to care about her, and promised her that he would never hurt her. The beast inside of him didn't seem to intimidate her, since Oblivion had been around Charon so long; someone who many people feared as a monster, while Oblivion saw how gentle he really was. The beast didn't even come out to hurt her either…

…but because of his influence, he bit her and the two of them got really wild. Oblivion blushed heavily when she thought about that, growing warm all over.

At least now she wasn't shivering in the water. Being warmed up now, she grabbed the soap, swam to sit under the waterfall and started scrubbing herself.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile...<p>

As Snap had offered to cook the food by himself, Demi had taken to wandering through the forest on his own; taking care not to go where the girls had gone off to. Right now, his thoughts were wandering along with him; and he figured that he'd leave the boys and Diablo to have their fun on their own...

...he still couldn't really get over the fact that he had met Oblivion again, after all these years. What he had done back then, though, still nagged on his conscience a bit; even if he wasn't aware of what Blood had given him the ability of doing, he had forced Oblivion into such a situation...

...and when he had almost repeated the same mistake not too long ago...

_**...oh, man up.**_

Demi blinked. _...what?_

_**Are you seriously mulling over the fact that you made a girl happy?**_ Blood scoffed. _**So you went over the top; so what? I'm sure lots of couples go all-out when they go at it like that...**_

_...that was..._ Demi honestly didn't know how to respond to that; there was just some topics he wasn't too good on debating with Blood on, and this happened to be one of them.

_**Look, here's what you do; you take her somewhere private- and I mean REALLY private, you confess your feelings for her, and... well, the both of you get it out of your system. We dunno how long we'll be looking for Joy, so it'd be best to not let it build up too much.**_

_B-but I couldn't! Especially with her friend being so protective of her..._

_**Oh, what; now you're afraid that the big bad dragon's gonna scold you for something as simple as love?**_ Blood chuckled. _**Besides, if he's her friend, he'd be accepting of her choices.**_

_...well... we don't know exactly what they've been through, though..._Demi sighed once more; arguing with Blood was like arguing with a brick wall at times...

Demi had been wandering through the woods for a while, and his conversation with Blood distracted him from keeping track of sense of direction.

_**Well, you'll never know if you don't ask. So, what you do is you take her to someplace private, then you both talk about your pasts, then you confess your feelings for one another, and THEN-!**_

_Blood, I appreciate the help, but... I don't want anyone to think that I'm just here for Oblivion. I'm here to help Joy from Malice._

_**Yeah, yeah; but think of it like... a reward?**_

_Blood, that's just gonna hammer the idea that I'm here just for Oblivion in even more._

_**Oh, come on; you never want to have any fun!**_

_That's not true! I just don't want to make my friends uncomfortable!_

_**You're always like this; every time something fun pops up, you don't want to do it!**_

_Because your definition of fun equals either danger or someone getting hurt in some way! Besides, you don't feel what I feel, Blood, so-!_

_**So I'm looking out for my host! Sue me!**_

_I can't; you're part of me!_

_**Then sue yourself!**_

_Okay, now you're just being abstract!_

_**Am not!**_

_Stop acting like a kid!_

_**Who's the kid, kid?**_

_You're the one acting like one!_

_**No, you are!**_

_Stop that!_

_**Gullible dope says 'what'?**_

_What?_

_**Hah; you're a gullible dope!**_

_GAAAAH! Blood, you're impossible!_

Just then, Demi picked up a sound with his ears… running water.

_...hn? What's that?_

_**...sounds like a waterfall.**_

_...yeah... wow, did I really walk that far?_

Demi walked closer towards the sound, and sure enough, he encountered some waterfalls. His eyes followed the water running down and that's also when he saw something else…

…or, really, someone standing there underneath the waterfall.

Demi blinked, as he squinted a bit to see who was underneath the waterfall. Eventually, he was able to make out the familiar sparkling white hair dangling down the back of the one standing there, and the one standing there turned her head a bit to rinse their neck from the suds around them, closing her eyes in content at the feeling of the water running down her body.

It was Oblivion.

His eyes widened considerably, as he simply gawked at this sight. Normally, every single fiber in his body would have told him to back away before he was spotted and mistaken for a voyeur...

...but somehow, he was just frozen to the spot.

_**You'll thank me later.**_

_...Blood, you son of a..._

Thankfully, Oblivion hadn't noticed him yet, but what really got Demi was the fact that she was completely naked in that waterfall. A massive blush struck Demi; and again, though his sense of honor told him to back away before he was spotted, Blood kept him pinned to the spot...

...well... mostly...

...somewhat...

...a little...

_**...perv.**_ Blood snickered.

Demi blushed even more at that. _I-I'm not a pervert! I-I just..._

Just seeing Oblivion like that was bringing back memories for Demi…

...memories of when they first met... and when he defended her from Raider... and when they were... intimate.

Demi's blush remained strong, but slowly, he began calming down; even smiling just a tiny tad. _...Oblivion... you're just so beautiful..._ he thought.

He watched her run her fingers all across her body while she was scrubbing and rinsing with the soap.

_...I... do wish that I could spend time with you, Oblivion..._ he kept thinking, as he slowly closed his eyes. _...because I love you..._

Finally, though, he had the sense to start backing away; not wishing to intrude on Oblivion's privacy. So he began stepping back...

...and he didn't see that he happened to step on a twig; snapping it audibly, much to Demi's shock. _Gah!_

Oblivion, hearing that, gasped with a startled jump and looked toward the noise. She noticed Demi standing there with wide eyes.

Her startled scream filled the woods that night.

Instantly upon hearing that, Charon shot up in panic. "OBLIVION?" Looking around him, he quickly singled out where the scream came from. "Oh, no... OBLIVION, HANG ON!" And he charged off into the forest; knocking down the trees standing in his way.

The boys watched Charon run off.

"…I hope Oblivion's okay…" Milo uttered.

Striker frowned, and then looked at Jack… but he wasn't there. "Huh?" And he looked around. "Hey! Where did Jack go?"

* * *

><p>Barreling his way through the woods, Charon's eyes narrowed in both fear and anger. "If anyone's tried hurting her, I swear, I will not stand for it!" he roared, as he came to a screeching halt once he found a waterfall...<p>

...and Oblivion and Demi in the area; with Demi hiding himself behind a tree, shouting "I'M SORRY, OBLIVION!" repeatedly.

Oblivion was nearly fully submerged in the water, hiding behind a rock to conceal her naked body. "DEMI, HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU GET OVER HERE?" she uttered with a raging, fiery blush of embarrassment on her face.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE WITH THE OTHER GIRLS! I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT YOU HAD GONE OFF ON YOUR OWN! I'M REALLY SORRY!" Demi sputtered.

Seeing this, Charon's rage fully subsided; as he could only gawk in absolute confusion. "...whuh...?"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST STAY WITH THE OTHER BOYS UNTIL WE WERE DONE?" Oblivion uttered out. "AND JUST HOW LONG WERE YOU STARING AT ME?"

"I- UH- NOT THAT LONG!" Demi sputtered. "AND I JUST WANTED TO LOOK AROUND; I DIDN'T KNOW THAT I HAD STUMBLED ONTO YOU!"

Charon, still, could only look from Demi to Oblivion; tilting his head a bit in absolute confusion.

"BUT WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST WALK AWAY?" Oblivion was just really surprised that Demi had appeared there, or the possibility that he had been staring at her naked body.

"I- BUH- I- GAH-!" And, apparently, that question was just unanswerable for Demi.

"...uh..." Charon uttered, as he was torn between either staying to see what in the world had happened... or just backing away slowly before he was dragged into this very bizarre argument.

"…Demi, were you staring at my…body?" Oblivion was calmer but she was still very embarrassed.

"I- gah- buh- that is- I- aaargh-" Still, Demi was incapable of answering.

Oblivion looked away, still blushing wildly. It sounded to her like he was, though she still couldn't be sure until he answered her.

"...I... guh..." Finally, Demi sighed in defeat. "...y-yeah..."

"Y-you were?" Oblivion uttered. "Wh-why?"

"I-I couldn't help it!" Demi sputtered. "I-I was going to leave, but... I... I was just awestruck when I saw you, and... oh, I didn't mean to, but I..."

Oblivion's hair shrouded her face shyly, still blushing strongly.

…then there were even more screams and she gasped. That was the other girls. Both Demi and Charon perked up as well. "What now?" Demi uttered.

"...wait..." Charon uttered, as he narrowed his eyes. "...there's something else..."

Yeah; along with the screams of the girls, there was a distinctly male voice screaming along with them... a very, _very_ familiar voice.

"...Jack?"

Ani and Kiri were in hiding once they had screamed, and Vanessa poked her head out.

And sure enough, hiding behind a tree while he screamed as well was Jack; looking more or less panicked. "HOW DID I GET HERE?" he yelped.

"JACK, GO AWAY!" Kiri screamed.

"I THOUGHT WE TOLD YOU THAT YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO COME WITH THE GIRLS!" Ani screamed. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Jack screamed as well. "AND WHY ARE WE SCREAMING AGAIN?"

"BECAUSE YOU WERE PEEKING, JACK!" Kiri screamed again.

"I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW I GOT HERE!" Jack sputtered.

Ani grit her teeth angrily. Even if it was Jack, and he had no intentions to stare at naked girls, it still made her angry.

"GET OUT OF HERE JACK! _NOW!_"

And some rocks got plucked up off the ground with a blue glow, hurling at Jack.

Jack had to shield himself to not get hurt by the rocks. "OW! OKAY, I GET IT! I'M SORRY; DON'T THROW ROCKS AT ME!" he called.

"Ani, stop," Vanessa told her before she ran out of the water to her clothes, getting dressed in a hurry. Ani stopped with her telekinesis, but her and Kiri were still hiding when Vanessa ran around the tree to where Jack was.

"Honey, I thought we told you that you had to stay back at camp with the other boys," Vanessa told him.

"...I know, mom." Jack said with a nod, as he rubbed his head from where Ani's rocks had hit him.

"…then…why did you come over here, son, if you knew that?" Vanessa asked him.

"...I don't know, mom." Jack admitted. "One minute I was mud wrestling with Striker, Milo and Diablo, and then there was a scream, and suddenly, I was here!"

"And that's the truth, right?" Vanessa asked him.

"Of course; I'd never lie, mom!" Jack nodded.

Vanessa fell silent then…if she knew Jack, and this was his mother they were talking about, then he wouldn't lie…

…but how exactly do you explain that? Jack was with the boys… and then he was here. "You don't remember why you came here?" She said.

"I don't." Jack replied.

Vanessa blinked.

"…Jack, are you feeling alright?" she put a hand to his forehead to see if he felt warm.

"I feel fine..." Jack replied; and sure enough, his forehead felt completely normal.

…something strange was going on…Vanessa couldn't help but think back on Safe Haven when she found those claw marks on his back, and neither him nor Jill knew what happened. This was a very similar experience…and she could help but scowl at it.

Something was going on with her son…and she wanted to know what it was and why.

"...mom?" Jack uttered, as he looked curiously at her.

Vanessa blinked when she was snapped out of her thoughts. "Honey, go head back to camp, alright?" she told him.

"...okay..." Nodding slightly, Jack began heading off towards the camp.

Vanessa watched him walk away, tapping her foot. "…what the hell is going on…?" she muttered under her breath.

"Is he gone, Vanessa?" Ani called out.

"Yeah, he's gone!" Vanessa called back without even looking back at them.

"Why was he here to begin with?" Kiri sputtered.

"…don't know," Vanessa replied. "But at any rate, we should finish up."

* * *

><p>Later that night, things managed to calm down and after eating dinner, most of them fell asleep.<p>

Most, because, well, Oblivion was still up, and she sat near the fire to warm up. She was still thinking earlier about what happened. It was embarrassing as all get out to have someone stare at her naked body like that…but when it was Demi that had been doing the staring, she couldn't help but feel a lot of different things. Sure, she felt embarrassed, and maybe even a little suspicious of Demi, but she honestly had no idea what to think of it.

Someone else who was awake, yet simply lying on the ground, was Demi. He had already faced Charon's scolding earlier when Oblivion had gone back to camp, so that, coupled with how embarrassed he had made Oblivion feel... honestly gave him some serious guilt issues.

Oblivion stared at the fire silently, feeling herself grow warm again. Demi could never get the chance to fully explain why he was staring at her body for so long, but the more Oblivion wondered…the more she started to blush again and grow warmer.

Demi still just looked up at the sky in guilt. Blood hadn't shown up to converse with him after Charon finished scolding him, so right now, he was simply waiting to fall asleep; not really expecting to be pulled into a conversation this late at night.

Oblivion slowly stood up then, looking at the fire a moment longer before she turned and started walking away. Demi's glance happened to trail to where Oblivion sat, only to notice that she was walking off. For some reason he couldn't understand, he decided to follow her.

Oblivion walked, lost in thought.

"...Oblivion?" This time, though, Demi called out to her when they had gone far enough away from camp; not wanting to startle her too much like before.

Oblivion stopped with another startled gasp and spun around to see him.

"...I noticed you wandering off..." Demi uttered, as he rubbed his own arm. "...is something the matter?"

"N-nothing, I was j-just…thinking…" Oblivion uttered, spinning back around in embarrassment.

"...thinking... about what happened earlier, right?" Demi assumed.

"…y-yeah," Oblivion answered.

"...I... see..." Demi uttered, as he glanced to the side awkwardly. "...I... guess you're still mad about it, right?"

"…I…I wasn't mad Demi…" Oblivion uttered. "…I was just…really startled…"

"...right..." Demi nodded. "...I didn't mean to make you so startled, Oblivion..."

"…I know," Oblivion replied.

"...but..." Demi hummed, as he looked back at Oblivion. "...why did you wander off while thinking about it?"

"…I…I thought maybe…taking a walk would help me think," Oblivion murmured.

"...I-I see..." Demi uttered.

"…to be honest, Demi, I…I'm not even sure what to make of it," Oblivion uttered. "I mean…sure, accidents like that happen but I…I was just really startled, and I can't stop thinking about it, I…"

"...you..." Demi uttered, as he stepped a bit closer to her.

Oblivion was still looking away from him. "…D-Demi…why…did you stare at me?"

Demi blinked, and a blush came over him. "...b-because..." he uttered; a lot calmer now that he wasn't screaming like a lunatic. "...I... was taken aback by your... beauty..."

Oblivion stopped there, eyes growing wide and her blush growing hotter and redder.

"...I know...I probably should have just walked away when I noticed, but..." Demi uttered, as he stepped closer to her. "...seeing you, underneath the waterfall... it... well, it may not have been right of me, but I... I was left breathless at your beautiful visage, Oblivion..."

She slowly turned around to look at him with that massive blush.

Demi looked back at her; blushing as well. "...so... yes, I did look at you, but... I meant no harm, and I... I was just blown away by how beautiful you are..."

Oblivion thought back to yesterday, when her and Demi had started with a kiss and almost gotten to the point where he would've bitten her. There was no question about whether or not they still had feelings for each other; that had been obvious for a while.

The real question was… was it safe to pursue those feelings now? In a time like this, where they were on an important mission to track down a runaway child with unimaginable powers with a malicious being locked inside of her…? Anything could come attack them, if Patricia was sending bounty hunters to find Joy…Patricia might even find out about the groups looking for Joy and send bounty hunters to attack the groups as well…

…and Demi was her nephew… if Patricia found out her nephew was helping the search, there's no telling what could happen.

…was it safe?

"...Oblivion?" Demi uttered, as he walked up to her.

"…yes?" Oblivion spoke.

"...is there... something on your mind...?" Demi uttered.

"…I'm just…thinking about us…" Oblivion spoke, looking up at him.

"...you are...?" Demi uttered, as he looked back at her.

"…yeah…" Oblivion spoke.

"...I see..." Demi uttered, as he slowly moved one of his hands to gently take Oblivion's hand.

Oblivion couldn't help but smile, blushing again. Demi smiled as well, as he blushed along with her. She looked up into his eyes, wondering if they should still do this…she really did want to be with him.

Demi placed a hand gently on her cheek. She nuzzled up to his hand. Demi leaned in just a bit closer to her; stroking her cheek as he did so. Oblivion leaned in too.

"...Oblivion..." Demi's voice was a whisper, and he leaned in even closer; being inches away from her.

She could feel his breath, and he could feel hers. "…Demi…" Oblivion whispered, finally leaning in enough for their lips to meet. Demi closed his eyes as they kissed; holding her dearly.

Oblivion slowly wrapped her arms around him. As they held each other, a thought hit Demi...

...and slowly, his wings spread open, before he flew up into the air; making sure to hold Oblivion close to him.

"Whoa!" Oblivion was surprised by that, holding fast to Demi.

Flying high up into the sky, Demi was looking for someplace more secluded than the woods; not exactly wanting to wake anyone up by accident. Oblivion looked down at the sights…and while it was no different than looking at them when Charon was flying, there was a different atmosphere about it when she was with Demi…

…a kind of romantic atmosphere.

Demi couldn't help but glance at Oblivion as they flew up high. Oblivion eventually looked back at him, smiling. He smiled back at her. After sharing that smile, Oblivion eventually looked back down at the sights with wonder.

"...it's... quite a sight, isn't it...?" Demi hummed.

"…yeah…" Oblivion answered back in awe.

"...somehow..." Demi hummed. "...being with you... makes this even better..."

"…I think that too…" Oblivion replied, smiling at him. "…I'd never thought I'd be flying like this with you…so free like this…" Oblivion closed her eyes in content at the breeze. Demi closed his own eyes as well; smiling gently.

Oblivion held Demi close, nestling up to him warmly. Demi held her closely, as he happened to glance down...

...and then, he spotted a different forest which was a considerable distance away from the camp. "...Oblivion... we're going down." he whispered to her, as he began descending down towards that area.

Oblivion held tight to him, bracing herself for the descent. Holding her gently, Demi soon landed in the forest; looking around him curiously.

The trees were closer together in this forest; there was even an area against a rock wall that the trees huddled so closely around, shrouding it in the night as if it were a kind of cave. There was a calm little stream trickling down past the area, with lots of green everywhere. Moss covered everywhere, even the area around the rock wall that looked like a full bed of moss.

"...wow..." Demi uttered at this kind of sight. "...this is..."

"…beautiful…" Oblivion spoke. It wasn't anything she'd see on Safe Haven, that's for sure. Safe Haven was more made up of jungles than forests, and the forests that it does have didn't seem to compare to this one…

"...just like... you..." Demi uttered, as he glanced back at Oblivion.

Oblivion looked back, bashfully blushing again. Demi blushed as well, as he gently brushed some of her hair aside. Oblivion couldn't help but smile when he did that, staring into his eyes again. He gazed into her eyes as well, as he leaned in a little closer to her. Oblivion felt a fluttering warmth inside of her, and the closer he leaned in, the more she melted into it. Demi leaned in slowly and slowly...

_**...oh, just kiss her, already!**_

Surprised by that, Demi suddenly kissed Oblivion.

"…mph…" she was surprised by that too, but that didn't intimidate her in one bit. She kissed him back.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Wonder what Charon's gonna think XD<strong>_


	18. Chapter 17

Some hours went by as the two lovers slumbered peacefully together; both of them wrapped within Demi's wings. With a slight yawn, the bat slowly opened his eyes...

...and instantly, upon seeing Oblivion and the wounds on her body, they shot wide open. "B-bu-buh-!" Quickly, his wings opened up, as he looked at Oblivion in absolute shock. "D-did I... did I-?"

_**Yeah, you did.**_

That confirmation from Blood just made Demi panic so much more. _Oh, no! This isn't good! What are the others gonna say? Charon's going to kill me for this!_

_**...well, that's not good; if you die, I'm going with you.**_

_Not helping, Blood!_

"…mh…" Oblivion shivered. "…it…got cold…" she muttered drowsily, rubbing her arms to warm herself up.

Seeing that, Demi panicked even more; especially upon seeing the bite marks on her neck. _...I didn't drink her blood, did I?_

_**...you did.**_

_GAAAAH! I'M DONE FOR!_

Just then, Oblivion winced and rubbed her neck. "…why…does it hurt…?" she uttered, slowly opening her eyes.

Then when she saw Demi lying there, and jumped up. "D-Demi!" and then she suddenly whimpered, cringing. She was in pain in lots of places.

"Oh- oh, Oblivion, I'm so sorry!" Demi sputtered, as he looked at her with absolute concern. "I- we must've gone overboard, and I- I- oh, god, I didn't mean to hurt you..."

"N-No, Demi, it's my fault," Oblivion replied, trying to keep him calm. "I'm the one who asked you to bite me…so…agh…" She held her head. "…I feel dizzy…"

"...that's my bad; I... I drank your blood..." Demi uttered, before he rubbed his temples. "...oh... how am I going to face the others after hurting you like this...?"

Oblivion looked at Demi worriedly. Maybe they had gone a bit far last night…considering she was the one who begged him to do those things to her when she was drugged on the instilled ecstasy from his bite.

But then she started to shiver again.

"...oh!" Quickly, Demi scrambled to get her dress; quickly returning it to her. "...you must be cold; my bad, I guess..."

Oblivion went to get it back on, trying not to whimper too much while she did so. She felt very tender in a lot of places right now. "...oh..." With a sigh, Demi looked at Oblivion in concern. "...how am I going to explain this to the others...?"

"…I'm…not sure…" Oblivion muttered.

Demi sighed. "...the others aren't gonna be happy with me for this... especially not Charon..."

Oblivion looked up at Demi. "I'll try and explain things to Charon…so don't worry about that."

Demi looked back at her with a slight smile. "...thanks, Oblivion..."

Oblivion smiled back. "…you're welcome, Demi…"

Demi nodded a little, before he gently took Oblivion in his grasp. "...we should hurry back, before the others start looking for us..." With that, he took to the air. Oblivion held to him tightly when they were in the air.

* * *

><p>Back at the campsite, everyone was just starting to wake up with tired yawns. Milo noticed that Vanessa though was awake to begin with. "…did you even sleep?" Milo asked her in amazement.<p>

"Yes," she answered. "I'm just a very earlier riser is all."

Slowly yawning, Jack rose up as well; rubbing his neck. "...man, I slept like a log..."

Striker was still asleep though, and when he moved, he ended up sticking his foot in Ani's face, which made her wake up.

And irritated her.

"STRIKER!"

"AGH!" Striker jumped up and away, and Ani got up. "Sorry Ani!" Striker uttered.

Kiri yawned a bit, as she slowly rose; shaking Diablo lightly. "...wake up, big brother..."

When Diablo was being shaken, he jumped up with wide eyes…and then breathed a little bit. "Oh…"

Charon yawned a bit, as his eyes slowly opened. "...hrm..."

"_Good morning everyone,_" Snap greeted, sitting by the fire. _"I already started making breakfast and it should be done shortly._"

"Cool! Thanks Snap!" Striker said with a grin.

"Ooh, food sounds great!" Jack cheered, as he got up pretty quickly.

Milo looked around then, noticing something off. "…wait a minute…" and after looking for a while longer… "…where's Demi?"

Ani blinked and looked around too. "…Oblivion's not here either for that matter…"

Instantly, Charon perked up. "Hn?"

"...where could they be?" Kiri uttered, as she looked around curiously.

Vanessa could already put the pieces together right now, but she didn't say anything. After all, there was a lot of tension about that…but she knew that Oblivion and Demi would sneak off like that at some point. Question was, would they come back to face the group? "Don't know," Vanessa said with a shrug.

"…shouldn't we look for them then?" Striker uttered.

"No need!" came a voice from the sky.

The group looked up to see Demi land on his feet, carrying Oblivion. Demi gently set her on her feet, before looking at the others, "...hey."

"Hiya!" Jack said with an oblivious wave. "Where were you?"

"…well…" Oblivion felt awkward. She couldn't lie in front of Charon, but she also couldn't tell Jack exactly what happened.

Vanessa caught a whiff of them, and knew why. _…oh boy…_ she thought.

Striker looked at Oblivion and blinked. "…you okay?"

"...uh..." Demi uttered.

Charon narrowed his eyes; eying them cautiously.

"...you seem kinda pale." Jack pointed out.

"It's fine, really," Oblivion murmured, trying to smile.

Milo walked up to her because her spirit was acting strange…and his eyes widened. "Oblivion! What happened? You've got bite marks on your neck!"

Oblivion's smile faded. Demi, too, seemed a bit disheartened at that.

"...what happened?" Charon suddenly inquired, as he looked seriously at the two of them.

Oblivion looked up at Charon, standing in front of Demi. "Nothing bad, Charon. It was just me and Demi spending some time together…"

Charon blinked, before looking at Oblivion in concern. "...is that so...?"

"...but... why the bite marks, then?" Jack suddenly shot in.

Milo got a glance at Oblivion's back. "…and…claw marks for that matter…"

Oblivion's eyes widened at that, looking at her back. She didn't know they were there. "…uh…"

"...so, if you were just spending time together... why the injuries, Oblivion...?" Charon hummed, as he shot a glare at Demi; who reeled back at that manner of glare.

Oblivion looked back at Charon desperately. "Look, it wasn't anything bad…we just…went a bit far…"

Milo's eyes suddenly widened. _…no…Oblivion's not saying that the two of them were…_?

"...a bit far...?" Charon uttered... and his eyes widened. "...don't tell me...!"

Demi rubbed his neck a bit awkwardly.

"...you mean that you..." Kiri uttered; even for her age, she had a vague idea of what they had done.

"...what?" Of course, be it selectively or pure naivety, Jack was clueless. "They did what?"

"Nothing you need to know Jack," Vanessa said. "Why don't you go gather some wood for the fire? Bring Striker and Ani with you…"

"...uh... okay..." Jack uttered, before he walked over to Striker and Ani. "Let's go, then..." Striker and Ani both hurried off after Jack, leaving the rest of them.

Vanessa looked at Oblivion and Demi then. "This will be interesting to explain, won't it?"

Oblivion grew more uneasy. "Demi and I were…well…"

"...uh... that is to say, um..." Demi uttered awkwardly.

Charon narrowed his eyes... and he smelled them. "...I remember that smell..." he growled.

"...oh boy..." Quickly, Kiri covered her ears; motioning for Diablo to cover his as well. Even though she knew what they were talking about, didn't mean that she wanted to hear about it. Diablo covered his ears.

Oblivion sighed in defeat. "….yes Charon…we were doing that…"

Charon growled, as he shot another glance at Demi; he reeled back from that gaze as well.

"Charon, please, just…don't get mad at him…" Oblivion uttered.

Blinking, Charon looked back at Oblivion. "...hn?"

Demi looked at Oblivion with some surprise as well.

"…because…well…I wanted to," Oblivion said.

"...you wanted to...?" Charon uttered.

"…yes…" Oblivion uttered. "…and…maybe it was my fault that I got all these marks but…"

"...wait... _your_ fault?" Charon uttered. "How...?"

Oblivion rubbed her arm uneasily. "…I…_may_ have asked him to do those things…in the heat of the moment…?"

"Really? I don't take you for that kind of girl Oblivion…" Vanessa murmured with interest.

Charon just gawked, before looking at Demi. "...d-did you do something...?"

"...uh... n-nothing that Oblivion didn't tell me to do?" Demi uttered.

"…at any rate, I'm alright, and I'm not hurt," Oblivion said.

"...I... see..." Charon uttered. "...but... are you..."

"...she's... alright, Charon..." Demi uttered, as he looked sincerely at the dragon.

After that, there was silence for a long time.

"…boy…this sure is awkward," Vanessa muttered, breaking the silence.

"…you're telling me…" Oblivion said, rubbing the back of her neck…and she winced with a hiss.

"Ah- don't put too much pressure there." Demi suddenly shot in.

Milo just stared at them, and looked at Vanessa with question. If Oblivion and Demi had gotten together like that…well, he was quite surprised actually. Sure, he could sense that the two had feelings for each other…but he didn't expect them to actually express them and be intimate.

Vanessa though, simply chuckled. While Oblivion didn't seem like the type to ask Demi to give her those scars, anybody could be strange in the heat of the moment. "Well, guess we should get ready to go after we eat breakfast, huh?" she said.

"...I suppose..." Charon hummed.

And that was when the three, Ani, Striker and Jack came back with the wood. "We're back!" Striker announced.

"What did we miss?" Jack called with a naive laugh.

"...nothing important!" Kiri called to them; having removed her hands from her ears when she realized that the conversation was over.

"Thanks for the firewood kids," Vanessa chuckled. "And after breakfast, we'll be getting ready to go, okay?"

"Okay!" Striker laughed. "So, is breakfast ready yet?"

"_Just about,_" Snap replied.

"Great! I'm starving!" Jack cheered.

"Yeah, so am I!" Striker exclaimed.

"…all they think about is food," Ani chuckled.

* * *

><p>So everyone ate breakfast, and shortly after, they all started getting ready to leave for the day.<p>

"Alright; we all ready to go?" Kiri hummed.

"...almost." Charon murmured.

"Almost?" Striker asked curiously.

"...I need to take care of something." Charon hummed, as he shot Demi a look. "Would you mind coming along?"

Demi blinked, before nodding. "...sure?" he uttered.

With that, the dragon began heading off into the forest, with Demi following him uncertainly.

"…uh…" Striker looked at the rest of the group. "Anyone know what he needs to do?"

Milo sighed. _…here we go…_

And, after just a few moments...

...the group heard a loud series of maddened roars; which nearly blew away the trees further off in the forest.

Oblivion gasped at that.

"Charon?" Striker was going to run in their direction, but Milo grabbed him to stop him. "Milo? What if Charon's in trouble?"

"Oh, believe me, he's not," Milo sighed. "…it's Demi who's in trouble with him."

Striker blinked at him. "…huh?"

"...what did Demi do?" Jack blinked.

"...nothing you need to worry about..." Kiri sighed, as she simply stood by Diablo.

Milo looked over at Oblivion, and she had a sad look on her face with guilt.

Eventually, the roars subsided.

And everyone stood there silently.

Eventually, Charon and Demi emerged from the forest; neither of them seeming too happy. "...let's go." Charon hummed.

"But, uh…" Striker started awkwardly. "…what was…?"

"Let's just go Striker," Milo said.

Nodding, Charon allowed those who were to ride him aboard. With all of them climbing on, and Striker activating Snap to latch onto him as armor, Milo looked at Oblivion again.

She still looked sad with guilt.

Glancing to the side, Demi unfurled his wings, and prepared to fly off along with Charon.

"Alright, whenever you boys are ready," Vanessa said. Charon nodded, before he took to the air; Demi flying after him, as well as Striker with the jetpack and Ani with her telekinesis.

* * *

><p>The morning started out early for Metal's group as well, whom were traveling some mountainous regions, hiking up.<p>

Charmy inhaled and then sighed.. "The fresh air feels nice, doesn't it, gang?"

"Yeah!" Rudy exclaimed, hopping back and forth with lots of energy.

Boomer, in the meantime, was panting. "Damn it Rudy…how do you have so much energy?"

"Seriously, y'know..." Newt was panting as well.

"...some people have more energy than others." Proxy mused with a slight smile, as he folded his arms.

_**"Indeed." **_Rather than walking the steep slope, Omega was hovering over the group.

The only ones remaining fully silent were Metal and Lock; the latter leading the group through this region, and the former who simply walked in silence.

While Stella was silent too, she wasn't focused on the road ahead. She was looking back and forth at Lock and the scenery, and then Lock again. Charmy, of course, had noticed this for quite a while now, and he chuckled to himself.

Then he coughed.

Newt glanced towards Charmy when he heard that. "...you okay, Captain?"

"Oh, it's fine," Charmy chuckled. "Don't worry about me-!" And then he coughed again.

"…Captain?" Boomer stopped worriedly, coming over to him.

Charmy waved his hand off like it was nothing, "Just some coughing is all, so like I said earlier, I'm alright."

Metal glanced back at Charmy with some concern. "...maybe we should find a place to take a break, soon." he suggested.

"Oh, I shouldn't have to be the reason to slow you all down," Charmy chuckled. Then he actually had to stop to let out some more coughing.

Eventually, Lock actually glanced at him. "...I think we should stop for now. We can't leave anyone behind." he said.

"I agree," Boomer added, forcing Charmy to sit down on a nearby rock.

"But I keep telling you I feel fine," Charmy protested.

"We're not letting that stubborn attitude of yours get yourself killed, you hear me?" Boomer scolded him. "You're old, and not what you used to be, so there's no reason you should push yourself over your limits to keep up with us."

"She's got a point, y'know..." Newt noted.

With a hum, Metal sat down as well, as he glanced at Proxy and Omega; seeing that they were settling down as well. Lock, on the other hand, still stood where he was; as if he was scouting ahead.

Stella stood too, glancing around at the scenery. "…it's pretty here," she said.

"I'm bored…" Rudy moaned, hopping around them.

_**"Bear with it; we're taking a break."**_ Omega hummed.

"...I wonder how Cal and Natal are doing…" Rudy murmured.

"...same here..." Newt hummed.

"...there you all are." At that point, Wiper came down from the path opposite of them.

"...you took your time scouting." Lock noted. "Did you find anything?"

"Yes; I found a river not too far from this spot." Wiper hummed. "I suppose it'll be better to rest there than on this slope."

"Well, then, let's go there," Charmy said, standing up slowly.

"Captain, don't push yourself," Boomer warned him, helping him up the path that Wiper came from. Newt helped him along as well, while the others followed suite; Lock staying behind to see to it that they got up safely.

They traveled a bit farther and they all eventually came to a very short cliff that overlooked a rapid river flowing past them.

"Wow!" Rudy exclaimed, and then his smile faded. "…water…exciting," he moaned sarcastically.

"Hey! Sarcasm is _my_ thing!" Boomer protested at Rudy.

"...guess he's growing up." Proxy hummed.

_**"Shall we approach the river?"**_ Omega hummed.

"…let's just sit and breathe for a minute," Boomer suggested, setting Charmy down to sit again.

"...alright..." With a nod, Wiper sat down as well.

"...hrm..." As he caught up to the group, Lock looked around him with a hum.

Stella looked at the river nervously.

"…what's wrong Stella?" Charmy asked, noticing how she looked nervously at the water.

"Oh, it's nothing Captain…" Stella told them.

Humming, Lock began approaching the water. "...I need something to drink." he said.

"O-Okay, uh…be careful," Stella uttered to Lock.

Boomer raised her eyebrow. "…I'm sure Lock is always careful Stella. Besides, it's just a river."

"…right…" Stella looked out away from them.

Metal hummed, as he glanced ahead of them.

Lock stopped by the bank of the river, and as he knelt down by it, he cupped his hands, dipped them into the water, and drank what he gathered.

"…it seems…really quiet," Boomer murmured, looking around.

"...too quiet." Wiper hummed, as he narrowed his eyes.

As he finished drinking, Lock slowly stood up, adjusting his hat a little.

"…I don't hear any animals…at all…" Boomer muttered. "…no Flickies chirping…nothing…"

"...that's... unnatural..." Proxy uttered.

In that instant, Lock's gaze narrowed at the cliff ahead of him, before he suddenly whipped out a gun from his coat, aimed it at that cliff, and pulled the trigger.

Stella jumped with a yelp at Lock firing his gun like that, and after that, there was silence…

…until another shot of gunfire was returned right back at Lock. With a hum, Lock quickly spun away from the shot before it could strike him; pulling a second gun from his coat before firing at the cliff again.

Something started moving through the trees very quickly, away from Lock's firing. Twirling his revolvers around, Lock kept firing at where the figure was heading; making sure to try and cut off its escape route. The figure kept running quickly…eventually disappearing entirely from sight.

"…wh-wh-what was that?" Stella uttered fearfully.

"...everyone, stay where you are." Lock called. "This one's mine."

"B-But Lock!" Stella tried to protest with a step forward, but then there was another gunshot…

…and the bullet hit Stella in the shoulder.

"AGH!" She cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground.

Seeing that, Lock hissed, before quickly shooting at where he anticipated the shot came from. "Attacking others than me? This is a new low, even for you."

"Be lucky I shot to cripple than shot to kill, Lock…" called a voice, before there was more fire that shot at Lock.

Evading that fire skillfully, Lock kept firing at the hidden gunslinger. "We don't exactly have time for this song and dance, so if you would be so kind as to walk away, then I'd be more than willing to find a different day to nail you with a bullet, Mercy."

"Oh, Lock, I'd love to live to try and shoot you down another day…but I actually have an agenda with you and your friends."

Somehow, a figure popped out of hiding, and the figure stood over Stella, pointing a sniper rifle right at helpless Stella's head. Stella's eyes widened, while she looked up at the figure.

In that sudden instant, three fists and a spinning Gatling-gun arm were pointed directly at this figure's head. "...you pull that trigger, and you'll be sorry." Proxy growled.

_**"Remove that rifle from our comrade this instant." **_Omega hummed.

Thankful that Metal, Newt, Proxy and Omega had reacted in time, Lock turned to look at this figure. "...and what sort of business would require you to hunt for someone other than me, Mercy?" he hummed.

The figure turned out to be an albino rabbit Mobian; very curvy, shapely in her body with white hair curling down her head, and sleek, clever looking red eyes. The rabbit, whom Lock referred to as Mercy, smirked at Lock, ignoring the group around her with her rifle still pointed at Stella's head.

"Well…I got set up to take you all out…and it comes with a side of sweet revenge," she chuckled.

"...revenge for being snubbed? When are you going to let it go?" Lock scoffed.

Metal narrowed his eyes. _Hold on... there's something familiar about her..._ With that, as his hand suddenly glowed with Purity, he quickly lifted the rifle away from Stella, and gripped her wrist tightly with the Purity-imbued hand.

"AAAAGH!" Mercy actually didn't anticipate that, and with a feral hiss, she grew claws and swiped at Metal to let her go. Metal quickly leapt away from her; but the distraction had been enough for Proxy to grab Stella, before they backed away from Mercy.

"...just as I thought." Metal uttered. "...she's been infused with Corruption."

Lock narrowed his eyes. "...really. I didn't take you for that big of a fool, Mercy."

"…hey, sure, it wasn't my type to cooperate with escaped convicts…but Patricia was very promising Lock," Mercy said, retracting her claws to glare at Lock. "…she gave me an extraordinary power; one that I'm not giving up until I see your body in a ditch somewhere…"

"...Patricia..." Newt uttered, as he narrowed his eyes a bit. "...that bat..."

"...wait, hold up." At that point, Proxy looked at Lock. "Could you tell us who this woman is?"

"...an acquaintance." Lock huffed, as he hoisted his rifle a little. "She has a vendetta against me. Metal, I might need you down here." Metal gave him a quick nod, before quickly getting down to him; not moving his eyes away from Mercy.

"You might think you have me outnumbered Lock," Mercy said. "…but Patricia has given me a squad…so in reality, you're the ones that are outnumbered…"

Figures appeared out of the ground in the shadows, and many Mobians all held guns up, pointing it at all of them. A great many of them were bounty hunters that Lock knew.

"...tsch..." With a slight hiss, Lock handed his rifle over to Metal; along with several cartridges. "...fill them up. We'll have to hold them off until we have a proper way of defeating them."

"...yes." Metal nodded, as he began focusing Purity into those cartridges.

"...so, you all want a piece of us? Or are you just blindly following orders, like the inexperienced turkeys you are?" Lock hummed, as he twirled his revolvers around. "...well, then... come and try it." Without skipping a beat, he began wildly firing upon all of the Mobians around them.

_**"Seems like we have our work cut out for us." **_With that, Omega began firing on the Mobians as well.

The Mobians around them were being shot down, but they spat out the regular bullets and fired back.

Boomer grabbed the Captain and Rudy and shoved them behind the cover of a boulder. "Stay hidden!" she growled at them, pulling out her own gun and trying to flank at them from behind the boulder. Taking out his own gun, Newt tried helping Boomer flank them.

Proxy was quick to take Stella over to the same boulder as well. "Stay here." he uttered, before he began warping around the battlefield; kicking down anyone who stood in his way.

Stella held her shoulder sorely where her bleeding bullet wound was.

No matter what kind of attacks they shot at the Mobians, they just regenerated back with black goo and they spat out bullets.

Mercy was all around the battle field, for no one could land a blow on her whatsoever, and when she saw what Metal was doing to those cartridges… "I DON'T THINK SO!" She called out, taking out an assault rifle and rapidly firing at Lock and Metal. Lock, in turn, took out a pair of sub-machineguns, and responded with fire so heavy that their bullets were actually clashing against Mercy's fire.

"Do you have the first cartridge ready?" Lock grunted.

"Ready!" Metal nodded; loading Lock's rifle with a Purity-imbued cartridge, and tossing it to him.

Without skipping a beat, Lock actually snagged one of the sub-machineguns in his mouth, and while repelling Mercy's fire, grabbed the rifle with his free hand; firing a pale-green energy shot at one of the Mobians.

That Mobian exploded on impact, and with that, he was no more…

"What?" Mercy was actually baffled by this, and retreated away from Lock's fire. "…so you've fought this force before, I see!" she called at Lock. "Mind enlightening me on that?"

"If you're interested in a ceasefire, perhaps." Lock hummed. "But knowing you, you're not!" And with that, he tossed the machineguns aside, before rapidly firing shots from his rifle at the Mobians surrounding them.

With Lock covering him, Metal focused more Purity into the other cartridges.

Boomer narrowly ducked behind the boulder at some fire. "Damn it! These guys are relentless!" she growled.

Newt ducked away as well; narrowing his eyes. "Why is it that we never get to do any damage against Corruption-wielders?" he grunted.

"Because like the smart ass I am, I forgot to bring those specially made weapons," Boomer grumbled. Then she noticed one of the Mobians pulling a pin out of something and tossing it toward them. "GRENADE!" she yelped out, yanking Newt back behind the boulder.

When the grenade exploded, it shook the ground; more than a regular grenade should have. It even made a crack in the large boulder they were hiding behind.

"BULLSHIT!" Boomer screamed in a rage. "Grenades shouldn't do that!"

"It must be some custom variety!" Newt sputtered.

Boomer took another look around the boulder, and then she saw a Mobian heave a LARGE gun over his shoulder.

Her eyes widened. "…IT'S A ROCKET LAUNCHER!" she uttered in a panic, grabbing Charmy and Rudy to run while the Mobian fired the rocket in their direction. Quickly, Newt grabbed Stella, and leapt after Boomer before the rocket could strike the boulder. When the rocket hit the boulder, it burst into many bits of rock that flew everywhere; even Mercy had to jump away from one of the large pieces that would've landed on her.

With that cover blown, Boomer found some more cover around a large rock wall, which served a much better purpose than the boulder that was blown up. "They've got a ROCKET LAUNCHER!" Boomer ranted furiously.

"What sorta shop did these guys get a rocket launcher at?" Newt sputtered.

Seeing that Mobian, Lock narrowed his eyes. "...goodbye." Quickly, he fired a shot of Purity at him.

That launcher fell to the ground, while the Mobian himself exploded in a blast of green Purity, which actually made the other Mobians move away from him warily.

"...seems like they're getting scared." Lock hummed. "Good." Then, he flipped a switch on his rifle, before glancing at Mercy. "...against my weapon, numbers amount to nothing, Mercy."

Mercy grunted, "hmph…two can play at that game…" when she gripped her sniper rifle, black Corruption oozed out of her hands, and it started to mold her rifle into a more sinister, wicked looking weapon with a longer barrel.

Then she pointed it at Lock and Metal, firing a very powerful blast of Corruption at them. Narrowing his eyes, Lock aimed his rifle at that blast. "Watch out." And with that, he fired a massive beam of Purity from his rifle; colliding against the blast of Corruption.

The two opposite forces collided so fast and so aggressively that it resulted in a large explosion of the two energies, which actually caused a ceasefire because of how it blew most of the other Mobian bounty hunters away. Everyone but Lock and Mercy had to shield themselves from that force, as the wolf simply glared at the rabbit from underneath the brim of his hat. She glared back at him, gritting her teeth. She was running out of ideas here…as it usually was with her and Lock.

…even if she had been given this powerful gift…Lock was still one step ahead of her.

…once that blast cleared…

"GET HIM!" She yelled at the remaining Mobian hunters, who simply charged toward Lock and Metal.

"...still enough for one more shot." Lock hummed, before he suddenly pulled the trigger again; this time spinning around in such an arc that the beam circled around him and Metal. The waves of Purity that shot out from his rifle managed to hit every last Mobian hunter, and they burst into nothingness…

…which left an irritated Mercy.

Looking back at Mercy, Lock hummed. "...had enough?"

"…no!" Mercy charged up her rifle and released another shot at Corruption at him and Metal; knowing that had been his last shot.

This time, however, Metal simply deflected that blast right back at her with a barrier of Unity. "That's not going to work!"

Mercy jumped away from the shot to have it hit the rock wall, growling…

Boomer looked at the situation, relieved that all those enemies were gone now, and she looked over at Stella, who looked a little pale. "…Newt…get Stella to the river to see if you can clean that wound a bit," she whispered.

"...okay." Newt nodded, as he hurried over to the river with Stella in tow.

Meanwhile, Mercy just glared at Lock.

"…why Lock?" Mercy growled.

Lock simply looked back at Mercy with a narrowed look. "...it's your own fault, for not being able to let the past go." he hummed.

Mercy growled even more. "…that's because I could never forgive you for what you've done…"

Just then, Mercy glanced over and happened to see Newt and Stella heading toward the cliff that overlooked the swift river below. While Stella had been wounded, it was the shoulder, so albeit slowly, she was still walking fine…but she looked tense at the water when she stood at the cliff and looked down at it.

"…Oops!" Mercy sneered, shooting her rifle at Stella's feet.

Luckily, Stella jumped so she wasn't wounded again, but that fire knocked away the edge of the cliff, and unfortunately, Stella slipped off of the cliff with a scream.

Newt's eyes widened. "STELLA!"

Seeing that, Lock's eyes widened. _Shit!_ Without even sparing Mercy a glance, Lock rushed towards the river as well. Stella splashed into the river, and the swift currents dragged her along roughly. Her head popped out to gasp frantically.

"Help! _I can't swim!_"

That was the only thing she was able to utter before she submerged into the currents.

And with that distraction started up, Mercy vanished into the ground in a shadow and slithered away. "She got away!" Metal hissed.

Without skipping a beat, Lock dived into the river after Stella; fighting against the current to try and get to Stella as quickly as possible.

Stella flailed her one working arm as much as she could but could barely get to the surface with all the strong, ice cold currents pushing against her. Her wound hurt in her shoulder, which disabled the use of that arm, and even before she got hurt, she didn't know how to swim. She was in a panic.

Suddenly, Lock managed to get to her, and pull her up onto the surface; letting her breathe as he tried reaching the shore. Stella gasped and coughed, having choked on some of the water in her frenzy, and she clutched helplessly to Lock.

_...come on..._ Grunting, Lock tried swimming to the shore; but against the current, and while holding Stella, he was having trouble doing so. In desperate attempts to help, even if she didn't know how to swim, Stella kicked her feet to help boost Lock.

Gritting his teeth, Lock knew that they were being pushed far away from the group... but he couldn't stop; otherwise, both of them would be done for. Stella tried to grab a tree branch that hung low over the river, but with the power of the currents it broke the branch and they continued sweeping down the river.

"...hang on..." Lock grunted, as he still tried fighting the current. Stella tried to breathe, shivering in the cold water while she held to Lock.

What seemed like hours to the two of them passed them by, until finally, Lock managed to fight against the current long enough to get to the shore; getting Stella there before he slowly managed to crawl onto the shore.

Stella could only crawl with one arm, panting hard. The blood from her wound was now soaking her entire shoulder, and the cold thankfully numbed some of the wound, but Stella could hardly move.

"...Stella... the bullet wound..." Lock coughed, as he crawled up to her. "...let me see it..."

Stella nodded, and rolled over a bit to let him see it. Very quickly, Lock took out a small knife from his coat, and as gently as he could manage, tried using it to lodge the bullet out of the wound. Stella could still feel that and she whimpered, biting her tongue so she wouldn't scream out.

Eventually, Lock succeeded; pulling the bullet out of her wound. The moment he did so, he tossed the bullet away into the river. "...now... covering your wound..." Wasting no time, he tore a piece of his cloak off, wringing it to get as much water out of it as possible, before using it as a make-shift bandage to cover the wound up. Stella still bit her tongue, since it still hurt while he did this, but she was relieved to have that bullet out of her shoulder.

"...it's... unorthodox... but it'll do for now..." With another cough, Lock fell against the ground; his hat falling off his head as he simply breathed heavily.

Stella had to take a minute to get used to the pain that was coming back in her wound again, before she turned over toward Lock worriedly, still shivering severely from the cold water they were just in.

"...don't worry about me." Lock coughed. "...I'm just... exhausted, is all..." Then, he looked at her. "...more importantly... are you alright...?"

Stella slowly nodded. "…yeah…I'm alright…thanks to you."

Lock hummed. "...glad to hear it..." he uttered.

Stella shivered again. "W-we should go find the others," and she tried to push herself off the ground with her working arm.

"...don't strain yourself..." Lock uttered, as he narrowed his eyes a little. "...the current dragged us a long way... there's no telling how far from the group we are at the moment..."

Stella breathed a bit, lying there. "…I'm sorry I let her get away Lock…" Stella uttered.

"...what are you apologizing for?" Lock hummed, as he gave her a glance. "...there's no need for you to do that, you know..."

"I know, but I shouldn't have been out in the open like that for her to shoot me, and…" Stella just couldn't help but feel a little guilty. "…well…I should've stayed away from the water to begin with…"

"...hey, Newt was taking you to clean your wound." Lock hummed. "Besides... we're both still alive. That's what matters."

"Right…" Stella answered, looking back at Lock…

…she eventually chuckled a little. "…you know…this is the most I've heard you talk before…"

"...is that right...?" Lock hummed, before closing his eyes. "Hm. You learn something new every day..."

Stella felt a bit awkward after that. "…should we…at least get away from shore…?" she suggested, looking fearfully at the water.

"...right..." Lock hummed, as he slowly got on his feet; picking his hat up from the ground. "...let's go..." With that, he slowly began heading into the woods.

Stella managed to get up on her feet and follow him without too much trouble, holding her shoulder sorely still.

"…you know…" she started again, "…you looked…pretty cool out there…"

"...really." Lock hummed, as he simply wrung the water out of his hat.

"…yeah…" Stella answered. "…I mean…you're a famous bounty hunter so…you acted like one...and all..." she wasn't really sure where that conversation was going to go.

"...well, that _is_ my art and trade, so..." Lock hummed with a shrug.

Stella felt awkward again; it just seemed like to her that Lock wasn't very interested in her small talk, and it made her a bit uneasy since she wasn't the best at it.

"...so, you were on Safe Haven for a year?" Lock hummed.

"…uh!" Stella was surprised that Lock knew that, but she shook her head. "…well…technically…I was there longer than that…"

"...is that right?" Lock hummed, as he glanced at her.

Stella looked away from him awkwardly. "…yeah…well...after my parents died, and since I didn't remember very much...I wanted to make something of myself at Safe Haven..."

"...I see." Lock hummed. "...certainly nobler than other goals I've heard of back in the day... like Hex before she reformed..."

Stella gasped and shuddered. "P-Please don't say that name…"

Lock hummed. "...hrm... you were one of her catches, I assume."

Stella bit her lip. "…every now and then…rarely…but still…I have nightmares about those experiences…" and then she grit her teeth. "…Jill and Metal told me that Hex turned over a new leaf after that outbreak of Corruption on the island but..."

"...you can't forgive her." Lock hummed.

"…no…I can't…" Stella uttered. "…and I'm not the kind of person to be bitter like that…I don't really want to have such grudge against anyone…but when I remember what she did to me…" Stella shuddered again, and stopped there, not wanting to talk about it anymore.

Lock hummed, before he glanced at her. "...to keep something like that to yourself for years on end... it tears at you, right?"

"…y-yeah…" Stella uttered, trying not to cry. She couldn't help it though; those were unpleasant memories to think back on…

…but she didn't want to embarrass herself by crying in front of someone like Lock.

"...letting it be all bottled in isn't healthy." Lock hummed, before he placed a hand on her shoulder. "...if you need to let it out, go ahead. I won't judge you because of it."

Stella looked up at Lock in surprise. Lock simply gave her a nod.

Soon after that, a tear fell from Stella's eye, and with a sniffle, she covered her face with her working hand, starting a sob that she couldn't hold back. Lock held her in support; patting her back a little. Stella buried her face in his chest and continued to sob. Lock simply stood there; allowing her to cry her heart out. Perhaps it was just the combination of fear and the near death experience she just had, as well as thinking about harsh memories...but Stella cried hard.

At some point, Stella's sob faded, and fell silent, but her face was still buried in his chest.

"...feel better?" Lock hummed.

"…yeah…" muffled Stella's voice in reply, but she hardly moved. She had thought Lock was a cold anti-social from the times he seemed uninterested in conversation, but now that he was holding her warmly like this to comfort her, it changed her mind about that. After being in that cold water, he felt very warm…and pleasant…

"...glad to hear it." Lock hummed; actually smiling the tiniest smile.

Stella didn't see him smile, but she smiled too. This was a very nice feeling, just being wrapped up in his arms—

"UUH!" She suddenly pushed him away with a blush. "W-well, uh…let's keep going then, shall we?"

Lock blinked, before he chuckled. "Very well." And he turned to walk further into the woods.

Stella chuckled as well…but more nervously, while she followed him.

…_oh great…now I have a crush on him…_ she thought awkwardly, rubbing her wound on her shoulder. _…just when it couldn't get any more awkward…_

Lock simply rubbed his neck as he walked.

"…what's the story with, um…Mercy?" Stella asked to start up conversation again.

Lock hummed. "...Mercy... she's seen me as her eternal rival, ever since I snatched a bounty from her. I didn't even realize that until our third encounter..."

Stella looked up at him. "…just what happened exactly?"

Lock hummed. "...my mother was ill... and that left her unable to get any money for me and her. I wanted to help her get better... so I decided to take up the family trade; just once. I took some of mother's weapons, and found the highest bounty currently available..."

Then, he adjusted his hat. "...Mercy had allegedly planned to kill him; having thought things out perfectly... however, I happened to simply take him in alive; nullifying her plans. Catching that bounty was what put my name on the map; even mother told me that I should keep hunting for bounties after that..."

"…so…things growing up were pretty tough if you had to do that…" Stella murmured.

"...we lived in a rough neighborhood. Dad wasn't able to earn any money from his work as a gunsmith, since his guns were always stolen and he would go bankrupt, so if he wanted to make weapons for mother and I, we needed to do work like that..."

"…and Mercy vowed revenge on you for taking her bounty all those years ago…" Stella assumed.

"...yup." Lock hummed. "She has a problem with priorities."

"…but…how did you know how to fight her away?" Stella asked.

"...I was at Safe Haven, when the outbreak occurred." he explained. "I had Jill fill some of my cartridges with Purity, and that helped in taking out the corrupted enemies." Then, he hummed. "I'm thankful that Metal was with us; otherwise, we may not have been so fortunate..."

Stella blinked in astonishment. "…you were there when it happened?"

Lock nodded. "...I personally saw the damage Corruption did to people... and how they acted after being purified..."

"…I see…" Stella murmured.

"...no one should have to endure such a fate." Lock hummed, as he briefly rubbed his back. "...even a fraction of it brings so much pain..."

Stella looked at him. "…you were hurt with Corruption?"

"...seven years ago..." Lock hummed. "...I still remember that night..."

Stella wanted to ask more questions, but she decided to stop there so she wouldn't sound annoying with asking all of the questions. "…so you know what you're dealing with, pretty much…" she said.

"...right." Lock nodded.

"…well, that's good," Stella said. "…I certainly feel safer around you now…"

"...you mean to say that you felt unsafe around me before?" Lock hummed.

Stella jumped, "N-no! It wasn't like that! I-I just meant that I felt _more_ s-safer! You know, since you know what to do!"

Lock chuckled. "I know; I was just poking fun."

"…oh…" Stella actually smiled at that and giggled nervously. "So you make jokes too, huh?"

"...I'm usually no good at it." Lock hummed. "But you started giggling, so that's a start."

Stella actually blushed at that. "…you have a lot of personality that you seem to hide…"

"...comes with the job. Getting emotional in my line of work usually isn't recommended." Lock hummed.

"…I guess I can understand that," Stella remarked.

"Right..." Lock hummed.

…_but…if he's loosening up to me…what does that mean?_ Stella wondered in thought, actually blushing more at the thought.

Lock remained silent for the time being, as he simply rubbed his neck again.

"…will we be able to reunite with the group?" Stella asked, trying to avoid silence.

"...we will." Lock nodded.

"…that river took us pretty far…" Stella murmured. "…how long do you think it will be before we find them?"

"...at the least... hours." Lock hummed. "At the most... days."

"…ah…" Stella murmured.

"...at any rate, we should be ready to have to camp on our own." Lock hummed.

Stella started blushing even more at that. "…on our…own…?"

"...yeah." Lock nodded.

…_Oh, Stella, don't act like that! C'mon!_ She tried to shake her blush off.

Then she hissed and held her shoulder. Lock glanced at her. "...don't put too much pressure on that, Stella."

"…right, I won't," Stella replied, nodding.

Back up the river…

"…as long as Lock is with her, I'm sure they're alright," Charmy told them. "We just need to meet back up. I'm sure Lock and Stella are walking back up as we speak…"

"...right..." Metal uttered, as he folded his arms. "...hopefully, that woman won't ambush them..."

"...dang it... why didn't I try and catch her before she fell, y'know?" Newt murmured, as he held his head.

"You did what you could, Newt; don't beat yourself up over it." Proxy assured him.

"Yeah Newt!" Rudy said, hopping around him. "And at least Lock's with her, so she's not by herself!"

Charmy coughed again after that. Boomer pat his back. "Captain, are you sure you're not coming down with something?"

"I'm fine, I keep telling you; I may be old, but I'm not weak," Charmy chuckled.

_**"We never implied that."**_ Omega hummed.

"...still, we shouldn't rush things." Metal noted, as he looked at Charmy with a slight nod.

"…right, I suppose not," Charmy said, nodding.

"...alright; let's all just rest up before we continue." Metal hummed.

"…yeah…" Boomer muttered.

* * *

><p>At Safe Haven, down at Fort Gierig, something everyone had happily agreed to name the campsite, there was a loud pop and a bottle of sparkling cider spewed out foam while soldiers cheered.<p>

"Boy, we got 'em good this time!" Bruno laughed; the one holding the bottle.

"We sure did!" Caitlin laughed.

"Man, I didn't know if we were gonna pull it off!" Ruki said with a laugh of her own.

"This was great," Francis chuckled, being the first to get a glass of sparkling cider. "When we started throwing their cargo off of the ship, I never thought we could top it…"

"...and yet, we did." Will hummed with a smirk. "Show of hands, who here is satisfied with how things turned out?"

Everyone in the room proceeded to cheer loudly at that.

"...guess that answers my question." Will chuckled.

The soldiers all laughed and talked amongst themselves at their latest protest against the military. They had filled the military's carriers cannons full of maple syrup; courtesy of the stock in the Mess Hall that was currently not in use, but it proved very useful in this situation.

"Can you imagine the looks on their faces?" Marlo hummed, as he chuckled.

"Oh, I can; and it is a humorous thought." Phyrra chuckled.

"And we still had lots of syrup left, too!" Maya said with a cheer.

"Now we're going to have to think of something to top this one…" Belinda chuckled also, sipping her cup of sparkling cider.

"Oh, that won't be a problem; once we just start thinking, we'll think of something." Marco laughed.

"In the meantime, let's celebrate!" Bruno laughed, raising his glass. "A toast to success!"

"A toast!" And the others raised their glasses as well.

Meanwhile, off in the woods in a certain cabin…

"…that was, like, really hilarious," Jam chuckled.

"It was!" Lin laughed. "I just wish I could see how they all react to it!"

"Yeah…" Jam sighed in content, lying back on the couch.

Looking at him with a slight smile, Lin placed a hand on his chest. "I still think you were really cool, for going right for the biggest gun on the ship..."

Jam chuckled shyly, blushing a bit, "Aw, well…y'know, it was, like, nuthin…"

"Well, I think it was more than nothing. I thought it was... well... _everything._" Lin giggled. Jam blushed even more when he heard Lin giggle.

"...say... would you like a reward for being so brave today?" Lin kept giggling.

"…sure," Jam replied, blushing even more. "But, like, what reward would you give me?" he actually asked quite innocently.

"...hm..." Lin hummed, as she leaned closer to Jam. "...how about... me? All... night... long?"

Jam's eyes widened a bit excitedly with a wild blush across his face. "Oh!"

Lin simply smiled at him.

Jam smiled a bit bashfully. "…yeah, sure.."

With a giggle, Lin leaned in to kiss Jam; wrapping her arms around his neck. Jam kissed back, holding her closely.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Annnnnnnnd we'll just jump to the next scene...<strong>_

* * *

><p>Over at Jill's house, Jill was relaxing in her chair, looking out the window. She's noticed activity from the soldiers recently, and Sonia explained to her that there was a rebellion the soldiers set up that was actually opposing the military with various pranks; the latest one being something about filling the cannons up with syrup.<p>

Jill chuckled at that.

..And…in a way, it was nice to chuckle every now and then. At least the soldiers were all staying strong about this…and it gave her some hope to be strong as well…even if she still missed Metal and Joy very dearly.

At that point, there was a knock at the door. "You there, Condit?"

Jill sighed… since there had to be something to kill her good mood. "I'm here, as always," she called with a grumble. "Come in."

The door opened, and Trash walked into the apartment. "...so, you've heard the news?"

"Yeah…well, about the rebellion anyway, if you happen to have different news," Jill replied.

"...those were the news." Trash murmured. "That's a lot of GUN's equipment that was damaged..."

"…right…" Jill mumbled. Then she noticed something. "…where's Brawn?"

"...he's with the troops cleaning the mess up." Trash murmured. "Leaving me to check up on you..."

"I see…" Jill responded, mentally thinking how much of a nightmare this was going to be.

"...so, you're all done when it comes to chores for the day, huh?" Trash hummed, as he shot Jill a glance.

"All done…" Jill replied. "…just sitting here."

"...nothing special planned?" Trash hummed.

"…can't make any kinds of plans…" Jill sighed, standing up and pacing around a bit.

"...must be frustrating, huh..." Trash hummed.

"…I can deal with it…" Jill murmured.

"...really, now..." Trash hummed, as he kept his eyes on Jill.

"I haven't been aggressive lately, have I?" Jill questioned, glaring at him.

"No... but you do have an attitude problem." Trash noted.

"Well that I can't help…I've been through a lot of things," Jill murmured, looking away from him. "Still going through a lot of things…"

"...hmph." Trash hummed, as he folded his arms.

"…do you have a family, Lieutenant?" Jill asked him.

Trash stopped. "...why do you ask?"

"…maybe I just wanted to see if you could understand how I feel in all of this is all…" Jill muttered.

Trash scoffed. "...well, I don't have a family to speak of." he replied.

"…then you wouldn't understand anyway…" Jill murmured. Trash merely scoffed.

Jill looked out the window again. "…a mother would do anything for her child Lieutenant…and right now, she's lost out there somewhere…"

Trash merely hummed.

"...you know, for a mother... you're not too bad-looking."

What Trash said made Jill stop in her tracks.

"...what? It's true, isn't it?" Trash hummed.

Slowly, she turned to give Trash a suspicious glare. "And why are you telling me this?"

"...what, can't I compliment a woman?" Trash said with a sneer.

"Not with ulterior motives behind it, Lieutenant," Jill replied. "And I'm cautious by nature."

"Of course. Though I'm sure that I'm not the first one to compliment your looks, right?" Trash chuckled.

Jill looked away from him.

"...you know... I might know a way to shorten your sentence."

Jill looked slowly back at him suspiciously again. He simply smirked; as if expecting Jill to inquire into this matter.

"…what are you thinking?" Jill questioned, still giving him that suspicious glare.

"...well, I might know of a way to shorten your sentence; so you'll be free to walk outside for once..." Trash chuckled.

"And just what _'way'_ would that be?" Jill continued to question.

"...put two and two together."

And with that, Trash suddenly pressed Jill against the wall. Jill's eyes widened at that…

…then she glared hatefully at Trash. "Hell no!" and tried to kick him off.

However, he kept holding onto her, as he grabbed her throat. "Now, now; you don't want to do something you'd regret, right, Condit?" he sneered.

"I'm not letting you do THAT to me!" Jill yelled. Then she inhaled to scream, "TAILS DOLL!"

It didn't take long for the small plushie to flutter into the room; looking at the scene with a gasp. _"JILL! Why, you-!"_

And all of a sudden, Trash spat out a glob of mucus that outright pinned Tails Doll to the wall; making him unable to break free. "Not this time, plushie!" the toad scoffed.

Jill tried even harder to struggle. "I won't let you do it!" She yelled.

"Oh, what are you going to do about it? Beat me half to death?" Trash taunted, as he glared at Jill. "If you do, there's no doubt that the sentence is gonna be prolonged, Condit."

"I'd rather have it prolonged than be humiliated like this!" Jill growled.

"Still got that attitude problem... but we'll see how long that lasts once I'm done with you." Trash hissed, as he grabbed one of Jill's breasts roughly.

Jill yelped out.

Then her eyes flashed red. "She said she didn't want to, you motherfucker!" she suddenly yelled, actually prying her hand free to punch him in the face. Trash staggered back from that, before glaring at her.

Those red eyes glared back, standing warily away from him. "Look, kid, you have no idea what kind of trouble you'll get into if you try funny stuff like that with a mental basket case like her," It was Callous talking now. "She'll freak on you."

Trash kept glaring at Callous. "...how so?" he spat.

"She'll rip your guts apart the moment you try and penetrate her," Callous chuckled. "She's been raped before, and it wasn't too pretty, let me tell you…She doesn't remember it but I do, which means that if you put her through the same kind of experience, those memories will leak in and cause her to go insane."

Then she chuckled. "Not to mention that Metal Sonic will want to cut your throat for it…"

Trash narrowed his eyes...

...and then, he smirked. "...so what does that mean for _you_, then?"

"I sure as hell am not letting you touch me, that's for sure," Callous grumbled.

Trash scoffed. "I may not look like it, but I can tell when a woman wants to be satisfied. True, neither the Chieftain nor your other self were willing..." Then, he folded his arms. "...but you're a different story."

"The only one that can satisfy is isn't here," Callous scoffed back. "Besides, I doubt you have any _real _talent, and I'm not planning on finding out if you do or not."

Trash huffed. "You don't know me, so you wouldn't know if I had talent or not."

Callous glared at him. "I just fucking hate you; you're annoying. You think I'd let somebody like you try to pleasure me? No, and you're not changing my mind about it."

Trash scoffed.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Callous said, walking towards where Tails Doll was stuck to the wall with mucus. Trash simply watched her walk over to Tails Doll.

_"...Callous... nice going..." _Tails Doll uttered.

Callous made no response, other than reaching for the muck that pinned Tails Doll so she could pull it off of him.

"...I'd be careful, if I were you." Trash warned her.

"Why?" Callous asked.

"...you never know when you'll be least vulnerable." With that, Trash began heading for the door.

Callous just chuckled, and she got the mucus off of Tails Doll. "Well, dodged that bullet for now," she murmured.

_"...but what if he tries again?" _Tails Doll uttered. _"He doesn't seem like the type to give up so easily..."_

"Well, I'll be on my toes if he tries again," Callous replied. "I have nothing to do anyway, so it's nice to get control every now and then."

Then she sighed. "…though admittedly, thinking about it really makes me miss Johnny."

_"...I doubt more than Jill misses Metal and Joy, though."_ Tails Doll hummed, as he actually looked seriously at Callous.

"…yeah…I miss him at least that much," Callous murmured.

_"...right..."_ Tails Doll hummed, as he shook his head. _"...enough to sneak away in the middle of the night?"_

"Yeah," Callous chuckled. Tails Doll just sighed.

"Hey, c'mon, it was harmless fun," Callous protested with a smirk. "I have needs too, you know?"

_"Needs that get Jack's back all scratched up? Yeah; harmless fun..."_ Tails Doll scoffed.

"I said I may have gotten a little too excited, okay?" Callous grumbled. "Geez, I do that once and people make such a fuss about it…"

_"Because you hurt a friend of ours!"_ Tails Doll noted with a grunt of his own. _"Of course we'd make a fuss over it!"_

"Oh he wasn't hurt that much! It was just a couple of scratches," Callous scoffed.

_"And what if you had gone further, and he had gotten more hurt than that? Then what, huh?"_ Tails Doll huffed.

"We make sure to limit the activity," Callous told him. "In fact, ever since the Toaster and her got together, we've only done it three times for all these years. Is that really too much to ask?"

Tails Doll didn't answer, but he still glared at her.

Callous glared back. "You realize how much I hold myself back for her sake? How I put her needs before mine? I fucking hate it…but I don't really have a choice since I'm stuck inside of her, and originally it was for Joy's sake but now that she's not here, there's really nothing holding me back from whatever I can do, is there?"

"…but no, I still have to be just as much a goody little two shoes as she does…" she growled.

_"...guess that means that you're growing up."_ Tails Doll noted.

"Yeah, well, I suppose she's better at it than I am…" Callous grumbled, folding her arms.

* * *

><p><em><strong>We feel ya Callous...sorta...maybe...<strong>_


	19. Chapter 18

Joy arrived in yet another city later that evening. Once again, the citizens paid no heed to a little five year old that wandered the streets by herself with tattered, dirty clothes from her travels. By now she was used to the hunger and the aching that Joy was somehow able to ignore it for now…

…but at some point, she had to pick a spot on the street that she could sit down and rest at. She didn't expect to find anyone to take her into shelter anytime soon, and eventually wondered if she just had to find an alleyway…

…and actually, she was starting to doze off just sitting there on the street.

"…hey, aren't you that child that octopus woman took in?"

Joy blinked tiredly and looked up.

She saw the bat, Desire, staring down at the child in wonder…and in some disgust. "Good heavens, kid, you're filthy." Joy recognized her as that bat woman that was in that limo that Hex and May were talking to days ago.

Joy was used to remarks like that, and just looked away from her.

Desire continued to stand there, looking at her. The child didn't respond to her whatsoever. "…what's the matter?"

"…I ran away…" Joy mumbled.

"…ran away huh…?" Desire mumbled in the same kind of way. "…Joy's your name, right? At least that's what I remember from what that woman called you…"

Joy just glanced at her, and looked away again.

That was when Desire caught sight of a poster with Joy's face on it…a missing poster…

…and she smirked.

"Well, we can't have that, can we?"

Joy looked up at Desire in surprise.

"C'mon kid; you're coming home with me!" And before Joy could react, Desire grabbed the girls' wrist and hoisted her up to her feet, pulling her down the street.

"…b-but…" Joy wanted to protest.

"Oh nonsense, dearie, no need to thank me!" Desire chuckled. "Just one night is all I'm asking that you stay. It's a large manor, and there's plenty to eat as well as a nice place to sleep!"

Joy blinked in astonishment at the fact that this strange woman was going to offer her all of that just like that. "…thanks…"

"Once again, no need to thank me," Desire chuckled, pulling out her cell phone. "I'll just call our ride here…"

While Desire talked on the phone, Joy looked around in thought…or in conversation with herself.

_I don't like that lady; she's annoying already…_ Malice groaned in her head.

…_but…I'd like to sleep in a fancy place…_ Joy said. _…more than a street…_

_Sure, whatever…but you're just gonna run away from it anyway, so why stay somewhere so nice if you aren't gonna stay for very long?_ Malice asked Joy.

…_it's better than nothing…_ Joy replied.

Suddenly, a long limousine came up, and the driver parked to open the door up for Desire. "Your ride, Madame," he spoke.

"Ah yes, thank you," Desire chuckled. "Come along, Joy dear…"

Admittedly, having someone call Joy that made her feel uncomfortable, but she followed Desire into the limo anyway, sitting down on the very comfortable leather interior it had.

And when the driver returned to the wheel, they took off in a smooth cruise.

Desire managed to strike up a conversation with little Joy, even if she didn't get very much out of the five year old; especially when it came to Desire asking why she ran away. Joy said nothing about that. Either way, Desire got to know Joy a little bit…

…and she couldn't help but smile. "Why, you're such a little sweetheart…"

Joy looked uneasily at Desire.

"And so well behaved, too….but quiet," Desire tsked, shaking her head. "Well, don't you worry. You'll feel right at home where I live…and you will even get to play with my little angel, Rascal."

Joy blinked at that, not sure what to say in response.

"We have arrived, Madame," the driver spoke when he opened their door.

"Ah, here we are!" Desire chuckled, walking out with Joy climbing out with her. She looked up and saw the large mansion they arrived at, and Joy's eyes widened at that. She couldn't help but be amazed at such a sight.

Desire chuckled at her wide-eyed wonder. It really was adorable. "Come along, Joy dear…"

Joy followed obediently and quietly.

The driver of the limousine opened the front door for the two of them and after they walked inside, he shut the door behind them.

"Make sure and wipe your feet," Desire told her, and Joy wiped her feet on their matt before she stepped onto the cold marble floor of the foyer. Then Desire led her down on of the halls. "I'm home!" Desire announced with a chuckle.

Joy looked around at all the fancy things in this place.

"...took you long enough." an uninterested, female voice hummed, as a teenage bat walked out of a room further down the hall... and when her eyes fell on Joy, she blinked. "...a kid? Desire, mind telling me why you brought a kid home here?"

"I decided to be charitable for once and take a homeless little girl in for the night," Desire chuckled. "She's a runaway, Odium."

Joy looked curiously up at the teenage bat. The bat, Odium, looked back at Joy with a hum. "...so, you're a stray, huh..." she mused. "...well, make yourself at home, I guess." she shrugged.

Joy gave a little nod. "…thanks…"

"Now Odium, you wouldn't mind keeping an eye on her while I tell your father about this, do you?" Desire said.

"...sure, whatever..." Odium shrugged.

Desire looked down at Joy, chuckling, "Now, you'll be a good little girl for Odium while I'll be gone, right Joy?"

"…mhm," Joy answered with a nod.

"Good," and with that, Desire walked off, leaving Joy with Odium.

"...alright; c'mon, little squirt, let's watch some TV..." Odium hummed, before she began walking off.

"Mkay," Joy answered, following Odium. Now, she actually didn't mind being with Odium. In fact, she felt more comfortable with her than she did with Desire.

"...so, where you from?" Odium hummed, as she entered the living room.

"…Safe Haven…" Joy mumbled.

"...really?" Odium hummed. "Huh... how'd you get past the blockade?"

"…I dunno…" Joy answered.

Then a figure rushed at them, and ended up bumping roughly into Joy. "HEY! Watch where you're going!" yelled another bat that was just about her age.

"…sorry…" Joy muttered, rubbing her shoulder sorely.

The bat stood there, glaring at her. "…who are you anyway? You're all dirty and icky and stuff!"

"...she's a guest, Rascal." Odium said dryly. "She'll stay here for the night, and your mom wants you two to get along."

The bat, Rascal, grunted, "Fine…just as long as she doesn't touch any of my toys!" and with that, he walked off with his nose up in the air.

Joy just blinked at him, and then looked up at Odium in question. "…is he mad at me?"

"...no; he's just a spoiled brat." Odium huffed.

…_Oh, wonderful,_ Malice sighed sarcastically in Joy's head.

"Joy!" Called a voice in the hallway, which was Desire's. "You wouldn't mind coming here, would you?"

Joy looked nervously at the hall, and then looked at Odium.

"...go on, squirt." she shrugged.

Joy looked back at the hall, and slowly started walking down it. Once again, she looked around at all the fancy things that were on the wall, like paintings and other types of wall art. The farther down the hall she walked, the more disturbing they started to look.

She spotted Desire standing by an open door, which led into a large study. "There's someone that would like to meet you Joy," Desire chuckled, motioning for her to come in. "I'd like you to meet my husband, Bismark…"

Joy blinked up at her, and cautiously entered into the study.

Though his back was turned to her, she could see a bat seated by a desk. Eventually, though, he turned around, to reveal a rather bandaged bat, whose eyes seemed to be piercing her soul. "...well... you're Joy, right?" he hummed.

Joy couldn't help but shudder a little bit. While she could overlook the bandages, it was those eyes that made her more timid.

Desire chuckled. "Oh, don't worry dear. Bismark doesn't hurt anyone," she assured Joy.

Joy glanced over her shoulder behind her, and slowly walked toward Bismark. "…y-yes sir…I'm Joy…"

Bismark simply looked at her. "...you've traveled a far ways here, I see..." he mused, before shooting Desire a glance. "...be kind and leave us. I'd like to speak with her in private."

"Sure, if you want that," Desire hummed with a shrug, closing the door behind her when she left.

Joy looked up at Bismark. "…yes sir…I came a long way…"

Bismark hummed... before actually chuckling. "You must certainly be tired."

Joy nodded a little.

With a chuckle, Bismark placed his hands together. "...do you believe in fortune telling, Joy?"

"…well…I saw lotsa things before…" Joy said. "…so…yeah…are _you_ a fortune teller, Mr. Bismark?"

Bismark chuckled, as he closed his eyes. "...would you believe that I've actually foreseen that you would arrive here, Joy?"

Joy's eyes widened. "…really?"

"Indeed..." Bismark hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...if there's anything about your future that you're curious about, just ask."

"…but…if I ask 'bout my future…then…" Joy was going to say that if she learned about her future, and in knowing it, she might end up changing things for good or for bad, but she was confused on the concept.

Bismark chuckled. "...you're afraid of causing a paradox." he mused. "However, I can safely say this to you; the future has many branching paths. If you try to prevent something, you might end up causing something else." Then, he shook his head. "...but I digress. Do you want me to foresee your future?"

Joy looked up at Bismark…

…in a way…she wanted to know if maybe…she'd be able to beat Malice and keep her from hurting everybody. "…yeah…"

Nodding, Bismark raised his hands and hummed; narrowing his brow as he focused. "...hm... at the very end of the road... I see one side prevailing... though I can't make out which; they're both very similar..."

Joy looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"...and... oh, dear... it seems that the struggle will claim someone's life... whose, I cannot say; it's too unclear..."

"What?" Joy gasped.

That one really startled her… someone was going to die in all of this?

"...and the last confrontation... will take place where it all began..." Bismark mused.

"…what do you mean by that?" Joy asked.

"...you'll find out..." Bismark hummed.

Joy blinked, but like Bismark said, she figured that she'd wait to find out…

"…so…if you foresaw me coming here…does that mean you foresaw my friends where they are too?" Joy asked, curious about where everybody was.

"...yes..." Bismark nodded. "...in fact... they're all looking for you right now..."

Joy looked down at the ground. "…I know…but…I wanna know where they are…maybe even…how they're doing…"

"...certainly. Who would you like to hear about first?" Bismark hummed.

Joy looked up at him in some sad hope. "…my Daddy…"

Bismark hummed. "...they were ambushed; causing a separation within the group... however, your foster father is safe... though, it still astounds me that someone like him could be a father..."

"…why do you say that?" Joy asked innocently.

"...well..." Bismark hummed, before chuckling. "...never mind. Just a random thought of mine..."

Joy felt a bit better that her daddy was safe…and then another worrying thought came to mind. "What about my Mama?" she asked, biting her lip.

"...she remains on Safe Haven; locked within her own home, but safe and sound... waiting for her lover and daughter to return..."

Joy looked down at the ground again, guiltily. She wondered just how sad her mother was and how worried she must be for her.

"...anyone else I should look into?"

Joy looked up at him. "…my friends…Jack, Ani, Striker, Milo…them…"

Bismark hummed. "...they're with friends... including... my son..."

Joy blinked. "…your…son?"

"...Demi..."

Joy's eyes widened again. While she was surprised to slowly realize that she was with Demi's family, she was also surprised that Demi was with them, looking for her.

"...aah... and it seems like he's found a special someone..." Bismark mused with a chuckle. "...that child's growing up, I see..."

"…special someone?" Joy tilted her head, not quite getting what Bismark meant. "Who?"

"...does the name Oblivion ring a bell?"

"I know Oblivion," Joy answered. "…so…if Oblivion is Demi's special someone…what does that mean?"

Again, Bismark chuckled. "...you'll find out."

"…okay," Joy responded.

Then her stomach growled, and she looked down at it in embarrassment.

"...you must be hungry." Bismark mused. "I suppose Desire would be able to prepare some food for you?"

Joy looked up at Bismark hopefully.

"...I shouldn't hold you up for too long. We'll talk later." Bismark hummed.

* * *

><p>"…how are you feeling tonight, Natal?" Toki asked.<p>

"...a lot better..." Natal hummed, as she rubbed her stomach a little. For some reason, even when she didn't feel too hungry, she'd just devour any kind of food she'd been given before asking for more. In spite of that, she had started to recover.

"That's great to hear." Nage hummed with a light smile.

"Yeah, and you got some color back it looks like," Toki added.

Natal smiled. "...well, the three of you did nurse me back to health..."

Nage grinned at hearing that.

However, Natal's smile fell, as she glanced at the ground. "...but... Cal's still not awake..."

"…yeah…but…at least he's getting his rest, which he really needs right now," Toki said.

"...so you shouldn't feel bad!" Nage said quickly.

Natal simply hummed. "...right..."

"…would you like to go see him?" Toki asked. "I'm sure you're well enough that you might be able to walk."

Natal hummed, before she nodded. "...yes..." And slowly, she tried getting out of bed. Toki held her by the arm to make sure she got out okay.

Though a bit shakily, Natal managed to stand up; slowly walking towards the door, which Nage opened for her. "...thanks..." With a nod of gratitude, Natal walked down the hall. Toki accompanied her, once again, making sure she got there okay.

They came to another room where Fargus was sitting in a chair beside a bed…where Cal was laying. Cal was red in the face due to his body heating up from the fever he had, but he was breathing steadily while he slept.

"...so, you're good enough to walk around?" Fargus hummed, as he glanced at Natal.

She nodded in return, whilst looking at Cal with a sad look.

"...relax; he's getting better, if slowly." Fargus mused, as he looked at Cal as well.

"…yeah, he actually looks a bit better than he did earlier," Toki admitted.

"With any luck, he should be getting on his feet in a few days." Fargus chuckled.

"...days..." Natal hummed, as she set a hand on the bed Cal was lying on.

Cal actually stirred a little bit, turning his head with a few murmurs.

"...um..." Natal uttered. "...is it... okay if I can stay here with him... alone...?"

"…sure…" Toki said. "…c'mon Fargus."

"...right." Nodding, Fargus began heading out with Toki; leaving Natal to take a seat by Cal's bed.

Once the two of them were alone, Cal started to breathe a bit more, but not in alarm; just breathing more, taking nice, deep breaths. Smiling a little, Natal adjusted her glasses a little. "...I... never really got the chance to thank you... for saving us back then, did I...?" she hummed. "...if it hadn't been for you..."

Cal stirred a bit more, slowly… as if hearing her voice was making him stir. With a faint blush, Natal looked at him. "...Cal... if you could hear me, I'd love to thank you so much... for saving my life..."

His breath deepened even more.

She placed a hand on his own; still smiling. "...even if you feel guilt over hurting me... I have no reason to bear a grudge against you... all I could ever want is for you to get better..."

There was more stillness with Cal breathing…

…Then…

"…mmh…Natal…?" came a low, quiet mumble, and Cal's hand twitched, holding hers. "…Natal…is that you…?" His eyes were still closed, and however hazy he seemed, he seemed somewhat awake.

Though surprised that he was awake, Natal smiled. "...yes, Cal... it's me..."

"…are you…okay…?" he continued to mumble.

"...I'm feeling better... especially knowing that you're recovering..." Natal uttered; smiling still.

Cal managed a small, faint smile. "…that's good…I was…worried about you…" he whispered weakly.

"...I was worried about you, too." Natal uttered.

"…Natal…I never wanted the Corruption to…touch you…" Cal mumbled. "…it's…really hard sometimes to fight it back…"

"...I know..." Natal uttered. "...though... I am sorry, for... dragging you into my lapse into Corruption, Cal..."

"…don't apologize…"

Just then, a few tears came from Cal's eyes.

"…it was my fault…because…I hurt you…"

Seeing that, Natal's smile fell, and she held his hand tighter. "...no, don't apologize... it was my fault, for getting in your way. I was... careless..."

"…no…you were trying to snap me out of it…" Cal uttered. "…bring me to my senses…but…I shouldn't even have…let that bastard crocodile get to me…I…I…let the Corruption inside of me consume my hate…"

"...Cal..." Natal whispered; trying to fight some tears back as well.

"…and…I…hurt you…" more tears came from Cal's eyes.

At that point, Natal actually hugged Cal. "...don't blame yourself... please don't, Cal..."

"…but…you were a victim Natal…" Cal uttered, with his voice quivering. "…and…that's something that…I never wanted to happen…but it did…because I made such a rookie mistake to let my feelings get the best of me…"

Natal closed her eyes. "...it's in the past, Cal... no one blames you for it... especially not me..." As she spoke, she stroked the back of his head to comfort him.

Cal's hand twitched, holding her by her back. "…Natal…" and softly, he started to cry into her shoulder. She wept with him; keeping her eyes closed as she kept stroking him.

"…it was such a nightmare…" he uttered. "…the guilt of that just ate the inside of me, and my fears for your safety…it all ate at me while the Corruption consumed us…and I tried to fight for control, but it just didn't seem possible…"

"…I'm so sorry Natal…" he sobbed.

"...no... no, I'm sorry..." Natal uttered. "...had I... only been more conscious about the dangers of Corruption... this could have been avoided..." Sobbing a bit, she held Cal closer. Cal clutched to her, and since then, the two have sobbed with each other for quite some time.

Eventually, Cal got a bit exhausted and finished weeping, rubbing her back.

"…I'm just…so relieved that you're okay…" he whispered softly.

"...so am I..." Natal uttered, as she looked at him. "...if something had happened to you... I... I don't know what I'd..."

"…same here…" he mumbled, and this time, he actually managed to open his eyes a little to look back at her.

Natal gazed into his eyes. His hand came around from her back and touched her cheek. Natal touched his cheek in turn. Cal's eyes closed, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "…Natal…" he mumbled.

Natal closed her eyes at feeling his thumb against her cheek. "...Cal..." she whispered, as she leaned closer to him.

Just then, the hand that held her cheek stopped Natal. Natal's eyes opened slightly. "...Cal...?"

"…I don't want you to catch my fever…" he said.

"...oh." Natal uttered, before looking to the side. "...right..."

He stroked her cheek again. "…you should go get some rest…" he told her.

"...alright..." Natal nodded. "...you too, Cal..."

Cal nodded, and his head turned to the side while his hand rested on the bed. With a sad smile, Natal rose up, and looked down at him. "...rest well, Cal..." she uttered.

"…I love you Natal…" he managed to mumble out, before he seemed like he fell asleep again.

"...I love you, Cal..." Natal whispered, before she slowly walked towards the door.

Meanwhile, Toki was waiting in the hall for Natal, when she happened to glance out the window. "…Fargus!" she called out in surprise.

"...what is it?" Fargus hummed, as he walked up towards Toki, and glanced out of the window as well. "...well, I'll be damned..."

"…stay here!" Toki told Fargus, running off down the hall.

"Alright." Fargus nodded.

As Toki ran, she passed by Nage, who looked after her in wondering. "...Toki?" Quickly, she ran after her.

"Nage, King's group is out there!" Toki announced. "We gotta make sure and get to them before they walk off!"

"Wha- King's group?" Nage sputtered, and instantly picked up the pace.

Outside of the inn, coming from the wilderness, was King's troupe; all of them feeling pretty tired.

"…oh look, an inn…" Hunter pointed out with a yawn.

"...perhaps it'd be in our best interest to stay there for the night..." Queen hummed.

"...kekeke... especially since we haven't slept for a while, now..." Ripper murmured.

"Hey, don't go pointing fingers, you hear?" King sighed, as he rubbed his neck.

"…well…should we check in there, then?" Hunter wondered.

"...I say we do." Miser nodded.

"King!"

Hunter jumped at that voice, "Huh?" and he turned to see two figures quickly approaching them.

The others looked there as well, and King especially seemed surprised. "...Toki? Nage?"

"It really is you!" Nage uttered, as she waved at the group.

Toki actually threw her arms around King. "It's so good to see you guys!"

King hugged her back. "Fancy meeting you here!" he hummed.

Looking at Toki and Nage, Sage blinked. "...well, I'll be damned..."

Ripper glanced at Sage for that. "...what did you see, keke?"

Toki let King go. "Long story short, we found Cal and Natal and they're resting at the inn."

"...Cal and Natal?" King uttered. "...wait... weren't they at the base?"

"...seems like we have a lot more trouble than we bargained for." Sage uttered. "Everyone, let's regroup at the inn. Toki and Nage have a lot to tell us."

"Yeah," Toki agreed. "And you guys have a bunch to tell us!" With that, Toki took King's wrist and pulled him along. "C'mon!"

"Wha- hold on!" King sputtered, as he was pulled over to the inn; with Nage and the others following them.

* * *

><p>It took a while for everything to be explained, but it had to be done. King's group found out about what had happened to Cal and Natal, as well as their base being taken over by Corruption, and Toki, Fargus and Nage all found out the roots of the entire problem in the first place. When they were told that it was little Joy, or well, Malice inside of her, that started all of this, needless to say they were appalled. Eventually they finished with explaining things…<p>

…leaving Toki, Nage and Fargus just to comprehend the whole thing.

"...that's some heavy stuff..." Fargus murmured.

"...hard to believe..." Nage uttered.

"...well, that's how it is..." King murmured.

"…that poor kid…" Toki sighed.

"...and she's all alone on her own?" Nage uttered.

Sage nodded. "We're still looking for her..."

"...this whole situation is escalating rapidly..." Queen murmured.

Just then, King's communicator buzzed.

"_King, this is Milo."_

Hearing that, King was quick to respond. "King here. How're things on your end?"

"_Well, aside from a situation between Charon, Demi and Oblivion, we're okay,"_ Milo replied. _"We haven't found any trace of Joy yet._"

"...I see. The situation's the same on our side." King hummed. "...though, we did run into some familiar faces."

"_Really? Who'd you run into?"_ That was Ani's voice.

Nage gasped at hearing that. "...is... is that Ani?"

"_Oh no way! Is that you Nage?_" Ani's voice exclaimed.

"It IS me!" Nage called. "How're ya doing, Ani?"

"_Great! Wow, King wasn't kidding when he said they ran into some familiar faces!"_ Ani laughed.

Toki chuckled a bit. Fargus chuckled as well. "Now that's a pleasant surprise."

_"So, is it a friend of yours, Ani?"_ Jack hummed as well.

"_Yeah, she was a Safe Haven soldier guys!_" Ani said, presumably talking to the friends on her end. _"And you'll never believe this, but she's Espio's granddaughter!"_

"_WOW! Really?"_ Striker's voice uttered.

_"AWESOME!"_ Jack laughed. _"We should have her meet the Captain some time!"_

"_Speaking of which…" _Milo murmured. _"…Metal, come in, are you there?"_

_"...we're here."_ Metal's voice spoke.

"_How are you guys?"_ Milo asked.

_"...we're holding up. An ambush split us away from Lock and Stella, so now we're trying to reunite with them." _Metal responded.

"_Ambush?" _Milo inquired.

"_A rival of Lock's, named Mercy,"_ Boomer replied. _"…Patricia's gone and started infecting bounty hunters to go after us too…_"

"...tell us about it; Nage, Toki and Fargus saw it happen first-hand." King uttered.

"...she even got Cyrene..." Nage uttered in dismay.

Ani gasped. _"Oh no! She got to Cyrene?_"

"...yeah..." Nage nodded.

_"...hrm... this is getting out of hand too quickly."_ Metal murmured. _"...something tells me that we need to not only focus on finding Joy... but also stopping Patricia while we're at it..."_

"…_Demi didn't take to the news very well…_" Milo mumbled. _"…I mean, Patricia IS his aunt after all…"_

"...right..." Sage hummed.

"…that's something I didn't know…" Toki murmured. "…your friend has my condolences…"

"...indeed..." Fargus hummed.

"…_thanks…we'll be sure to tell him that,_" Milo replied.

"By the way, Natal and Cal are with us now," Hunter decided to mention.

"_What?_" That was Boomer.

_"Really?" _Newt sputtered.

_"...so they're safe..."_ Wiper hummed. _"...thank heavens..."_

"…but from what Toki, Nage and Fargus have told us, Natal now has Corruption coursing inside of her, similar to Cal," Hunter added. "…and Cal's running a fever, but they assure us that he's making a recovery."

_"...hrm..." _Wiper hummed.

_"...poor Natal and Cal... wish we could help them out."_ Jack pointed out.

"For now, they just need some rest is all," Toki said. "So don't worry. They're okay at least."

_"Right..."_ Newt hummed.

"…_Well, I guess we should leave you guys to get your rest for the night," _Milo finally said.

"...right. You all rest up as well." King hummed.

And with that, the communicator turned off. "...now... let's get some sleep." King murmured.

* * *

><p>Stella was trying hard to keep herself awake while she stepped tiredly after Lock. Sure, he was a bounty hunter, so he was probably used to lasting through the night…but Stella was just so beat tired she actually had to stop to lean against a tree, catching her breath.<p>

"...I suppose we should rest for the night." Lock hummed, as he came to a stop.

"…yeah…" Stella huffed. Then she felt her wound in her shoulder act up painfully, and she winced, holding to it. Luckily it was just her shoulder, and not anywhere vital like her heart…

…though it was awfully close to it.

Lock hummed, as he approached Stella. "...are you okay?"

"…yeah…I'll be fine…" she muttered. "…it just…still hurts…"

"...try sitting down." Lock suggested.

Stella kept herself against the tree, using it to slide down to a sit since she didn't want to try and use her arms at all. Thankfully, she was able to sit. Lock sat down by her side, before he looked up at the sky. Stella looked up at the sky too.

"…at least…the sky is clear tonight…" Stella murmured, for when she and Lock looked up, they could see the twinkling, star-filled night sky.

"...this is quite a nice view..." Lock hummed.

"Yes…it is…" Stella agreed, with her head resting against the tree tiredly. She was ready to fall asleep any minute now.

With a hum, Lock leaned against the tree as well; resting his head on Stella's good shoulder. Stella looked at that, and while she'd act extremely bashful about that, she was just simply too tired to care, letting his head rest there.

"...quite the turn of events, wouldn't you say?" Lock hummed.

"…yeah…" Stella mumbled, resting her head on his.

"...I usually sleep with the sky as my ceiling..." Lock hummed. "...but this would be the first time that I've had company while sleeping outdoors..."

"…same here…" Stella murmured. "…in fact…it's been so long since I was down on this planet…I was up in the Ark for so long…"

"...the view from up there must've been extraordinary... right?" Lock hummed.

"…it was…" Stella murmured. "…the planet is so huge…but it's got such a beautiful blue glow around it, Lock…and surrounded by all those stars…"

"...truly a beautiful sight..." Lock hummed.

"…it's almost as beautiful as…how I feel about you…" Stella's eyes fell closed, she was just so tired.

"...is that right...?" Lock hummed. "...care to elaborate?"

"…when you hugged me…I felt so warm…and…"

Then Stella's eyes shot open.

"UH! I-I mean-!" She jerked away from Lock, wide awake now and very much embarrassed with herself.

Lock simply looked at Stella with a bemused look.

"…I-it's nothing! Don't worry about it," Stella said finally.

Then she hissed, clutching to her shoulder wound.

"...I wouldn't call it nothing." Lock chuckled, as he removed his hat; simply looking at it.

Stella looked at the ground, biting her lip. "…but…you don't have to…worry about it…either way…"

"...why not?" Lock hummed, as he glanced at Stella. "I mean, you've had a crush on me ever since you first saw me, so confessing's just a logical turn of events."

Stella blinked at that, blushing even more. "…you…noticed…?"

He nodded. "I tend to notice things like that... though I'm surprised; you're the first one to actually have a crush on me."

Stella looked away from him. "…you must think I'm pretty silly…"

"...actually, no. I'm honestly quite flattered." Lock mused.

"…really…?" Stella responded quietly.

"Yes." Lock nodded. "In my line of work, respect and fame are things that quickly become routine after a while... but..." Then, he looked back at Stella. "...love is a rarity."

"…so…I didn't make you…uncomfortable about it…in any way?" Stella asked, feeling her heart quicken.

"...of course not." Lock hummed, as he placed his hat on the ground, before rising to his feet. "...better to get it off your chest than to let it fester, remember?"

"…right…" Stella said, standing up as well. She felt her heart beating even faster, and thanks to the blood flow speeding up, her wound started to act up and she whimpered again, clutching to it hard.

Lock hummed in concern, as he walked to Stella and looked at the wound in concern. "...hrm... the wound isn't exactly a welcome bonus..." he murmured.

Stella pulled her hand away, trying to breathe a bit easier, and then she noticed red stains on her hand.

"…uh oh…I'm bleeding again…" she muttered.

"...hrm..." Lock hummed, before glancing at his cloak. "...doesn't seem like my cloak works like a bandage..." Then, he gently helped Stella to sit back down. "I'll replace this..." Then, he quickly began unraveling the cloth caked with blood around her shoulder, before tearing his cloak again to replace the makeshift bandage.

Stella remained still to let him do this, and being this close to him just made her wound even worse. _Stop it…_ she told herself in her thoughts. _Stop beating so hard…_

Narrowing his eyes, Lock wrapped this tightly around her wound; hoping that it would help slow the flow of blood coming from there. "...tsch..."

Stella just tried to breathe, and with the new bandage in place, she was able to breathe a little easier. Her wound still hurt though, and she clutched to it again.

"...seems like the confession came at an inopportune moment..." Lock murmured, as he rubbed his chin.

"…at least…she didn't aim for my heart…" Stella uttered. "…otherwise…I probably would've been dead in seconds…"

"...best to look at the positives, huh..." Lock hummed, as he gave Stella a look.

"…yeah…" Stella murmured, looking back at him.

He gave her a small smile. Stella smiled back. This was the first time she had seen him smile like this…

…which of course, sped up her heart rate again and made her wound ache. Stella breathed unsteadily and clutched to it again. Lock's smile faded, as he gently set his hand on the wound. "...hrm..."

"…we should…get some rest…" Stella suggested.

"...right." Lock hummed.

Stella relaxed a bit, and found that she was tired once again.

"...you lie down... I'll keep watch." Lock told her.

"…right…" Stella really wasn't going to argue there, and slowly, she laid herself onto the ground, letting her dizzy exhaustion take over. Lock simply sat by her; looking down at her.

Within moments, Stella fell fast asleep, breathing steadily and easily. Lock gave her a glance, before looking up at the sky. _...to think... someone would fall in love with me. Hm... wonder what mother would have said, if she knew... _Then, he smiled. _...though... it is a pleasant feeling..._

"Aw…isn't that adorable?"

His smile faded, and he spun around to where the voice came from. "...Mercy."

"…I'd never thought I'd see the day when a girl fell for the famous Lock the Sniper," sneered the rabbit, stepping out of the shadows of the trees. "…or that he'd really feel the same way back."

"...hm." Lock hummed, as he narrowed his eyes. "...if you think you've found a weak spot to exploit, Mercy, forget it."

"Oh no, no, don't worry," Mercy chuckled. "I'm not gonna try that now; I know you better than that…besides…I might leave that up to Patricia…"

"...she'll regret it." Lock hummed, as he folded his arms. "...so, you've really sunk this low? Taking orders in exchange for power... that's not what being a bounty hunter is about, and you know it."

"Hey, I'm done with the bounty hunter business, okay?" Mercy scoffed. "Now all I want is to see you pay for taking that bounty years ago. It cost me a lot Lock…_a lot_…"

Lock narrowed his eyes. "...how could losing one bounty make you want to swear such a vendetta against me, to begin with?"

Mercy frowned. "…because like you, Lock, I had somebody I had to take care of…but because I couldn't pay for the surgery they needed…they died."

Lock narrowed his eyes. "...condolences." he hummed. "...seems like either way, one of us would have suffered."

"Yep, but see here," Mercy started. "Patricia promised me that she'd bring back my loved one if I worked for her. That's why I'd be more than happy to hunt down you and your friends and kill _every last one of you_…"

Lock narrowed his eyes further. "...Mercy... you're being played for a fool." he spoke in a serious tone. "It's true; Corruption can raise people from the dead... but they do not come back as they were in their previous life."

"So?" Mercy grumbled. "I'd prefer that than nothing at all."

"You don't understand." Lock hissed. "By resurrecting someone via Corruption, you've effectively doomed their souls to eternal torment... and all you're left with is a monster of darkness. Would you really want that to happen, Mercy?"

"…I've already done that to myself, so there's really no point anymore, Lock," Mercy grumbled. "So don't give me your pathetic attempts to try and convince me otherwise…"

Lock narrowed his eyes. "...listen, Mercy..." Then, he closed them. "...I'm the one you want. If you were willing to sink this low just to get at me... there's really no need to involve anyone else."

"…so noble…and yet so thick-headed…" Mercy muttered.

Lock looked back at Mercy. "...when you've killed every last one of us, and had Patricia resurrect your loved ones... then what will you do? Do you honestly intend to serve her for the remainder of your existence?"

"I don't know," Mercy replied. "It depends on whether or not the Corruption drives me crazy enough to make me commit suicide." She gave Lock a sharp glare. "I know that in the end, I'm not going to survive this…but I'm taking my chances if it means taking you down, Lock the Sniper…"

Lock shook his head. "...if you're so set on this that you're willing to die..." Then, he folded his arms. "...then mark my words, Mercy; I'll ensure that you live through this."

"…hmph…" Mercy turned to walk away. "Enjoy your little puppy love while you still can…" and with that, she was gone.

Lock narrowed his eyes, before he closed them. _...pity that I can't channel Purity... I suppose I need to let Metal purify her..._

Just then, Stella shivered in the cold of the night. Lock glanced at her, and sat down by her. _...hrm..._ With a slight hum, he actually removed his cloak, and placed it over her. Stella clasped some of it and pulled it over her shoulder. After that, she didn't shiver anymore, and she slept more peacefully. With a slight sigh, Lock looked at where Mercy once was. _...seems like things are getting out of hand... I hope we'll reunite soon, Metal…_

* * *

><p>After getting some good food in her stomach, Joy felt a lot better. She returned to the living room, watching some TV with Odium…<p>

"...hm... it's around that time..." Odium hummed, before she looked at Joy. "...if you hear some sounds from the study, don't question it, alright?"

"…um…m'kay," Joy replied with a nod.

With that, Odium looked back at the TV. "...alright... what's on, I wonder..."

Joy, once again, looked around at the things on the walls. This was a fancy place for sure; lots of paintings, pictures, wall decorations… and while looking around, she spotted something lying in a corner. "…what's that?" Joy asked Odium, pointing to it.

"...oh, one of Rascal's old toys." Odium hummed. "He hasn't touched it in ages, though..."

Joy blinked, looking back at it, and got off the couch to go pick it up. It was an action figure of what seemed to be some kind of samurai warrior. It was covered in dust from not seeing any form of use, though. Joy rubbed the dust off of it, and she found that the limbs on the action figure still worked when she moved them.

It brought a smile to her face. Odium simply looked at her with a bemused look.

"…this toy makes me think of someone I knew," Joy spoke. "…his name was Krieg Verruga…and he wore armor just like this, but he had lots more swords…"

"...Krieg, huh..." Odium hummed. "...friend of yours?"

"…yeah…" Joy said. "…he was big, and strong, and brave…but he died two years ago…"

"...sorry to hear that." Odium hummed.

Joy smiled again, looking at the action figure. If Rascal wasn't going to play with it…

"…HEY!"

A hand suddenly snatched it out of her grasp and Joy gasped, looking at a mad Rascal. "I told you not to touch _any_ of my toys!" he yelled.

"...oh, for crying out loud." Odium groaned. "You haven't touched that thing for ages; what's it gonna hurt if she plays a little with it?"

"But it's still _MY_ toy!" Rascal yelled at Odium. "Mom said that nobody's allowed to touch my toys if I say so!"

"Well, she's the same girl who said that you and Joy could play together. How's she able to play if you won't let her touch your toys?" Odium pointed out.

"She can _watch_ me play with my toys!" Rascal said, folding his arms with a grunt. "I don't want her getting her dirty hands on anything!"

…_are you sick of this brat as much as I am?_ Asked Malice in Joy's head.

…_he…he's not nice at all…he's acting selfish, and mean…_ Joy thought bitterly, clenching her fists.

"...you know, squirt, there's this thing called 'hospitality'. Didn't your mom ever teach you that?" Odium murmured in an apathetic tone.

"Why would I need to know something about a hospital?" Rascal groaned. Then he glared at Joy and stuck a finger in her chest. "Next time you touch any of my toys, I'm gonna tell my Mom, and she'll kick you out of this house!"

…_wanna do something about that?_ Malice suggested.

_But that wouldn't make me any better than him…_ Joy thought.

_No, but it'd just make you a big pushover, _Malice retorted. _Then again, that'd be just like you. If you can't fight me, then why would you fight a kid yelling at you for touching his toy?_

"Did you hear me?" Rascal suddenly shoved Joy.

…and that was a bad choice.

It made Joy snap, and with one, wide-eyed glare at Rascal, a blast knocked the little bat clear across the living room.

That practically made Odium choke on the air itself, as she looked at Joy in absolute surprise. "...the fuck?"

Joy's eyes flashed to an icy blue, and she walked toward Rascal who started bawling his eyes out.

"I'm gonna tell my Mom!" Rascal sobbed, but then the ewe grabbed him by his neck and held him up, making him shudder with her ice cold stare.

"I'm so fucking sick of hearing your pathetic little whining and sniveling," growled a demonic Malice. "You think your mother intimidates me? You haven't seen the worst…"

"...whoa, _whoa, __**whoa.**_" Quickly, Odium pulled Joy away from Rascal. "The fuck happened to you, kid?"

Her eyes flashed back to green and she held her head, whimpering and trying to keep from crying. "Odium, get away…" she uttered. "…get away…she'll hurt you too…"

"...wait, who'll hurt me?" Odium uttered in a baffled tone. "Joy, you think you could explain to me what the fuck's going on?"

Her eyes turned blue and shot a cold glare at Odium, and Odium was blasted off of her as well.

"GAH!" Odium cried out, as she slammed against the wall; clutching to her side in pain. "_Fuck!_ That hurts!"

Malice then looked back at Rascal, who was taking off down the hall. "MOM!" he screamed.

And Malice ran after him.

Rascal made it to the door to the study, pounding on the door. "MOM! HELP! SHE'S GONNA GET ME!" he wailed in panic.

Then Malice made it to him, grabbing him and slamming him against the wall again. The door opened and Desire gasped when she saw the situation. "What in the world are you doing to my son?"

Malice turned and gave Desire a grin…which sent shivers down the bat's spine. "…we're playing a game…just like you said we should," she chuckled.

"No, Mom, NO!" Rascal wept. "Don't listen to her!"

"Would you like to play with us…Desire?" Malice asked, which only served to scare Desire even more.

"...h-hey!" At that point, Odium managed to stumble through the halls, glaring at Malice. "...ya wanna explain what the fuck you are, kid?"

Malice smirked now, and threw Rascal away. When the bat got to his feet, he noticed something growing around his neck, which was a black slimy goo. "Ew..EW EW EW!" He started to scream out of disgust… and then he started to scream in pain, while trying to claw the stuff off of him to no avail.

Desire stepped back a bit. "…an abomination is what you are…"

Odium's eyes widened. "...what are you..."

Malice started stepping toward Desire, which made her more afraid. "S-stay away from me!"

"But I want you to play with us, Desire…" Malice chuckled. When Desire spun to run away, Malice lurched out and grabbed her by her dress, growing claws and scratching her on the leg. Desire let out a yelp and fell…and soon, black goo grew from the scratch on her leg that Malice gave her.

She, too, screamed out in pain while the goo spread, causing an unimaginable nightmare for both her and Rascal.

Seeing that, Odium looked at Desire... and her eyes narrowed. "...oh no, you don't!" Quickly, she ran towards Desire's side.

"Oh Odium! Save me!" Desire uttered hopefully.

Quickly, Odium knelt by Desire's sides, and placed a hand on her side, which was still unaffected by the goo. "...alright..."

And, with that, she just snatched Desire's wallet and various assorted valuables from her pocket.

Desire was shocked. "Wha-what are you DOING?"

Odium looked at her. "...I dunno what that goo is, but... I'd rather not have it swallow your valuables, Desire."

"…_WHAT?"_ Desire screamed, making Malice laugh.

"That's just too perfect," Malice laughed. "Your stepdaughter wants to leave you to your doom…I gotta say, that she's really smart doing that."

"…in fact…" Malice chuckled, stepping menacingly toward Odium with her hand emitting Corrupted energy. "…I could use someone like you…"

Odium shot Malice a nervous look at that...

"...you will do no such thing, Malice."

And in that instant, a pale-yellow aura suddenly surrounded the ewe, as she was hoisted up into the air by an invisible force.

"Hm?" Malice looked at who wielded that force. "…ah, the fortune telling guy…"

"...dad?" Odium uttered, as she looked back into the study; where Bismark had turned to face Malice.

"...I will not have my flesh and blood turned by that dark force, Malice." he spoke in a cold tone.

"But you're going to leave your wife and your step-son to suffer?" Malice presumed. "Some dysfunctional family you have there."

"...they're not my flesh and blood." Bismark scoffed. "They're nothing but a whore of a woman and her little bastard of a son who thought they could leech off my wealth... honestly, this might be an improvement for them."

"...geez, dad... that's cold..." Odium uttered. "...not that they don't deserve it, but still..."

Desire gawked at Bismark in shock. "…Bismark…" and right after that, the black goo consumed her, much like Rascal. The two of them fell limp on the ground.

"…that ought to keep them quiet for a little bit," Malice chuckled.

"...indeed." Bismark hummed, before he looked at Malice with a narrowed look. "...it's happening just as I predicted it..."

"And there's the fortune telling again," Malice sighed. "Look, unlike innocent little Joy who likes to believe in fairy tales, I'm actually a bit of a skeptic on that."

"...so you're saying that you don't believe in my powers." Bismark mused, as he rubbed his chin. "...then... would you believe me if I told you about your actual parents?"

"Oh?" Malice actually grew curious.

"...you're only vaguely aware of what they caused when they still roamed the earth..." Bismark hummed, as he narrowed his eyes. "...but I've foreseen everything that had transpired between them... their quest to grow stronger... their lust for one another... even their demise..."

"…really?" Malice asked with interest, rubbing her chin. "…you know…Joy didn't really know much to begin with…"

"...hm." Bismark hummed. "...so, I take it that you have more reason to believe me, now?"

"Don't know," Malice said. "I'd have to-?"

Malice suddenly groaned, and held her head. _…what…?_

Bismark and Odium looked at her with a slightly surprised look.

Her eyes turned green again, and tears came from them. "…stop it Malice…" Joy uttered. "…stop it…no more…" and she started to cry in her hands.

Bismark blinked.

"...k-kid?" Odium uttered.

Joy just continued to cry into her hands.

Bismark simply hummed.

Odium eventually simply placed a hand on Joy. "...geez..."

"…aw…the poor little baby is crying…"

Joy gasped and looked up with a startled jump.

The two black figures slowly rose to their feet, looking at them. "...oh, fuck..." Odium uttered, as she moved Joy away from them.

Bismark, however, simply glared at these figures.

The one that was Rascal slowly became the little guy, only his appearance was darker and creepier looking; part of his face plastic looking like a toy with a plastic eye, and even a toy-like arm and leg.

Desire's dress was ripped with black lace stockings, and she had grown more of a feminine figure with larger breasts.

"...mother of god..." Odium uttered, as she inched more towards Bismark.

"...so... that's what Corruption can do to people..." Bismark mused.

Desire glared at Bismark. "…you bastard…" she growled.

Bismark looked at her. "...hm?"

"…all those years of abusing your power on me…" she started, approaching him. "…humiliating me by making me your sex bitch…manipulating the role of who had power over who…"

Bismark simply glared at her. "...your point being?" he hummed; not the least bit worried about her approaching him.

Desire stopped before him.

"…I don't know whether to be extremely pissed off…or aroused."

Bismark looked at her. "...hm?"

"…sure, you used me, and even against my will…but…that dominance…" Desire hummed. "…I don't know if it's this power that took over me or not…but I can't help but admire that force and aggression…"

"...you're certainly a fickle woman." Bismark remarked.

"…you messed me up Bismark," Desire said, pointing at him. "…but at the same time…I feel like I can't get enough of what you were doing to me…" Then she walked closer to him with a seductive look. "…so…how about it…?"

"...uh... you want us to leave, or something?" Odium uttered.

Bismark, however, kept looking at Desire with a hum. "...there is one thing that you're not seeing." he noted. "If we do it, then who's to say if Corruption would envelop me as well?"

"I don't know Bismark; right now it's feeling pretty good…" Desire hummed. "…what's to lose if you _did_ get enveloped in it? You'd get much more power…"

"No!" Joy yelled. "Corruption is bad! _Very _bad! It makes others go insane if it stays inside them!"

"Oh shut up you big baby!" Rascal yelled at her with an evil little grin.

"...no; I'd say that she has a point." Bismark hummed. "I've seen the effect it has... and I would much rather keep my hands clean of its filth."

"...dad..." Odium uttered.

Desire set her hands on her hips. "So, when you get an opportunity to not only gain a new power, but actually fuck me senseless of my own free will…you turn it down?" And she grew angry. "You turn _me_ down?"

"...if agreeing to this will cause me to suffer such unspeakable torment that has run through our family... then yes." Bismark hummed, as he shot a fierce glare at Desire. "I turn you down, you _filth._"

Desire growled and glared back at him, clenching her hands into fists.

"You don't call my Mom filth!" Rascal yelled, quickly walking toward him, when Desire held out her hand to stop him. "…Mom…?"

Bismark still glared at Desire.

"...geez..." Odium uttered, as she still held Joy.

"…let's go Rascal," Desire huffed.

Rascal was shocked. "B-But Mom?"

"We're obviously not wanted here," Desire grumbled. "…but I'll make you pay Bismark…and in the end, you'll be the one begging for me…this time, I'll make sure of it."

And she turned, taking Rascal by his toy hand and dragging him off.

"...hmph." Bismark scoffed once they were gone. "Good riddance."

"...fuck, that was bizarre..." Odium uttered, before she looked at Joy. "...you okay, Joy?"

Joy nodded shakily.

"...she thinks that she'll make me beg..." Bismark hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...hmph. Fool woman. She'll face her own end in a fitting manner."

"...wait... so you see that she's a goner?" Odium uttered.

Bismark simply remained silent, as he slowly glanced at Joy. Joy looked back at Bismark uneasily.

"...you're afraid, aren't you?" he hummed.

Joy nodded.

Bismark hummed. "...you're still a welcome guest in my household for the night." he said. "What you intend to do in the morning is really none of my concern; if you choose to stay or keep going is up to you."

Joy nodded again at that. "...right, then... let's get you to a bedroom." Bismark hummed, as he glanced at Odium. Nodding, she began leading Joy out of the study.

* * *

><p><em><strong>All in a day for the Novagod Family...Odium seems the most normal one XD<strong>_**_ Besides Demi of_ course...**


	20. Chapter 19

Stella stirred a little bit…and then she heard some of the Flickies chirping, which made her rub her eyes and sit up, yawning.

Then she realized that she had something wrapped around her, and looking down, it was Lock's trench coat. "…huh?"

"...you're awake." Lock hummed, as he was leaning against a tree; giving her a nod.

Stella looked back at Lock. "…you gave me your trench coat?" she said in amazement. "…but…weren't you cold?"

"...no." Lock shrugged. "You were the one who was cold. I just figured that I'd help you out."

Stella blinked at him, and then turned away to hide a little smile. "…thanks…"

"...no problem." Lock hummed.

With her working arm, she held to the tree to stand up, and she picked up the trench coat to hand to Lock. "Here."

Lock took the coat with a nod. "...thank you."

Stella nodded. "…we should start walking, right?"

Lock nodded as he put his coat back on. "...better to not dwindle." he mused, as he put his hat back on his head.

"…right…" Stella said. "…then…I'm sure you should probably lead the way then."

Nodding, Lock began heading off, and Stella followed closely behind. She touched her wound on her shoulder in content. It felt better today than it did yesterday. She just hoped it wouldn't act up.

"...doing better, I hope?" Lock hummed.

"Yeah," Stella replied.

That wasn't it either. Since Lock told her he had been aware of her little crush, she should've been more nervous… but she was actually a bit more relaxed, knowing that she didn't have to try and hide so much. She still didn't really know if Lock felt anything for her back, but hearing that he had been flattered about it, must be good news at least.

With a hum, Lock kept walking ahead of her.

Meanwhile, with Metal's group in the distance of the same forest, everyone was waking up there too.

"...hrm... everyone sleep well?" Wiper yawned, as he rubbed his neck a little.

"Yep!" Rudy laughed, hopping up. "Rise and shine everybody!"

Boomer sat up with a yawn, and she went over to Charmy to shake him gently. "Captain, time to wake up…" she murmured.

But Charmy didn't respond.

"…Captain?" Boomer uttered.

That prompted the others to look over there as well. "...is something wrong?" Proxy uttered.

"Captain!" Boomer called out, shaking him more roughly.

Finally, Charmy did respond, but with hoarse, rough coughing.

"C-Captain?" Quickly, Newt ran over to his side as well, followed by Metal, Wiper and Proxy.

"…I'm…fine…" Charmy spoke, but his voice sounded very cracked and dry, and very weak.

"Oh Captain, you've gotten worse!" Boomer uttered.

"Geez, this ain't good!" Newt uttered. "We gotta get him to a hospital, or something, y'know!"

"It's just…a nasty cold…" Charmy tried to insist, but he was so weak he couldn't even sit up when he tried.

"…hey!" Rudy spoke out. "Maybe Metal could heal him!"

"...maybe so." Metal uttered, as he amassed some Purity around his hands.

"No!"

Boomer jumped at that. "…C-Captain?"

Charmy finally sat up, and then coughed some more. "…you don't need to heal something….as trivial as a cold…" he croaked. "…it'll heal on it's own…"

"...Charmy, don't be stubborn." Metal uttered. "You're barely able to sit straight... we don't want to lose you."

"…I might be old…but I'm not weak…" Charmy grumbled. "…I got plenty of fight in me…and I want to fight this cold by myself…"

"...Charmy..." Metal uttered, as he glanced down at the ground.

_**"...in that case, continuing pursuit of Joy is ill-advised."**_ Omega shot in from where he stood. _**"We would lose valuable time if one of us are compromised by illness."**_

"…besides…" Charmy coughed. "…it would be better….for us to stay put…so that Lock and Stella can find us…" and then he coughed some more.

"Somebody at least get him SOMETHING warm to wrap up in!" Boomer uttered.

"Agh- right!" Quickly, Newt scurried to find a warm blanket for Charmy.

Rudy stood there, looking at Charmy worriedly.

Eventually, Newt came back with a blanket that he wrapped around Charmy.

Metal sighed, as he dispelled the Purity. "...very well..."

Charmy wrapped the blanket around him tightly, coughing into it.

"…c'mon Rudy," Boomer said, standing up. "Let's go get some firewood to build a fire."

"Kay!" Rudy and Boomer disappeared into the woods then.

That left the others to simply sit down; glancing worriedly at Charmy.

* * *

><p>Jill just sat back in her couch, sighing a bit. Depression set in on her again, and she just felt like she didn't want to do anything today. She didn't want to have to deal with her check-up officers, or at least she didn't want to have to deal with Trash. She wouldn't have minded Brawn; he was fairly decent company. Even then, she just didn't want to be bothered…<p>

…and yet she still felt really lonely…it just felt empty inside without hearing her giggling daughter playing with Tails Doll or without having any kind of conversation with Metal. She may still have Tails Doll, but…it just isn't the same…she was all alone in this house.

And just really depressed.

At that point, a knock came at the door.

Jill sighed, and slowly got up, ambling down the hall to open the door.

What met her when she opened the door, however, was a curious sight. There stood Trash... only someone was standing behind him; covering his face with a cloth of sorts. Not to mention, Trash was clearly out-cold.

Jill blinked at this. "…huh…?"

"...bastard was carrying chlorophome with 'im. I can only guess what he was planning." With a scoff, the one holding Trash tossed him down the stairs. "...how're you holding up?" As it turned out, the one standing in front of Jill was Will.

Jill just blinked. She did not expect Will at her doorstep like this. "…uh…"

"...okay, you're speechless. Guess that's an answer." Will noted dryly. "Are you just moping around, Jill?"

"…yeah…" Jill finally answered with a sigh.

"...seems to me like you just need someone to talk to." Will noted, as he walked into the apartment. "And not those GUN bozos, either; they're bad company... well, the toad is, anyway."

"…tell me about it…" Jill murmured, closing the door behind Will.

"...I think this is the first time I've actually been up here..." Will hummed, as he rubbed his chin a little. "...looks cozy, at least."

"…yeah, it is for the most part…" Jill murmured, going over to sit back on the couch.

"...a lot better than the barracks, I can tell you that much." Will hummed, as he sat down on a chair.

"…why did you and your group decide to live on Safe Haven Will?" Jill asked. "That's actually something I'm very curious about…"

Will hummed. "...to be honest... it wasn't really a group until we got to Safe Haven. Marco, Ed, Seymour and I were off in different parts of the continent, and when we got to Safe Haven, we grouped up." Then, he looked at the ceiling. "...I can't speak for why the others came here, though; that's more on them..."

"…I see…" Jill responded.

"...but... why I came here?" Will hummed, before he closed his eyes. "...now there's food for thought... why did I come here, anyway..." And he scratched his neck. "...oh, yeah, now I remember... but it's pretty pathetic, to be honest."

"…what?" Jill asked.

"...well..." Will hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...my last girlfriend broke up with me; saying that she was embarrassed of me for not being a lot stronger. I got pissed, and just to stick it to her, I immediately jumped on the chance of being a soldier at Safe Haven. Since then... I've had no reason to leave, so this is where I've been ever since."

"Ah, I see," Jill said, nodding.

"...like I said, sounds pretty pathetic, right?" Will chuckled.

"Well, it's not that bad," Jill told him. "…lots of soldiers came here to Safe Haven either to get stronger or start anew, whatever reasoning they have behind it…"

"True, true..." Will hummed.

Jill sat back on the couch and sighed again. "…I could use a drink…" and she rubbed her temples. "…being a mom, I had to stop drinking alcohol…but it's something I could use right now…"

Will hummed. "Pity about the house arrest, though..." Then, he rubbed his chin.

"…knowing anything…that toad's just looking for a reason to lengthen my sentence…" Jill sighed. "…I mind as well assume that I'm never going to leave my house…"

"...hey, don't look so down." Will hummed. "You're getting out of here some day; no worries."

Then, he held up a bottle of liquor he had been hiding; handing it to her. "...courtesy of the rebellion." he chuckled.

Jill was actually fairly surprised, taking the liquor bottle. "…gee…thanks," she said.

"No problem." Will hummed.

Jill looked down at it. "…yeah…I think I'll save this; hide it somewhere," She said. "Don't wanna get drunk with Trash around…and I might even use this against him." She chuckled at the thought of getting Trash drunk.

Will chuckled as well. "That'd be a good use of alcohol, alright."

Jill looked back up at him. "Thanks again Will…and not just about the alcohol, but at least giving me some company…"

"...it's the least I could do." he hummed with a shrug.

Jill looked down the hall toward her front door. "…you're not just gonna leave him down there, are you?"

"Nah." Will hummed, before he grinned. "I'm gonna prop him up in some embarrassing position somewhere. That'll be a fun topic of conversation when he wakes up."

Jill smiled, and even snickered at that a little.

"I'm meeting with the others later today, so I'll tell 'em that I paid you a visit." Will hummed, as he stood up. "You want me to send them a message from you?"

"Sure," Jill said. "Just tell them all I said hi."

"I will." Will chuckled, as he headed out of the door. "Take care, Jill."

"…see ya…" Jill replied.

* * *

><p>"…okay…well, that's not separating them very well," Patricia muttered.<p>

"…I wanted to separate just Lock from the group," Mercy growled. "…I wanted him alone…but him and his girlfriend do just as nicely; it leaves me with some leverage… other than that, the Captain of the Chaotix seems to have developed a nasty cold, so they aren't going anywhere for the time being…"

"…so that was just a way to stall for time, I see…" Patricia murmured. "…in that case, use that time to go find more capable soldiers to infect. I see the ones you had weren't quite good enough…"

Mercy nodded, and with that, she walked away.

Patricia sighed, and walked into the base. Being a leader took more work than she thought, but it wasn't like she couldn't handle it…

"...having some problems, Patricia?"

"Not necessarily," Patricia responded, turning to the voice that spoke to her. "Just someone being picky about how to handle things, is all…"

"I see." Leaning against the wall, Bulk rubbed his bloody knuckles against his chest. "I suppose that's to be understood... what about that cat you picked up in Station Square? How's she holding up?"

"She's doing fairly well, actually," Patricia answered. "She's eager to go to Safe Haven where apparently she has a boyfriend, but I assured her that once we're ready to attack Safe Haven, she could go there."

Bulk chuckled. "More lovebirds being taken by Corruption..." he mused with a laugh, before he glanced to the side. "...speaking of... I should probably tell ya... the lovebirds flew the coop."

Patricia's eyes widened. "What?"

"My reaction as well." Bulk hummed. "I went to check on them after interrogating the Sergeant some more, and lo and behold, they weren't there."

Patricia grunted, folding her arms. "…well…they're probably not much of a threat to us anyway…" she finally murmured. "And even then, they probably wouldn't get too far out there…they might even be dead by now judging how long they went without eating or sleeping." .

"...best not to let our guard down, though." Bulk pointed out. "Even a wounded fox can cause some damage when cornered."

"…right…" Patricia said, nodding. "…So, did you get anything out of the Sergeant?"

"...a little, but not much." Bulk noted. "He told me that the base is in some mountainous region; but he hasn't told me which one." Then, he smirked. "Still... he's cracking. A little more..."

Patricia smirked. "…that's really good."

"...so, I have a question." Bulk hummed, as he glanced at Patricia. "When the Sergeant finally tells us everything we need from him... do we just kill him, or corrupt him?"

"…he has a strong will, if he's kept up torturing all this time…" Patricia said. "…so while he might be able to handle the Corruption, he might turn on us when he gets enough power…I say we kill him."

"...right; just wanted to make sure." Bulk chuckled. "Can't wait to finally beat the shit out of him until he's nothing more than a bloody goddamn pulp underneath me..."

Patricia chuckled at that. "…but until then, we gotta keep him alive so we can get that information."

"Of course." Bulk chuckled, as he looked back at Patricia. "So, got any plans aside from corrupting more hapless fools roaming about?"

"Aside from planning an assault on Safe Haven when we're ready to, nothing else," Patricia replied.

"I see." Bulk hummed, before rubbing his chin. "...see, that's funny; I've got to let the Sergeant rest up for a bit before I pummel him for more info, so I've got nothing else to do at the moment, too..."

"…maybe we could use some training with this stuff to see how well we can use it," Patricia suggested.

"True enough; we haven't really fought since we took over the base..." Bulk hummed. "...how about we hop on over to the dark void and train there?"

"Sure," Patricia nodded. Nodding, Bulk opened up a dark vortex underneath them, which he leapt into. Patricia leaped in after him.

When they landed in the dark void, Bulk grinned. "...alright; what do we do? Just hurl the stuff around? Use it to manipulate the surroundings?"

"I guess so," Patricia said.

"...alright..." With a chuckle, Bulk glanced at Patricia with a smirk. "...how about we make it interesting? If you win, you can think of something that you'd want me to do for ya. But if I win... I fuck the hell out of you again. Sound like a plan?"

"Sure," Patricia said with a shrug. "I've not nothing to lose."

"...alrighty!" With a laugh, Bulk suddenly stomped his foot into the ground with enough force to send a shockwave of Corruption at Patricia. Patricia leaped up and flew with her wings. Then she swung her hands and shot a wave of Corruption at him. Bulk was quick to cross his arms; letting his scales take the brunt of that attack. With a laugh, Bulk began waving his arms around; which actually caused massive, dark hands to appear in the air around Patricia to claw at her. Patricia managed to fly around them, and even whipped her hands at them…

…cutting them up somehow.

"Hm?" She looked at her hand, and noticed she had blades there. "…cool." And she shot at Bulk to slash at him. Again, Bulk raised his arms to have his scales take the attack; leaving him with barely a scratch. With her in close range, he was quick to aim a Corruption-imbued punch at her gut.

Patricia was knocked back a little ways, but she stopped herself in the air. "You're pretty strong."

"Well, I _was_ locked away for a reason, you know." Bulk chuckled. "Bet you didn't know that they had to reinforce my cell before tossing me in there?"

"Really now?" Patricia asked with interest.

"Yeah." Bulk chuckled. "They had to keep me locked in a cage meant to house wild animals while they reinforced the cell; because they were afraid that I'd tear the regular cell to pieces in an instant."

"Guess I don't blame them," Patricia chuckled back.

"...say, I guess we never did find out what the other got caught for." Bulk hummed. "How about you tell me how GUN busted you to begin with?"

"Well, you saw me hooked up to those chains, right?" Patricia said.

Bulk chuckled. "Guess it must've been something really serious. I'm surprised that they didn't reinforce your cell as well."

"Well, they spent their time reinforcing the chains," Patricia said. "…I was just a really dangerous criminal is all…"

"No kidding?" Bulk chuckled, as he approached Patricia. "So what was it? Robbery? Arson? Mass murder?"

"All that and more," Patricia told him. "I did so much that once they finally did capture me, they sentenced me to death immediately…but no matter how many times they tried…I just wouldn't die." She looked at herself. "They shot me, put me in the electric chair, drowned me…all that, and I still managed to come back out alive somehow…"

"...wow; guess you didn't even need Corruption to survive." Bulk quipped. "Makes me seem tame in comparison."

"Well, my bro did some weird stuff to me when we were growing up…guess all of that made up for something," Patricia said with a shrug.

"I see..." Bulk chuckled. "...well, at the very least, I can say that I've done shit that'd make the lowest criminal cringe at the thought."

"Really?" Patricia asked. "What have you done?"

"...well, let's see... arson, murder, robberies, kidnapping, the works." Bulk hummed, as he smirked. "While the acts themselves might seem tame... it's what I've personally done to _individuals_ that got me my reputation."

"Oh?" Patricia grew more interested.

Bulk's grin grew wider, as he stepped even closer to Patricia. "...I haven't just killed, oh no... I've _tortured. _See, I'm a big fan of the concept of pain; you can feel it in so many fun ways... be it physical or mental. So, a broken arm here, some crushed ribs there, even some dismembering on the side... and of course, getting someone's _family_ involved. It's really wholesome fun, to see someone start crying because you're threatening to _eat their daughter..._"

"Sounds pretty brutal," Patricia chuckled.

"You'd better believe it." Bulk chuckled. "And I loved every second of it."

"Good; that's something I like to hear," Patricia said. "Means you don't hesitate."

"That's right."

And in that instant, Bulk suddenly grabbed Patricia in an iron grip; pinning her down against the ground. "I don't hesitate about _anything._"

Patricia was actually fairly surprised about that.

"If I see something I want, I grab it... and if I want something, nothing's gonna stop me from getting it. Not GUN, not Team Alpha... _nothing._" Bulk chuckled.

"…damn, _that's_ ambition," Patricia chuckled.

"Yeah, it is." Bulk chuckled.

"Alright Bulk, I admit defeat this time," Patricia said. "You win."

"Good." Bulk hummed. "You know that that means, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Patricia replied.

"...not looking forward to it?" Bulk chuckled.

"I don't care either way," Patricia shrugged.

"Aaaw, pity." Bulk chuckled. "I want you to enjoy it as well."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Let's move on...<strong>_

* * *

><p>That morning, Hunter sat up and yawned. "…it sure is nice to be sleeping in a bed again after a while…" he murmured, getting up. "…wonder if anyone else is awake…<p>

And he went out into the hall.

In the hall, he noticed Queen and Sage walking out of their own rooms; both of them rubbing their eyes somewhat drowsily.

"…Queen, Sage, good morning," Hunter greeted.

"...good morning, Hunter." Queen hummed.

"The others haven't gotten up yet, it seems..." Sage mused.

"…hm..." Hunter hummed at that.

"...I'm sure that they'll be up soon, though." Sage chuckled.

Hunter's stomach growled suddenly, and he looked at it sheepishly.

"...let's go get some food." Queen hummed.

"Yeah…" Hunter agreed.

In King's room, however…

…there was a tapping at his window. "...ngh...?" With a yawn, King slowly sat up, and glanced towards the window.

There was a hawk out there, poking at the window, tilting its head at King. King recognized the bird because it was the bird that went back and forth between him and Tasha years ago, when they were sending each other letters.

Speaking of which, the hawk was wearing a container around it with a letter inside of it.

King's eyes widened, as he quickly opened the window. The hawk fluttered a bit at that, but remained on the window sill, staring at King.

"...you... got a letter for me?" he uttered, as he looked at the hawk.

The hawk hopped toward King, close enough so that he could reach into the container that it was wearing. King quickly reached into the container, and pulled out what was within it.

It was a letter, indeed. Quickly, King began reading it.

_Dear Twilight…_

_I have heard what is going on from Jill; that you and the others are out looking for Joy…I am glad to at least know that you are safe, and I am safe as well, so that you wouldn't worry. I do not like the things that are going on at Safe Haven, however…_

_Jill is kept under house arrest, and is visited by two unpleasant individuals of the military; one named Trash, who doesn't seem to obey his command very well, and another named Brawn; an unintelligent brute of pure strength. Trash is the worst of the two, always trying to get away with things while the military isn't looking. I was even confronted by him in the worst of situations, but thankfully, Will was there to look out for me._

_A rebellion has started up against the military, with acts of protest such as dumping their cargo overseas, or ruining their equipment in various ways. It helps keep the soldiers happy and laughing…but things are beginning to go a chaotic route…I fear for what may happen in the future… but at least know that we are all doing our best to hold up here._

_I just miss you my love…and I hope to see you again soon._

_Tasha._

Reading this, King remained frozen on the spot. To read something from his beloved, after his prolonged absence... it struck him...

The hawk stood there, watching him.

"...I need to write her back." Quickly, King began scrambling around the room, looking for pen and paper.

The hawk squawked at him, pointing its beak into the container.

There was already some paper and a pen in there. Seeing that, King smiled, before quickly taking the pen and paper, and writing a reply.

"...Tasha... words can't describe how relieved I am for hearing from you, even if things seem at their worst over there... we've run into some old friends that used to stay on Safe Haven, along with Cal and Natal, who we were separated from for a while... though we're not any closer to finding Joy, we're still searching... send my regards to the others... your beloved, King."

Once he finished writing, he put the pen and paper back into the container. "...fly, now... may you be swift in delivering my message..."

With that, the hawk spun around and flew away into the sky. King simply watched it fly off with a silent look. He honestly couldn't believe that Tasha actually found a way to communicate with him; and it had even been the way they had spoken with each other ever since they last went their own ways. Thinking of her actually made King smile, as he placed a hand on his chest._...Tasha... I'll come back..._

Then there was a knock at the door. "You up King?" Hunter called on the other side.

King glanced at the door. "...I'm up, yeah."

"Alright; there's breakfast ready if you're hungry," He said. King hummed a little, before he headed for the door.

* * *

><p>The day passed by REALLY quickly for most people.<p>

Even Stella was surprised how quickly the sunset came and started settling into evening.

"...hrm... at this rate, we'll have to stop..." Lock hummed.

"…really?" Stella asked.

"If it gets too late, we'll just end up getting tired." Lock noted. "If we can't find them... it'd be better for us to settle down for the night."

"…okay," Stella replied.

With a hum, Lock kept walking. Stella followed after him, looking around. They were in a much thicker part of the woods now, with the trees so close together, with a lot of plants, ferns, all kind of brush growing everywhere.

"...quite curious..." Lock mused to himself.

"What?" Stella asked.

"...just the scenery in general."

"…yeah, it is…" Stella replied. "…but it's pretty."

"...indeed..." Lock hummed.

Stella rubbed her shoulder again. It felt a bit better, but it was still a little sore. Lock hummed, before he yawned. "...hrm... perhaps we should stop, for the night. Wouldn't want your shoulder to get worse by accident, right?"

"Right," Stella said.

With that, Lock took a seat by a tree; heaving a slight sigh.

Stella took a seat across from him against another tree, looking at him. "…are you tired?"

"...a bit, yes..." he admitted.

"…right…me too," Stella said, setting her head back against the tree, closing her eyes.

"...well... at the very least, we're not alone." Lock hummed, as he set his hat aside.

"Yeah…" Stella responded, taking a deep breath of the fresh air.

Lock then glanced to the side. "...hrm..."

Stella opened her eyes and looked at him. "…is something wrong?"

Lock didn't answer.

"…Lock?" Stella rose to her feet, still holding her shoulder.

Still, no reply.

Slowly, Stella walked toward him. He didn't even look back at her. She got close enough to kneel down to him, looking at him. "…Lock?" she murmured again, reaching toward him with a hand.

As she reached, out of nowhere, he took hold of her hand; in a very gentle manner as well.

"…L-Lock?" Stella was surprised that he took her hand…and so gently…it actually made her blush.

"...you're... soft."

Stella blushed even more at that, remaining silent.

"...hrm..."

"…s-so are…you…" Stella eventually replied, and her fingers slowly stroked his without really thinking about it.

"...nh..." Lock hummed, as he glanced at Stella.

Stella blushed even more, growing nervous, but she couldn't bear to look away at that moment; though she really had no choice, because her heart started to beat rapidly, making her shoulder ache again.

She winced, holding to it. Seeing that, Lock placed his other hand on her shoulder; soothingly rubbing it. Stella breathed a little bit, because that actually made her feel a bit better, and helped her forget about the pain, looking back at him. Still, he said nothing, as he simply gazed at her.

Stella smiled a little bit. Even Lock managed a slight smile. Stella had no idea what to do at this moment … her mind was drawing a nervous blank right now.

"...I suppose..." Lock uttered, before closing his eyes. "...hm... how unlike me..." As he spoke, he leaned closer to Stella.

Stella was frozen, eyes widening. _…what's he d-doing…?_

"...if your shoulder starts hurting... by all means, tell me to stop."

With that, Lock gently set his lips on hers. Stella's eyes widened even more, trembling when she felt his lips on hers. Kissing her softly like this, he slowly stroked her cheek. Showers of warm goose bumps shot through her.

…_I…don't believe it…_ she thought. _…he's…kissing me…_

Slowly, her eyes closed, melting into it. Lock kissed her slightly deeper, as he held her cheek softly. Stella breathed at that, softly touching his chest. Breathing as well, Lock slowly wrapped his arms around her. Stella held to him, kissing back longingly. He kissed her deeper. Stella held the back of his head to kiss him deeply as well. Lock held her tightly; caressing her back gingerly. Stella breathed even more at that. Lock proceeded to kiss her deeper; enough for their tongues to meet. Stella blushed again, growing very warm to the touch when her tongue curled around his. Feeling that, even Lock grew slightly warmer.

…_oh my gosh…_ Stella thought, clutching to Lock. _…we're…really doing this…he really feels the same about me…_ It baffled her, which all the more just blew her away.

_...how very curious... to think that I'd feel the same for her..._ Lock thought, as he held her just as closely. _...love's truly a curious thing..._

Stella kept kissing him, feeling her heart speed up again. _Don't speed up again…please…_ she pleaded in her head. _…I don't want anything to interrupt this…_

Gently setting a hand on her chest, Lock simply kept kissing her. _...not now... don't spoil the moment..._

Stella winced a little bit, but not enough to feel any real pain, thanks to Lock placing his hand on her heart to calm it a bit. Gently stroking that area, Lock kept on kissing her. Stella touched his cheek and kissed back. Lock kissed her deeper; stroking her chest and cheek dearly and gently. Her tongue danced around his breathlessly. Humming in delight, his tongue coiled around hers, as he held her even closer.

After a while, Stella actually had to break her lips away just to breathe. It was very intense and exciting for her.

"...Stella..." Lock whispered, as he simply gazed at her; stroking her cheek a little.

"…Lock…" Stella whispered back, gazing back at him longingly.

Lock gave her neck a brief kiss. Stella breathed faster at that, feeling goose bumps shiver down her body, and she gasped. Lock set a hand on her chest whilst kissing her neck more. Even with her heart beating faster, she either didn't feel the pain or forgot about it entirely, with her head falling back in delight at his kisses. Stroking her chest, Lock kept kissing her neck. Stella held to Lock while he did this, breathing… even uttering out the tiniest of moans. Lock simply kept kissing her; even stroking her back as he did so. Stella breathed and moaned a little, gently touching her own shoulder. While the pain was there, it just didn't affect her in any way with how gently Lock kissed and touched her. Breathing with her, Lock kept kissing her so lovingly.

…_I never thought anybody would feel this way about me…_ Stella thought, still breathing in content and delight. _…it just…feels so wonderful…but…but what if he starts to go farther…?_

The most he showed of that was caressing the skin underneath her shirt, but apart from that, he still simply kissed her. Stella moaned a little when she felt his fingers touch her bare back. Lock's kisses grew more lingering, as he kept caressing her so gently.

"…Lock…" Stella moaned. "…you're so…gentle…it's amazing…"

"...the things we love and cherish... just need to be treated with gentle affection..." Lock whispered, as he kept kissing her so gently.

"…so…I am something that you…love and cherish…?" Stella uttered, blushing bashfully while she breathed.

"...yes... you are..." Lock breathed.

"…Lock…" Stella started rubbing his back.

Breathing at her touch, Lock kept caressing her back. "...Stella..."

Stella reached up to stroke Lock behind his ears.

"S-Stella..." Lock uttered, as he kept caressing her back; moving along her sides.

Stella was surprised to hear him stutter like that…and wondered if she found a really sensitive spot on him. So she stroked behind his ears again, while moaning at his caresses.

"Nh..." Lock breathed a bit unsteadily, as he kept caressing. "S-Stella..."

There was just something about his reaction that seemed so…appealing to Stella. "Lock…" so she kept rubbing behind his ears gently, moaning at his caresses.

"Ah..." Lock uttered a bit more shakily... and a moan actually escaped his lips. "Stella..."

"…Lock…" Stella gasped slowly when she heard that moan, which sent warm chills through her. "…does that feel good…?" she uttered, still stroking behind his ears.

"...yes..." Lock moaned shakily, as he kept caressing her.

She wondered what would happen if she experimented with it…so she leaned in to kiss behind one of his ears softly. Lock let out a surprised moan at that. "S-_Stella..._"

Hearing that moan sent more shivers down her spine, and she breathed in response. "Lock…" she uttered, kissing behind his ear more.

Lock kept moaning, as he held her dearly. "Stella... d-don't stop..."

Stella, once again, was amazed to hear that from Lock; a serious bounty hunter who made sure that his personal feelings didn't interfere with his work…

…well, what was this?

Not that Stella really wanted this to end…it just felt so wonderful being held by him and to touch him back. She kept kissing behind his ear, stroking the other one with a finger. Breathing and moaning, Lock kissed her neck dearly, and stroked her back dearly. Stella moaned too, and just wished that this would never end…

Moaning with her, Lock kissed her neck deeper; gently stroking her entire body. Stella's head fell back and she continued to stroke behind his ears a bit with her fingers.

"...m-more..." Lock breathed, as he kept kissing her neck.

Stella kept stroking behind his ears with one hand, and with the other, it trailed into his trench coat to rub his back inside. Lock breathed, and caressed Stella's back a bit more. The hand that stroked the back of his ear lowered a bit, to see if there were any other sensitive spots on him, so she stroked the back of his neck with her fingers.

"Nh..." While he breathed at that, it didn't seem to be as sensitive as the spot behind his ears.

The hand stroking his back went to the front to touch his ribs, and the other hand went back to rubbing behind his ears.

"A-_ah..._" That moan indicated that Stella had hit the jackpot.

That moan made Stella's heart beat faster and she moaned too while she caressed those spots. Lock moaned as he stroked her ribs as well. Stella moaned at that, but it wasn't as effective as it seemed to be with him. With that, Lock trailed his hands, both down and up along her body; stroking her thigh and neck.

Stella let out a shuddering moan. Now _those_ places were sensitive. "L-Lock…"

Humming, Lock kept stroking those places. "Stella..."

"L-_Lock…_" Stella moaned, shuddering even more in delight.

"Stella..." Lock kept moaning while stroking those spots.

Stella gasped and moaned, shivering even more.

"...you're so soft..." Lock moaned. "...Stella..."

"…am I…?" Stella moaned.

"...y-yes..." Lock moaned.

"...a-actually... this is the first time I've..." he added shakily.

"…the first time that…you…?" Stella uttered.

"...that I've... been so close... to someone I care for..." he whispered. "...honestly... the thought of going further... makes me nervous..."

"…does it…?" Stella asked.

"...yes..." he admitted.

Stella could understand it; all that time he spent bounty hunting, and it didn't seem like he socialized very much…he did say that love was rare, and that this was the first time he had been close to someone like this…it was still just surprising to actually hear him admit it though…

"…truth be told…I'm nervous too…" Stella told him. "…so you're not the only one…"

Lock looked at her sincerely. "Stella..."

Stella looked back at him with the same sincere look, touching his cheek. "Lock…I guess…it's a first for me too…since…this is the first time anyone's touched me like this when it wasn't…against my will…"

"...Stella..." Lock uttered; recalling what she had gone through at the hands of Hex. "...I... don't want to hurt you..."

"…I know…" Stella replied. "…but…even then, I'm still a little…afraid…Lock…"

"...I'm afraid, too..." Lock uttered. "...even a bounty hunter like me... doesn't know how to handle this manner of... intimate encounter..."

"…so the question really is…should we push farther…or not…?" Stella murmured.

"...I..." Lock uttered. "...would at the very least... like to try..."

With that, he gave Stella's neck a small kiss again. Stella's eyes widened a bit at that, especially when Lock confessed that he wanted to go farther; though she moaned a little at him kissing her neck.

"...not because... I want to lose my virginity..." Lock whispered, as he stroked her neck while kissing her. "But... because I have no other way... of expressing my love to you..."

Stella breathed. It was going to be hard for her, probably because those memories of Hex sexually abusing her would replay in her mind…but even then, she wanted to be with Lock like this, and she, too, felt like it was the most powerful way she could express her love to him. Lock just took her breath away…

…and she shouldn't ever be afraid to be intimate with anyone she cared about because of bad memories…

…so, very slowly and hesitantly…she started to unbutton her shirt.

"...Stella..." Lock breathed, as he kept kissing her, whilst slowly and hesitantly removing his own cloak.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Yeah, yeah, I know...there's been a lot of these love scenes...and heads up; it gets even worse in this chapter...<em>**

* * *

><p>Technically, she wasn't kicked out…she walked out on her own volition.<p>

It still pissed her off, though.

Rascal got lost in a toy store somewhere, but even her precious baby being lost didn't faze her anger at Bismark. Desire wondered if that was another property of the energy that took over her; that she just didn't care anymore.

Either way, she would find a way to get payback…for not only humiliating her like that, but for the times he'd hypnotize her and..._ Goddamn I'm horny right now…_ she thought.

Meanwhile, further away...

_...I... do hope that May knows what she wants with this..._

Walking along the street, Hex was carrying a bag of groceries; having spent the day doing errands for May. For some reason, though, May had also asked her to get the ingredients for... _that_ drink...

She still remembered what she had wrought with that kind of elixir before; and with her trying to change what she had become in recent years... the thought of making it once more didn't sit too well with her.

_...but... if it's only for me and May... maybe..._

Just then, someone suddenly bumped into Hex, spilling out some of the groceries…

…which, the one who bumped her, caught them so effortlessly, protecting everything in the bags.

"Hey! Watch where you're—oh…well now…"

"Ngh... sorry about-!" Hex began, when she saw who she had bumped into.

Hex recognized the bat that stood there from a few days ago in that limo who would've offered them a ride to that party, though when Desire thought about it, that bratty kid was the one who showed up and they ended up declining the offer for the ride. She never saw them at that party…

…so naturally, she was curious, since Hex seemed to know the little brat.

Desire smirked at her. "Aren't you that woman that I was going to give the ride to?"

"...I... yes, I remember that..." Hex nodded, as she stepped towards Desire. "...would you be kind enough to return my things, please?"

"Oh, sure, whatever," Desire replied, handing her back her things…having gotten a quick glance at the things inside when she did. "Hm…"

Packing them in the bags, Hex gave her a nod. "...well, if you'll excuse me." And she began walking off. "It was nice meeting you, though."

"Now wait just a minute," Desire murmured, eyeing her with interest. "I don't even think I caught your name, or if I did, I forgot it…"

Hex froze, as she glanced at Desire. "...my name's Hex..." she replied.

"Hex? Oh, that's a…" Desire smirked at Hex. "…_deliciously_ sounding name…"

Hex didn't like that smirk, but not to appear rude, she smiled back. "...well... I have to go now..."

"Wait now, why the rush?" Desire said, sauntering up to her. "You wouldn't mind if I followed you home, would you? I've been having some bad luck back home so I don't have anywhere to stay for the night…"

Hex's smile fell a little. "...uh... I don't know..." she uttered, as she rubbed her neck. "...I mean... isn't there a hotel nearby you can check into?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have any money," Desire sighed. "I've been kicked out onto the street by my now ex-husband."

"...oh..." Hex uttered. "Sorry to hear that..." she murmured, as she glanced aside. "...I... think we have a guest room that's vacant..."

"Oh? You sure that little girl isn't taking up that room?" Desire asked. Of course, she knew the answer to that question, but she was curious how Joy ran from Hex, and whether or not Hex would tell her.

Hex gulped at that. Sure enough, everybody had freaked out when they discovered that Joy had fled; and with that wanted ad roaming about...

"...no; she isn't." she answered.

Desire acted surprised. "Really? What happened?"

"...she... ran away..."

"…well, that's unsettling…" Desire murmured.

Hex nodded. "...well... shall we...?" she uttered.

Desire smirked. "Yes, indeed we shall. Lead the way."

Now Hex didn't even smile back, as she began walking off. Desire followed her.

_Alright son; Mommy's going to be busy for a bit, so I need you to be able to take care of yourself for a while…can you do that?_

_Yeah, sure…whatever…_

* * *

><p>It took a while for them, but they eventually got back to May and Fae's manor. "...here we are..." Hex hummed, as she approached the door... and saw a note. "...hn?" She took the note off the door, and read it.<p>

_Hex, if you get back before we do, you won't mind staying at the house so that we don't have to go looking for you too, would you? Fae ran off crying because I didn't want her and Mordecai getting together, so me and him went after her. Don't worry about it though; back then, Fae would get emotional like this and run off when we were kids, so this is a normal thing for her._

_So just stay here when you get back, 'kay?_

_May_

Desire read the note over her shoulder.

"...well..." Hex uttered, as she looked at the door. "...guess it's just you and me, then..."

"I suppose so," Desire hummed, which pleased her. That meant that Hex was more vulnerable for questioning…

"...well, let's go inside." Hex hummed, as she opened the door. "I suppose I'll make some dinner..."

"What a kind offer," Desire chuckled, stepping inside with Hex. As she walked through the halls, Hex couldn't help but feel... _worried_. There was just something about Desire that... rubbed her the wrong way...

Desire found a couch in one room, and she took a seat with a long sigh. "That feels nice…"

As she put the grocery bags up on the counter in the kitchen, Hex began looking through the cupboards to see what they had. "...excuse me, but would you like anything in particular for dinner?"

"I'm not picky," Desire hummed. "Make whatever you feel like making."

"...hm..." Humming, Hex looked around. "...maybe something simple...? Yeah... like some kind of soup... or maybe just a salad of some kind..." she murmured, as she was brainstorming to herself.

Desire hummed, looking around the place. It wasn't as fancy as Bismark's manor, but it was fairly decent. "You wouldn't happen to have any wine, would you?" Desire called.

"...wine?" Hex hummed, as she looked around for some. "...oh, we do, but... I don't know; I think May wanted to save it for a special occasion..."

"Oh?" Desire grew interested.

"...yeah; she wanted to pop it open to celebrate... something. I guess just something important to celebrate?" Hex sighed. "Hmm... I'm really not sure if I should open this..."

Desire grew curious, so she got up from the couch and went into the kitchen where Hex was.

There, Hex was holding a bottle of what seemed to be a very exotic wine; weighing it carefully. "...hrm... I'd rather not... but... no, maybe I shouldn't... it shouldn't be opened just on some whim..."

"Well, if you don't want to, that's fine," Desire hummed.

"...right..." Nodding, Hex set the bottle aside, before heaving a slight sigh. "...didn't think I'd have to think about wine tonight..." she mused with a slight chuckle.

"Well don't worry about it," Desire said, taking a glance into the cupboards.

Then she got a sour look. Looking through these cupboards reminded her of the times Bismark would have her cook for him…and then many other things followed.

Bitter old man.

"...something on your mind?" Hex hummed, as she looked at Desire.

"Nothing," Desire grumbled. "Just remembering how much I hate my ex-husband right now…"

"...right; tossing you out, and everything..." Hex nodded. "...yeah; I guess I can see why you'd hate him for that..."

Desire rubbed her temples. She was getting a bit of a headache, and to be honest, some wine sounded really good, but she wasn't going to push Hex. She wanted to ease the woman to ensure the answers out of her…

…among other things…

"...I... guess I'll make that salad..." Hex hummed, as she moved past Desire.

"Hey," Desire spoke out. "It's probably a bit much to ask, but…I'm actually really hungry. Could I have more than just a salad?"

Hex blinked, as she glanced at Desire. "...what would you like, then?"

"…meat…some kind of steak maybe," Desire replied. "With that salad, and some bread…"

"...I see..." Hex uttered, as she began looking for what she needed. "...hrm... well, this is going to take a while, so just make yourself comfortable..."

"Right then," Desire said…

…and secretly, her eye went toward the groceries that Hex hadn't yet put away. Hex didn't seem to notice her, as she was busy getting what she needed; getting the steak ready.

Desire smirked.

* * *

><p>After long, hard work, Hex was able to get that dinner ready, and Desire was eating like royalty.<p>

Hex just watched her in awe. She had made a smaller steak for herself, as she wasn't that hungry, but just seeing Desire wolfing down that steak on her own... "...goodness; you must've been hungry..." she mused.

"I suppose I was," Desire chuckled, wiping her lips with a napkin. Hex simply hummed, as she silently ate her own steak.

Hex then noticed Desire drinking something very…strange looking. She blinked at that. "...what's that?"

"Hm?" Then Desire realized Hex noticed her drink. "Oh, just something I mixed up while you were cooking to help calm my nerves," she said.

"...ah, I see." Hex hummed. "You're a bit of a cocktail person, then?"

"Yes, I am," Desire replied. "In fact…would you like a glass of this? You look pretty tense yourself, and there's still plenty of it left." Desire brought out a large blank glass bottle that was full of the same strange looking drink, and an empty glass.

"...nh... I don't know..." Hex murmured, as she chuckled awkwardly. "I probably shouldn't be drinking at this hour..."

"Oh, don't worry; it's not very heavy on the alcohol; there's only just a pinch of it in there to feel better," Desire assured her. "It actually tastes more like a fruit drink."

Hex blinked, before chuckling. "...well... I suppose one glass couldn't hurt..."

Desire went ahead and poured the drink into the empty glass, handing it to Hex. Giving her a small smile, Hex set the glass to her lips, and took a sip from the drink. Like Desire said, it tasted sweet and fruity, and there was just the faintest bitterness to it. "...mh..." Hex hummed as she tasted it. She couldn't quite put her finger on it... but there was this familiarity to it... "...pretty good." she mused.

"Glad you like it," Desire chuckled, taking another sip of her drink.

Hex hummed, as she sipped more from her own drink. "...so... why did your ex-husband toss you out, anyway?"

"He accused me of being a cheating whore only married to him for his money…" Desire grumbled.

"...oh, wow... harsh." Hex uttered, as she glanced to the side.

"In reality, he's been the one taking advantage of me," Desire grumbled. "And now…I just want to make him pay…so right now I'm pretty bitter towards him."

"...I can understand that, yeah..." Hex mused, as she sipped more from her drink.

Desire looked toward her then. "What about you? You'd like to tell me a little bit about yourself?"

Hex hummed. "...well, it depends." she mused; chuckling a bit. "What would you like to know?"

"Well, it seems like you don't live alone here," Desire replied, resting her chin on folded fingers.

"Well, the people living here are... old friends of mine." Hex mused with a smile. "I ran into some trouble around two years ago, so I wanted to rethink my life... and I needed a place to stay, so May and Fae let me and Koopman live here."

"Interesting…" Desire spoke. "…so, what trouble forced you to live with them in the first place?"

"...well... honestly, it's a long story..." Hex hummed, as she rubbed her cheek a little. "...I wouldn't even know where to begin..."

"That's okay; no rush," Desire said.

"...well, okay..." Hex hummed, as she sipped more of her drink. "...well, around... six years ago, I think? Around then, King founded Safe Haven, right? Well..." Then, she chuckled out of nostalgia. "...I happened to be one of the founding members."

"A founding member of Safe Haven; my, that's really interesting," Desire hummed in surprise.

"I know, right?" Hex chuckled at that. "So I stayed there up until... well, two years ago, because of an incident..."

"Oh?" Desire grew even more interested.

"...that incident..." Hex hummed, as she rubbed her neck. "...it was a very ghastly affair... I don't like thinking about it."

Desire tilted her head at Hex. "Really?"

"...yeah..." Hex murmured. "...there was this... dark force... it consumed nearly the entire island..."

Desire's eyes widened a bit.

"…what…dark force?"

Hex sighed. "...it was this force called... Corruption..."

Desire's eyes widened even more.

Hex even shuddered a bit. "...I wish I never have to feel that kind of force again..."

"…_you've_…felt that force?"

"...yes..." Hex folded her arms. "...it was horrific..."

Desire hummed.

"...I swear, if something like that were to happen again..." Hex murmured, as she shuddered. "...come to think of it... with the GUN headquarters... it's pretty much started happening again..."

"…so…you happen to know what's going on then?" Desire asked.

"...partly..." Hex murmured. "...someone drenched that place in Corruption... but who, I don't know..."

Desire smirked.

She was able to put the pieces together quite well. She suspected Joy was responsible for doing something like that; thus the reason she was trying to run away from all of that…and the force inside of her that took over her to infect her and her son.

"...oh, I'm sorry." Hex murmured, as she sipped her drink. "I didn't mean to sour the mood..."

"Oh, you didn't spoil the mood at all," Desire chuckled. "…would you like some more?" She offered the bottle of the strange drink to her.

"...oh... I guess..." Hex hummed.

Desire poured more of the drink into her glass.

Hex gave her a nod, as she drank more of it. "...strange... I get the feeling that I've tasted this before..."

"Really now?" Desire mused.

"Yeah..." Hex hummed. "...but... I don't really know where it's from..."

"I probably made it seem like another drink that you might've had…" Desire replied, drinking the rest of her glass.

"...maybe..." Hex hummed, as she narrowed her eyes while drinking from her glass as well.

"So, go on," Desire encouraged her. "You don't have to go into details about this…Corruption…but, maybe you can tell me where it came from? Seems odd that it just…appeared out of nowhere."

"...to be honest, I don't know much about it..." Hex murmured. "I do remember this... bat... what was his name... Novagod, I think..."

Desire's eyes narrowed at that. "…a Novagod…?"

"...yeah... Deity, I recall his name being..." Hex murmured. "...but... I'd really not want to talk about that stuff anymore..."

"…Deity Novagod…?"

A Novagod…that cursed family…and all of them were connected to this…_energy_.

Hex simply nodded. "...Corruption... does some horrible things..." she murmured.

"…really now…?"

Desire rose out of her seat, walking toward Hex. "…just…what could one do with this…Corruption?"

"...lots of things..." Hex murmured, as she looked uneasily at Desire. "...unpleasant things..."

"Really?" Desire continued to walk toward Hex.

"...yeah..." Hex nodded.

"…so…what did it do to you, huh?" Desire chuckled, leaning closely to her.

Hex's eyes widened, as she leaned away from Desire. "...I... I'd rather not talk about it..."

"Oh, why not?" Desire asked.

"...it's... disconcerting..."

"Well then…maybe we could talk about something else then," Desire said, smirking.

"…like…maybe little Joy?"

Hex blinked. "...why would you want to talk about her?"

Desires eyes suddenly glowed. "Oh, no reason…"

Seeing that, Hex quickly backed away. "...there's something you're not telling me," she uttered.

"Oh? What gives you that idea?" Desire chuckled.

"...you're acting... strange..." Hex uttered, as she backed away.

Hex would find herself backing right into a wall, and Desire kept walking closer. "Really? This is how I normally act…"

"...I don't like this." Hex uttered fearfully. "Please... don't come any closer..."

"Oh what's the matter, Hex?" Desire chuckled.

Suddenly, black tentacles came out of Desire's back and pinned Hex against the wall. Hex's eyes widened. "Corruption!" she sputtered.

"I wanna know what the deal is with that girl…" Desire hummed. "…and you'd better make it quick, because I could do some…_delicious_ things to you if I don't get my answers."

"...oh, no; don't you dare!" Hex hissed, as she looked at the tentacles in fear. "I'm not going down that route again!"

"Again?" Desire blinked…

…and then smirked even more. "Oh…were you _that_ kind of person?"

Hex shook her head. "No, no, I don't want to go back to that!"

"You don't, huh?" Desire mused. "Just what makes you so afraid of that?"

Hex glanced to the side. "...I... used to be that kind of woman... but after I was cured, I realized that I was a fool... I don't want to fall back into that sort of habit!"

"And what if I push you back into it?"

Desire kissed her neck then. Hex let out a surprised gasp, and out of desperation, tried using her tentacles to push Desire away. Desire's tentacles pushed them back and she kept kissing her neck.

Hex screamed out of panic. "Don't! Get off me!" she yelled in panic, before she grew desperate. "...gah!" Quickly, one of her tentacles wrapped around Desire's neck. _It's not as thick as Raider's... maybe...!_ As her tentacle's grip grew stronger, she intended to snap Desire's neck.

Desire's neck twisted, and for a moment, she was silent. Panicking, Hex tried shoving her away. But Desire remained there…

…and slowly, her neck twisted back, giving Hex a mix between a glare and a wicked smirk. "Now what was that for?"

"...shit!" Hex uttered. "Get away from me, you monster!"

Desire grabbed her and threw her against the ground. "You really don't want to know how horny I am right now, so let's just make things a lot easier…tell me what you know about that child, and this…power…"

Hex was quickly crawling away from Desire. "I-I don't want to! Please, just leave me alone!" she cried out in panic.

Desire remembered the drink, and grabbed the bottle. "Then here." And she shoved the bottle into Hex's mouth to force her to drink it.

"GH-!" Hex coughed as the drink flowed down her throat.

After a while, Desire yanked the bottle away from her mouth. "Now, how do you feel?"

Hex just breathed. "...warm..."

"Good," Desire spoke. "Now tell me what you know…"

"...about Joy..." Hex uttered. "...she's... the d-daughter of... a woman living on Safe Haven..."

"Really?" Desire hummed.

"...yes..." Hex uttered. "...and... she was the one who... saved me..."

"Who saved you?" Desire asked.

"...Joy..." Hex uttered.

"Really?" Desire hummed. "That's funny…because she was the one that infected me with Corruption in the first place."

Hex's eyes widened. "..._what?_"

"Yeah, she's got this other personality in her that calls herself Malice; she came out and infected me," Desire said.

"...that's..." Hex uttered.

"Guess you know nothing about that, huh?" Desire assumed.

"...n-no..." Hex uttered.

"Oh well…" Desire pinned Hex down. "Anything else you wanna tell me?"

Hex gulped. "...wh-what do you want to know...?"

"Anything about this power that you know…and anything about the Novagod…"

Desire's look sharpened. "…because my ex-husband is a Novagod."

Hex's eyes widened. "...what...?"

"That's right," Desire said. "And I want to know just what crazy things they've been up to if they're involved with a power like this…so tell me what you know…_or else_…"

"...j-just Deity, then...?" Hex whispered. "...b-but... I don't know everything about him... I-I just don't want to be corrupted again..."

"Well, then maybe you could tell me who might know everything I need to know?" Desire suggested.

"...m-maybe... her mother..." Hex uttered.

"And where is her mother?" Desire asked.

"...S...Safe Haven..." Hex whispered.

"…guess I'll have to head there sometime to find out some more about this…" Desire said.

Then she smirked. "In the meantime…"

She grabbed Hex's dress and tore it open. Hex gasped, and quickly covered her chest. "B-but you said you weren't going to-!"

"Shut up bitch!" Desire snapped at her, interrupting her.

Hex just looked back at her in fear.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yeeeaaaaaah...lots of censored stuff...but afterward...<strong>_

* * *

><p>Hex's new form slowly became visible once the Corruption was absorbed into her...<p>

...and, suffice to say, she had changed. Her lips seemed more luscious, her body had grown thinner and more curvaceous, her breasts had grown considerably, and within her tentacles was this cloud of darkness.

"Well, well…" Desire chuckled, looking up at down at her.

Hex breathed, as she looked up at Desire.

"And how did that feel?" Desire mused.

"..._extraordinary..._" Hex moaned.

"Good," Desire chuckled.

"...do you... want to feel even better...?" Hex breathed out.

"Oh?" Desire grew interested. "How would you do that?"

Without Desire noticing, shadowy tendrils silently slithered over from Hex to the counter.

"...payback."

All of a sudden, Hex forced Desire's mouth wide open, before the shadowy tendrils brought back open bottles containing various liquids; all of which were poured right down her throat.

Desire started to gag out of surprise.

"...mixing a cocktail out of _my_ ingredients, will you?" Hex hissed. "...you should have taken into account that you didn't use up all the ingredients... and with these being _raw_, their aphrodisiac properties will be ten times more potent than normal..."

Then, she narrowed her eyes. "...in other words... your entire body will be a hundred times more sensitive to sexual pleasure."

Desire eventually fell limp, drinking down all of the drugs that Hex was feeding into her.

Once the liquid had been fully downed into Desire, Hex tossed the bottles aside. "...after first being Corrupted, I hated my first lifestyle..." she murmured. "...I had lost the ability to carry children... and I had spent the last five years of my life acting like a fucking whore... and now, you've ruined my efforts in changing myself for the better by bringing me back to that lifestyle..."

Then, she stepped a bit back from Desire, waiting for the drugs to kick in. "...so now... I'm going to make _you_ my personal sex slave... until you go _insane._"

* * *

><p><em><strong>And after Hex giving Desire a taste of her own medicine...<strong>_

* * *

><p>Hex simply glared at Desire.<p>

Desire started whispering ramblings to herself, but Hex wasn't able to make out what she said. Either way, Desire ha pretty much gone insane at this point.

Hex scoffed, as she slowly picked up Desire. "...can you hear me?"

Desire slowly looked toward Hex, but she remained silent.

"...say something." Hex hissed.

"…m…m..Mis-stress…"

Hex actually smirked now. "...have you lost your mind, yet?"

Desire nodded shakily.

"...good. You want more?" Hex hummed.

More tears came out of Desire, and a pained, scared look appeared on her face.

"...well?" Hex hummed.

She shook her head.

"...really? You don't want more?" Hex huffed.

She shook her head even more.

"...I see..." Hex hummed, before shaking her head. "...pity."

With that, she just tossed Desire right into the swarm of tentacles.

She screamed out when the grabbed her. _**"NOOO!"**_

However, without any mercy, they began assaulting her once more. Desire screamed out in blood-curdling terror.

As the tentacles completely covered Desire from view, Hex glanced to the side with a sad look. _...to think that I'd be forced into this once more..._ she thought, before closing her eyes as she exited the kitchen. _...May... Fae... forgive me for this..._ Then, she shot one more look back at the writhing mass of tentacles, before closing the door. _...but the kitchen's out of bounds for a while._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yeah, I really had to edit this one...since some parts were evident for plot. Sorry guys...<strong>  
><em>


	21. Chapter 20

The next day, travel was silent for Charon's group.

After all, Oblivion and Demi were still guilty about their episode from yesterday, and it left everyone else awkwardly quiet.

"…oh c'mon guys, start a conversation or something," Vanessa sighed, finally breaking the silence.

"...about what, mom?" Jack said with a sigh.

"Oh I don't know," Vanessa replied. "The flowers? The fresh air? Things someone might be interested in talking about?" she suggested, and then sighed again. "I'm sorry…I just can't take the silence…"

"...but... everyone else is being quiet, mom..." Jack murmured.

"I just don't think there should be a reason everyone needs to be so quiet, that's all!" Vanessa spoke.

"...o-okay, mom..." Jack uttered.

"I mean, let's sing a song! Talk about life! That sort of thing!" Vanessa tried to look cheerful…

…but it came off as more awkward.

And, in turn, it was answered with silence.

"...I'm hungry." Kiri eventually spoke.

"…yeah, I'm getting hungry too," Milo said.

"Same here!" Striker called from his jetpack. "And I'm sure you're really hungry too, right Charon?"

"...hm." Charon simply nodded.

"Then it's settled!" Vanessa said. "Let's land somewhere and eat! I've got enough money for lunch out today!"

"Alright!" Jack called out.

So, the group landed, and they found a burger joint. Charon had to make sure to land out of hiding, and once Vanessa got the food, she personally went to give Charon his, since he needed a lot of food for the big guy he is.

That left the rest of them to sit at the picnic tables outside of the restaurant.

"Oh boy; these burgers are great!" Striker exclaimed, wolfing his down.

"No kidding!" Jack laughed, as he munched on his as well.

Kiri and Demi ate their food in silence. Oblivion and Diablo also ate in silence.

Snap just looked at them, especially Demi and Oblivion. _…when will those two stop feeling so guilty?_ He wondered in his thought processors…

Milo sighed, finished her burger. "…I still miss the burgers at the pub."

"Yeah, those were even better!" Striker laughed. "Considering that Ani made them!"

Ani smiled. "Aw, you guys don't have to say that…"

"But it's true!" Striker said, smiling at Ani.

"Yeah; you make the _best_ burgers, Ani!" Jack laughed.

Kiri simply nodded. "Mhm!"

Ani laughed at that. "…thanks…"

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

There was a gang of Mobian teenagers standing there, looking at them.

Everyone glanced at them.

"...who're they?" Kiri uttered.

"Dunno…" Ani answered.

"I hope you guys know that this is our table!" One of the Mobian teenagers said, presumably the leader of their gang. "So book it!"

"Hey, we're just traveling by; we don't even live around here," Milo told them. "It's not like we're gonna sit here again, so just deal with it, okay?"

Then one of them grabbed Milo in a headlock.

"H-HEY!" He uttered in surprise.

Quickly, both Jack and Demi rose from their seats; glaring at that teenager. "You let him go!" Demi quickly said.

"Get out of our seats and maybe we'll let you off easy!" the leader said. "We make sure that nobody ever takes our territory! No matter who they are!"

"...let him go." Jack suddenly uttered.

"Oh, and what are you going to do about it, pansy-ass?" The one with Milo in the headlock said. "You gonna get your mommy to make us stop?"

Striker, Milo, Ani and Snap; all four of them gulped when they heard that.

"...nope." Jack scoffed. "I'm gonna beat the crap out of you."

And with a swift movement, Jack suddenly aimed a kick between the leader's legs.

"WAH?" The leader fell, not anticipating that.

The other teenagers went to attack Jack.

However, without even batting an eyelid, Jack easily avoided their attacks, before fiercely slamming his fists into them. Each of them got knocked away painfully…

"You wouldn't punch your friend, would you?" Uttered the one that was holding Milo now as a meat shield.

Jack simply gave that one a glare...

...and without even batting an eyelid, knocked him over the head; bypassing the problem of Milo being held there entirely.

"AGH!" he fell over on the ground. "Damn! He's strong!" he whimpered.

"...you know it." Jack scoffed, as he cracked his neck. "...now go on and get out of here, before I decide to beat you up more."

He got to his feet and all of the teenagers scrambled away.

Milo rubbed his neck, looking at Jack. "…thanks."

Jack didn't respond... until he shook his head. "...where'd those teenagers go?" he uttered.

"…they poofed like magic!" Milo quickly responded, knowing Jack would buy it.

"...poofed?" Jack blinked... and then he nodded. "Right, poofed! That makes perfect sense!"

Demi just gawked at this. _...wha... what was that all about?_

"…just roll with it…" Ani whispered to Demi.

Milo laughed a little bit…and stopped.

Turning around…

Vanessa was standing there.

Everyone glanced towards where Vanessa stood; including Jack, who seemed completely oblivious. "Hey, mom! Guess what? Some teenagers just poofed away!"

Vanessa was standing there _very_ quietly, just looking at them.

"…uh…Vanessa…?" Striker uttered.

"…Oh really?" Vanessa spoke, smiling a little. "They poofed away Jack?"

"Yeah! They just went poof!" Jack laughed.

"Well…I'm glad you enjoyed them going poof," Vanessa said. "Charon's all done with lunch, so whenever you kids are ready, I'll be with him." And she turned to walk.

Milo looked fearfully at her. _…did she…see what just happened…?_

The same went for the others, except for Jack, who just grinned. "Man, I can't believe they just went poof!" he laughed.

"…let's…finish our lunch," Oblivion finally suggested.

"...yeah..." Kiri nodded.

* * *

><p>So they finished their lunch… and went back to Charon, who was hiding in the park in the middle of town.<p>

"...you guys done?" Charon hummed.

"Just about!" Jack laughed obliviously.

"Well, that's good," Vanessa just looked…strangely perky. Sure, she was perky all the time but…it didn't seem quite entirely genuine…

…and it crept Milo out the most because he could see her spirit pulsating in a vague way.

"...we should head off, then." Kiri hummed.

"Alrighty then!" Striker started up Snap in jetpack mode.

And as Demi spread his wings, he glanced to the side... and his eyes widened. _...hn?_

Milo noticed Demi's spirit twitch extremely, and he looked at Demi. "What is it Demi?"

Oblivion watched him run off. "…Demi…?" She was very quiet, murmuring under her breath.

"…we should follow him!" And Milo took off after him too.

"...right!" Jack quickly ran after him; with Kiri following.

"...hrm..." Charon hummed at that.

Even Oblivion started to follow where Demi ran too.

"…I'll stay here," Vanessa said.

"...me too." Charon hummed.

As Demi ran, he narrowed his eyes. _...I saw... no, could it really have been... but... she's...!_

Milo managed to catch up with him. "What is it Demi?" he repeated curiously.

"...I saw someone..." Demi uttered. "...someone... I haven't seen in a long time..."

"Oh?" And they were heading toward a broken down looking house for some reason.

Demi narrowed his eyes, as he ran for that house. The others like Ani, Striker (with Snap still attached to him), Oblivion and Kiri were running after them and the same house, wondering why Demi was heading there.

Without even thinking to stop, Demi burst into the building.

"WHOA!" That surprised the one that had just entered the house, and the surprise of the door slamming open like that caused a figure to jump in front of the first one.

"Don't move!" And that second figure held up at gun at them.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Ani uttered, waving her hands. "Don't shoot!"

"Ah! She's got a gun!" Jack sputtered.

Kiri quickly hid behind Striker for protection.

Demi, however, remained calm, as he looked past the other person. "...it's... really you..."

"And…hey…" Striker blinked. "…you look like…"

"…let me guess…Lock the Sniper?"

The figure with the gun stood up. She was a tall figure with a hat that was tipped down in front of their face to hide their identity. There was a long purple braid that hung down from their back, and they wore a buttoned up trench coat.

Though really, the one that Demi was looking at was the one behind her; a Mobian bat, which shared some of Demi's features but she was a black bat, and she looked at the kids in surprise.

"...Lock?" Jack uttered. "...wait... _Lock's really a girl?_" Jack sputtered in surprise.

Ani just smacked her forehead. "Jack! She's probably just related to him!"

"…you're right," the woman spoke. "I'm his mother…"

"...his mother...?" Kiri uttered.

"..._Lock has a mom?_" Jack sputtered once more.

"Of course Jack; everyone has to have a mom," Milo replied.

Still, Demi just looked at the other bat. "...a... mom..." Demi uttered, as he slowly stepped forward.

"…what's going on with you Demi?" Striker asked. "Are you okay?"

Just then, Milo looked at the bat. _…maybe…he recognizes her?_

Demi didn't answer; instead, he approached the bat.

The bat backed away from him awkwardly. "…so…you're called Demi…? Um…is something wrong?"

"...don't you recognize me?" Demi uttered, as he gently took the bat's hand. "...it's me... remember?"

The bat pulled her hand away from Demi, feeling even more awkward, and she shook her head. "..but…I don't…"

The woman who was Lock's mom kept watching this with interest.

"...you don't..." Demi uttered. "...but... how could you not? How could you not remember me... mother?"

The bat blinked in shock. "…mother…? …what?"

"…it could be a possibility, Catherine," Lock's mom said.

The bat glared at her. "Do you think I'd forget having a child?"

"You don't remember anything at all from your accident, so calm down," Lock's mother said.

Demi's eyes widened. "...accident... that one where we thought that you..."

"...what's going on...?" Jack whispered to Milo. "The bat's Demi's mom...?"

"…that seems to be what Demi thinks…" Milo whispered back to him.

Lock's mother looked at Demi. "…so…you had an accident in your past as well?"

"But what if he's an imposter that wants to hurt me? And he's pretending to be someone I know?" the bat, Catherine, spoke.

"Look, you're lucky enough that we were able to find out your first name," Lock's mother sighed. "So please, let's just talk here."

Demi simply looked at Catherine in disbelief. "...I... I don't get it... dad never foresaw you surviving... he thought that you..."

"Foresaw?" Catherine uttered. "Your father is a fortune teller? Am I married to a fortune teller?"

"...w-well... yeah..." Demi uttered. "...his name... it's Bismark. Don't you remember Bismark? Or Odium? Your daughter, Odium?"

"…a daughter too?" Catherine uttered. "…kid, what's your last name? If I'm married to this…Bismark whatever, then, what's the last name I took from him?"

"Novagod," Ani answered.

Catherine gawked at her, and then at Demi. "…n…no…I…I can't be married to the Novagod family… no… not to those freaks everyone says they are!"

"...b-but mother..." Demi uttered. "...you... you were the one who first approached father to begin with..."

"…whah?" Catherine was utterly baffled now.

"…maybe…you should come back later," Lock's mother said.

"No! No, we can help here!" Milo uttered.

"Yeah, we know Lock, so you can trust us!" Striker said.

Lock's mother looked suspiciously at the group. "If you really know Lock…then what's his favorite color?"

Everyone blinked at that.

"...favorite... color?" Jack blinked.

"Uh…" Striker scratched his head.

Ani gulped. _…oh no…we never really got to know Lock…how are we supposed to know his favorite color?_

Milo's memory suddenly jolted. He remembered Sage reading Lock's mind a long, long time ago, saying his favorite color as proof that she could read minds. The only reason the other boys didn't know was because it was a trip that only he and Ani went on years ago, but he doubt that Ani actually remembered a detail like that.

"Blue!" He said. "Lock's favorite color is blue!"

Lock's mother blinked, looking at him. "…well now…I suppose you _do _know him…"

"...we do?" Jack uttered, before shaking his head. "I mean, we do, yeah!"

"Jack!" Ani snapped. "Now she's gonna think that was just a lucky guess!"

"No, don't worry," Lock's mother said. "My son never really opens up to anyone, even those who know him really well, so the fact you know his favorite color means something." She looked at Milo. "And you are pretty honest looking folk, so I believe you."

"Then why did you ask about Lock?" Milo asked.

"Habit of being careful," Lock's mother said. "My name is Violet."

"...Violet..." Kiri hummed. "...nice to meet you."

Catherine just looked at all of them. "…I just don't know…" she muttered, walking away.

Violet looked back at her. Demi simply looked at Catherine with a look of dismay.

Oblivion had been quietly thinking about all of this in the meantime.

"...how long has it been since you found her, Miss Violet?" Kiri inquired curiously.

"Five years ago was when her case was given to me," Violet said. "They said she recovered from a really bad accident, but suffered from some brain damage, which caused her memory loss. Just recently she started to remember her first name…"

"...five years... that was when she went missing..." Demi murmured.

"…so you're her son?" Violet asked Demi.

Demi nodded.

"…hm…" Violet looked back at where Catherine went. "…and family members being present didn't jog her memory any faster…"

"...no..." Demi murmured.

"…perhaps…I could help?"

Everyone's attention went toward Oblivion then.

"...how so?" Jack uttered curiously.

"…I could talk with her…even maybe help her try to remember," Oblivion spoke.

"Sorry, but we've tried everything we could to get her memory back," Violet said. "It'll just have to come back on it's own in due time."

Milo realized what Oblivion was going to do. "But you don't understand Violet; Oblivion specializes in this kind of thing…she has a gift that can probably really help Catherine."

Demi blinked, before he looked at Oblivion. "...really...?"

"…don't you remember, Demi?" Oblivion spoke. "I was able to experience your own memories years ago at Safe Haven…and so far, I've only erased memories…but I haven't yet tried to see if I could bring them back…if she was able to start remembering her name, then that doesn't mean the memories are gone…it just means they were blocked off by the damage she might have experienced."

Violet raised her hat up to show her face. She didn't have a large canine like Lock did, and she had long bangs that hung in front of her eyes. "…are you telling me that you have…magic powers to do this stuff?" she asked curiously.

"...Oblivion somehow knows how to work with memories." Jack noted.

"…well…you can give it a shot," Violet murmured. "But I'm warning you that she feels a bit…bitter about the whole thing."

Oblivion looked at her in surprise. "…bitter…?"

"…she feels like whatever family she had, abandoned her after the accident," Violet spoke. "…it could be a possibility that she has a hard time wanting to remember, and that could be what's slowing down her progress…either way, I would tread cautiously if you were to talk to her."

Demi glanced to the side with a guilty look. "...bitter, huh..."

Oblivion nodded, and went down the hall.

Violet looked at Demi. "You should go with her to make sure it happens." Demi nodded slightly, before he followed Oblivion.

The two of them went to the room Catherine went into, where she was sitting on the couch with her face covered by her hands.

"…Catherine…?" Oblivion muttered.

"What?" She shot a glare up at them, and it startled Oblivion. It startled Demi as well.

"We…just want to talk to you," Oblivion managed to compose herself a little.

"And tell me more ridiculous stuff that I supposedly don't remember?" Catherine growled. "Like maybe I'm from a circus too?"

"...Catherine..." Demi uttered.

"…there's no need to be angry about this," Oblivion tried to talk to her calmly. "…they didn't look for you…because, well, they thought you were dead…"

"Shouldn't they have made sure of that, though?" Catherine kept speaking. "If my body would've been missing from the wreckage, I'm sure they would've tried to at least find the body to confirm whether or not I was dead!"

"...but we did!" Demi uttered. "Me and father... we searched for you for so long, but... we never found _anything_..."

"Why? Why didn't you have tried harder then? I was left all alone for 5 years! I actually couldn't afford to be in hospital because I didn't even know who I was!" Catherine looked almost in tears.

"Th-that's..." Demi uttered; looking on the verge of tears as well. "...mother, we tried our very hardest! We scoured everywhere we could find, but we found nothing! Me, father and Odium... all we could ever have wanted was to find at least _something_ that could lead us to you... but we just didn't find anything!"

Oblivion didn't want to see this mess, and she especially didn't want to see Demi crying.

"…the only one who helped me out was Violet…" Catherine uttered, covering her face again. "…if I start remembering everything again, then I'd have to leave her…and she's the only friend I've ever had."

"That's not true," Oblivion said, coming over and sitting by her. "You won't have to leave when you remember everything…" Demi slowly sat by Catherine as well.

"…but…but what if I'm a really horrible person?" Catherine uttered. "…if I'm married to the Novagod family…I must be horrible…what if…someone caused the accident to try and get rid of me? What if the family I was married to caused that accident to get rid of me?"

"...mother..." At that point, Demi hugged her. "...you're not a horrible person... you're one of the most caring souls I've ever known..."

She jumped when Demi hugged her, but she didn't push him away this time.

"...you managed to see past father's deformities... and you actually showed him genuine affection..." Demi uttered; gritting his teeth a little. "...you're far from a horrible person, mother... please, don't think things like that..."

"…I'm…like that…?" Catherine murmured.

Demi nodded.

"…what else…am I like?" she asked.

"...you're... gentle, and... so very friendly... never losing your smile..." Demi uttered.

"…really…?" Catherine murmured. "…I'm all that…and still married to the Novagod family?"

"...yes..." Demi nodded.

"…Catherine," Oblivion spoke, getting a look from the black bat. "…I think I can help restore your memories…but you'll have to trust me…and, I won't try unless you want me to."

Catherine blinked at that, and then looked away thoughtfully. Demi glanced at her.

"…well…I don't know…" Catherine murmured.

Oblivion looked at her hands sadly. "…please let me try at least…I really do just want to help…"

"...mother..." Demi uttered. "...let her try..."

"…alight…" Catherine gave in, looking at Oblivion. "…but…I just don't know if whatever you have in mind will work…"

Oblivion looked back up at her, holding out her hand. "Take my hand." Catherine did so, and Oblivion placed her other hand on her head, to Catherine's confusion. "I'll need you to relax, Catherine," Oblivion instructed her.

Catherine just gave her a weird look… but eventually, she closed her eyes and took a breath.

Demi simply watched this.

"…now…most would think to retrace their steps backwards in their memories," Oblivion said. "…but…it would make more sense to bring back your long term memory, which could explain all your short term memories…"

"…like what long term memories?" Catherine murmured.

"…maybe when you met your husband," Oblivion said. "…there! Yes, they're still there…but they're blocked off by the damages done to your mind…"

Demi still watched this in silence.

"…so, what will happen now?" Catherine asked.

"…I will see if I can at least clear up the damage done there that blocks off your memories…" Oblivion spoke, concentrating hard enough that her hands started to glow. "…and once I get to them, I'll experience whatever you experience…"

Demi kept watching this in intrigue.

There was a long period of silence after this…

…then suddenly, Oblivion gasped.

_She saw Catherine being driven up to a large mansion one afternoon, and the rain was pouring hard. She had been escorted here by the limousine driver of the owner of the manor, since she was hired to be the housekeeper…and more so, the caretaker of the owner of the dreary looking manor. The driver warned her that the lordship was cold, and reclusive, as well as…snappy every now and then, telling her it was best to follow whatever instructions he may have without question._

_Oblivion could feel the uneasiness from Catherine while they drove up and parked. The driver came out with an umbrella and opened the door for her, leading her through the rain under his umbrella to the front doors. Inside, the mansion was as expensive looking and decorative as Catherine could imagine. _

_It all just looked so…gloomy….though…and as decorative as things were, there was dust and scratches and other little messes here and there._

"_I will lead you to the Lordship's study, where he spends most of his time," the driver said, putting away the umbrella in the closet. "If you would follow me…"_

_Catherine did so, following him down endless halls until they got to one particular looking door. "…once again, I must warn you that you should not approach the study unless there is something of absolute importance you must ask him," the driver told her. "Also…if he is not in his study, _never_ go in there by yourself."_

_Catherine nodded. With as scary as he sounded, she would be sure to obey these warnings._

_The driver knocked on the door. "My Lord, your new house and caretaker has arrived."_

_"...send her in."_

_The driver opened the door. "Since I do not have permission, you will have to go in alone. Don't worry, though, because he means no harm toward you."_

_Catherine looked worriedly at the driver, and slowly stepped in with the driver closing the door behind her. She stepped into the massive study, with numerous books everywhere…_

_...and someone sitting by a desk; writing something. "...name?"_

"_M-My name is…Catherine, sir," she answered shakily. "Catherine Gardener."_

_"...Catherine Gardener..." With a hum, the one in the chair slowly turned around to look at her. "...I am Bismark Novagod."_

_Catherine stared back at him in silence, because of how he looked.__His entire face, save for his eyes, was bandaged; leaving his piercing gaze to just look right at her. "...you do know what you're here for?" he hummed._

"…_to…um…" Catherine was drawing a nervous blank for a moment. "…I'm here to clean up around the manor, and make sure you are well…so…is there any preference on how I address you…um sir?"_

_"...sir will do." Bismark noted dryly._

"…_right…" Catherine nodded._

_"...hm." With that, Bismark turned back towards his desk. "...you may begin. I have work to do..."_

"…_yes sir…" Catherine said, walking toward the door._

_"...hrm..." she heard Bismark murmur. "...three days of solid work... still nothing strikes me..."_

_She looked back at him, but wanted to hurry out the door before Bismark would question what was keeping her._

Catherine's eyes widened. "…when I first came to that mansion…it was hard work getting everything cleaned and fixed up…and he was so frightening sometimes…but even then, because I had nowhere else to go to, he let me live there while I worked my fingers to the bone…sometimes I even got frustrated with him, but I just reminded myself that he at least gave me food and a place to stay…"

Demi looked at her in awe. "...mother..."

"And sometimes I'd wonder what he'd do in that study all day…" she uttered. "…the first few weeks of living there were pretty hard, but the longer I stayed there, the less afraid I got of him…and even he softened up a little bit, but not too much…"

"…then…_that_ happened…"

_She was in the kitchen, preparing something for dinner that evening.__And then, in that instant, she heard someone a series of pained cries and rapid thumping; as if someone just fell down a flight of stairs. Catherine gasped and immediately dropped was she was doing, running to where she heard the noise.__When she arrived, she saw that Bismark was lying right in front of the stairs; grunting in pain as he tried pushing himself onto his feet._

"_S-sir!" She rushed to Bismark and she helped him up carefully. "Did you just fall down the stairs?"_

_"Ngh... n-none of your business...!" Bismark growled, before he winced in pain._

"…_You look hurt," She muttered. "I'm going to put you to a bed…" And she helped him down the hall.__Bismark simply grunted, as he couldn't keep her from taking him down the hall. She took him to the closest room with a bed, which happened to be her room. There was barely anything in the room, except a bed and a dresser for the few clothes she has._

_She carefully placed Bismark on her bed.__"...ngh..." Bismark winced as she placed him on her bed._

"…_c-can you move anything?" Catherine asked worriedly._

_"...argh..." Grunting, Bismark tried moving his arms... but to no avail. "...broken bones... just great..."_

"…_I'm going to call a doctor, Sir," she said, picking up the phone on the wall in her room._

_"...ugh..." Bismark groaned._

_Oblivion saw the whole thing, where the doctors came in and put casts on Bismarks arms, though when they questioned the bandages on his face, Catherine hurriedly urged them not to worry about that, and eventually they left it alone. The doctors then told Catherine the estimated time that the bones would heal, and that Bismark could not move his arms until then. Also, he had really done some damage to his back, so he had to stay in bed and could not bend very much either…_

_Once they all left, Catherine looked at Bismark worriedly._

_"...perfect... now I can't even work..." Bismark sighed. "...just great..."_

"…_Sir…" Catherine spoke up. "…do you still wish to eat dinner?"_

_"...I... suppose..." he murmured._

_Catherine nodded. "…you'll be in my bed for a while, so I will sleep on the floor in here to make sure you heal," and with that, she headed toward the door._

_He simply watched her leave. "...taking the floor... hmph."_

_She stopped. "…is…something wrong, sir?"_

_"...the floor's cold and hard." Bismark pointed out. "If you sleep there while making sure that I recover, you're going to end up in worse shape than me."_

"…_I'll be alright," Catherine said. "I just want to make sure that you recover, so, I don't mind sleeping on the floor."_

_"...so you're going to continue doing your chores, even if you get sick because of it?" Bismark noted. "I would at least recommend that you find a larger chair and a blanket."_

"…_if you insist, sir," Catherine replied._

_Bismark hummed. "...now that I'm bedridden, being called sir doesn't seem to fit..." he mused, as he closed his eyes. "...call me Bismark, for now..."_

_Catherine blinked in surprise. "…are you…sure?"_

_"...positive..." Bismark hummed._

"…_alright then…Bismark…" Catherine felt so strange saying that, but she wasn't…scared. With that, she walked out of the room._

_Her memories skipped ahead to a few weeks later one evening, where Bismark was still bedridden but he had gotten much better. Catherine was just cleaning up the dishes from the evening's meal when she glanced over at Bismark who was sound asleep that moment. She stood there for a long time, looking at him, and Oblivion could tell that Catherine felt strange while looking at him. It was a familiar feeling for Oblivion, so she knew what Catherine started to feel when she watched him sleep._

_Slowly, she set the dishes down and sat on the bed beside him. Catherine really wasn't sure why she started to do this, but she reached toward his face with a hand, and brushed away some of his bangs softly.__Bismark simply turned a little in his sleep._

"…_you'll get better soon…" she whispered. "…and you'll be able to finish your work again…so…at least you'll be happy to be in your study again…"_

_After that, she got back up, and picked up the dishes, taking another glance at Bismark. He turned a bit in his sleep once more._

_She smiled a little. "…rest easy, Bismark…" and she headed for the door._

_"...nh..." Stirring a bit, Bismark's eyes slowly opened._

_Catherine stopped when she heard him, and looked. "…oh, I'm sorry…did I wake you?" she whispered._

_"...hrm..." With a slight yawn, Bismark slowly sat up. "...what time is it...?"_

"…_it's pretty late," Catherine replied, "close to 10."_

_Bismark slowly glanced at her. "...still awake at this hour...?"_

"_Just taking care of your dishes is all," Catherine said. _

_"...I see..." Bismark hummed, as he glanced towards the window. "...it's getting pretty late... perhaps you should go to bed, Catherine?"_

"_I'll go wash these, and then I'll head to bed," Catherine got that strange feeling again when she heard Bismark say her name, but she hid it well._

_"...take care, then." Bismark hummed._

_Catherine nodded and opened the door, leaving._

"…the next day the doctors came and they said he had made a full recovery…" Catherine continued. "So he was free to walk now…and I just went back to doing my chores…but ever since then…he's started talking to me more…just making small talk every time we saw each other when I brought him his meals…"

Demi was silent; just listening to this in intrigue.

"…and…every now and then, I'd wonder what he looked like underneath those bandages…" Catherine murmured. "…I wondered…what he looked like…if he ever smiled…" She sighed a little bit.

"…and that night when I brushed back his hair? Well…he wasn't entirely asleep when that happened… because, he mentioned it to me one day when I came to see him in his study…"

_She was bringing him a hot cup of tea for him, walking up to him at his desk. "I brought you some tea," Catherine said to him._

_"...thank you, Catherine." Bismark hummed. "Just set it over here..."_

_She nodded, setting it on his desk. She still wondered if she had to call him Sir again, or if she still could call him by his name…for a while now, she left it out. "…will that be all?" she asked._

_"...actually... may I ask you something, Catherine?"_

"…_sure," Catherine replied._

_"...the night before I recovered... I think I recall my hair being brushed aside..." Bismark hummed, as he glanced at Catherine. "...you wouldn't happen to know anything about that?"_

_Her eyes widened at that and she trembled a little. She had the feeling that she might be in trouble. "…I-I'm sorry sir, i-it…won't happen again…" she uttered._

_"...what won't happen again, hm?" Bismark hummed, as he looked up at her from his seat._

_She looked away. "…Sir, I…I was just…brushing your hair aside with my hand…gently…I don't know why I did it…but it won't happen again."_

_"...and why not?" Bismark hummed. "I never said that I grew annoyed by it or anything..."_

_Catherine looked back at him in surprise.__Bismark simply looked back at her._

"…_I just thought…it would've been…invading your personal space for you…" Catherine spoke, still shaking a little bit._

_"...I didn't mind." Bismark hummed, as he glanced to the side. "...it actually felt... pleasant."_

_Catherine felt a warmth grow inside of her. "…it did…?"_

_"...yes." Bismark hummed._

_Catherine stood there, not sure how to reply to that. She got that strange feeling inside of her again, and she just didn't understand why she felt this way…but it was this fluttering warmth inside of her._

_"...is something wrong, Catherine?" Bismark hummed._

"_N-Nothing!" Catherine spoke quickly. "It's nothing…"_

_"...are you sure?" Bismark hummed._

"At that moment…" Catherine spoke, "I'm not sure what really happened, but…"

_Catherine's breath sped up as well as her heart, and she suddenly felt a little dizzy, "I'm…okay…" when in contrary, she wasn't at all. Within seconds, her balance was tilting and suddenly, she collapsed._

_"...Catherine?" Quickly, Bismark got out of his seat; kneeling by Catherine._

"…and I blacked out there…fainting," Catherine spoke. "…next thing I knew, I was waking up in…Bismark's bed, of all places…"

_She felt very soft sheets around her, as well as a very comfortable surface that she laid on. Catherine moved a little bit, breathing in content at how soft and nice it all felt…and after she opened her eyes, she blinked a few times._

_"...finally awake..." she heard Bismark hum._

_Catherine was surprised at that, and she sat up quickly with a gasp. __Bismark was sitting in a fairly comfortable-looking chair; simply looking at Catherine. "...I suppose fatigue finally hit you. Cleaning the entire mansion by yourself is no easy task..." he mused._

"…_n-no…I…suppose not, but…it's my job…" Catherine spoke, looking away from him. Then she took a look around. This room was so large, and it had so many picture frames, and sparkling, jeweled decorations, with a fine looking carpet, and numerous cupboards and dressers with a large king size bed (the one that she was currently sitting in,) with two end tables on each end, and the lighting made everything glow._

_It was so much more in this room than her room, that was for sure, and frankly, she was just really surprised that after all this time, he let her in her. This was the first time she ever saw the master bedroom._

_"...quite the sight, is it not?" Bismark hummed, as he glanced around him._

_Catherine nodded._

_"...it's fairly big... but it does get lonely at times..." Bismark hummed. "That may be why I prefer the study; it may be empty, but it's not as big as this room..."_

_Catherine looked at Bismark. "…you get lonely?"_

_"...at times..." Bismark hummed. "...though I'm used to it... no one really interacts with me to begin with..."_

"…_I see…" and Catherine looked away again. "…but…why did you bring me here…? You probably could've just…put me in my room."_

_"...my room was closer." Bismark replied. "Besides... your room was down the stairs."_

"…_I see…" She once again responded._

_He glanced at her. "...you are alright, aren't you?" he inquired._

_She looked back. "I think so…" she answered._

_"...that's not really an answer..." Shrugging, Bismark simply rubbed his temples a bit. "Hrm... I suppose the day has been trying for both of us..."_

"…_have you not had a good day?" Catherine asked a bit worriedly._

_"...oh, not like that." Bismark assured. "I've just been at a... loss for ideas, lately, and it's... well, trying my patience a tad."_

"…_what…_do_ you do in that study…every day?" Catherine asked._

_Bismark fell silent, as he glanced up at the ceiling._

_"...I... plan out rituals." he hummed._

_Catherine's eyes widened a bit. "…rituals?" When she first came here, she heard the rumors of the Novagod family being involved in the supernatural… and it sounded like they were true…_

_But that didn't scare her, it…_interested _her…_

_"...very occult business... a family tradition, you could say," Bismark mused with a light chuckle. "...but lately, I've... just lost my inspiration..."_

"…_what do these rituals…do?" Catherine asked._

_"...a variety of things; usually revolving around changes within the body and spirit." Bismark noted. "But it has to be done just right, or things could rapidly take a turn for the worse..."_

_Catherine stared at him a bit longer. _

"…_maybe…I could help…" and she looked away uneasily. Why was she suggesting she help with stuff like that?_

_Bismark looked at her with a bemused look. "...this isn't to be taken lightly." he noted. "If you want to help, you have to know what you're dealing with."_

"…_I could learn," Catherine said, looking back at him._

_Bismark simply looked at her... before he chuckled. "...why not? It could provide us some entertainment, at the very least..."_

"…so, he gave me some books to read," Catherine went on. "…I started to learn more and more about the things he did…and while it might scare others, while they'd assume that Bismark was a demon of some kind…I was genuinely curious about it all and I had a fully open, innocent mind…I continued my chores, but Bismark grew more insistent that I rested if I ever got tired…he started to actually seem concerned for my wellbeing, and it…baffled me…"

"…and when I finally tried out a ritual for the first time…that changed everything…"

_Catherine just finished drawing the strange symbols on the ground with the chalk. She was in the solitude of her room, since it had plenty of space. Books on the supernatural were sitting open and scattered all around the room from weeks and weeks of research._

_A knock came on the door. "Are you in there, Catherine?"_

_Catherine looked up. "Yes," She replied. "I'm going to try a ritual in here…do you want to supervise?"_

_"...really..."_

_With that, the door opened, and Bismark entered the room; seeing the drawings and books strewn about. "...my, you've certainly been working hard." he noted._

"…_.I figured I would try a simple one; it should cleanse my spirit of any stress, from what I've read," Catherine replied._

_"Aah, a fairly basic ritual, yes." Bismark hummed. "But if you get this right, then it shows that you're a fast learner." Then, he took a seat on her bed. "If you're curious about anything, just ask."_

_Catherine nodded._

_She looked in the book she held and it instructed her to start chanting a phrase in a dead language until the chalk started to glow. So she spoke out the phrase, and chanted it over and over again.__Bismark remained dead silent, as he simply watched her._

_Eventually, the markings on the ground started to glow in a calm, blue light. Seeing that, Catherine stopped chanting. "Alright, next step…"_

_The book instructed her to speak a different phrase, but this one she would speak only once. There was also a warning with this step; that if she mispronounced the phrase, foreboding things would happen. She wondered if she should ask Bismark for help on this one…but she wanted to see if she could do this one all by herself._

_There was just this little bit inside of her that wanted to impress him._

_So she started out with the phrase, making the blue glow in the symbols glow brighter to send blue shimmers around her in a soft wind. Strangely enough, she started to feel much more relaxed and rejuvenated. _

_Bismark still watched her._

"…and I really should've asked Bismark on that phrase…I really should've…"

_Catherine was unsure about the very last part of the phrase so she spoke out what she thought it sounded like…_

_The wind and sparkles died…and the blue glow in the markings turned into a deadly looking crimson red. Catherine noticed this with worry. "Uh! It wasn't supposed to do that!"_

_Black, ominous looking figures popped out of the marking, startling Catherine with a gasp, and they shot right into her body. Oblivion winced, feeling the agonizing pain that struck Catherine everywhere in her body to make her cry out._

_Bismark's eyes widened. "No!" Quickly, he raised his arms and began chanting."Hom gallech ne'allay fray natila... Hom gallech ne'allay fray natila... Hom gallech ne'allay fray natila..."_

_Suddenly the glow faded from the markings, and Catherine collapsed weakly to the ground, with the book hitting the ground beside her. Her body convulsed like she was possessed, no longer screaming, but she still felt that terrible pain, which was the cause of her convulsion._

_Quickly, Bismark got out of the bed, and picked the book up; flipping through the pages to see what she had caused. "...a stress-relieving ritual... and with one mispronunciation, it becomes a killing curse..." he hissed, before he slammed the book shut. "...Catherine... tell me... what are you feeling?" he asked out of concern, as he looked at her._

_Catherine collapsed limply on the ground, ceasing the convulsing and her vision started to blur…she didn't feel very well… "…B…ismark…" her voice sounded cracked and hoarse, because her throat was suddenly burning so painfully._

_Bismark quickly picked her up. "...oh, dear... you're burning to the touch..." he uttered. "...as if you've... caught a fever..." Quickly, he managed to get Catherine to bed._

_While lying in bed, Catherine's eyes slowly fell closed. She tried to speak but it was too weak and too cracked to make out._

_"...nh... this isn't good..." Bismark uttered, as he held her hand. "...don't worry... I'll try to help you through this..."_

"…I felt so ill…my throat was so dry and sore that I could hardly speak …my temperature rose drastically and dropped just as drastically over and over…I wasn't able to keep much down in my stomach, so little by little I was growing skinny from malnourishment…every now and then I even coughed blood up…" Catherine spoke. "…those next few weeks were so hazy…and yet, I remembered Bismark there at my side…often…he assured me that he was going to fix what happened and that I would be alright…"

"At some point he finally did find a way to undo everything that happened to me…he spent so many sleepless nights working up a ritual that would undo all the harm to me…"

_The next memory Oblivion could see was the echoes of shaky chanting speaking outside of her dreams, in reality. _

_Slowly…she started to come to. She barely opened her eyes with blurry vision, but the vision was starting to clear just a little bit. There was a figure standing there, but she couldn't see who it was very well with pretty, colorful lights that wrapped around her. Her scorched, dry throat started to cool down and soothe itself, and she felt strength returning to her. The lights that wrapped around her and embraced her…they felt so warm, and comforting, and caring to her…_

…_it felt so wonderful._

_As the lights flowed around her, the figure gazed down at her whilst continuing this chanting._

_Her vision cleared completely, and in amazement, Catherine opened her eyes up all the way. She could breathe easily now…and she felt so wonderful, like she was floating in the air…_

_And she was; just hovering gently over her bed._

_"...Catherine..."_

"…_Bismark…?" She was able to speak clearly, and she looked at the figure._

_The figure was, indeed, Bismark, who seemed fairly fatigued, and yet, even with his bandages covering his face... happy. "...thank the heavens... it worked..."_

_Catherine slowly floated back down to the bed, and the lights faded away. With that, Catherine slowly tried to sit up, and she was still weak, but only because the lack of nourishment. Other than that…she didn't feel ill anymore…_

_She looked up at Bismark in surprise._

_"...Catherine..." Setting a hand on her own hand, Bismark actually seemed to smile a little. "...tell me... how are you feeling?"_

"…_much better…" she replied. "…I…don't feel sick at all…anymore…what did you do?"_

_"...I had to formulate a ritual meant for curing serious illnesses." Bismark noted. "From what I've seen over the past week, you managed to contract around five fatal diseases, along with countless lesser ones... but now, they're all purged from your body."_

_Catherine was shocked to hear that had been done to her just from messing up one of the simpler rituals. Immediately, she felt guilty. "…I'm sorry…I should've asked you about that phrase…"_

_"...that doesn't matter, Catherine..." Bismark hummed, as he simply looked at her. "...what matters is that you've recovered..."_

_Catherine looked up at Bismark, trembling again. She felt that fluttering warmth, but she felt so weak she felt more like she wanted to cry. She felt so many mixed emotions and after being sick for so long, she couldn't quite control them. "B-Bismark…" she uttered shakily, with a few tears rolling down her cheeks._

_"...Catherine..." Bismark hummed, as he set a hand on her cheek to wipe away her tears with his thumb._

_She shut her eyes and burst into tears. Why did she feel this way? Why couldn't she keep herself from crying? __Out of some concern, Bismark hugged her supportively. Catherine clutched to him, holding him close, and felt like crying even more. The closer she held him, the more she realized that…she had been waiting to hold him like this._

_"...don't worry; you're safe, now..." Bismark uttered._

_His voice sounded so soothing to her and she trembled so weakly in his arms, calming from her sobs, still clutching to him.__"...you should still try and recover your strength... I'll prepare something for you to eat, as well..." Bismark hummed._

"…_O-okay…" she uttered._

_"...do you think you'll need anything else?" Bismark inquired._

"…_when you bring me food…could you…keep me company…?" Catherine uttered. "…I just…don't want you to leave my side…"_

_Bismark blinked upon hearing that... but considering her current state... "...of course."_

"From then on, he made sure I recovered completely," Catherine said. "…then he hired more housekeepers…and he told me that I was no longer allowed to serve him like that anymore, and that he hired more housekeepers to take my place…that I was from then on, considered a guest in his home…I had no idea how to feel about that…I was just…overwhelmed by it all…"

"…then a lot more time passed, and I realized what strange feelings I kept having for him were…when I realized that I…loved him…I had no idea what to do…or if he really felt that way back. I felt like there were hints that he did…but he was so distant…and I was so afraid to confront him on them."

_She stood out at her balcony one night in her new room, which wasn't quite as fancy as Bismark's, but it was a major upgrade from the one she used to stay in. Instead of rags, she wore softer, cleaner, nicer looking clothes, and a wrap to keep her warm outside in the night while she looked out at the sky. She was just so thankful to Bismark that he had given her so much…but…what she wanted the most from him was his affections… and she didn't know if that would be possible or not…_

_A knock came on her door. "Are you in here, Catherine?"_

"_O-oh!" She looked back quickly. "Yes, I'm here Bismark! I'm just out on the balcony!"_

_"I see. May I come in?"_

"_Yes, you may," she answered._

_With that, the door opened, and Bismark stepped in. "...enjoying the view?" he inquired._

_Catherine nodded, "Yes," and she looked back out at the sky._

_"...it is a lovely evening sky out there..." Bismark hummed, as he stepped out on the balcony as well._

"_Yes…it is…" Catherine agreed.__Nodding, Bismark simply gazed out at the sky in silence._

_Catherine slowly ended up looking back at Bismark silently.__He simply looked at the sky in fascination._

_Catherine's heart started to beat harder…and she wondered if she should confess her feelings tonight, this moment…but she grew tense, wondering how she would say it.__Eventually, Bismark happened to glance in her direction._

_Catherine grew warmer when he looked at her, and she swallowed. "Bismark…" she started. "I…I can't thank you enough for everything you've done…everything you've given me…" _

_Bismark hummed. "...well... it's the least I could've done..."_

"…_it's all so much I…" she tried to find her words, and when she couldn't, "…I…just don't know what to say…"_

_"...knowing that you're content is more than enough for me." Bismark hummed with a slight chuckle, as he closed his eyes._

"…_that's just it Bismark…" she uttered. "…I'm not just content…I'm happy…I'm the happiest I've ever been, and it's you…you're the one that's made me so happy…" her heart started racing more and more, making her tremble._

_Bismark blinked at that. "...hm...?"_

_Now that it was starting to come out, Catherine just couldn't stop. "I just don't know how to describe the way you make me feel Bismark…I can't stop thinking about those feelings or you and I…I…" she turned away from him she was so nervous._

_"...you... what?" Bismark hummed._

_She breathed, and swallowed again, slowly turning back around to him. Bismark noticed her eyes just glow in the moonlight when she looked at him._

"…_I…I'm in love you, Bismark Novagod…"_

_Bismark's eyes quickly widened. "...ln...love...?"_

_Catherine breathed quickly to try and slow down her heart, trying to believe that she finally said it aloud…to him.__Bismark simply gazed at her; at an actual loss for words._

_Catherine grew worried at how he'd respond, and she turned away quickly with a guilty blush, holding her chest where her heart was._

_"...I... I don't know what to say..." Bismark uttered, as he slowly glanced back at the sky._

_Catherine looked back at him. _

_"...I am... touched, to know that you feel that way about me..." Bismark hummed, as his gaze slowly fell. "...but... I have a feeling that it won't last..."_

"_Why not?" Catherine grew disheartened that he would say such a thing._

_Bismark looked back up at the sky. "...you're... in love with a shell. I have my doubts that your feelings will hold water... for what truly lies beneath the shell..."_

_With that, he slowly reached for the bandages on his face; undoing them. Catherine's eyes widened at that, surprised that he was taking off the bandages like this._

_"...I won't blame you if you scream... many have done so in the past..." Bismark murmured, as the bandages slowly fell to the floor..._

_...and then, he turned to look at Catherine._

Oblivion shuddered at what Catherine saw.

Feeling her shudder, Catherine hummed. "…I don't blame you…nor did I blame Bismark either…he had reason to say that.

_Catherine froze, with a few chills running down her spine while she stared at him.__What she gazed at was a horrific sight; deep, malformed scars ran all over his face, especially around his muzzle, where his lips were nearly burnt away, which left little to hide his teeth from view. He seemed very much like some manner of hideous creature without his bandages covering it up. Catherine stared at him in frozen shock._

_"...well? Does your love still stand, when you see the freakshow you've been living with for what he is?" Bismark hummed in a slightly melancholic tone._

_Catherine was too frozen to answer._

_"...I thought so..." With a dejected sigh, Bismark turned away. "...sorry to have dashed your dreams." With that, he prepared to walk off._

"_Bismark!" _

_Suddeny, Bismark's hand was taken, stopping him. Bismark's eyes widened, as he looked behind him._

"…_I was taken aback by it; yes…I can admit that…" she started to speak, still staring at him. "…but…the way you look…doesn't change who you are; who you've always been to be…the man that took me into his home when I had nowhere to go, and the man who took care of me in my time of need…you weren't a monster to begin with, so looking that way doesn't make you a monster now, Bismark…"_

_"...Catherine..." Bismark uttered._

"…_.so …just because you look deformed like that…it doesn't mean I would love you any less…" She felt tears of joy in her eyes. "I was honestly more afraid that you would reject me, than to look upon what you hid in your bandages…"_

_Bismark could only look at Catherine in sheer disbelief that she wasn't reacting fearfully of him._

"…_don't walk away Bismark…" she told him. "…don't even look away…"_

_He didn't do either of those things; he simply gazed at her. Slowly, Catherine stepped closer to him, raising a hand toward his face.__Now Bismark was the one frozen in place, as he simply stood there. Gently, her hand touched some of the scars on his face, and Catherine didn't seem so afraid anymore when she touched them. It looked, horrible, yes…but it was a similar thing to a child looking in his closet to discover there was no monster hiding in there._

_It was that feeling where you realize there's no reason to be scared…they were simply scars, and nothing else. Like Catherine said, they did not change who he was at all…_

_Still, he simply looked at her; curious that she was so... gentle._

_Her hands touched his face all over, very gently. Eventually, one hand touched his cheek, while the other brushed away some of his hair. There was a faint smile on her lips while her tears of joy rolled down her face.__As Bismark felt her gentle touch, tears began trailing down his face as well, even though he didn't seem to notice. Catherine saw them and wiped them away with a thumb._

"…_I'm not afraid…Bismark…" she whispered shakily. "…so…you shouldn't have to be…either…"_

_"...Catherine..." Bismark uttered. _

_More tears of joy rolled down Catherine's face while she leaned closer. Bismark'__s tear-filled eyes widened slightly as he simply watched her lean closer. __She got close enough to be a lips distance away from him, but she hesitated to make sure she didn't frighten him._

_He didn't seem frightened; but he also seemed hesitant to make the first move. "...C-Catherine..."_

"…_Bis…mark…" So Catherine leaned in the last part of the way, kissing him._

_It was strange, kissing Bismark, with the lack of lip, but Catherine didn't mind at all. It felt so wonderful to kiss the man she had pined for so strongly for such a long time…While he was still frozen there, Bismark gently kissed her back as best he could. She kissed him as softly as she could…_

"We were married months later…" Catherine spoke with a distant, content sigh of reminiscence.

Demi could only blink at this. _...wow..._

"...once we were married, he told me things that I didn't know…he told me that he had the power to see the future," Catherine continued. "I asked if he had any other powers…and he told me that it didn't matter, because he would never use them on me. I suppose after the incident with the mistake I made on the ritual, he didn't want to accidentally harm me by using the powers he had. Aside from that, I learned more and more about Bismark, and I loved him all the same…"

"…naturally, he was afraid to be intimate…but we eased into it as time went on," Catherine said. "Eventually, we decided that we wanted to start a family...the first child was a son…and labor was…very difficult, I remember…"

Oblivion didn't really want to glance into those memories, but she figured that the son she was talking about was Demi.

And this answered her assumption when Catherine looked at Demi with wide eyes. "…but he was a healthy baby, so in the end, it was all worth it…and we named him…Demi."

Demi managed a smile, as his eyes widened.

Oblivion pulled her hands away from Catherine with a smile of her own. At this point, the memories were coming back by themselves, without her help. This allowed Catherine to touch Demi's face.

"…Demi…" she uttered. "…you've grown so much…"

"...mother..." Demi uttered.

Suddenly, Catherine hugged him. "…when Bismark told me the superstition about those wings…I worried about you…but look at you…you look so grown up!"

Demi hugged Catherine back; a few tears squeezing out of his eyes. "...mom..."

Oblivion smiled even more at this… she was glad that Catherine's memories started coming back now, since her power just simply started to accelerate their return…

…and to leave them to have a moment alone, Oblivion stood up to walk out.

She went back to the front door were just Violet, Milo and Jack were. "The others went back to tell Charon and the rest what's going on," Milo told Oblivion when she came up to them.

She nodded. "I see."

"So…what happened in there?" Violet asked.

Oblivion smiled sadly. "…it worked. She remembers everything now…and she and Demi are in there."

"...so it worked out?" Jack uttered whilst smiling. "That's great!"

"…Oblivion, is something wrong?" Milo asked, since even if Oblivion smiled, he could sense some sadness.

"…it's nothing," Oblivion said. She was honestly surprised, and overjoyed, that she was able to use her power to actually help someone; especially someone she really wanted to help, like Demi, and after seeing so many memories, Catherine.

But… there was still that lingering sadness that she couldn't do much else than that for Demi…

Catherine hugged her son tightly for a long time. Demi returned the hug just as long as Catherine did.

"…there's so much you have to tell me Demi…" Catherine spoke. "What's happened the past five years I couldn't remember? How is the family?"

Demi's look grew glummer at that. "...to be honest... I don't know..." he murmured. "...a year after you vanished... my wings grew bigger..."

Catherine could tell from the large wings he had now. "…I can see that…so Bismark's vision was true…" she spoke. "…but you haven't seen them for that long? What have you been doing?"

"...three years ago... I went to Safe Haven." Demi explained. "I wanted to try and grow stronger there... and there, I made some good friends... and I actually learned to speak with the creature within me... his name is Blood..."

"…really?" Catherine was surprised to hear that Demi went to Safe Haven, or that he communicated with a being that was living inside of him.

"...yes... and I made so many friends there..." Demi uttered. "Friends like Crystal and Dax; a pair of porcupines I've lived with... and then there's Oblivion..."

"…Oblivion…that was your friend that helped me with my memories…wasn't it?" Catherine said, looking down at him.

"...yes..." Demi uttered, as he blushed a tad. "...and... she's..."

"…she's…?" Catherine only had to look at her son's blushing face, and a motherly smile appeared on her face. "…I see…she's a special friend…"

"...yes..." Demi nodded.

Catherine chuckled sweetly. "…you really have grown up…"

"...seems like it..." Demi chuckled bashfully.

"…you'll have to give her my thanks for helping me remember everything," Catherine said.

"...believe me; for something like this, I'm eternally grateful..." Demi whispered.

Catherine hugged him again. "I'm so glad to see you Demi…"

"...and I'm glad to see you, mother..." Demi uttered...

...and then, an idea struck him. "...maybe..." Then, he looked at Catherine. "...maybe we could go and visit father and Odium? Just to let them know that you're alive?"

Catherine's eyes widened at that. "…yes, we should…"

"...and..." Then, he smiled a little. "...Violet could come along as well, if you'd like."

Catherine smiled. "Yes…I would like for her to come along…your father should know who found me and took care of me while I couldn't remember anything."

"...right." Demi nodded.

"…so…we should probably go as soon as possible then," and Catherine stood up. Nodding, Demi stood up with her.

"…so…you must be traveling around?" Catherine asked. "…why?"

"...well... that's a long story." Demi noted. "And... not a very pleasant one..."

"…is that so?" Catherine asked.

"...well... for me, at least, it started a few days ago. Crystal was out practicing, and the weather began turning sour..." Demi began; intending to tell his mother everything that had happened thus far.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yay for character development!<strong>_


	22. Chapter 21

"…s-so…this woman…came in…and….turned you into…_that?_" Fae asked fearfully.

"...afraid so." Sitting on the couch as she took a drag from her pipe, Hex had her eyes closed with a very thoughtful look on her.

May just looked at her. The form that Hex looked with Corruption…it was very strange to get used to. She wasn't quite used to the supernatural, and she was just still getting used to what Hex had told her days ago.

…and now this…

Mordecai was used to it, having seen his Mistress like this before, and he was going about making lunch for the ladies…uh, without being in the kitchen, since that was obviously occupied.

"...sorry about the kitchen, by the way; it was very spontaneous, and I don't want anyone looking when I'll move her out of there." Hex hummed. "Very nasty sight, I'll tell you that much."

May looked at Hex. "…aren't you concerned at all…with what happened to you?"

"...under normal circumstances, like if this had been my first time... yeah, unless I was an absolute lunatic under its influence." Hex murmured, as she took another drag from her pipe. "...somehow, though... I think all the hate towards that woman bottled up the insanity Corruption usually brings, so... I'm somehow able to control it."

Then, she sighed. "Of course, this would mean that if I'm intimate with _anyone_ from here on out, chances are that they'd be Corrupted as well..."

"…right," May mumbled.

Then something came out of the ground, and startled her and Fae, "HM?"

"Where's my mom?" it was a little bat that looked just like Desire, only this one had attachment that looked like toys, and he glared at Hex. "WHERE'S MY MOMMY?" Rascal screamed.

"AAAAGH!" Fae was frightened and she clung to her sister, who also looked at Rascal in shock.

Hex, however, simply looked at Rascal with an impassive look. "...I have her." she mused dryly.

Rascal glared at her. "WHERE IS SHE?"

Hex slowly rose, before she sauntered over to the kitchen door. "...in here. But you can't see her." Then, she shot a cold glare at him. "...she's doing grown-up stuff."

"If you did something to her, then you will let her go, NOW!" and he stomped his foot to emphasize his demand.

"...no, I won't." Hex scoffed. "Because she did something unforgiveable to me." Then, she narrowed her eyes. "Do you honestly expect me to bow to the demands of a little brat like yourself? Didn't your mother ever teach you about discipline?"

"My mom loved me and she gave me whatever I wanted!" Rascal roared. "And now, I want you to let my mom GO!"

"...I will not." Hex huffed.

Rascal grew furious and stomped his feet even more, looking like he was throwing a tantrum.

"…wow…he's a spoiled little brat, isn't he?" May muttered dryly.

Rascal shot a glare at her, and while May was simply startled, Fae cowered behind her back.

"GET THEM!" Rascal screamed out.

Suddenly, from everywhere, random toys of robots and action figures popped out and climbed all over the twins, while more approached Hex. Naturally, the twins started to freak out and try and scrape off the toys from them, only to have even more climb onto them.

"...hmph."

With a cold scoff, a trio of shadowy tendrils shot out from within the gaseous cloud of darkness; tearing through the toys that were approaching her. "...someone needs to teach you some manners, brat." she sneered, before the tendrils quickly shot towards the pile of toys covering May and Fae; brushing them aside.

"What?" Rascal was shocked that Hex so effortlessly wiped out his toys like that, and Fae clutched to May while they backed away.

Shooting a glare at Rascal, Hex began approaching him. "...I may not be a mother, but even I can spot a brat when I see one." she huffed.

"…stop…calling…me…A BRAT!" Rascal screamed, turning his toy arm into a toy cannon that shot balls of flaming Corruption at Hex. However, the tendrils merely caught them as she kept approaching him; her glare turning sharper. Rascal growled, but the closer and closer Hex got, he actually seemed a little afraid.

"...do you know what happens to small brats like you?" Hex scoffed.

"…what…?" Rascal asked, growing less angry and more afraid.

"...they get punished."

With that, the tendrils suddenly snared Rascal up and forced him on all fours, before they proceeded to spank his rear. "You're a _bad boy!_" Hex scolded, as she was the one directing this assault on him.

Rascal started crying in pain.

May and Fae just blinked at this.

"Do you see what happens when you do bad things? You get hurt like _this!_" Hex said in a louder tone, as she kept punishing the child.

Rascal started bawling like the frightened little child he was.

"I'm not going to stop until you apologize! And then I want you to promise to behave from now on!" Hex kept scolding.

"…O-OKAY, OKAY! I'm s-sorr-RRY!" Rascal cried.

"Are you?" Hex scoffed. "Do you promise not to act like a spoiled brat in the future, then?"

"Yeah, YEAH I PROMISE!" Rascal whimpered and sobbed.

"Alright..." With that, the tendrils began carrying Rascal off to her own room. "Now you're going to sit put, young man, and think about what you did wrong!" With that, the tendrils had locked Rascal within that bedroom.

May rubbed her chin, now that was over with. "…hm…"

Fae looked at May. "What is it?"

"…something really screwy is going on here…" May muttered. "…first, that woman, who was an ex-wife of someone in the Novagod family, and she wanted to know about Joy who supposedly was the one who Corrupted her in the first place, and now this kid…"

"...you're saying that there's something there to look into?" Hex assumed.

"…we need to start figuring out what's going on here," May muttered. "…like, maybe we need to check with what happened to the rest of the family where they came from."

"...right..." Hex hummed.

"…Novagod Family…" May hummed. "…there's only one manor that I know where some Novagod's live at…and that's in another city…but thankfully that's not too far from this one."

"...you're suggesting that we go check it out?" Hex assumed.

"Yeah…or, at least you and me," May said. "…I'd rather that my sis stay here, and well…I suppose Mordecai should stay with her…to make sure she stays safe…"

"…May…" Fae uttered, looking at her sister in amazement.

"...right; I agree." Hex hummed, as she rubbed her chin.

"…so…shall we, or do you have any other business you need to take care of?" May asked.

"...actually..." Hex hummed, as she began sauntering towards the kitchen door. "...I need to check up on our guest, to see that she's... _comfortable._"

"…right," May muttered.

"...if you hear some noises, don't question it." Hex hummed, as she slipped into the kitchen...

...and, what had once been an ordinary kitchen, was now a writhing hive of Corruption; globs and clouds of darkness crawled around the walls and ceiling, and from a lot of dark corners, tentacles were emerging; converging on a singular point...

...where she was bound.

Desire was utterly traumatized by the whole thing, as was now just a lifeless doll that hung where she was bound.

With a hum, Hex sauntered up to her, and grabbed her by her chin. "...speak." she commanded.

"M…m-m-Mistress…" she uttered shakily.

"...utterly broken..." Hex hummed. "...hm... what can we do about that..." Then, she briefly sucked on her own finger. "...we'll need to get you some adrenaline, just so you'll have a proper response to me..."

Desire's eyes widened in fright. "N-No! P-Please!"

"...oh, relax, I'm not going to do that... yet, at least." Hex mused. "Right now, you're just going to scream in fear at everything I do... it's amusing at first, but the magic soon wears off after a while." Then, she leant closer to Desire. "I just need to rejuvenate your energy... then you'll be enjoying it."

Desire shook and tried to struggle a bit in the black tendrils that held her down.

"...but what would be most effective, hm...?" Hex hummed... before eventually smirking. "...that's right... maybe I'll go straight for your mind."

With that, Hex formed a miniscule worm of Corruption, which she held up to Desire's ear. "...I'll have this travel through your head, rearrange a few things... and presto, pronto, you won't be afraid anymore. In fact... you're going to love everything anyone will ever do to you once I'm done."

"N-NO! PLEASE! DON'T DO THIS TO ME MISTRESS!" Desire tried to struggle even more.

"Why not?" Hex chuckled. "Give me a good reason why."

"…p-please Mistress…the Corruption…it's so t-_terrifying_…" Desire sobbed.

"...I know." Hex hummed, before she leaned in dangerously close to Desire; glaring into her eyes. "I've experienced it _twice, _myself. Once was more than enough... and then _you_ came into the picture." Then, she narrowed her eyes. "...you'd better have a better reason than that."

Desire shuddered at her glare, staring back fearfully. She was unable to come up with any good reason against that.

"...well? I'm giving you a chance to get out of this, so if you're thinking of squandering it..."

"…I…I…" more tears came out of Desire's eyes. "…I still have a son…to take care of…"

"...a son, huh..." Hex hummed. "...you know, that's funny... he just showed up here not too long ago."

Desire's eyes widened a bit. "…really…?"

"...yeah... and do you know what I saw?" Hex hummed... and her eyes narrowed. "A spoiled, rotten little brat. Obviously, _someone_ hasn't been taking good care of their child..."

Desire shuddered.

"…n-no..please…"

"...you've shown me that really, you couldn't care less about Corruption, since you disregarded my pleas to make you stop... and your son certainly hasn't turned out well, due to your poor performance as a mother..." Hex hummed, as she inched the worm closer to Desire. "...could it be that you have no reason to make me stop?"

"Don't…please…" Desire started to weep again. "…I could be a better mother…"

"...how old is your kid?" Hex hummed.

"…h-he's…nine…" Desire uttered.

"...nine years old, and you've let him stay like this for that long..." Hex spat. "...tell me just _how_ you could be a better mother for him at this point."

"P-please! He's the only child I have that's mine! He's a bastard child because _his_ father left me!" Desire sobbed. "When I married Bismark, I wanted to give him everything he wanted to make him happy!"

"...then let me ask you this." Hex hummed. "...was he ever _really_ happy?"

Desire sniffed. "…he…never ever told me…"

"...and why do you suppose that is?" Hex hummed.

Realizing the harsh truth, Desire's lip quivered.

"...he never was happy, was he?" Hex hummed.

"…maybe…not…" Desire uttered.

"...hm." Hex hummed, as she rubbed her chin. "...tell you what... how about we make a deal?"

"…wh-what…?" Desire uttered.

"...here's the thing." Hex hummed, as she held the worm up to Desire. "I'm going to put this inside of you... but I know someone who can purify Corruption. Once I get her to you and purify you, I'll let you try and raise your son properly."

"….y-you would….do that…?" Desire uttered.

"Yes... however," Hex began, as her expression grew dark, "if I find that you keep neglecting your child... I'm going to personally see to it that _both of you_ find yourself in the situation you're currently in."

"N-no! No! Anything but that!" She uttered. "At least d-don't harm my s-son!"

"...very well." Hex hummed. "But you'll still be fair game... got it?"

"…" Desire was silent at that…but in desperation, "…a-alright…alright…"

"...alright..." Hex hummed, as she inched the worm closer to her ear. "...it may hurt a little... but soon enough, you'll feel nothing but pleasure, abandon all sense of fear, and grow a sense of lust which rivals even mine..."

Desire shut her eyes, bracing for it. With that, Hex allowed the worm to crawl right into Desire's ear. Desire jolted and let out a cry, struggling in her binds while the worm crawled its way into her ear painfully.

As soon as it had burrowed itself completely into her ear, Hex folded her arms. "...it'll reach your brain soon... and then, you'll become a perfect little slut..."

Desire kept struggling…and then, suddenly…the pain was gone…

…she fell limp against her binds.

* * *

><p>Catherine was quite amazed to be flying on the back of another Mobian…and with a group of many others, no doubt. Meeting such colorful characters was a lot for her, but…she couldn't help but feel so proud of Demi for making so many friends.<p>

And the story…boy, the story was long, and she was still trying to comprehend. A power that was in the beginning, created by a Novagod of all people…and it let to the story of a woman, and her daughter, who was now on the run, and all their friends were trying to look for her. Even the famous Metal Sonic was looking for her…

Luckily, they all had the practice of telling the story over and over and over again, so after flying a few hours, they had told her the whole thing.

"Big thing to think about, huh?" Vanessa chuckled.

Catherine nodded. "…gosh…I…I had no idea…"

"No one does," Ani chuckled. "That's…well, kinda the reason this whole mess started…but in the end, we're gonna fix it all."

"You bet!" Jack cheered.

"...and we're going to make sure that it doesn't happen again, too..." Kiri hummed.

Catherine felt sorry for that woman and her daughter…the hardships that they have been put through… and when she wondered if Bismark knew about all of this, remembering that he could see into the future answered her question; of course Bismark knew…

"Hey…" Oblivion spoke out with wide eyes, pointing down. "…that's it…that's the mansion…"

Catherine looked, and indeed, Oblivion was right. Far below them was that large manor…and it was just as dreary as it was before Catherine came here the first time.

"...home..." Demi uttered.

"...I'm going to have to land here." Charon mused, as he began descending. "I wouldn't want to frighten anyone in there..."

"That's understandable," Vanessa said. "Although we're talking about Novagod's here, Charon. I doubt they'd be frightened by you."

"Amazed, maybe, but yeah, not frightened," Milo added.

Catherine continued to look at the manor, all while they slowly landed to the ground. Five long years…and finally, she was home again; finally, she had remembered who she was and what her life had been like before that horrible accident…

"...excited?" Jack hummed, as he glanced at Catherine.

"…yes, very much so," Catherine said. "Actually…I have a bit of a strange, personal request."

"What is it?" Striker asked, landing to the ground with his jetpack.

"…you guys can go in the front door, but…I want to sneak in around the back," Catherine said. "I have a pretty good feeling I know where Bismark is, and I want to give him my personal greeting."

"...um... okay?" Kiri uttered.

"...I'm sure she has a reason for wanting that." Charon assumed. "I see nothing wrong with it."

"...alright, mom; do what you want." Demi hummed with a smile.

Catherine nodded, climbing off of Charon's back, and she walked to the manor. Instead of the front door, she headed around the side, and she kept going until she found her old balcony. Thankfully, it was still standing, just like she remembered. Being a bat, she fluttered up to the balcony, and peeked inside. She remembered that when she had Odium, they turned this room into her bedroom.

At the moment, she saw a female bat resting on the bed; snoring softly as her head was covered by her pillow.

"…Odium…" her eyes marveled at how much she grew as well…

"...mmh..." With a slight yawn, Odium turned in her bed. It didn't seem like she would be waking up any time soon...

Slowly and quietly, Catherine opened the sliding glass door to inside, and when she closed it behind her, she tiptoed across the room to the door.

Still, Odium remained asleep.

Catherine smiled at Odium. "…see you in a little bit, honey…" she whispered, leaving the room.

She walked through the halls quickly and quietly, and finally, she found the door where the study was at. She stopped a moment, feeling her heart beat quickly. Would Bismark see this coming? With him refusing to see into her future, she wondered so much if he'd see her coming like this…it made her nervous, admittedly.

Eventually, though, she took a deep breath…and she opened the door, walking into the study, and making sure to close the door right behind her.

"...is that you, Odium?" Bismark hummed, as he was still sitting by that same desk; writing out something cryptic once more. "You're certainly up early..."

She was silent for a long time…

…then...

"…Sir, my name is Catherine Gardener, and I'm here to clean up around the manor, and make sure you are well…"

After saying that, she smiled.

Bismark froze utterly; dropping his pen to the floor. "...that... voice..." Slowly, he turned around; his eyes widening more and more as he saw who was standing in front of him.

Slowly and cautiously, Catherine walked toward him.

"...this... isn't a dream..." Bismark uttered, as he slowly began rising to his feet; his gaze locked onto Catherine.

"…I…should explain…" Catherine murmured, now actually feeling a bit guilty.

Bismark blinked, as he slowly approached her as well.

"…the accident…I survived it…" Catherine muttered. "…but…I suffered from some head trauma and...it caused amnesia…for five long years, I've been taken care of by someone else, while I tried to remember who I was…" She actually felt a few tears coming up. "…I'm sorry for…putting you through that kind of hardship…without even knowing I was alive…"

At that point, though, Bismark suddenly grabbed her in a hug. "...no... I'm the one who should ask for forgiveness..." he uttered. "...I spent so long searching for you... searching for someone who knew you... but I found nothing... forgive your foolish husband, who didn't search long enough for you..."

Catherine clutched to him. "…I can forgive you…" she uttered. "…I'm just…so glad to see you again…"

"...so am I..." Bismark uttered.

Catherine finally ended up crying a little bit in Bismark's shoulder, but she was just so happy to be back where she belonged. Bismark simply stroked her back dearly; hugging her more as he realized that his true beloved was once more with him.

Catherine didn't cry for very long though, eventually she wiped away her tears and looked up at Bismark with a smile. Bismark looked back at her; and even with the bandages covering his face, it was apparent that he was smiling. Catherine slowly reached for the bandages to unravel them, wanting to see his face. He allowed her to do this; not moving a single muscle while she did so.

When she finally unraveled the bandages, she stared at his deformed, scarred face… but Catherine did not flinch away whatsoever. In fact, she simply smiled even more, and touched his face, kissing his cheek lovingly. Bismark slowly smiled even more; still holding her dearly. "...Catherine... I've missed your gentle touch so much..." he whispered.

"…and I missed your gentle touch as well, Bismark…" Catherine whispered back, kissing him on his lips then. With a slight sigh of absolute content, Bismark gently kissed her back. Catherine brushed away his hair a bit while she kissed him. Bismark closed his eyes, as he held her closer while kissing her back.

They were in that embrace for a long while, kissing like that…

Eventually, Catherine broke away and simply held him. "…I love you Bismark..."

"...I love you too, Catherine..." Bismark uttered.

"…there will be plenty of time to catch up, I'm sure," Catherine said, "but…I have another surprise for you as well."

Bismark blinked. "...what?"

At that point, the study door opened, and Odium ran in. "Dad, you're not gonna believe it! I went to the foyer, and-!" She stopped the moment she saw Catherine in Bismark's arms. "...buh..."

Catherine turned and smiled at Odium.

"...m-mom...?" Odium uttered in disbelief.

"…hi honey…" Catherine said, still smiling at her.

Odium could merely look from her to Bismark, and then back at her. "...m-mom..."

Catherine pulled away from Bismark and went to Odium to hug her. Odium's eyes widened, as she slowly hugged her back. "...mom..."

Bismark couldn't help but smile at this.

"…I'm home now, honey…" She spoke. "…I'm sorry I was gone for so long, but now…I'm home…"

"...mom..." Odium uttered, as she hugged Catherine tighter.

Since the door to the study was wide open, the others walked in, smiling at the sight they saw.

Oblivion was even more happy that she didn't just help Catherine remember…but she reunited an entire family again, considering the moment that Demi stepped into the study.

Bismark, noticing Demi at this moment, looked surprised. "...Demi...?"

Demi glanced at Bismark with a neutral look; giving him a nod. "...hello, father."

Catherine smiled at Bismark. "…he was the one who discovered where I had been…and the one who had been taking care of me was Violet."

She happened to step into the room at that moment, and she tipped her hat to Bismark. "...Violet..." Bismark uttered. "...thank you..." Then, he looked at Demi. "...my, how you've grown..."

Demi remained silent; simply smiling.

Odium couldn't help but smile as well. "...well, well... guess we're a family again..."

Catherine wrapped an arm around Demi, and then brought her two children to Bismark, wrapping her arm around him as well, so that all of them were hugging each other. "…yes…I suppose we are…" she whispered happily. All of them just hugged each other.

"...aaaw... that's so sweet..." Jack uttered with a smile.

"…it really is…" Oblivion spoke with a smile.

"…do you think…we should leave them alone?" Striker asked.

"...I think so..." Kiri whispered.

They all started to walk away…

"That is the sweetest thing I've ever seen…"

And they stopped, when they heard the new voice.

There was a dark figure sitting in the corner on a stack of books with her legs crossed. Everyone suddenly looked towards her; their eyes widening. "...Patricia...?" Bismark uttered.

Catherine looked the most surprised of all…last she remembered, Patricia was in prison…

"It's nice to see you're still alive, Catherine," spoke the figure, Patricia, standing up and walking toward them. "I always liked you…still like you much better than the slut that Bismark remarried to."

"What?" Catherine was utterly shocked to hear something like that, and gawked at Bismark. Demi shot Bismark a shocked look as well.

Bismark's attention, however, was fixated solely on Patricia, as he slowly turned to face her; as if to shield his family. "...what are you doing here, Patricia?"

"I wanted to be part of the family reunion," Patricia spoke. "Oh, and…well, maybe talk to Demi."

Milo stood there then, glaring at her. "I know what you want to do with him…and we can't let you do that."

"What does she want to do?" Striker asked in confusion.

Milo kept glaring at Patricia. "…she wants to infect Demi with Corruption…"

"...what...?" Demi uttered, as he looked at Patricia. "...why...?"

"...it... must be because of the one within you." Bismark hummed, as he narrowed his eyes. "...do not push your luck, "dear" sister. I told you; I do not intend to see my flesh and blood affected by Corruption..."

"Well, you really have no say in this," Patricia murmured. "We might be family, bro, but if you stand in the way of my goals, then I won't hesitate to beat you down."

Oblivion stood in front of Demi protectively. "I won't let you take him!"

Patricia eyed Oblivion curiously. "…well now…Demi…did you get a girlfriend?"

Oblivion's eyes widened and she grew red in the face with embarrassment. Demi remained silent; looking worriedly at Oblivion.

"...do not toy with me, Patricia." Bismark hummed, as he simply looked at her. "...you may be infested by Corruption... but you could never really get out of a predicament without my aid, could you?"

"…well…maybe I wanna see if I can take care of myself this time, Bismark," Patricia said with a glare.

Suddenly, shadows popped out of the ground, snatching Oblivion and yanking her away from the group with a helpless yelp, restraining her.

Patricia smirked. "Like, if Demi doesn't come with me, then his little girlfriend might instead…"

Demi's eyes widened...

...and in a second, he had shot right from where he stood; grabbing Patricia by the throat. _**"YOU LET HER GO!"**_ he roared.

"...Demi..." Bismark uttered.

"Oh Demi, I thought you had better manners than that; threatening your Auntie, shame on you," Patricia tsked in his chokehold. With a snap of her fingers, the shadows that held Oblivion clawed at her and made her cry out painfully.

"Now let me go, and maybe we can talk this out," Patricia said.

Demi snarled... before eventually dropping Patricia; stepping back a bit. _**"...let her go."**_ he repeated in an adamant tone.

Patricia smirked even more, and snapped her fingers again, making the shadow beings throw Oblivion to the ground. "There."

Quickly, Jack grabbed Oblivion and pulled her back; looking warily at Patricia.

_**"...now leave..." **_Demi snarled; glaring daggers at the female bat.

"Not without you, my dear little nephew," Patricia said. "I promised that I'd leave my bro and your little sister alone…but I want you to be—" and suddenly, she vanished away when there was gunfire shot at her.

Violet was holding her pistol, implying that she was the one that had tried to shoot at Patricia. "…she's still around, so be careful," she warned. Everyone gulped.

"...I suggest we evacuate the building." Bismark uttered. "If we're out in the open, we won't risk being ambushed in a closed space."

Catherine held to Bismark and Odium.

"HA!" Patricia came from behind Demi out of nowhere to claw at him.

However, with swift reflexes, Demi spun around and grabbed her by the wrist. "...nice try..." he huffed.

"That's what you think," Patricia chuckled, and suddenly, she faded away…while something struck Demi from behind, severely injuring him. His eyes widened, and he let out a pained cry.

Odium gawked at this. "DEMI!"

Patricia had been right behind him with a counter-strike. "That was just a copy, boy…" Patricia chuckled. "And you fell for it."

Oblivion grew angry and hurt to see Demi like that. "Leave him ALONE!" she screamed, getting up to run at Patricia.

Patricia whipped her arm out and she smacked Oblivion away to tumble onto the ground in agony. Then when Violet tried to shoot at Patricia again, the bat vanished.

Groaning in pain, Demi sunk to his knees. "...kkh..."

"...Demi..." Bismark uttered, as he looked at him with wide eyes.

"Why not try and fight me with that beast, Demi?" Patricia's voice echoed with a sinister chuckle. "Or are you still the weakest one in the family?"

Catherine didn't remember Patricia being so…cruel…and she couldn't bear to see Demi hurt like this as much as anyone else.

Oblivion, though she hurt a little, crawled her way to Demi desperately. "…Demi…" she uttered.

"...Oblivion..." Demi coughed. "...s-stay away..."

Narrowing his eyes, Bismark clenched his arms. "...Patricia... show yourself."

"Okay, Bro."

A hidden, powerful force burst, sending most of those in the room outside of the study, and Oblivion was blown away from Demi, experiencing more pain while Demi got grabbed in a chokehold by Patricia.

Seeing that, Bismark coughed, as got to his feet. "...damn you, Patricia..."

Coughing, Demi only glanced towards Oblivion; reaching an arm towards her. Oblivion was too weak to move at all.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to beat some sense into you, won't I boy?" Patricia scoffed.

Right then, she took Demi and repeatedly smashed him against the ground.

"DEMI!" Both Catherine and Odium screamed together. Bismark simply watched this in silence; seeing his son be repeatedly slammed against the floor.

Though Oblivion had been weakened, she started to sob at this sight. "…stop it…" she uttered. "…S-stop it!"

Patricia stopped, but not because Oblivion pleaded for it. She looked at Demi. "Well, tell me…willing to cooperate now?"

Demi simply shot her a hateful glare.

"…hmph…too bad," And Patricia started smacking him against the ground brutally again. Demi coughed blood at that.

"...Patricia, you will cease." Bismark hissed.

Finally at someone's request, Patricia stopped bashing him against the floor, and she threw him against the wall on one side of the room. Patricia looked at Bismark with folded arms then. "Satisfied?"

"...not quite." Bismark hissed, as he narrowed his eyes. "...I will make you regret harming my son."

"Oh, and how are you going to do that?" Patricia scoffed.

Bismark hummed, as he held out his hand. "...Hom gallech ne'allay fray natila... Hom gallech ne'allay fray natila... Hom gallech ne'allay fray natila..." he began chanting.

Patricia's eyes widened…and suddenly, she collapsed to the ground with a few pained grunts. Bismark simply kept chanting; narrowing his eyes further.

"...what's going on?" Odium uttered.

"…I think…he's cancelling a ritual he did on her…" Catherine whispered to Odium.

They watched Patricia squirm on the ground, while many previous injuries she had endured suddenly reappeared on her and plagued her. Demi weakly glanced at this, all while Bismark kept chanting; growing louder and louder.

Patricia now screamed out in pain, because more and more severe wounds were appearing on her. Still, Bismark kept chanting; without stopping.

Then suddenly….Patricia stopped screaming.

Odium blinked. "...that can't be good..."

Patricia was just lying there limply now. Bismark narrowed his eyes. "...hrm..."

"...is she...?" Odium uttered, as she slowly stepped forward to get a better look at her.

All the others returned inside the study and took a look as well.

"…I…don't wanna look at this…" Striker uttered, looking away. Kiri and Jack looked away from it as well.

Bismark, on the other hand, simply narrowed his eyes.

…Milo eyes widened. "Guys, get back!"

But by the time he said that, a blast of Corruption knocked those around Patricia away, and her eyes shot open with a red glow and a growl. Most of those in the study were knocked aside, save for Bismark, who simply glared at the body. "...as I predicted... that wouldn't kill you." he hissed.

All of Patricia's wounds gushed with black goo, and slowly, she stood up, while the goo started to regenerate her body. She growled at Bismark. "…_I told you…that I don't need your help anymore…_"

"...on the contrary... you do." Bismark hummed, as he clenched his hand... and all of a sudden, from one of the shelves, a sizeable bead shot at the back of Patricia's head.

"_OW!_" That actually hurt Patricia; not extremely, but it hurt enough to annoy her. "_Okay, so maybe I'm not as impervious to pain! So what? I'm still _fucking_ stronger than all of you!"_

"...you should watch your tongue, _sister_." Bismark hissed, as he commanded more beads to start striking at Patricia. "And while you're at it, you can remove yourself from my manor this instant... _on your own_, if you please."

"_Whatever happened to "I'm a guest at your home"?"_ Patricia sneered, and while the beads hurt, they didn't do much to her. Eventually, shadow beings came out to stop the beads, while Patricia stepped toward Bismark.

Bismark stood his ground, as he glared at his sister. "...that was before you decided to attack the one who brought my true beloved back to my side... _that_ is unforgiveable."

"_Okay, so my timing was bad," _Patricia admitted. _"But let's face it Bismark…Our uncle was the one that created this power in the first place, so why is it honestly such a bad thing that it should run in the family?_"

"We know a _lot _of reasons why not!" Milo said, glaring at him.

And then a blast of Corruption knocked him against the wall.

"Milo!" Ani cried, while she and Striker quickly ran to him. Kiri ran to his side as well in worry... but Jack, however, didn't.

"...it is a bad thing because it was not naturally granted to you." Bismark hummed, as he glared at Patricia. "...I've seen the future that lies ahead for you, should you choose to keep your dark powers..."

"_Well maybe I wanna see my own future without you constantly warning me what will happen," _Patricia spoke. _"So far I'm not doing too badly, especially when I have plenty other bounty hunters on the lookout for me_…"

"…other bounty hunters?" Violet grew concerned when she heard that.

Patricia looked at Violet…and then chuckled when it occurred to her who Violet was and what she was probably concerned about. _"Oh, don't worry…your son isn't part of my growing army…_yet," she said. _"Though he should be careful when he falls in love with a girl…Mercy just might decide to use his new girlfriend against him…_"

That…utterly shocked Violet.

Kiri looked at Patricia for that. "...Lock... fell in love...?"

Bismark narrowed his eyes. "...are you quite done, sister?" he huffed.

"_Unless any of you have any more stupid questions, then yes, I'd be done."_ She turned and walked toward Demi. _"I'm just gonna take him with me now, whether he wants to or not…_"

"NO!" Oblivion screamed, forcing herself onto her feet to run at Patricia once more. "Leave him alone!"

Instead of blasting her away, though, Patricia just grabbed her in a chokehold. "_I admire how much you really care about my nephew…but you try and stop me, and I just might have to break that pretty little neck of yours_," Patricia threatened, making Oblivion shudder with a gulp.

"...stop..." At that point, Demi slowly pushed himself to his feet; shooting Patricia a glare. "...if you hurt her... I swear, I'll _kill you..._" he snarled hatefully.

Odium just shuddered upon seeing her brother so filled with hate; stepping back a bit.

"_Wow Demi…that hate coming off of you; I can practically smell it,_" Patricia mused, looking back at him unsympathetically. _"It's surprising, really. Does this mean you'll actually show me what that beast inside of you can do?"_

"...no..." Demi hissed, as he slowly stood up. "...Blood won't even bother facing you... _I'm_ gonna kill you..."

"_You don't have the ability to kill me, Demi,_" Patricia scoffed. _"The only ones who would really have a chance would be that little Joy brat, or her mother._"

"I wouldn't count on that."

Before Patricia could see it coming, Oblivion was yanked out of her grip and there was a punch thrown at her face, knocking her against the wall. Patricia grunted painfully, looking at the one who punched her with a growl.

"Demi, Oblivion, get back with the others," Vanessa said, standing there, since she was the one who punched Patricia.

Since Oblivion was more capable of moving than Demi, she limped him away to the others. Demi simply coughed.

Seeing Vanessa step forward like this, Jack blinked. "...mom..."

"…here's a little history lesson for you, Patricia," Vanessa said, cracking both her knuckles _and_ neck. "The Novagod's aren't the only family to be feared…and while the Novagods are known for a bit of a supernatural reputation, the Leoniels are a pack of bloodthirsty killers…and believe it or not, our families have both been involved in this whole ordeal…"

"_Yeah, yeah, I heard from the Sergeant about all that confidential information about my uncle,_" Patricia grumbled dryly. _"You're talking about Johnny Leoniel, aren't you?_"

"My brother, yes," Vanessa said with a sharp glare at Patricia. "…you've been torturing the Sergeant for information, haven't you?"

"_Well, we _did _take over that base,_" Patricia said. _"He hasn't spilled out where the Commander is, but he's starting to crack…he only told us that story about your brother, my uncle, and that Jill woman as a way to keep us off his back and prolong his life…_"

Vanessa's eyes narrowed. "Either way, if I have to face you to protect my son and his friends, then I will…"

"_Give it your best shot, _bitch," Patricia snarled, shooting another blast of Corruption at Vanessa…

…where she kicked up a nearby bookshelf to use as a shield, softening the blow. "Sorry about your bookshelf, Bismark," Vanessa huffed after the attack, and then she tossed the bookshelf at Patricia, breaking it against her face. This made Patricia howl out in pain.

Bismark merely shook his head. "...please don't ruin my study too much; I'd like to keep working here." he mused dryly.

Jack simply gawked at this.

Vanessa then grabbed Patricia by the throat since she was distracted. "Then let's take this outside, shall we?"

She slammed Patricia into the wall hard; _so_ hard, in fact, that Patricia actually went through the wall and got thrown outside into the courtyard of the manor. Vanessa jumped out after her, and ran to punch her. This time, Patricia ducked, but when she tried to punch Vanessa back, Vanessa grabbed her fist and clenched down on it. Patricia cried out in pain under Vanessa's crushing grip…and she used nails to claw at Vanessa. This caused the lioness to release the bat, jumping away cautiously.

"_So…you don't like the stuff, huh?"_ Patricia mused.

"After what it did to my brother and what I've seen of it so far; no, I don't like it," Vanessa replied.

Patricia smirked. "…_I wonder what would happen if I infected your son with it_-!"

"—Don't you even _think_ about attempting something like that!" Vanessa grabbed a nearby pillar that was made out of marble, and she ran at Patricia to swing it at her like a club.

The others went to the hole in the wall to watch in pure amazement.

"…Jack, did I ever tell you how much of a bad ass your mom is?" Ani exclaimed excitedly. "GO GET HER VANESSA!"

"KICK HER ASS, LIONESS!" Odium roared.

Still, Jack just gawked at this. "...mom..."

Patricia evaded it after a while, but unlike most of her opponents that could be clouded by their anger…

…Vanessa was actually a lot more focused and precise when she was angry. It was only a short amount of time before Vanessa finally hit Patricia, breaking the pillar against her body, and it knocked her a distance away in a rose garden.

Vanessa kept on coming, running swiftly across the fence to get to Patricia, who flew up and started using waves of Corruption to blow Vanessa back. When they came, Vanessa remained on her tip toes on the fence, maneuvering around the fence effortlessly to avoid the incoming attacks… at least all up until there was no fence left to stand on, and Vanessa ran around the attacks.

"...she's a natural fighter..." Bismark hummed, as he glanced at Jack. "...curious..."

Jack paid him no heed, however, as he kept focusing on the battle.

Patricia summoned a weapon to her side, which was a thin, long blade, and flew at Vanessa. Just when she'd slash it at the lioness, Vanessa managed to find another marble pillar to pull out and use to deflect the blade. This started a tedious routine where Patricia would try and slash at Vanessa, and she used the pillar defensively, while occasionally trying to swing it back at Patricia in counter attacks.

"…I don't believe it…Vanessa's really keeping up with her," Striker uttered.

"...she might actually win..." Kiri uttered.

Finally, Vanessa managed to knock the blade out of Patricia's hands and she broke the marble pillar over Patricia's head, knocking her back a bit to scream out and clutch to her head in pain. Vanessa then proceeded to hurl the marble chunks at Patricia with expert aim, knocking her back farther and farther.

Patricia couldn't take it anymore, and she disappeared into the ground.

"…_you really are what you claim to be…_"

Vanessa could hear her voice, but she looked around to keep an eye on where the bat would pop out. "…just because I don't like violence…doesn't mean I wasn't prepared if I needed to protect someone; especially my son…"

"_Not too fond of your_ other_ family, huh?_"

"...no…I wasn't…" Vanessa muttered. "…they tried to push those things onto me…"

"_Well, it was either eat or be eaten, right?_"

"Unfortunately…" Vanessa still kept her eyes open…

Patricia finally popped out to try and kick Vanessa, but she grabbed that leg, and twisted it. Patricia screamed out.

"And I remember _every…single…little thing_…that I was taught," Vanessa growled bitterly, spinning Patricia around and throwing her into some more thorn bushes to cut her up.

Jack just gawked.

Vanessa ran toward the bushes…

…and then there was a massive explosion of Corruption that knocked the lioness back a bit. Vanessa stood readily, narrowing her eyes at the angry mass of Corruption that was building up in Patricia's direction.

Patricia was starting to look more and more demonic thanks to Corruption, with jagged spikes growing on her wings, growing claws on her fingers, and strange looking tattoo-like markings that appeared and glowed on her.

Vanessa knew this wasn't good…she could sense that energy increasing in power by the minute.

"…I don't like where this is going…" Striker uttered.

"...mom..." Jack uttered; taking a step forward with a worried look on him.

Patricia smirked a jagged, wicked smile at her. "_Show me how bloodthirsty you can be, Leoniel…I wanna see your true instincts emerge…_" and she shot a massive, vertical slash-wave of Corruption that actually divided up the ground. Luckily, Vanessa was able to jump out of the way, but she felt the power on that one.

"I have no such instincts!" Vanessa yelled back, getting fed up with Patricia, and she flashed in front of Patricia to throw a punch. It knocked Patricia back a bit and she groaned in pain…but not as much as before.

"_Oh believe me…it's there…_" Patricia grabbed Vanessa's head to her surprise, digging her nails into her head. Vanessa whimpered in pain, but she held back to keep Jack from worrying.

It didn't work though, as Jack took another step forward.

"…_the mention of your son being Corrupted was enough to make you angry…more focused…_" Patricia mused. _"…if I ever had the opportunity to do such a thing…then your family's instinct will kick in…you'll want my blood for hurting your son_…"

"That would be an obvious statement, yes," Vanessa growled, kicking Patricia in the gut to knock her away and get her nails out of her. Vanessa touched where the marks where on her head, seeing blood on her hands. "…but I'm not stupid…I've trained long and hard to control not just my power…but my emotions too…I wanted to make sure that _nothing _from my family was left in me, besides what I learned to fight with."

"…_don't lie to yourself,_" Patricia chuckled, once she got over the pain from Vanessa's kick. _"…you may be working hard to get rid of it…but it's still _there…"

Vanessa glared sharply at her…but she kept her footing ready in case she had to move quickly.

And good thing too, because Patricia suddenly made a bunch of copies of her; all of which shot powerful slash waves of Corruption at Vanessa. The lioness jumped around the garden quickly, but she had to keep moving. Any place she stopped, there was another wave to dodge…

"...mom..." Jack uttered.

This went on for such a long time; so long, that the Patricia clones were able to spot a pattern in Vanessa's maneuvers around their attacks…so they jumped a step ahead and shot a wave right where they predicted Vanessa to reappear.

And the Lioness was struck down with a whimper.

The clones took this opportunity to unleash as many attacks as they possible could, and Vanessa was repeatedly struck down brutally from the waves of Corruption.

Jack's eyes widened. "MOM!"

Finally, the clones stopped…but Vanessa wasn't in the same spot anymore, where she had been repeatedly knocked down by waves of Corruption. The clones looked around for her…

…and Vanessa jumped out, cutting one of the clones in half with a shovel that she found from the garden. It looked like she had sharpened the end so that it could be used as a blade-like weapon. Vanessa had started to get resourceful…

Jack seemed relieved that she had avoided the attacks.

So she continued to evade the clones' attacks, spending her time to cut each one up to find the real Patricia. In the meantime, the clones kept on multiplying… This made Vanessa a bit more desperate, but she kept up her fight; she didn't want to lose no matter what, because too much was at stake.

"…c'mon Vanessa…don't give up…" Ani murmured uneasily, watching this intense fight.

"...you can do it..." Kiri uttered.

Jack was silent, but he was clenching his hands as he watched this battle.

"AAAAGH!"

Finally, she found the real Patricia, because this version she slashed at was solid, and black goo gushed out of her abdomen where Vanessa slashed. Without hesitation, Vanessa started to melee and slash at this Patricia, beating her up more and more.

Amidst her groans and grunts of pain from being hit, Patricia had this smirk on her face. Vanessa was so quick and so strong with her attacks; she was such a shrewd fighter…and she was growing more and more focused on simply beating the crap out of Patricia.

"...I don't get it..." Odium uttered. "...she's... enjoying being hurt?" she assumed.

Milo limped over, looking at this. "…it's not the fact she's getting hurt…she's…amused by Vanessa…"

Vanessa…was admittedly, getting irritated with the smirk Patricia gave her, and she hit harder and harder to try and wipe the smirk off of Patricia.

It got so bad that Vanessa knocked Patricia onto the ground, "AAAAAAGH!" And with a battle cry, she thrust the shovel forward…

…stabbing Patricia in the abdomen, and pinning her into the ground.

Jack winced just at seeing that, but he couldn't tear his eyes from this sight.

Vanessa breathed…and then realized what she did, stepping back in shock.

"…_see?_" Patricia grunted, coughing black goo out from her mouth, but despite being stabbed into the ground, she was still smirking. _"…I was able to push you far enough that you would've killed me without even thinking about it…_"

Vanessa shuddered a little bit…but she stood her ground.

"…_deep down…you're afraid of the fact you come from that family…that their blood still runs through your veins…_"

Patricia got a powerful aura around her, and she grabbed the shovel that stabbed her into the ground. With a yelp, she actually managed to yank the shovel out of herself, and black goo started to coat the shovel, turning it into a large, dark looking spear. Slowly, Patricia got back up, and her wounds regenerated due to the black goo.

"...not good..." Bismark hummed.

Jack's eyes widened a bit. "...mom... get out of there..."

But on contrary to what Jack wanted, Vanessa remained where she was. "…even if that's true…that I'm afraid of my family…" Vanessa growled. "…I still fight that fear, and make sure that it doesn't overtake me…"

"_You're going to have to do more than just fight your fears…_"

Patricia rushed at Vanessa. Vanessa anticipated an attack, but Patricia psyched her out and attacked a different way, actually knocking Vanessa back a bit.

She managed a cut on Vanessa's arm too, and thanks to the fact it was Corruption…

"Agh!" Vanessa cried out in pain, clutching to her cut.

Jack started to panic at that. "...mom, get out of there!" he called.

From then on, Patricia lunged at Vanessa more quickly than the lioness could anticipate, and Patricia proceeded to mercilessly pound on Vanessa, cutting her up even more here and there in more agonizing pain.

Jack grit his teeth, and clenched his hands into fists. "...MOM, GET OUT OF THERE!"

Vanessa couldn't get out even if she wanted to, and she couldn't even respond to Jack.

Suddenly, the end of the spear became the face of the shovel again. The last thing Vanessa would remember seeing would be that, all up until Patricia whipped it across her face with cruel force. Instantly, Vanessa fell to the ground, bleeding at the head, and knocked out cold from a hit like that.

Jack's eyes widened immensely at that. So did everyone else's.

Patricia stepped toward her menacingly, turning the head of the shovel back into the tip of her spear. _"…tough luck…_"

And she raised the spear, threatening to stab Vanessa.

"...LEAVE MY MOM ALONE!" And at that point, Jack just leaped right out of the hole in the wall; landing perfectly on the ground as he glared at Patricia.

Ani gasped. "J-Jack?"

"_Out of the way, kid; wait your turn at getting killed,"_ Patricia growled.

"...you're gonna leave her alone..." he hissed, as he stomped towards her. "...or you'll be sorry!"

"_And just what are you gonna do, kid?_" Patricia scoffed.

"...I'm gonna make you pay." Jack uttered, as he took out his trusted instrument; switching on its microphone, before he began playing rapidly on the harmonica.

The sound waves from the harmonica knocked Patricia back a bit, and she stopped herself in the air, keeping a distance. _"Tsch…"_

Jack simply glared at her as he kept playing on the instrument.

"A harmonica isn't gonna hold me back forever, kid!" And Patricia slashed more waves of Corruption at Jack from her spear.

All of a sudden, however, the music came to a stop, and Jack had actually leaped right up towards Patricia; passing right past the waves before they could hit him. "It did what it had to do!" he called, before he suddenly snatched the spear from her, and snapped it in two in his own grasp.

Patricia was actually surprised that Jack was able to do that. _"Hm?"_

However, he wasn't done. At this point, he grabbed her in a headlock, and began giving her a noogie... however, he was doing it so rapidly that the friction alone would cause her immense pain.

Patricia squirmed and cried out. _"GET OFF ME!_"

"No!" Jack snarled, as they began descending, with Jack still giving her this powerful noogie.

Patricia got annoyed, and lashed at him with claws coated in Corruption, still crying out in pain at the noogie. However, Jack was able to kick her claws away, as he kept giving her this noogie... until they were about to hit the ground; at which point, Jack suddenly slammed Patricia face-first into the ground underneath him; keeping himself in the air for a short while.

Patricia laid there like that for a while…

…and then she got up, blowing black fumes of Corruption out of her nostrils out of anger. _"Alright boy..you asked for it!_**" **And with a yell, she flew at Jack to kick him. However, Jack simply grabbed the incoming leg when it was about to hit him... and he brutally snapped it in the opposite direction.

"_AAAAAGH!"_ Unlike Vanessa who just twisted it, Jack outright _broke_ the leg!

And he wasn't done there, either. Narrowing his eyes, he grabbed Patricia's arms, and did the same thing to them; bending them in an impossible manner to make them snap and break. Patricia cried out even more.

Milo shuddered when he watched this.

"...damn... he can sure fight..." Odium observed.

"…that's just the thing…" Ani uttered. "…Jack's not a fighter…"

"...well, clearly we're looking at the wrong lion, then." Odium noted.

"..thing is, that's what's going on…" Milo replied.

Jack had beaten up Patricia so much that now she had collapsed to the ground with broken limbs. "...had enough?" he scoffed.

Patricia glared up at him, trembling in the pain she felt…

…and she sank beneath the ground, disappearing.

"...guess she did," he huffed, as he folded his arms, ande was right, because Patricia did not pop up again anytime soon.

"…so…that's the power…of Corruption…" Catherine uttered.

"...terrifying..." Odium uttered.

Catherine turned her head, and then hurried over to Demi's side. "Demi, are you alright?"

"...ngh... could've been better..." he hissed.

Oblivion got up slowly, trembling weakly. "…we should…get you to a bed…to rest…"

Demi looked at Oblivion. "...y-you too..." he uttered. "...you were... so damaged by her..."

"I-I'll be fine," Oblivion uttered. "…I-I'll—!" And she stumbled, falling. Thankfully, Ani was right there to catch her.

"...Odium, prepare the guest room. It will have to serve as our infirmary." Bismark hummed.

"...alright, dad." Odium nodded, as she hurried out of the room.

"Here, I'll help!" Striker took off after Odium.

Catherine tried to pick Demi up, but she had a hard time with it.

"...allow me..." At that point, Bismark arrived to help Demi up as well.

"…you'll be better in no time, Demi…" Catherine muttered.

"...just stay with us..." Bismark hummed.

Demi simply nodded weakly.

"Milo, can you walk?" Ani asked.

He managed a stand, so he nodded.

"C'mon Oblivion," Ani said, pulling her out of the room.

Violet went out to pick up Vanessa, and brought her back in. "…sorry about the damage, Mr. Bismark," she said.

"...don't worry about it." Bismark hummed, before he glanced outside. "...but... what about him?" he mused; meaning Jack, who was still standing outside; merely looking towards the horizon.

"…leave him there, I suppose," Violet supposed.

Diablo, of course, was silent. He was still afraid of all that Corruption…and he wasn't sure at all what to do at this point… so he walked out to where Jack was. "…Jack…?" he muttered.

Jack remained silent.

Slowly and timidly, Diablo reached to touch his shoulder. "Jack?"

At that point, Jack glanced at Diablo. "...yeah?"

".,..you okay?" Diablo asked.

"...yeah." he nodded.

"…well…do you still wanna come inside?" Diablo asked.

Jack was silent for a while...

"...sure."

* * *

><p><em><strong>My least favorite part was when Vanessa got beaten up :(<strong>_


	23. Chapter 22

Jill sighed and sat on her couch again. As well as a little depressed again, she was just…bored…

…there was nothing much to do in her house…and she was wondering just how long this house arrest was going to last…

Tails Doll fluttered over to her. _"...are you okay, Jill...?"_

"…I'm alright…" Jill stretched that a bit, but she sighed, "…just…restless."

_"...I'm restless, too... but we can't lose hope." _Tails Doll noted. _"Big Bro and the others are gonna come back, Jill..."_

"I know…" Jill replied. "…it's just…hard…"

Tails Doll fluttered over to hug Jill a little. Jill trembled a little, and hugged Tails Doll back.

Tails Doll hugged Jill tighter. _"...don't cry..."_

"…but I feel like crying…" Jill uttered, clutching to Tails Doll. "…I just miss them so much…"

_"...I miss them too..." _Tails Doll murmured. _"...but we gotta stay strong..."_

"…I know…" but even then, a few tears slipped out of Jill's eyes. Tails Doll simply kept hugging her.

And finally, Jill broke down. If he could, Tails Doll would have broken down as well, but he remained silent. Jill just simply clutched to him while she wept bitterly.

_"...there, there..."_ Tails Doll uttered soothingly.

"Why couldn't the world have just left us alone?" Jill kept sobbing. "We were happy…and we weren't causing anyone any harm…"

Tails Doll remained silent.

"…I saw through that cold exterior when he was a robot…and he changed…" she kept weeping. "…but they can't see that…all they see is who he used to be…and because of that, he's out there somewhere…and…and…" Jill was just so upset she didn't know how to gather her sorrows together to speak out. "…and what all happened to Joy…it's just not fair…"

Tails Doll looked thoughtful about this.

"…I knew the world had to find out about him eventually…" she sobbed. "…but not like this…not in a way that separates all of us…" She held Tails Doll even tighter. "…not in a way that makes me feel so…alone…"

Tails Doll hummed.

_"...don't feel alone..." _he spoke in a different voice.

Jill fell silent, looking at Tails Doll in surprise. That was Metal's voice.

_"...this is most difficult for you, I know... but try not to lose hope; we'll have resolved this soon..." _he uttered. _"...so please... don't feel so alone, Jill... I don't want to think of you being mournful..."_

Jill looked at him, and then hugged him. "…I'm sorry, Metal…"

He hugged her back. _"...Jill..."_

"…do the best that you can…okay…?" She whispered.

_"...I will..."_

Suddenly, Jill's door burst open, and naturally, it made her jump. The GUN soldiers that were guarding outside of her shop came in, with armed guns.

They looked at her. "Where is he?"

"…wh-where is who?" Jill uttered, clutching to Tails Doll.

"Metal Sonic!" Another soldier said. "We heard his voice in here!"

_"...what are you talking about?" _Tails Doll suddenly shot in; in his original voice, thankfully.

They looked at the doll, and then they looked at Jill. Jill just shrugged at them. Even Tails Doll shrugged.

"…perhaps…it was our imaginations…" a soldier said. "…pardon us for intruding on your home, Ma'am…"

Jill nodded. Unlike Trash, these men were respectful toward her. Most of GUN was respectful; there were just a select few that decide to act on their own will instead of what's best. Tails Doll simply tilted his head.

"…well then…good day to you…" and they all left her home, closing the door behind them.

Jill let out a deep breath of relief, sitting back down on her couch.

_"...that was close..." _Tails Doll uttered.

"…too close…" Jill remarked.

_"...if Big Bro decides to talk to you again, you should lock yourself in your room..."_ Tails Doll suggested.

"…right," Jill nodded.

With that, Tails Doll fell silent. Jill hugged Tails Doll. "…thanks Tails Doll," she said.

_"...no problem."_

* * *

><p>Oblivion sat in one of the guest beds. Luckily, there were plenty of places to sleep, since this was a mansion. After everything that happened earlier today with Patricia, things started to get a little better. The Novagods were more than overjoyed to be a family again…even though Bismark <em>did <em>have to explain to Catherine and Demi that he remarried to Desire and she had brought along her kid, Rascal.

Which led to another surprising discussion; the reason they weren't there anymore. When Bismark and Odium mentioned that Joy had been here, they were all shocked. Naturally, Joy didn't stay, but unlike the many times she simply ran out, Bismark and Odium had given Joy some supplies; as long as she could carry it, and it would last her a little while on the road.

So for the night, they all decided to stay here. It would give the injured enough time to rest up…

…and Oblivion was just worried sick over Demi. After seeing what Patricia would do to him or Oblivion in order to draft him into her little _army _as she liked to call it, she just felt so scared.

"...Oblivion..." At that point, a light pecking at the window would catch her attention.

Oblivion looked over. There, she saw Charon looking worriedly at her.

"…yes?" She asked.

"...I... I'm sorry..." Charon murmured, as he glanced to the side. "...I couldn't help you out against that woman earlier... and..." He seemed fairly guilty about what had happened to Oblivion, as well.

"…Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Oblivion said with a small sigh.

"...but... what if something like this... happens again...?" Charon murmured.

"…I'm not sure…" Oblivion murmured. "…but I suppose we'll be more prepared for it the next time…"

"...hrm..." Charon sighed.

Oblivion let out a depressed sigh.

That led Charon to glance at her. "...Oblivion... are you sure that you're alright...?"

Oblivion turned her head away. "…I'll be fine…it's Demi I'm worried about…"

"...you're worried about him..." Charon uttered, tilting his head a bit.

"…I mean…he just got attacked…by his _aunt_," Oblivion uttered with a shaky voice. "…and…he got beaten up so badly…just trying to protect me…"

Charon glanced to the side with both a thoughtful and a guilty look; especially considering how he had chewed Demi out earlier, before all this happened...

"…and…I'm just so afraid that the next time we see that woman…she'll hurt Demi even more, and I…I…"

And Oblivion broke down crying. Charon looked back at Oblivion then. She covered her face with her hands, sobbing. "…and I'm afraid that…I won't be able to stop her…from hurting him again…"

"...Oblivion..." Charon uttered: looking at her in dismay.

Oblivion just kept crying. Charon simply watched her; wondering what he could do to help her feel better...

Oblivion also felt bad because, after what Charon put Demi through, she just didn't think she could even be with Demi to comfort him without Charon being overprotective about it…and Oblivion didn't want to cause any conflict between the ones she cared about.

So she kept crying.

"...Oblivion..." At this point, however, Charon realized that he shouldn't stay mad at him, just for caring so much for her... "...go. Be with him..."

Oblivion looked up at him with tear filled eyes of surprise, "…but…but what about…you?"

"...Oblivion..." Charon hummed, as he managed a slight smile. "...you've been watching over me for so many years... I honestly cannot thank you enough for it..." Then, he closed his eyes. "...so... keeping you from being happy... would certainly be the wrong way to thank you for keeping watch over me. I simply want to see you happy... and if you'd be happy from staying with Demi, then..."

Oblivion was honestly surprised to hear this from Charon…and she didn't know how to respond. He simply looked back at her with a slight smile.

Oblivion slowly got up from her bed, and she approached Charon at the window. Charon simply watched her. When Oblivion got to the window, she looked up at Charon.

Then she reached out the window to hug him at his head. Charon blinked at that.

"…are you sure…you're alright with this?" she uttered, still hugging his head.

"...I am..." Charon nodded.

Oblivion hugged him more dearly. "…thank you…"

"...anytime, Oblivion..." Charon uttered.

"…and…I hope you don't ever feel like…I'll leave you Charon," Oblivion spoke. "…because I would never leave one of the best friends I've ever had…"

Charon simply remained silent. "...I know..." he hummed.

After a long embrace, Oblivion let go of Charon, and she glanced at him every now and then while she walked to the door. He simply smiled at her. Oblivion eventually smiled back… she still was surprised that Charon was letting her go like this…but she felt a bit better…

…with that, she finally left the room.

Charon simply closed his eyes. It was a tough decision for him, considering that Oblivion was his closest friend ever since Jane had passed away... but it had been years since he was saved by her. Since then, he had gotten so many more friends, and grown less afraid of hiding himself... if he could move on, he had to at least let Oblivion try and move on as well. _...I only hope that you two will be happy together..._

Oblivion wandered the halls to look for Demi's room, still amazed that Charon had let her go just like that…

…eventually, she finally found the right door when she creaked it open and peeked in, seeing Demi on the bed. He seemed to be recovering, but he was still sound asleep at the moment.

Oblivion walked in, closing the door gently behind her, and she went over to sit on the bed beside him. Demi simply turned a little in his sleep. Oblivion smiled a little…Demi looked so peaceful when he was asleep like this. He yawned a little, and blinked; he seemed to be waking up.

"…hello Demi…" Oblivion whispered.

Blinking, he looked towards Oblivion. "...mh... Oblivion...?"

"…how are you doing?" she asked. "…feeling any better?"

"...a little..." Demi hummed, as he looked at Oblivion with a smile. "...especially when you're here..."

Oblivion couldn't help but smile and blush a little at that remark. Demi blushed a bit as well, as he simply looked at her with a smile.

"…I'm glad to know you're doing better…" Oblivion said. "…I was worried about you…"

"...really...?" Demi hummed. "...I was worried about you, too, Oblivion..."

Oblivion brushed aside Demi's hair a bit and then touched his cheek. "…I'm okay…" she whispered in response.

"...are you sure...?" Demi whispered, as he reached a hand out to touch her own cheek.

Oblivion trembled a little. "…I was really worried about you…and…the fact that your aunt hurt you so badly…"

"...she hurt you, too..." Demi noted. "...I... didn't want to see her hurt you..."

Oblivion made a sad smile at that. Then she just closed her eyes to feel Demi's hand on her cheek. Demi simply watched her, as he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. Oblivion trembled a little more at that, with another tear running down her face.

"...Oblivion..." Demi uttered, as he kept stroking her cheek lovingly.

"…Demi…" Oblivion laid herself next to Demi, wrapping an arm around him dearly.

Demi wrapped an arm around her as well, as he simply closed his eyes. "...Oblivion..."

"…D-Dem-mi…" And Oblivion started to cry again, in Demi's shoulder. Demi held her closely; fighting back his own tears at the moment. Oblivion held him closely, shivering in her fright while she cried.

"...Oblivion..." Demi uttered, as he closed his eyes; a few tears trailing down from his eyes.

Though she was crying, she saw the tears on Demi's face and she wiped them. He wiped her tears away as well; looking at her.

"…I love you so much Demi…" Oblivion whispered shakily. "…I couldn't bear to watch you get hurt like that…"

"...same here..." Demi uttered. "...I... didn't want you to get hurt because of me... I just love you so much..."

Oblivion nuzzled up to him, holding him dearly once more. He held her dearly as well; closing his eyes. Oblivion closed her eyes as well.

He didn't even notice it, as he slowly moved closer to her. She didn't notice it either; in fact, she started moving closer as well. They got so close to each other that Oblivion could hear his breath. He could hear her breath as well; inching closer and closer still. "...O-Oblivion..."

"…Dem-mi…" Oblivion's voice was barely audible.

And ever so gently, their lips met. Breathing as their lips met, Demi gently stroked her cheek. Oblivion enjoyed that feeling, breathing while goose bumps shot through her body. Demi kissed her lightly back, as he rubbed her cheek so softly. Oblivion melted into it, gently stroking Demi's side. He gently stroked her in return; kissing her slightly deeper this time. Oblivion shivered in more goose bumps that shot through her body, kissing back just as deeply. Demi shivered more; opening his mouth slightly as he kept kissing her so lovingly. Oblivion breathed even more, opening her mouth slightly as well. This allowed Demi to gently slide his tongue into her mouth; letting their tongues join as he kissed her deeper. Oblivion blushed even more when she felt his tongue, but her tongue curled around his longingly, kissing him more deeply. He kissed her just as longingly, as he stroked her cheek gently.

Oblivion's hands touched his shoulders. Breathing lightly, he kissed her more as he trailed a finger along her neck. Oblivion breathed even more when she felt that, rubbing his shoulders. The more she rubbed his shoulders, he caressed her more and deepened the kiss. Oblivion kept rubbing one shoulder and the other hand stroked his back. Gasping slightly, he caressed her ever so lightly as he kept kissing her deeply. Oblivion started nibbling on his lip a little. Moaning slightly, he held her closer as he kept kissing her so dearly. Oblivion caressed the back of his head lovingly. He caressed her back in return; gasping softly.

Oblivion broke away from kissing to catch her breath a little bit. Demi breathed along with her; gazing at her. Oblivion felt so warm in his arms, looking back at him with a blush on her face and a small smile. He smiled lightly as well; gazing longingly at her. She gazed at him just as longingly. He held her closer whilst simply looking at her. Oblivion stroked his arms. He stroked her cheek; inching closer to her once more. Oblivion touched his own cheek while he inched toward her.

"...Oblivion..." He got closer and closer; his lip quivering slightly the closer he got.

"…Demi…" and his lips found hers again.

He kissed her softly, but with a sense of passion, as he held her dearly. Oblivion kissed back, breathing. He deepened the kiss enough to let his tongue enter her mouth once more. Oblivion held the back of his head, tangling her tongue with his again. Gently, he caressed her back as he kissed her deep enough to explore the inner regions of her mouth with his tongue. Oblivion uttered out a quiet moan at all of this. Hearing that tiny moan, he gently stroked the bare skin of her neck. Oblivion shivered at the goose bumps she felt, stroking the back of Demi's shoulders. He shivered faintly, as he moved his hand down along her sides; gently stroking her. Oblivion moaned quietly at that as well. He kept caressing her like this; eventually trailing a hand within her dress to feel her skin. Oblivion breathed out more, whispering more moans. Demi breathed with her: kissing her deeper as he felt her soft skin. Oblivion's body squirmed in delight at his caresses. Breathing, Demi moved his hand a little closer to her chest. Oblivion muttered soft moans of anticipation. Gasping lightly, he took one of her breasts to fondle it. Oblivion moaned a little more at that. Gently caressing it, he moved his thumb to stroke one of her nipples. She gasped a little and moaned softly. He breathed at her moans; moving his other hand down to do the same to her other breast.

"…D-Demi…" she gasped.

"...Oblivion..." he breathed.

Oblivion didn't know if they should even be doing this…a little while ago, she felt uneasy at the fact that Charon just let her go to Demi like that…and here she was with him, doing…_this._ Breathing, Demi slowly moved his head to give her neck a kiss.

"D-Demi…" Oblivion uttered, shivering in delight when he kissed her neck. He kissed her neck more; fondling her breasts more. Oblivion breathed and moaned, finding herself getting lost in thoughts, especially when Demi was kissing her neck… Still, he was only kissing her neck, but it was with a sense of passion behind it.

Finally, Oblivion pulled away, breathing hard. Demi looked at her as he caught his breath as well. Oblivion sat up, and stood up from the bed, walking toward the door.

Demi blinked, as he watched her walk for the door. Did she decide that they shouldn't do it after all? He could understand that, but yet... "...Oblivion..."

Oblivion stopped at the door when she heard him speak her name, but she didn't leave out the door.

Instead, she locked it.

Demi's eyes widened. "...Oblivion..."

Slowly, Oblivion looked back at him, approaching the bed again. Demi slowly sat up and looked at her. She climbed onto the bed, looking at him. Demi just looked back at her. She gave him a longing kind of look. He looked back at her.

She leaned toward him. "…Demi…"

He slowly leaned towards her. "...Oblivion..."

"…Demi…"

* * *

><p>As they walked through the forest, Lock simply kept to himself; silent. While it may have seemed cold to anyone else, he was simply thinking about what had happened the night before...<p>

...and how _wonderful_ it had been...

True, he still remembered not to let his emotions get in the way of his mission, but having found someone he shared mutual interest in, as well as spending a wonderful time with, was something new to the bounty hunter... something he liked, even if it was a new sensation for him.

Stella, seeing Lock so quiet, was never really sure if she should bother him or not…either way, she, too, was thinking about how magnificent last night was… she was still trying to get used to the idea of it, simply because she had still been so traumatized by what Hex did to her so many years ago; evident last night in how nervous she was throughout it all and how she broke down crying when they were done…but when she had been with someone like Lock who cared about her so much…

…it was a bit of a transforming experience… and she smiled to herself.

Lock simply remained silent as he walked ahead of her; closing his eyes slightly with a hum.

When she heard that hum, Stella looked at him. "…what are you thinking about?" She asked, finally breaking the silence.

Lock hummed at that. "...about you."

Stella couldn't help but smile and blush a little. "…really…?"

"...yeah..." Lock nodded, as he glanced back at her. "...what about you?"

She looked away bashfully. "…I guess I was thinking about you, too…"

Lock smiled a bit at that. "...I see."

Stella looked back at him, and smiled even more. Lock smiled back at her...

…until it suddenly fell. "...Stella, behind me." Quickly, he aimed a revolver at the trees around them. Stella jumped behind him, startled at his sudden change of behavior.

"...come out where I can see you." Lock hissed.

Stella grew nervous. Lock knew that there was someone out there…and Stella just hoped it wasn't that woman that shot her in the shoulder in the first place.

But when they heard a few chuckles, Stella swallowed.

"...enough games, Mercy. Come on out." Lock hissed.

Suddenly, Lock heard gunfire. "...there!" With that, he suddenly tackled Stella to the ground; narrowly allowing a bullet to whizz past them. Stella shuddered out of fright, trying to take deep breathes to remain calm, but they came out unsteadily.

"...acting like a sniper, now..." Lock murmured. "...alright..." With that, he suddenly fired his revolver at one of the trees; creating an explosion.

The explosion forced out a dark figure that leaped quickly through the treetops, hiding in another spot to shoot at them again. However, without even letting up for a second, Lock began rapidly firing at all of the trees around them; blowing them up in an instant.

That dark figure kept moving all around, and Stella was covering her ears, shutting her eyes tight.

Without letting up, Lock kept firing rapidly; intending to take down any place Mercy could hide herself in.

Eventually, Lock created a large, open area around himself and Stella, thanks to the explosions…

…all of a sudden, from the shadows, Mercy popped out with a maddened, murderous snarl at Lock, and swung her sniper rifle, which had a long bayonet at the barrel. Narrowing his eyes, Lock spun his revolver around to deflect the bayonet from striking him, before pulling out another one to club Mercy's face with. Sadly, Mercy jumped back from that, _way_ back, and she fired a shot of Corruption at the two of them. Narrowing his eyes, Lock quickly spun around and grabbed Stella; leaping away from the shot as he fired explosive rounds at Mercy. Mercy ran off again to avoid the explosions, and Stella clutched to Lock insecurely throughout all of this; this time, Lock actually leaped after Mercy while rapidly firing his gun at her. Lock could see Mercy trying as hard as she could to avoid the explosions…

…and then suddenly, they couldn't see Mercy anymore. Instantly, Lock came to a halt; skidding along the ground as he looked around him. "...hm." Stella looked around as well, still clutching to Lock in fear.

"...come on out." he hissed, as he twirled his revolver in his grasp.

Stella looked back…

"…LOCK!" she gasped, seeing Mercy pop out of the ground to try and stab him with the bayonet.

Thanks to Stella's abrupt warning, Lock narrowly managed to avoid being stabbed by it; at the cost of Mercy actually hitting his hat with her sharp weapon. Mercy jumped back, and noticed his hat stuck on her bayonet. She chuckled a little bit, plucking it off and spinning it on her finger while she smirked at Lock. Narrowing his eyes, Lock simply glared at Mercy.

"…you two are a cute couple, I'll have to admit," Mercy chuckled. "I'm sure your mother would be happy to meet her, Lock…"

Lock narrowed his eyes. "...that's none of your concern."

"It isn't, huh?" Mercy spoke. "Well, that was Patricia's business…because your mother happens to be with that group of kids that you're friends with right now."

Stella's eyes widened at that.

"...a regular news network, huh..." Still holding onto Stella, Lock slowly began approaching Mercy. "...and why tell me this?"

"Because, I might just end up visiting her…and the children," Mercy chuckled. "Patricia managed to hurt that lion's mother pretty badly…"

Stella gasped, "You m-mean Vanessa?"

Lock's eyes narrowed still. "...Mercy... you've lost all sense of humanity, haven't you?"

"That's what this Corruption did to me," Mercy hummed. "At any rate…"

She tossed his hat away and lunged at him with the bayonet. With that, however, Lock merely deflected the bayonet with one of his revolvers, before, at point-blank range, fired a shot right between Mercy's eyes.

That shot hit true…but then she simply vanished in a burst of black smoke. It had been a clone.

"...damn..." Making sure that Stella remained in his grip, Lock remained on guard.

"This power…it's so fun to use, just to mess with you," Mercy's chuckles echoed through the air, and it made Stella shudder even more. Lock simply hummed; keeping his guard up as he looked around him.

Stella looked around too…

"...simply playing games..." Lock hummed. "...seems like Corruption's robbed you of your proper sense of judgment as well, Mercy."

"Okay, maybe…" Mercy chuckled.

Stella suddenly screamed out, and she was yanked into the ground. Lock's eyes widened. "Stella!" he uttered.

Mercy simply laughed, and her laughter filled the air. Lock hissed, as he glanced around him.

Then when Mercy's laughter stopped, there she was, standing, holding Stella by the collar of her shirt with her hands bound with black energy. Mercy had her rifle pointed at Stella, where the bayonet was at her throat. Stella looked afraid as ever, trembling.

Lock narrowed his eyes at that. "...coward..." he hissed.

"Well then, let's see if you're one too," Mercy said, digging the blade into Stella's neck. "Put your guns down. _All _of them…"

Lock simply narrowed his eyes...

...and with that, he simply grabbed his cloak and tossed it aside; all his weapons falling to the ground with it, as he still simply glared at Mercy.

"…Lock…" Stella uttered in dismay. She didn't want it to come to Lock setting down his weapons for her.

Mercy smirked and chuckled. "There we go…"

"...and now what?" Lock hummed, as his glare remained fixated on Mercy. "Surely you didn't have me disarm myself for no reason."

"Right, right," Mercy said. "…I'm gonna take her with me now, and you're not gonna follow me; capuche?"

Stella looked at Mercy with wide, frightened eyes.

"But if you _do_ try and follow me," Mercy pressed the blade farther against Stella's throat, enough for a small cut to form and make her gasp. "Well, obviously you catch my drift," Mercy chuckled.

Lock merely narrowed his eyes at that.

"...why not take me, instead?"

"…Lock…no…" Stella uttered.

Mercy raised her eyebrow. "Really? You'd give yourself up for her?" then she chuckled. "What am I saying? Of course you would…"

"...I know you, Mercy." Lock mused, as he folded his arms whilst still glaring at Mercy. "While you may say that you want me to suffer... I know what you truly want. You want to finish me off yourself; watching as the life slowly drains from my body... it's an intoxicating thought, isn't it?"

"…yeah, you're right about that…" Mercy said. "…okay, Lock, I'll bite for that one…" she clutched to Stella's collar. "But I won't discard her until I'm sure I've got you." And she walked toward Lock, with Stella still in her grip.

Lock simply remained in place.

Finally, Mercy pointed the bayonet at his neck instead, tossing Stella to the ground. "Well then…let's be on our way, shall we?"

Lock remained silent.

Stella was on the ground, looking at him with teary eyes. "…Lock…"

Lock glanced back at her. "...I'll be back, Stella..." he said earnestly.

With that, he grabbed hold of the rifle's barrel; actually pushing the bayonet closer to his own neck as his glare snapped back at Mercy. "...let's go, then."

Mercy narrowed his eyes at him…she had a feeling he was planning something. "…alright then…" and since he held to the bayonet, she pushed him in a direction to walk, walking away from Stella. He simply walked off; without a single spoken word.

A few tears fell from Stella's eyes. "…Lock…no…don't do this…" However, Lock still remained silent.

Eventually, they were gone from sight, and Stella wanted to cry even more…

…then, she looked toward Lock's trench coat, where his guns were.

Mercy pushed Lock on for a while, still wondering just what he had up his sleeve (figuratively, of course). Still, though, Lock remained silent.

Finally, Mercy pulled the blade from his neck…and pressed it against his back. "Stop right here."

Lock stopped.

Mercy got an idea then…if she could disable Lock even more, with torture per say, then perhaps she could foil whatever plot he'd have to outsmart her and get away. "…maybe I might enjoy torturing you a little bit right here before I take you to base," she chuckled.

Lock hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...served with the usual flare?" he mused.

"…what's that supposed to mean?" Mercy asked.

"...oh, nothing." Lock hummed. "I was just curious if you were going to keep talking in such a condescending manner while you tortured me. One's more than enough, thank you very much."

"Really now?" Mercy hummed.

"Quite." Lock hummed also. "I mean, having a bayonet skewering my innards is one thing, but having to endure your overdramatic droning at the same time? You could make a deaf man tell you to shut up with your monologues."

Mercy's smirk fell at that, "So you think I drone, huh?" and she pressed the bayonet further into his back threateningly.

Lock merely grunted. "...I would..." he began. "...but that would imply that I didn't shut my brain off every time you go on one of your rants, just so I don't have to listen to it."

Mercy grit her teeth. "…you realize I can just stab you here and kill you, right?"

"Oh, I do." Lock hummed. "But knowing you, you'd try and bring me back to life just so you could try and finish me off in a more painful manner. Like I said, you _do_ have a flair for the unnecessarily overdramatic."

Mercy growled.

"…get on your knees, you little bastard…"

"Oh, my; are you going to make me beg for forgiveness as well?" Lock hummed, as he got on his knees.

Mercy snarled. "…no!" And out of irritated, she whacked Lock across the back of his head with the other end of the rifle. "Just, shut up!"

While grunting from pain, Lock simply glanced back at her. "...something the matter? Am I annoying you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you are!" Mercy growled.

"Tsk, tsk." Lock hummed. "Someone's being fairly irritable today. Did you stub your toe against something sharp, if you're so grumpy?"

She pointed the barrel at his head. "That's enough! Any more lip out of you and I'll just shoot you in the head, here and now!" She growled. "…and believe me…I won't hesitate any further than that."

"...see, that's the problem with you, Mercy... you're so very predictable."

With that, Lock swiftly grabbed the barrel of the rifle; wresting the whole firearm right out of Mercy's grip, before quickly stabbing her gut with the bayonet.

"AGH!" Mercy was taken aback by that.

"...and with that, I'll take my leave." Lock hummed, before he kicked Mercy to the ground, just as he swiftly began running back to where they came from.

With a pained grunt, Mercy pulled her bayonet out and pointed the rifle with a snarl, shooting a beam of Corruption after him.

Lock was swifter, however, and narrowly avoided the beam while he kept running.

With an angry roar, Mercy got up to run after him.

When Lock ran a little farther…

"…Lock!"

From ahead of him, one of his guns was hurled toward him. Seeing that, Lock smirked, and swiftly grabbed the revolver, before spinning around and aiming it at the charging Mercy. "...so long." With that, he pulled the trigger.

Mercy was right there, and her eyes widened in that split second. "HUH?"

Then, because this gun was the one with the explosive ammo…she exploded, and black goo splattered across the grass and the trees. Lock hummed, as he quickly glanced behind him. "...quick thinking, Stella." he complimented.

"…y-yeah…" Stella made it to him, huffing, carrying his trench coat loaded with his guns and his hat, which had a hole in the center of it thanks to the bayonet.

He gave Stella a nod of gratitude, as he was quick to get his cloak and hat back on. "...she won't die from that, but if we hurry, we can get a good head-start on her." he noted.

"Right," Stella uttered shakily.

With that, Lock set a hand on Stella's shoulder. "...and... sorry, for making you worry..."

"…at least…you're still okay," Stella uttered.

Then she noticed the goo stir with a gasp. Lock noticed this as well. "...let's go." With that, he scooped Stella up in his arms, and ran off.

Stella clutched to him, hoping the two of them could get far enough away from her. As he ran as fast as his legs could carry him, Lock shot a glance back at the goo. It quickly put Mercy back together, and once she was standing, she saw them getting away with a growl…

…but she spun around and disappeared in the opposite direction. Lock could tell that for now, Mercy was giving up. Still, he decided not to take any risks, as he kept running as fast as he could.

After a while of Lock running, "…is she following us?" Stella uttered, still clutching to him.

"...no." Lock hummed. "But I don't want to take a fatal risk, so just hold on tight."

"…right…" and she held on.

Lock simply kept running, without a word. As more and more time passed, Stella grew more and more surprised about how long Lock was able to keep running.

Suddenly, Lock burst out of the deeper part of the woods into an opening, next to the river…and Stella recognized the area. "L-Lock! This was where I fell in the river!" she exclaimed.

"...then we're getting closer..." Lock mused, as he just kept on running.

Just a little farther running, and Lock found a little settlement that was set up with some makeshift tents.

And the group was there…

Rudy happened to glance over and… "GUYS! GUYS! IT'S LOCK AND STELLA!" he exclaimed loudly.

"Lock and Stella?" Newt sputtered the moment he heard that.

"So they're safe..." Proxy mused.

Boomer sat up quickly from where she was lying down. "Guys!" and she rushed to Lock and Stella.

Quickly, Newt and Proxy followed her, as they caught up to the figure of Lock that was slowly coming to a halt. "...glad to see that you're safe..." he mused.

"...same to you." Proxy hummed.

"Man, you two really had us worried, y'know!" Newt shot in with a relieved smile.

"We're so glad to see you too!" Stella said. "Everyone's doing okay, right?"

Rudy hopped up. "The Captain caught a really nasty cold a few days ago when you got washed down that river, but tonight, he's doing really well! He should be better by tomorrow!"

"...is that so..." Lock hummed, as he gently set Stella down on her feet. "...that's... good..."

With that, Lock suddenly fell over on the ground; his hat rolling off his head.

"LOCK!" Quickly, Newt picked up Lock. "What's wrong?"

"...guh..." Lock sighed, as he rubbed his temples. "...ran for... who-knows-how long... need a break..." he murmured.

Out of concern, Stella took him and tried to help him back up. "We should get you to somewhere you can rest the—_agh_!" And she grabbed her shoulder, since she put too much force on it.

"Careful!" Boomer snapped at her. "You still got shot there!" She came and took Lock from Stella, helping him toward the small settlement they have.

"Is the bullet still in there?" Rudy asked Stella.

"No…Lock got it out…" Stella replied, holding to her shoulder with a wince.

"...right after... we washed up on shore..." Lock murmured.

"...man..." Newt uttered in surprise.

"...let's get you two some rest." Proxy mused.

"…where is…everyone else?" Stella asked.

"Well, obviously the Captain's in one of the tents!" Rudy replied.

"Wiper's keeping watch over him." Proxy shot in. "Metal and Omega have been scouting around for any possible intruders, so they should be back any minute now."

"…okay, good," Stella breathed, and then she followed Boomer pulling Lock off. Newt simply sighed in relief, as he and Proxy followed them.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yaaaay! They're reunited! XD<strong>_


	24. Chapter 23

Morning came, and for those at the inn, most of them were fast asleep…

...with the exception of Natal, who was simply lying in her bed on her own; staring up at the ceiling. She was getting better, with the exception of eating like a madman whenever she saw food close to her, so Fargus figured that she could be left on her own while they waited for Cal to recover. They told her that Cal was at least getting better… but he was still recovering more slowly than her.

Natal closed her eyes with a sigh. She wished that there was _something_ she could do to help him out; especially since it was her stubbornness that led to him being in this condition to begin with...

There was a knock on Natal's door. Blinking, she glanced towards the door. "...come in." she hummed.

The door opened, and Toki walked into the room with her breakfast. "How are you this morning, Natal?"

"...better." Natal hummed.

"That's good," Toki said, giving Natal her food. "Here you go…"

"...thanks..." Natal hummed with a slight smile...

...and the moment her eyes fell on her breakfast, her eyes stirred. Within moments, she was hungrily wolfing down the food like a wild animal.

"..." Toki remained silent, wondering why Natal still seemed so hungry. By now, she should be eating more normally. The moment she was finished, Natal shot Toki a look. "Seconds, please?"

"…uh, sure," Toki picked up the tray and headed out the door.

Natal rubbed her stomach a little; wondering just why she grew so feral when it came to food. The strange thing was, every time she ate, she immediately began thinking about eating so much more... like just a buffet of juicy, tender meat, all for her to wolf down until nothing but bones remained...

Quickly, she shook her head; trying to stay focused.

…_well now…hungry, aren't we?_

Natal's eyes widened at that, as she shot looks around her in surprise.

_Oh, don't worry about it…I'm not here to hurt you…_

"...who is it...?" Natal uttered, as she narrowed her eyes.

_A friend…and you seem pretty hungry, so…_

Suddenly, next to Natal, there was a delicious looking sandwich on a plate for her. Natal's eyes fell on this sandwich, and once more, she stirred. "...f-food...?"

Quickly, she snatched the sandwich and quickly proceeded to devour it. It was the best sandwich she had ever tasted. The moment she finished it, she heaved for air; as if feasting on it had left her breathless. "Oh my god... that was _amazing..._" she breathed, as she looked around her. "...how... did you do that...?"

_Magic. Here, have some more…_

And behind her, there was a bowl of ice cream. Natal spun around in awe at this. "...oh... I-I really shouldn't..."

But before she could even think, she had reached out to grab this bowl, and heartily consumed its contents.

Enjoying it?

"...oh... yes..." Natal uttered amidst eating up the ice cream so feverously.

_Well then…that's good…_

Suddenly, all around her, there was food everywhere in the room; food of all different kinds.

Seeing this, Natal nearly dropped the bowl in utter surprise; her breath quickening as she saw all this food. "...oh my... all this, for me...?"

_Yes…_

Natal's eyes widened, as her pupils grew thinner, as she just began panting at seeing all this food. "...n-no catch... just all for me...?"

_Yep…what do you think of that?_

Natal's entire body began trembling. "...I... _I..._"

And with that, she tossed herself at the food; gorging herself on everything she could get her hands on, like a true animal.

_That's it…I bet you're starving, aren't you?_

"...yes..." Natal uttered as she reached for more and more food. "...I can't get enough... I need _more..._"

Natal was so starve-crazed that she ended up eating all of the food around her. Breathing heavily, Natal's head snapped around her; as if to search for more food, even though there was nothing left. "_...can't get enough... need more... give me more..._"

_You want more…?_

Suddenly, the door opened and Toki stepped in.

Then she stopped in shock, seeing the way Natal is. "…N-Natal?"

_There's more food there in her hands…_ the voice in Natal's head said, referring to the tray of more food that Toki had. Natal spun and glared at Toki with a hiss...

...and all of a sudden, she pounced right on the dragonfly; beginning to feast on the food she had on the tray.

"N-Natal!" Toki hollered in surprise.

Natal didn't listen; she merely bit into and tore apart the meal Toki had brought; spraying her drool about as she snarled hungrily.

Natal finished the food Toki had brought her, and the dragonfly simply lied there, staring at Natal in shock.

…_you know…they say that you are what you eat…_ continued the voice in Natal's head.

Natal simply snarled, as she now looked down at Toki; drool dripping from her mouth.

"N-N-Natal?" Toki uttered. "What are you _doing_? What's wrong with you?"

Natal remained unresponsive; clenching her hands down on Toki as more drool dripped from her.

Toki tried to struggle. "HELP! SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH NATAL!" she screamed out. Natal hissed, before screeching loudly; as if she was intending to feast on Toki as well...

...just when a chain wrapped around Natal; yanking her off Toki. "Whoa, there; what's the matter?" Nage sputtered, as she watched Natal thrash about violently within the chain's grip.

"She just started acting so strange!" Toki uttered, scrambling to her feet.

"No kidding!" Nage uttered, as Natal kept writhing about like a beast. "But... how the hell did this happen to her?"

Hissing loudly, Natal gripped the chain to try and break free from it, but to little avail.

"I have no idea!" Toki uttered.

"...well... we need to find out how to snap her out of it!" Nage responded in turn.

"…it must be the Corruption acting up inside of her," Toki suddenly supposed, grabbing Natal by the shoulders. "Natal! Wake up! Fight it! Fight your Corruption!"

Natal screeched in response; shooting her an absolutely feral glare. Toki jumped away from her with a yelp.

"SOMEONE GET IN HERE! NATAL'S UNSTABLE!" Toki called out.

Natal simply kept writing about as Nage kept her confined within the chains, all until some people hurriedly ran into the room.

"...what happened to her?" Queen uttered, as she looked down at Natal with widened eyes.

"We don't know!" Nage uttered. "One moment, Toki's just getting her more breakfast, and the next thing you know, Natal pounces on her!"

Sage narrowed her eyes, as she watched the feral Natal struggle more.

"I think it's the Corruption acting up!" Toki spoke.

"...it is." Sage uttered. "But someone's been messing with her."

"...who?" Nage looked at Sage in surprise for that.

All the while, Natal's struggles grew less fierce, as she was just breathing. "_...f-fooood..._" she hissed.

"…do you think…Natal is driven to eat more and more?" Toki asked, since Natal begged for food.

"...that... could explain her appetite..." Nage noted.

"...but how did this change occur?" Queen immediately hummed, as she folded her arms. "From what we've seen, Natal was acting more or less normal before just now..."

"...and she was normal when Toki headed off to get her more food." Sage mused. "Ergo... someone's tampered with her mind."

…_look at all the food you could have, here…_ the voice spoke in Natal's mind. _…they are all edible…_

_...f-food...?_ Natal blinked, as she seemed to be coming down from her frenzied high; glancing around her with a blank look. _...they... they're food...?_

_Yes…all of your friends are food too…remember, "you are what you eat", _the voice spoke.

_...I am what I eat..._ Natal blinked at that, as she slowly began pushing herself off the floor. _...but... I... I can't eat them... they're not food..._

_But you're so very hungry, aren't you?_

_...yes... but... I can't eat them..._

_Yes you can…many others have been able to eat like that before…_

_...but... I... I don't want to... they're my friends..._

_Well, what's more important? Sating your hunger…or your friends?_

Natal froze at that. Finally, she began to see some manner of common sense flood into her...

...prompting this question. _...who the hell are you...?_

…_hmph…guess you can't be manipulated as easily as I thought you'd be…_

_...answer my question, damn it... who are you?_

_Who do you think you idiot? The one that took over the base…the one that spiraled your Corrupted energy out of control so that you and your little boyfriend would get carried away in the first place._

Natal's eyes widened... _...Patricia..._

With that, she quickly untangled herself out of the chains, and got to her feet. "Where are you?" she screamed.

"Natal, calm down!" yelled Hunter when he got into the room.

"Yeah, Natal, you have to calm down!" Nage quickly said.

However, Natal was quick to glare around her; her eyes narrowing. "Where are you hiding, you witch?"

"…are you looking for the one that tried to control you just now?" Toki supposed.

Natal's eyes narrowed. _Don't try and hide; I know that you're here somewhere! Come on out, damn it!_

But there was no answer for Natal.

_...don't you dare just run away like that! You use me, and then you expect me to just let you flee? _With that, Natal suddenly burst into a dash out of the room; her eyes narrowed as she was determined to find even the slightest hint of Patricia's current whereabouts.

…_I'm not anywhere remotely_ near_ your area, moron,_ Patricia's voice grumbled. _I was able to speak into your mind thanks to the fact that I accelerated your Corruption…_

"Natal!" Suddenly, Toki grabbed her. "You can't go anywhere!"

Natal, however, tried wresting her way out of Toki's grip. _It's not fair! Come on out and fight, you coward!_

_I'm not a coward; I'm just smart to stay far away._

"Natal, STOP IT!" Toki screamed, holding tightly to her.

Natal hissed, as she kept trying to get out of her grip. "LET ME GO!" she screamed violently.

"I didn't want to have to do this!"

Toki clenched down on Natal, and quickly, she spun her over and knocked her onto the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of Natal. Natal's eyes widened the moment she hit the ground, and she began coughing and heaving for air; though at least, she wasn't in hysterics at the moment.

"...Natal..." Nage uttered with wide eyes.

"…Natal, you _have _to listen to me," Toki said. "You cannot face whoever was trying to control you on your own…they would be very powerful, and you would only be consumed by your Corruption again…you're still in no shape to be on your own right now…and do you think Cal would feel any better if you ran out just like that, only to get taken over again? He still feels guilty for what happened to the two of you…"

Natal could only look up at Toki as she tried catching her breath. "...but... but..." she uttered, as she glanced to the side. "...she... she might try again... and... maybe next time, I can't snap out of it..." She held her head. "...I'm... nothing but a risk to everyone else right now..."

"No you're not," Toki told her back. "We're gonna help you fight it if it would happen again…and once Cal gets better, he'll be able to help you fight it. He's had Corruption in his body for a long time…and he knows how to fight it back…"

Natal looked up at Toki worriedly. "...but... what if... it gets out of hand...?"

"We will try our hardest to fight it and keep it from going there," Toki said. "But it worse comes to worst…we'll call Metal and get him to come over here to purify you."

Natal glanced to the side once more. "...if only that was earlier..."

"Listen Natal, if you start to feel guilty, then the Corruption will feed on that and eat at you again," Toki said. "You not only still have to recover physically…but emotionally too…"

Natal closed her eyes. "...I know, but... it's hard..."

"…I know it's hard…" Toki told her. "…that's why we're here for you."

Natal glanced up at her; struggling not to break down in tears. "...thank you..."

Toki nodded, picking her back up off the ground. Natal simply rubbed her head. Toki helped her into the room, to her bed. Natal simply remained silent.

"…she'll be okay now, guys," Toki told the others.

"...well... she'll be better, at least." Sage noted.

"...there's no telling if something like this could happen again." Queen mused.

"...but we'll help her if that happens! Right?" Nage shot in optimistically.

"Right," Toki said with a nod. "Now then…I'm gonna see Fargus and check on Cal…" and with that, she walked out of the room.

The others simply watched her leave.

* * *

><p>Milo was one of the earliest risers in the manor, and once he got up, he walked around to take a good look around the place and just think…<p>

…the Novagods were a…peculiar family, no doubt about it. He, himself, still hates what Deity did years ago, and now, that same kind of hate was building up against Patricia, who was so obviously walking in his footsteps. Those like Bismark and Demi though…it was proof that not all family members have to be so evil like that…but there was such a large difference between father and son.

Demi, from what he heard, was afraid of the being that lived inside of him; the one called Blood…though now he's learned to live with it, Demi still feels uncomfortable with it. He could sense the discomfort every now and then when Blood stirred inside of him…

…and Bismark, well, hearing all the things he was capable of, as well as being involved with spiritual rituals…

…Milo couldn't help but wonder what kind of rituals he had done to Patricia before…he remembered when Bismark canceled one out which seemed to weaken his sister considerably…but Corruption quickly made up for it… at any rate, Bismark is capable of a lot of things, spiritual wise.

…for once, Milo felt like he might actually have someone to talk to about that stuff…but more importantly, he wanted to know if he told Joy about her future at all…and what it may hold for all of them.

Hoping Bismark was in his study, Milo went there, and knocked on the door.

"...yes?"

"…it's Milo," he said. "Can I come in?"

"...I suppose. Enter."

Milo opened the door, entering in and closing the door behind him. Once inside the study, he saw that Bismark was once more seated against his desk; drawing something on a piece of paper he had at hand.

Milo walked toward him, looking over his shoulder at what he was writing.

"…ah…I see," he murmured, knowing what Bismark was doing.

"...you know what I'm drawing." Bismark hummed.

"…yeah…I do…" Milo spoke. "…I don't do very many rituals myself…but I have a vast knowledge of things that my friends don't know about…"

"...I'll bet." Bismark mused dryly. "You wish to speak to me about things?"

"…yeah…" Milo mumbled.

"...alright, then..." With that, Bismark turned to look down at Milo. "...speak."

"When did you start doing these rituals? Better yet, when did you get involved at all with things like this?" Milo asked.

"...in my teenage years." Bismark mused. "The field of mysticism intrigued me even at a young age... and with it being sort of a family tradition, I got into it fairly easily..."

Milo hummed with interest, looking at the markings.

"...what about you, then? Just how did you become fascinated by the concept of spiritualism?" Bismark hummed.

"…it has been part of my Indian tribe culture," Milo spoke.

"...really, now?" Bismark hummed. "Do elaborate."

"…my father is the Chieftain of the tribe I come from," Milo said. "…so…naturally, he taught me the secrets of our culture…how everything has a spirit and the spirit world is joined with ours…and it is a world to be respected and admired...and I learned how to talk to spirits, and he taught me how to see them…to look beyond what you really see…"

Then he grew silently solemn. Bismark raised an eyebrow at that.

"…my father…was ashamed of me back then…" Milo spoke. "…when I was smaller, I was afraid of a lot of things…almost everything…I was a very timid child…and my father told me that I was an embarrassment to him." He sighed. "…so I ran away from the tribe because of how guilty I felt…for being such a disappointment to him."

"...hm..." Bismark hummed, as he drummed his fingers together.

"…didn't really prove anything except that I really was afraid of everything…" Milo muttered. "…but that's kinda digressing. Basically, I've been practicing my abilities since I was a little kid…"

"...I see." Bismark hummed.

Milo looked away. In all the years he's lived with Striker and Jack…he never once thought back to his tribe, or his family…he suddenly wondered how they all were doing now…how his father was doing…and whether or not they found someone else that would be Chieftain of the tribe…

"...thinking of your tribe, hm?"

"…yeah…" Milo wasn't surprised that Bismark could assume that. "…it's been so long…and Jack's mom managed to find us…but she ended up in this world the same way we did, me, Striker and Jack…"

"...oh, really..." Bismark hummed.

"…after I ran away from my tribe, I met Striker and Jack…those two were already friends," Milo said. "Striker was really into baseball because his dad was a baseball player…and Jack was a special case; he lived a really sheltered life from his mother, so he acts so much younger than he really is…and one day, he wanted to venture out and explore, and he met Striker…that's what they told me when I met them for the first time…"

"...huh..." Bismark hummed at that.

"…one sailing on a ship the three of us built…and it changed our lives forever…" Milo hummed.

"...you were sent here."

"…yes," Milo answered. "…we washed up on the shore of Mystic Ruins and…been here in Mobius ever since."

"...how curious..." Bismark hummed.

"…it was curious indeed…" Milo got lost in thought, thinking about that night they sailed. "…the storm…every time I think about the storm we sailed through that night…I remember that I could sense so much from it…it was so unnatural…and to this day, I still think that whatever was causing that storm was what sent me and my friends here…and it must still be going on, if Vanessa was sent here the same way…"

"...perhaps it could be by someone else's will?" Bismark hummed. "As in, the forces that be felt that you were needed in this world?"

"…I could believe that…" Milo spoke. "…after all…we felt like we had been needed throughout the years we've lived in this world…the years we spent helping Jill fight those battles…"

"...curious, then, that Jack's mother ended up here in a similar fashion... almost as if she was needed as well..."

"…yeah…" Milo agreed. "…I wouldn't be surprised, with the skills she seems to have…"

"…but…the longer we stay in this world…the more we don't want to leave... I know, because I can feel Striker's and Jack's spirits' longings to stay here…and I feel the same…it's not because I'm afraid of facing my tribe, because I'm not afraid anymore…but…we have made lives here after living in this world for so long; lives that we can't leave…"

"…but even then…I know that Striker's parents would be overjoyed just like Vanessa to know that their child is alright…and I can only wonder what my tribe would think when they see me again," Milo said. "…so we continue to look for a way back…"

"…but…do you think we are still here….because we are still needed?" Milo asked, looking at Bismark. "Obviously, now, we're needed to look for Joy, but…how much longer do we cling to this world before we might be sent back without the chance to say goodbye?"

"...who knows?" Bismark hummed. "Maybe when this entire adventure has come to a finite conclusion... maybe when you've grown, and have enjoyed the ripe fruits of life..." He closed his eyes. "...that is a clouded future; one I cannot foresee..."

"….I could understand that…" Milo muttered.

Bismark simply nodded with a hum.

"…well…anyhow…" He rubbed his arm. "…I want to know if you told Joy anything about her future…"

"...I did..." Bismark hummed.

"…what did you foresee?" Milo asked.

"...I foresaw how the groups were currently searching for her..." Bismark began. "...and that the last confrontation would take place where everything started... in addition, one side would definitely prevail... but a life would be claimed by this struggle..."

Milo was silent at that…and bit his lip. The fact someone would die in the future was very foreboding for him…

"...oh, dear; I've soured the mood." With a hum, Bismark closed his eyes. "Do forgive me for that."

"…it's alight…" Milo said. "…Deity could only foresee someone's death, except his own, so hearing that someone would die wouldn't be a first for me…"

"...hm..." Bismark hummed. "...to think that such a monster was part of my family... well, not that the Novagods have had such a good reputation to begin with, but..."

"…yeah, I'm sure it's not an easy thing to deal with…" Milo mumbled.

"...well, locking myself away here and only opening my doors for those in need of the mystic kept me generally safe from the scorn of others..." Bismark mused, as he placed a hand on his bandaged head. "...for more than one reason..."

Milo looked at him. "…and even then…you got married and had children."

"...something I am eternally grateful to Catherine for." Bismark hummed. "Without her... who knows? I may have ended up on the same path as my sister..."

"…right…" Milo hummed.

"...but there I go; being overtly negative again. Let's discuss other matters, shall we?" Bismark mused. "I'm still curious as to how your spiritual connection works..."

"…I've recently tried astral projection again…" Milo spoke. "But mostly, I've spoken to the spirits, which tell me things…and…well, you can't tell Vanessa this…but I've been speaking to her dead brother."

Bismark hummed. "...aaah... one of two halves who accidentally caused this whole incident..." he mused.

Milo sighed, "Yep…" and rubbed his head. "…I…still can't believe this all happened because of them…but admittedly, none of us expected any of this…not even them."

"...I would say _especially_ not even them." Bismark noted. "With their irresponsible lifestyle, they wouldn't have thought that something of this magnitude would arise because of that..."

"…yeah…" Milo agreed.

Bismark let out a brief hum, as he drummed his fingers together a bit.

"…well…I can see that you want to get some things done, so I will leave you to do that if you wish…" Milo said.

"...thank you." Bismark hummed, as he slowly turned back to his desk. "If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask."

"Right," Milo nodded, turning to leave.

At that point, Bismark hummed. "...we'll be getting visitors."

The doorbell rang just then.

"I'll get it!" Ani exclaimed, running down some stairs to the door to open it. "Hello!"

And when she saw who was on the other side…her eyes widened with a yelp of surprise, and she slammed the door shut.

"...huh. I can't tell if this was a pleasant surprise or just plain rude." one of those standing outside pointed out dryly.

Milo noticed Ani standing at the door…and then he noticed the spirits of the ones on the other side of the door with widened eyes. "…uh oh…"

"Milo, what are we gonna do?" Ani whispered in a panic.

"Hey! Let us in!" screamed the other voice, banging on the door.

"No!" Ani yelled back.

"...okay, okay, okay, I know this looks bad, but could we at least _try_ to plead our case here?" the first voice sighed in a more casual manner; almost as if she had expected this sort of treatment. "We're not here to cause trouble, honest!"

"Then how did you get like that again?" Ani screamed. "I thought you were gonna change!"

"Oh, don't you pull that on me! I _did_ change! At least until one Miss Novagod showed up to throw the mother of all monkey wrenches in _that_ plan!" the voice spoke up; a bit more offended when Ani brought that tidbit up.

Both Ani and Milo looked at each other. "…Miss Novagod?" the both said at the same time.

And Ani opened the door…only to be shoved aside by May. "Listen, Ani…we've got a lot of questions!" she growled. "First off…what the _hell_ are you two doing _here?_"

Ani simply sighed. "….long story…"

"...I'll bet." Walking in after her was Hex; who simply folded her arms with a slight sigh. "Thankfully, we're not going anywhere just yet, so maybe it can answer some questions..."

"…so…it was his ex-wife who Corrupted you, huh…?" Milo assumed, given Hex's change in appearence.

"...mhm." Hex nodded, as she glanced to the side with a frown.

"…so…do you know that Joy was here? Not too long ago?" Milo asked.

"Not only that…but Joy was at our place one night too; just vanished, come morning!" May threw in.

Ani's eyes widened. "You too?"

"Mhm…" May nodded.

Ani scratched her head. "…wow…this is a real pattern…Joy was at your place…she was at Crystal's, and Autumn's and Morrigan's—!"

"—She was there too?" May's eyes widened in amazement. She hadn't heard about Autumn and Morrigan in years.

"...Autumn and Morrigan, too..." Hex uttered, as she rubbed her head a bit. "...gosh, that girl's fast on her feet." she noted.

"...Well, she can use Corruption…and that can get you pretty far…" Milo hummed.

Around the corner came Diablo and Kiri, curious what was going on… and when Diablo saw Hex, he screamed out and covered his face. "OH NO! IT'S HER! IT'S ALL GONNA HAPPEN AGAIN!" and he started hyperventilating.

May flinched when she saw him. "…oh my god, is that Diablo? What the hell happened to him?"

"...long story." Hex noted dryly.

"Ah- big brother, calm down!" Kiri called; quickly clutching to Diablo to try and comfort him. "She's not going to do anything to us!" she said in an assuring tone... before giving Hex a glance that was basically asking if she was going to do anything to them.

Hex sighed, as she rubbed her temples. "...no, I'm not going to do anything, so you don't need to freak out..." Then, she looked back at Diablo. "...but dear me; you've seen better days, Diablo..." she murmured.

"He's been locked up in a strait jacket ever since that day those years ago…" Ani explained with a sigh. "…it wasn't until the incident at Safe Haven a few days ago that he was broken out…he was accused of killing Raider…"

"…Raider's…dead…?" May was honestly shocked at that.

Hex's eyes widened at hearing that as well. "...he's... dead...?"

Ani looked away solemnly.

"…it was Malice's doing…" Milo mumbled.

"…Malice?" May uttered.

"…You guys will have to come inside if you want us to explain everything that's going on," Milo said.

"...well... considering that Miss Novagod went to this degree just to get info about Joy out of me..." Hex murmured, as she closed her eyes with a slight huff. "...then I think it's pretty obvious that we want some form of explanation..."

"You shouldn't call her Miss Novagod, by the way," Milo said. "The real Miss Novagod is alive."

"…huh?" May uttered.

Ani huffed. "First wife they thought she died! Bismark remarried when he gave up looking for her, to the woman you saw. We found the first wife was alive with amnesia and Oblivion got her memories back, and we brought her back here!"

Hex just blinked at that. "...well... to be honest, I never really caught her first name..." she noted with a light, sheepish chuckle. "...but if the actual Miss Novagod's home, then all for the better, I suppose."

"Catherine is the first one, and the one that Corrupted you is Desire," Milo told her.

"Well, anyway, we should-!" Ani noticed another door open down the hall…and Oblivion walked out, closing the door behind her. "Oblivion? Shouldn't you be in your own bed?"

She looked surprised. "Oh, Ani I…" and she gasped at Hex with a startled jump.

Hex simply looked back at her with a hum. "...hey?" she uttered.

Oblivion was frightened to see Hex…and it looked like Corruption was emitting off of her…but looking at Milo and Ani, they weren't afraid at all…and so she eased a little bit. "…that's…a bit of a surprise…" she uttered.

"...well, we didn't expect to see you all here, either..." Hex noted. "...so, shall we get this explanation underway?"

"…right, sure," Milo said.

* * *

><p>The morning sun shined down on the group near the river, when all of them were just starting to wake up. Charmy sat up, and took a deep intake of the fresh air. Then he sighed. "…feels nice…"<p>

Boomer, waking up, saw the Captain breathe more easily. "…Captain…you look much better today," she remarked.

"Indeed, I feel much better today," Charmy chuckled. "We can even go as far to say that my cold is completely gone."

"...glad to hear it." Metal hummed with a slight smile, as he had been awake a lot earlier than the others.

"Does that mean we'd be able to start moving again?" Rudy asked.

Then he noticed in the distance off nearby the river. "…huh…?"

Lock and Stella were sitting there, just talking to each other…they didn't notice the others waking up at all.

Metal simply hummed. "...ever since they woke up, they've just been talking." he mused.

Charmy smirked and chuckled. "Really now?"

Metal simply smiled. "Yeah."

Rudy smiled too. "It looks like they made friends! That's cool!"

Even Boomer noticed it…and smiled as well. _I don't know Rudy...they seem like they're more than just "friends..."_ "…well…we should probably start getting ready to start travelling again…" She said.

"...right." Metal hummed, as he rose to his feet. "Omega and Proxy will be back from lookout soon, so it's better to get everyone else on their feet..."

"Right," Boomer looked over, and noticed that Newt was still asleep. She sighed. "C'mon Newt, time to wake up," she said, shaking him.

"...mnh... that time, already...?" Newt murmured, as he slowly rose up; rubbing his head with a yawn.

"...hrm..." Slowly rising up as well, Wiper glanced towards the rising sun with a slight hum.

* * *

><p>Joy was very tired…she did sleep through the night, but she was really hungry again, and all the food she was carrying with her was gone. She needed some breakfast…and thankfully, she was heading into a very small town.<p>

_You're getting _really _exhausted_; Malice spoke in her head with a hum.

Joy sighed…right now, she didn't want to talk to Malice…she just was so hungry, and she wanted some quiet for a little bit…even if she slept through the night, she still had to try and fight Malice back…even for a five year old, though, she had the feeling that Malice was just taking it easy on her…

…it was nice though…that meant that Joy could sleep a little…keep up her strength.

She came across an inn, and curiously, she went inside. It was fairly quiet this morning, and it looked very nice. The clerk at the counter noticed her. "Oh, hi little girl, are you lost?"

Joy jumped at that, and shook her head. "…no…I'm not lost…"

"…you look lost," she said. "Is your mommy a guest here at the inn?"

Joy shook her head.

"…hm…" The clerk looked at her sadly. "…stay here, okay? I'm going to see if anyone knows you…" and she walked off.

Joy wasn't gonna stay there, that's for sure…but then a lovely aroma caught her nose, making her mouth water and her stomach grumble a bit. She looked over at where she could smell it from, and went to it.

She found the large kitchen where many chefs were making breakfast for their guests.

They were hard at work, and at the moment, none of them spared the door a single glance; being busy with cooking and all that.

…_that smells really good…_ Joy thought, feeling her stomach growl in more agony. But she knew that she didn't have any right to any of that food.

…_why not?_

Joy jumped at Malice remarking to her thoughts. _…why not…what?_

_Why don't you think you have any right to any of that food? You have just as much right to take some of that food as anyone,_ Malice told her.

Joy grew nervous. _But, but Malice…that's stealing! Stealing is bad!_

_Well, it's either that, or you starve…sometimes, people do bad stuff so they can stay alive…_

Joy felt her stomach growl even more and she held it. _…but I don't wanna steal…_

_Then I guess you go without food until someone would be kind enough to offer it to you…_ Malice said. _But really; do you think anyone would give you food here? They only serve guests at their inn…_

Joy looked at the kitchen painfully.

Still, the chefs were hard at work; setting the food they had finished aside so they could cook more.

Joy noticed the food they set aside…and eventually, she swallowed hard. _…I'm sorry Mama…I know you told me not to steal…but I'm so hungry…_

And quietly, she tip toed to the plate of food on the side, and snatched the plate. She hid underneath the table they were cooking on, and quickly started eating.

Before long, though...

"...hey! HEY! What do you think you're doing?" One of the chefs had noticed that one of the plates had gone missing, and when he had glanced underneath the table, he had spotted Joy.

Joy jumped in fright. "Uh oh!"

"Alright, kid, come on out of there, right now!" the chef barked; obviously not amused about this.

Joy dropped the plate, making it shatter on the ground, and she scrambled out from under the table to run out of the kitchen.

"Ah- stop there!" Quickly, the chef ran out after Joy.

Joy kept running out of fright, and wasn't looking where she was going, so she ran into someone.

"Oof!" Coughing, the one she ran into looked down at her. "...hey... you're..."

Joy gawked up at the one she ran into. It was a certain chameleon who looked at her with a mixture of glee and surprise. "...Joy!"

"Hey! You know that girl?" At that point, the chef caught up to them, and gave Nage a glare.

"Uh... yeah, I do!" Nage nodded. "What's the problem, sir?"

"The problem? That girl stole some of the food we had prepared!" the chef pointed out. "Didn't your mother teach you otherwise, girl?"

Nage just blinked at that, as she looked down at Joy.

Joy yanked away from Nage, and she quickly started running away, out of the building.

"Ah- no, wait, Joy!" Quickly, Nage ran out after Joy. "Where are you going all on your own?"

Toki saw Nage running off. "Nage?" she called. "Where are you going?"

"I just met Joy, and she's running out of the building!" Nage called back to her.

"You saw Joy?" Toki grew shocked at that. "I gotta let the others know! Try and catch her!" And she ran off.

As this went on, Nage kept running after Joy. "Please stop, Joy! We're here to help you!"

"No!" Joy screamed frantically, running from her. "She's gonna hurt all of you!"

"Look, Joy, we all want to help you!" Nage called, as she was catching up to Joy. "Just please let us try!"

"But she's gonna hurt you if you try to help me!" Joy yelled out, almost ready to cry.

"Joy, we know about Malice, and we won't let her hurt us!" Nage sputtered. "Why can't you tell her to just leave everyone alone?"

"Because…" Joy started crying now. "…she wants to have bad things happen to other people…and I can't stop her…"

"...so who can stop her?" Nage uttered desperately.

"…I don't know…"

Joy then vanished into the large crowd, making it impossible for Nage to see her anymore.

Nage hissed as she came to a halt. "...Joy..."

That was when Toki caught up to Nage with a few huffs. "…oh no…you lost her didn't you?" Toki asked.

"...she vanished into the crowd..." Nage uttered.

"…damn it…" Toki sighed.

"..Malice...is really driving her away from us..." Nage murmured.

"…yeah…," Toki supposed.

"...we should go back to the inn." Nage murmured. "We can't really do much more here..."

"Right," Toki said.

* * *

><p>"…and…that's what's going on, Hex," Milo explained.<p>

"...I see..." Hex murmured, as she took a drag from her pipe; nodding in understanding. "...poor girl..."

"…and it looks like Corruption spreads more and more because of Malice…" Ani mumbled.

"…tell me about it," May grumbled.

"...hm." Hex hummed. "...so King and his troupe are in one group, while Metal's leading the others..." Then, she folded her arms. "...a shame that we all seem to just lose her trail, even while we keep looking out for her..."

"…yeah…for a little girl, she's really slippery…for reasons that are obvious," Oblivion said.

Diablo looked uneasily at Hex, now that he had been calmed down earlier. "…so…even if you were Corrupted…you aren't driven to Corrupt or hurt others…?"

"...no." Hex mused. "I guess when I was corrupted this second time, my mind was just too focused on something else to not let the stuff affect me negatively..." Then, she scoffed. "...but looking like this isn't exactly my kind of thing..."

"...so... you won't hurt us." Kiri noted.

"Bingo." Hex nodded.

Diablo looked a little more relieved at that.

"…so, that's why you look the way you do…"

Milo and Ani both looked up. "Vanessa?"

She walked into the room from the hall. "Couldn't help but hear everything from my room."

"...hm..." Hex hummed, as she looked curiously at Vanessa. "...you seem... familiar..."

"…is that so?" Vanessa said.

"...yeah..." Hex mused. "...like... I've seen someone like you before..."

"...mom, who are you talking to?"

At that point, Jack walked out of his room with a tired yawn. "...oh, you're talking to Hex..." he murmured... and promptly did a double-take. "WHY IS HEX HERE?" he sputtered in panic.

"...ah." Hex uttered in realization.

"Yes, he's my son," Vanessa said, putting a hand on his shoulder. She looked at Jack. "Don't worry…she's not gonna hurt any of us."

"...she isn't?" Jack uttered.

"No, I'm not." Hex hummed. "Hell, even if I weren't Corrupted, I still wouldn't want to hurt any of you."

"…I'm sure we'd still have to convince the others that would wake up eventually, though," Vanessa said. "Frankly, I'm surprised you weren't stopped by Charon outside…"

"…who's Charon?" May asked.

"...Charon..." Hex murmured, as she rubbed her temples a bit. "...that... dragon, right?" she supposed.

"…yes," Oblivion answered. "…that's him…"

"...I see." Hex mused. "I suppose he's still asleep, if he didn't stop us..."

"…in which case, I should probably go check on him," Oblivion said, standing up to walk out.

Vanessa then noticed the new bite mark on Oblivion's neck with a hum…but she didn't say anything about it when Oblivion was gone from the room.

"...well..." Jack hummed, as he rubbed his neck. "...should we make breakfast, then?"

"Yeah, I think so," Vanessa said. "It would be a nice wake up call for everyone," and she headed out to where she believed the kitchen was.

"...hm... breakfast..." Hex hummed, as she shot May a glance. "...we haven't gotten the chance to eat anything before we got here, have we?" she noted.

"…no, I guess not…" May said. Then she hummed. "…wonder how Fae and Mordecai are doing…"

"...they should be fine." Hex noted, as she folded her arms.

"_Milo, come in…this is Hunter_."

Milo blinked, and pulled out the communicator. "What's up?"

"_You guys won't believe it…but we just missed Joy._"

Jack and Kiri quickly looked at the communicator. "Say _what?_" Jack sputtered in surprise.

"_Yeah…she was right here at the inn we're staying at, but she ran off before Nage could catch her…"_ Hunter sighed. _"…she ran because she had stolen some food from the kitchen…_"

"…she got from here to there in that amount of time?" Milo uttered.

"_Wait…where are you guys?_"

"Long story…but the manor of the Novagod Family," Milo said. "…Demi's family…"

"…_huh_…" was a very surprised response from Hunter.

_"...so, she was all the way over there..." _Metal's voice suddenly shot in.

"...Metal." Kiri uttered. "How are things on your end?"

_"...better. We haven't found any traces of Joy, but we're on the move once more."_

"_Yeah! Lock and Stella are back with us now!" _Rudy threw in.

Milo hummed at that…and remembering what Patricia said about them yesterday… "…well, tell Lock that his mother says hi. She's with us…"

_"...is she, now?" _Metal hummed in surprise.

"Yeah... and we got some other guests just recently." Kiri mused.

With that, Hex sighed. "...hey, guys. Holding up well over there?"

Brief silence.

_"...did I just hear Hex's voice on your end, Milo?" _King uttered.

_"...I'm pretty sure that was indeed Hex's voice." _Metal shot in as well.

"…yeah, um…" Milo scratched his head. "…she had a run in with some…other…shady characters…"

"You're telling me," May groaned.

_"...oh, I remember that voice. May, too?"_ King uttered.

"...yeah. I've been living with her ever since what happened two years ago." Hex said. "Funny how some things just work out, huh?"

_"...right..." _Metal uttered, before clearing his throat. _"...in any case, we shouldn't delay."_

"…right…" Milo spoke. "…after breakfast, we'd have to head out as soon as possible…" Milo spoke.

_"Right."_ King hummed. _"Unfortunately, we can't move just yet..."_

"…right…Natal and Cal are still recovering, aren't they?" Milo asked.

_"Yeah. Cal's still recovering from his fever, and..."_ King sighed a bit. _"...Natal had an outburst."_

"...outburst?" Jack uttered.

_"...according to Sage, someone tampered with her mind... made her more feral. She managed to recover, but... she's still guilty over letting it happen."_

"…so…the Corruption got to her…" Milo mumbled.

May perked up in surprise. "Hold on…You're talking about Natal from team Alpha, right? She got Corrupted too?"

_"...yes..."_ King murmured.

"...damn..." Hex uttered. "...seems like no one's safe from that stuff..."

"…I really hope that stuff doesn't spread out…" Diablo murmured. "…if we finally get the issue resolved with Malice…we might have a big mess to clean up afterward, with as many Corrupted as there might be…"

"_It doesn't help that Patricia keeps Corrupting more and more for her little army…_" Boomer grumbled in the comm.

"...like Uncle, like Niece I guess..." Milo added.

"...hrm." Hex huffed, as she shook her head.

_"...it's kind of a shame that we can't keep track of her and her cronies, while we've got Joy to worry about..." _King sighed.

"…well, we'll let you guys go now," Milo said.

"_Okay! You guys have a safe trip, okay?_" Rudy exclaimed.

"We will!" Jack said. "Same to you guys!"

_"Thanks for that. Later."_ Metal hummed.

The communicator beeped off, and Milo put it away. "…Hex…" Milo spoke up, looking at her. "…what do you think you'll do now…?"

"...to be honest..." Hex hummed, as she glanced up at the ceiling. "...I'm not sure."

"…I can't go anywhere…can't really leave Fae and Mordecai with those two nut jobs either…" May said.

Hex hummed. "...seems like unless there's something I can do, I'll just have to help May out back home..."

"…and we've got enough people with us to be honest…" Milo mumbled. "…but we can give you the number of the cell phone that Demi carries with him, so that you can get ahold of us in case you find out something useful…"

"...I suppose that works." Hex hummed. "I may be able to scrounge up some information about this Patricia around town..."

"…and I guess visiting Bismark for anything he might know would help too," Milo said.

"Right..." Hex nodded. "So, I assume we have a plan, then?"

"…right," Milo said with a nod.

"Well..." Hex hummed. "...then I suppose that breakfast awaits us. After that, we'll be off on our own paths."

* * *

><p>Charmy was doing fine when the group started traveling again, hoping to get off the mountain today. He still couldn't help but smirk though, while watching Lock and Stella. They were still talking to each other quietly, and Stella was smiling brightly when she was talking to him.<p>

Obviously, something happened while they were separated from the rest of the group. Proxy was walking close by Charmy, just in case, and he couldn't help but notice this as well; humming to himself with a curious nod.

To be honest, the whole group noticed the change in their behavior; especially the change in behavior in Lock, who was normally quiet and withdrawn to himself.

"...they've been talking nonstop for this long..." Wiper hummed to himself, without the two of them overhearing him. "...most curious..."

"…I wonder what happened between them…" Boomer murmured in response quietly.

"...you think we should ask them?" Newt whispered in response.

"…nah…I think we should leave them be," Charmy chuckled quietly. "…they both look happy."

"...very." Proxy hummed with a slight smile of his own.

"…so now what, though?" Rudy asked, growing bored.

"...we keep walking." Metal hummed. "There's really not much else we can do."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Man, so close to getting Joy, and yet, so far...<strong>_


	25. Chapter 24

_"...Jill? Are you in here?"_ With a slight hum, Tails Doll pushed open the door leading into Jill's bedroom.

Jill was lying there, sighing. She didn't want to get up today… "…yeah…I'm in here Tails Doll…"

Tails Doll sighed a little, as he fluttered over to her. _"...do you want me to try and make some food for you?"_

"…no…I'm not very hungry," Jill said, sitting up in her bed.

_"...I see..."_ Tails Doll sighed.

Jill let out another sigh.

…_oh god, I'm so fucking tired of hearing how depressed you are..._ groaned Callous in her head.

Jill scowled. _You're not helping, you know?_

_Neither are you, _Callous quipped; _you just aren't helping how bad I wanna get out of the house…_

_I want to get out of the house too…but we just have to be patient until the house arrest is done and over with,_ Jill said. _We don't have that much longer to wait…_

…_nah, fuck it. I want outside now._

Jill's eyes widened. "…w-wait!" And then she clutched her head.

Tails Doll's eyes widened. _"Jill?"_

Jill tried to fight for control of herself. She didn't want Callous to take over and ruin any chances she'd have of being able to wander freely on her own…but eventually, red eyes flashed through Jill, and she got up from the bed.

"I'm going out Tails Doll," Callous spoke, walking out of the room. "And there's nothing you can do to stop me."

_"...wha-wha-wha-NO!" _Quickly, Tails Doll flew right in front of Callous. _"You can't! If you do, then you're just going to get Jill into even more trouble!"_

Callous just glared at him and whacked him out of the way. "I don't fucking care…"

_"Ngh..."_ Shaking about, Tails Doll shot Callous a glare. _"Just what do you think you're going to accomplish? Absolutely nothing, that's what!"_ he yelled in a very angry tone.

Callous just scoffed and walked out her door.

_"...stop, already!"_ Tails Doll yelped, as he suddenly yanked her by her hair.

Callous snarled when she was yanked like that, and she grabbed the doll. "You do that again, and I'm gonna tear the stuffing out of you!" she snarled.

Tails Doll whimpered at that, but he still glared at Callous. _"...why can't you just be patient? It's only a matter of another day probably, and you'll be free to go outside as you please! Can't you see that?"_

"I'm just sick of being stuck in this depressing situation!" Callous growled. "Little Miss Pussy Foot just can't find it in her heart to fight this all back…and frankly, it's making me more and more impatient!"

_"But this is the kind of situation that would work out better if you just were patient!" _Tails Doll yelled back at her. _"Maybe you'd be able to see that if, just for once, you would consider how others would feel and react to what you do, all because you're an impulsive _bitch!_"_

That made Callous angry…and she grabbed the plushie's leg, ripping it off.

Tails Doll screamed out in pain at that, but still kept glaring at Callous. _"...you only did that because you can't handle hearing the truth straight to your insensitive face!"_ he kept snarling.

Callous growled, and grabbed both sides of the plushie's shoulders. "Any more lip outta you…and I rip you clean in half…"

Tails Doll simply glared at her still. _"...you know... if you go out there... that's gonna give Trash more of an incentive to go after you and Jill." _he pointed out.

Callous fell silent, glaring at him.

_"...and he's shown that he can even overpower you, Callous. Are you really going to take that sort of risk?"_

"…I'm just gonna kick that slimy bastard's little ass and make sure that I'm not a bitch to fuck with!" Callous decided not to rip him apart, but she hurled him against the wall.

As he slammed into the wall, Tails Doll slowly slid down to the floor; though he glared at Callous still. _"...what if that just makes him try harder?"_

"Then it'll be a battle he'll have to handle until I beat him to a bleeding pulp on the ground!" and with that, Callous was outside the door.

Tails Doll growled, and beat the wall beside him. _"...damn it... now Jill's gonna get in trouble..."_

Meanwhile, the military had now stationed themselves in the Safe Haven HQ, setting it up as their own base of operations. Here, in one of the offices, resided the Captain, and he was talking to his two Lieutenants.

"I want you two to start investigating which soldiers on the island are in the rebellion and arrest them on sight from now on," he growled. "They're starting to get out of hand…"

"Yes, sir." Trash scoffed. "...bastards sure aren't making it easy for us..."

"**...if they get more out of hand, Admiral won't be pleased.**" Brawn murmured.

"Yes, Brawn, Admiral won't be pleased if they do, so-!" And the phone started ringing, interrupting the Captain. "Excuse me gentlemen," he said, picking up the phone to answer it. "This is the Captain speaking…"

The two of them just looked at the Captain. They watched as the Captain started to grow more irritated the longer he listened to the one speaking on the other end. "…Well then, I suppose I have to send the Lieutenants to take care of her…" he growled.

He hung the phone up, glaring at the two of them. "Condit broke out of her house, and is aggressive against the other soldiers. You know what to do."

Brawn blinked at that. "**...why she broke out?**"

"Who cares? Let's go put her in her place." With that, Trash quickly headed out, with Brawn reluctantly following.

The soldiers were each trying to stop Callous by melee or shooting. Either way, Callous was quick around the bullets and with her super brute strength, she knocked each of them out. She laughed too; because this was the most fun Callous had in a long time. Now that she was outside on the town streets kicking military butt, she felt like her old, mischievous, wicked self again.

"How do you like me now?" Callous cackled, knocking more and more helpless soldiers out. She even grabbed one to punch over and over and over and over again.

_STOP IT! CALLOUS, I SAID STOP!_

_Just chill; I can handle everything,_ Callous grumbled back inside her head. She tossed the guy she held to the ground when more soldiers showed up with guns.

Callous flashed stepped to all of them, knocking them out with punches and kicks to the face, knocking them all out cold.

When no more soldiers showed up to fight her, Callous gave a sigh of content; "Much better…"

At that point, though, a shadow loomed over her... the shadow actually belonging to a massive tree being hurled her way.

Callous' eyes popped open wide, and leaped away from the giant tree before it could crush her. Then she noticed two figures heading toward her.

She smirked. "About time you two showed up…I was starting to think I'd never get my rematch… especially against the slimy toad."

"...you keep acting arrogant, and you're gonna get hurt." Trash huffed, as he rubbed his neck. Brawn, on the other hand, merely gave her a questioning look.

"I've been arrogant for many years, shit-for-brains, and I haven't gotten hurt very often," Callous chuckled.

"...probably because you never went up against actual fighters." Trash spat. "Now let's get this over with so we can-"

"**Let me.**" At that point, Brawn shoved Trash aside, and stomped towards Callous.

"Oh, you want a try now, big guy?" Callous mused, watching him approach her.

"**...you wrong Condit. Let right Condit back.**" Brawn grunted, as he stopped right in front of Callous.

"…so you want her, huh?" Callous grumbled. She folded her arms then. "No. I'm not gonna let her have control. She's a weak little wimp, and even if she doesn't like the situation as much as I do, she doesn't do anything about it."

"**...that because she smart.**" Brawn noted. "**You impulsive. You impatient. You stupid.**"

Callous growled. "Look, I know it's not the smartest move, okay? But I don't fucking care!" And she threw a punch toward his face.

However, Brawn took the punch without even flinching, as he clenched his hands together. "**...if you cared... maybe you no get hurt.**" With that, he slammed his hands down on her.

Callous jumped away from it. "Oh, you little bastard…I'm not gonna get hurt…I'm so pumped, there's no way you'd be able to keep up with me!"

And she shot a kick at his gut. However, his response was to grab her leg. "**I no need to. I just grab you.**" And he proceeded to slam Callous repeatedly into the ground like he was wielding a club.

Callous grunted in pain, but she twisted around and tried to kick his face in an attempt to break free. The kick sent Brawn staggering back; causing him to let go of Callous. "**Ngh...**"

Callous flipped over onto her feet, wiping her cheek with a smug grin. Brawn simply looked at her. "**...done?**"

"Nope!" She leaped up with a spin, and threw a roundhouse kick at him.

The moment she did, however, Brawn swung his fist right at her; causing his fist to impact with her leg. Callous yanked her leg away and tried to punch him. To counter that, Brawn actually kicked at her incoming fist; knocking her away from him.

Callous breathed a bit, still smirking at him. Brawn simply returned a neutral gaze back at her.

Callous started in a run at him, letting out a strong grunt while she threw a powerful punch at his gut. The moment her fist struck his gut, Brawn grabbed hold of her arm; so when he was sent skidding back, she was dragged right after him. Callous tried to yank her arm away. However, Brawn's grip was powerful. With a grunt, he struck his fist over Callous' head. Callous let out a pained grunt when she got hit, and she tried to kick Brawn in the gut to make him release her.

Brawn merely grunted, but his grip remained strong. "**...give up. I no want to hurt Condit.**" he hummed.

"I'm not letting her have control any time soon, so just accept that!" And Callous tried a kick at his face this time. Brawn took the kick, but it had the exact opposite effect Callous intended; rather than letting her go, his grip grew even stronger.

"LET ME _GO!_" Callous screamed.

"**I no let go any time soon. Accept that.**" With that, Brawn slammed his free hand across Callous' head once more.

Callous had to admit, he was quite strong. Her head was bleeding now from that hit. She wasn't going to give up though, and with an angry roar, she began to try and kick Brawn in the head over and over and over again. However, with every kick, Brawn's grip grew even stronger; as if the pain surging through his skull was telling him to keep her from getting away even more.

"LET ME GO YOU **FUCKING** BASTARD!" Callous screamed with rage.

"**...why?**" Brawn hummed earnestly. "**You no let proper Condit back. I no let go of you. Logical.**"

"Why let her have control back?" Callous screamed. "She's just gonna sit around her house in depression! She's just gonna feel guilty and beat herself up for everything that ever happened! SHE'S GONNA CONSTANTLY WHINE ABOUT HOW MUCH SHE FUCKING MISSES HER DAUGHTER AND HER LOVER! BUT SHE WON'T EVEN FIGHT AGAINST ANYTHING! SHE'LL TAKE IT LIKE THE BITCH THAT SHE IS!"

"**...because she nice.**" Brawn hummed with a simple tone in his voice. "**You nasty. You no consider how she feels.**"

"…I don't fucking care how she feels…" Callous felt weak, and collapsed on her knees. "…she doesn't even fucking care how I feel about the whole thing…no one fucking does…"

"**...maybe it's karma.**" Brawn hummed.

Callous just growled at that…

…but eventually, her eyes flashed green, and the girl collapsed to the ground. Seeing that, Brawn's grip slowly grew lighter.

"...well, well... finally." Trash huffed.

Jill just stared at the ground in even more guilt. She wasn't strong enough to fight Callous against her control…and now she was probably in more trouble than ever.

"...alright, on your feet, Condit." Trash huffed, as he walked over to grab one of Jill's arms. "You're not getting that plushie of yours to get you out of trouble this time."

Jill stepped up to her feet, still looking at the ground guiltily.

"...assaulting GUN soldiers... breaking out of house arrest..." Trash sneered. "...if it were me, I'd have you remain in house arrest for a whole year. But we'll just let the Captain deal with you." Jill still stared down at the ground silently.

"...now come along." With a grunt, Trash yanked on Jill's arm... but she didn't budge. "...hn?" With a hiss, he glanced at Brawn, who was still holding her in place.

"**...you too harsh.**" Brawn pointed out.

"...what's that, now?" Trash hissed.

Slowly, Jill looked up at Brawn.

"**...she not responsible. Bad Condit responsible.**" Brawn grunted.

"...oh, sure; blame it on her other personality." Trash scoffed. "Who cares who's responsible? The fact of the matter is that Condit broke out of house arrest, and she should be punished accordingly."

"**Good Condit not responsible.**" Brawn grunted once more.

"You can keep pulling that card all day, and it won't change anything." Trash hissed, before he shot a scowl at Jill. "Ain't that right, Condit?"

"…Brawn's right…Callous was the one that took over me and resisted," Jill spoke. "…and while your Captain may not believe me, that's what happened…"

"...what matters is that, at the end of the day, soldiers have been injured because of you and your split personality." Trash huffed. "No matter what, you're not weaseling your way out of a proper punishment."

"**...you no have to punish her that much.**" Brawn shot in. "**She not responsi-**"

"Will you shut up, already?" Trash hissed, as he glared at Brawn. "Don't you get it? She's trying to make us sympathize with her! It's already working on you, so you're willing to let her off the hook, just because you can't stand seeing her all sad and shit!"

Brawn blinked at that, as he looked back at Trash.

"Even if I was trying to do that, why would I want _your_ sympathy, Trash?" Jill grumbled.

"Obviously so you wouldn't have me being smart enough to know what you're up to." Trash spat. "Well, too bad; that's not gonna work! Now let's get you to the Captain already..."

Brawn simply looked back at Jill. "**...but... you not responsible...**"

"…yes Brawn…I'm not responsible…" Jill spoke. "…but Trash just doesn't want to believe me…"

"...oh, for crying out loud- you're responsible!" Trash scoffed, as he shot a look at Jill. "Whose fault is it that your split personality ran off, huh?"

Brawn looked back at Trash again.

"You really want me to try and go back?" Jill growled. "If it wasn't for a certain vampire in my past, Callous wouldn't even exist…"

"Who cares about the past? What matters is what's going on now!" Trash hissed. "Now I swear, if you try to come up with another stupid excuse, I'll-"

"**Trash. Stop.**" Brawn grunted; his gaze narrowing.

"Oh, don't you start too!" Trash growled. "We're just bickering back and forth about something that should have been resolved minutes ago! Now if you'd stop falling for her little sympathy-scheme, I'd like to- GHAA!"

And at that point, Brawn had suddenly grabbed Trash by the throat; hoisting him off the ground. "**You make me mad, Trash.**" he grunted harshly; gripping tightly down on Trash.

Jill actually gasped with widened eyes at that.

Trash desperately clawed at Brawn's massive hand; gasping and heaving for air. "B-Brawn... y-you're choking me... c-crushing my w-windpipe...!"

However, Brawn's glare only intensified; gripping down tighter on Trash's throat.

"…B-Brawn!" Jill uttered, shaking him. "Stop it! Don't hurt him!"

Brawn narrowed his eyes further... and let go of Trash; which allowed the toad to heave for air and couch a lot. "...kh-shit..." he coughed.

Brawn simply hummed. "**...there.**"

Jill bit her lip, and stood there, not sure what to do at this point.

"**...let's go.**" Brawn hummed, before he got Trash on his feet; taking him and Jill with him.

Jill was started at that. "Wh-where are you taking me?"

"**...the Captain.**" Brawn replied.

Jill gulped at that.

* * *

><p>It took them a while to get back to the HQ, but when they were about to enter the Captain's office, they heard some vivid discussion within that room.<p>

"…so…we haven't gotten any communications from the outside yet?" The Captain asked.

"None." a different voice replied. "Frankly, it's starting to concern me... we've kept this blockade around Safe Haven for quite a while, now, and no additional orders have been presented to us..."

Trash's eyes widened. _...that voice... that's the..._

"…I wonder what's going on…" the Captain muttered.

"...if you were to ask for my opinion, I would suggest at the very least sending a ship back towards the mainland." the other voice noted. "This long without any word on the situation? Something's horribly amiss, Captain."

"…well, it's not my rank to really ask for your opinion, Admiral," the Captain said. "But I agree…I think we need to investigate the silence…"

"...preferably as soon as possible." the Admiral hummed. "With this rebellion going on, we're just wasting resources on something we really have no business in dealing with. Not to mention-"

At this point, Brawn just knocked on the door; much to Trash's surprise. Jill swallowed hard.

"…who is it?" the Captain called.

"...l-lieutenants Brawn and Trash, sirs." Trash uttered. "We got Condit."

"...Condit, hm?" the Admiral hummed. "...come on in, then."

With that, Brawn opened the door, and led Trash and Jill into the office.

The Admiral was sitting before the Captain's desk, and like the Captain, he was a tall, strong looking man. Unlike the bald Captain, the Admiral had short red hair and bushy red eyebrows with green eyes. Jill couldn't help but look at the Admiral…not quite sensing the sternness from him as she did the Captain.

The Admiral looked back at Jill. "...so... this is Jillian Condit." he hummed, as he rose from his seat.

"…hello…sir…" Jill muttered.

"…pardon Admiral, for this…" The Captain said. Then he looked at Jill with a stern glare. "…so Condit…could you please explain to me why my Lieutenants have brought you here?"

Jill looked at him in shame. "…it wasn't my fault sir…" she said quietly.

"...feh." Trash scoffed.

"**...not her fault. Bad Condit's fault.**" Brawn said. "**Bad Condit break out.**"

The Admiral hummed, before he glanced at the Captain. "...the Sergeant had a reason for putting her in house arrest, right?"

"…she attacked his men when they were trying to escort her daughter to safety," the Captain replied.

Jill snapped at that comment, "THEY WERE TRYING TO TAKE MY CHILD AWAY FROM ME, AND NOW LOOK WHERE THAT'S GOTTEN THINGS! SHE'S GONE AND NOW-!"

"Condit!" The Captain snapped at her, silencing Jill. "…everything will be a lot easier if you do not break into hysterics…do you understand me?" he growled sternly again.

Jill peered down at the ground. "….yes sir…"

The Admiral hummed, as he rubbed his hands together. "...I see..." Then, he looked at Jill with a more neutral look. "...Brawn said something about a 'bad Condit'... do you think you could elaborate on that?"

Jill looked at the Admiral with the same guilt. "…I…have a split personality…and her name is Callous…" Jill mumbled. "…she took over me…and…"

The Captain sighed. "…and you mean to say that it was her fault, Condit, that you used aggression against my men?"

Jill nodded, looking at the ground again.

"…it's really a shame Condit…your house arrest would've been done by tomorrow or the next day," the Captain said.

"...if you ask me, that's a load of..." Trash began, but he held his tongue; especially with two superior officers standing before him.

The Admiral merely nodded. "...I see... has she been a problem for you before, Condit?"

Jill grit her teeth. "…more times…than I can count…"

_Is that any way to treat the one that protected you in your vulnerable early motherhood years?_ Scoffed Callous in her head.

Jill simply ignored her.

"I see." the Admiral hummed. "...Captain, Brawn, Trash... I would like to try and speak with this Callous on my own. Would you wait outside?"

All of them gawked at the Admiral in surprise. "..b-but Admiral!" the Captain uttered.

The Admiral simply raised his hand. "...I can take care of this." he said.

The Captain blinked. "…Lieutenants…you can release her…" Brawn and Trash did so; the latter being just as surprised as the Captain was.

"...alright..." With that, the Admiral motioned towards a chair. "...have a seat."

Jill looked at the seat the Admiral pointed to…and slowly, she walked to it to sit.

The Captain just stared…but he got up from behind his desk and walked toward the door. "With me, Lieutenants…" he ordered. The Lieutenants followed him out; leaving only Jill and the Admiral in the room.

Jill grew uncomfortable, looking up at the Admiral.

"...so..." the Admiral began, as he smiled at Jill. "...how are you doing?"

Jill blinked; surprised that the Admiral was making small, friendly talk like this. "...I'm…managing…" she finally replied.

"...I see." the Admiral hummed. "Sorry about this whole blockade business; it's a bit overblown, if you ask for my personal opinion..." he chuckled.

Jill looked away nervously. She agreed, yes, but…she just wasn't used to a military official being so…friendly.

"...so, Condit..." the Admiral hummed, as he drummed his fingers together. "...I'm curious, but... what does Callous think about this situation right now?"

Jill looked back at him. "…well…would you prefer I tell you…or hear it from Callous herself?"

"...either way's fine with me." the Admiral shrugged.

…_fuck it…I'm not coming out now…_ Callous groaned in her head.

"…well…Admiral…Callous feels fed up with being stuck in the house, but unlike me, she isn't a very patient one…" Jill said. "…what happened was that she took control over my body and started to fight…she's…mostly the complete opposite of who I am…but we both aren't very happy with how things have been going for the past few days…"

"...I see..." the Admiral nodded. "...and since you share the same body, either way, you end up taking the fall from her. Pity..." he hummed.

Jill kept looking at the Admiral. "…you…believe me…?"

"...why shouldn't I?" the Admiral hummed.

"…well…Lieutenant Trash accuses me of making excuses to get sympathy from them," Jill said. "And the Captain doesn't bother to hear any excuses whatsoever…so…"

"Well, that's how they work." the Admiral shrugged. "I have a... different set of principles."

Jill blinked at him.

"...they take their work quite seriously, and I... well, I tend to look at things from a different perspective. I'd hate to see work just make you completely dreary day in and day out..." the Admiral chuckled.

Jill couldn't help but smile a little at that.

"...now..." the Admiral hummed, as he drummed his fingers together. "...as much as I find this business with the blockade and this house arrest silly... Callous _did_, from what I heard, assault several soldiers. It's kind of a shame that you don't have separate bodies; otherwise, we could have just given her the punishment instead..."

Jill's smile fell and she looked at the ground. "…right…"

"...but..." the Admiral hummed, as he rubbed his chin. "...could you tell me... what you dislike about this house arrest business?"

Jill looked at him blankly.

"...you know... what you don't like about your house arrest." the Admiral explained.

"…right…I know…" Jill mumbled. "…it's just…strange for someone actually wanting to know how I feel in all of this…everything's just been decided without my consent on anything…"

"...see, I think that's where the problem lies." the Admiral hummed. "You and Callous aren't being taken into factor; you're just to be punished. I don't exactly approve of that..."

Jill looked up at the Admiral.

"...so... would you tell me what you dislike about your house arrest, now?"

"…I feel like…anything I do to anger them, and they can hold me against it…" Jill uttered. "…Brawn has been very respectful, but Trash…he…" Jill remembered when Trash threatened to rape her, and that made her shudder. "…he doesn't care for my opinion…and I'm looked at as a criminal…rather than a victim…"

A few tears rolled down her face. "...how…would you feel…being put in that position…?"

"...miserable." the Admiral quickly hummed.

"…a-and the reason for this whole thing…it was…it was all just…a set-up…"

Jill broke down crying right then and there. The Admiral blinked, though he set a hand on Jill's shoulder to comfort her. Jill continued to sob, still feeling so bitterly hurt by the turn of events from all of this…

The Admiral remained silent.

"…all this…all of this is my fault…" Jill uttered. "…I should've…I should've protected my daughter better…"

The Admiral hummed at that. "...your daughter?"

Jill nodded, covering her face. "…my daughter…Joy…something happened to her…and…and I've should've tried to stop it but I didn't even see it coming…"

"...do you... think you could tell me?" the Admiral hummed out of curiosity.

"…you…you know how I have Callous…right…?" Jill uttered. "…my daughter…Joy…she also has a split personality…which just recently became active…"

"...I see..." the Admiral hummed.

"...th-that split personality…calls herself Malice…" Jill sobbed. "…she's the one responsible for calling the military…she was the one that set this all up…" she cried even harder. "But it's not like anyone would believe me if I tried to tell them that a child set this all up! I can't even believe it myself!"

The Admiral nodded. "...so... if your daughter went missing... how did you come to know that information?" he inquired.

Jill fell uneasily silent at that; she even stopped sobbing. The Admiral blinked at that. She rubbed her arm, remaining silent. She didn't want to tell the Admiral that she had communication with Metal…she had no idea how he would react.

"...is it something you wouldn't like to share?" he assumed.

"…I'm…afraid that you'll use this information…selfishly…" Jill uttered.

"...is that so..." the Admiral hummed, as he nodded slightly.

Jill nodded.

"...well..." the Admiral hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...I swear, on my honor as the Admiral of GUN, that I will not abuse any information you relay to me."

Jill looked up at the Admiral with her tear filled eyes.

"...cross my heart, hope to die." the Admiral hummed, before he gave Jill a smile. "Do we need to do a pinkie promise for you to believe me?"

That actually got a chuckle out of Jill, and she continued to chuckle while she wiped her eyes. Just hearing about pinkie promises reminded her of the boys and Ani, mainly Jack. It couldn't help but warm her heart a bit.

…and it made her feel a bit more willing to confess her info.

"…I've…been able to remain in contact…with Metal Sonic…" she began.

He hummed at that, as he nodded slowly. "...Metal Sonic... I see." he mused; taking the news relatively well.

"…he's…looking for my daughter…" Jill spoke quietly. "…she's afraid that with Malice inside of her…she'll hurt anyone that is close to her…so she ran away…"

"...ah... so that's why she went missing..." the Admiral hummed; nodding a few times.

"…something really bad happened at the base they were making the negotiations at…" Jill spoke. "…but I…don't remember if he told me what happened or not…"

Hearing that, the Admiral's eyes narrowed a bit. "...I see..." he murmured, whilst rubbing his chin, "...hrm..."

"…Sir…I'm sorry about Callous' outburst today…" Jill spoke, wiping her eyes some more. "…I feel very weary…so if I may…I would like to go home."

"...well..." the Admiral hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...before you do... we just need to get this punishment-thing out of the way... as much as I hate to do it, the Captain and Trash would more than likely try to inflict a harsher punishment the moment I let you out of here."

"…I understand…" Jill muttered.

"...now... they'll probably get on my back if I make it too brief, but..." the Admiral began, as he looked at Jill. "...I'll see what I can do about making the stay there more bearable for you. At the very least, I don't want you to be miserable in your own home."

Jill looked up at him and smiled. "…thank you…sir…"

He chuckled. "No need to be formal, Condit. Call me... Adam." Then, he hummed. "...so... what would you say would be a fitting length for the punishment?"

Jill twiddled her thumbs. "…I'm not really sure to be honest…"

Adam hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...would a month sound unreasonable to you?"

"…I think that would work much better than what Trash was intending," Jill answered.

Nodding, Adam rose to his feet. "Then it's decided. Your house arrest is extended to a month from now. I'll do what I can to make sure that you're not too miserable... but you'll have to promise that you and Callous can come to an understanding. Any objections?"

"None from me…" Jill said. "…but I'll have to speak with Callous on that…"

Adam managed a slight smile. "...just don't get yourself in trouble again." he said. "You may go home, now. I'll have someone escort you, if you won't mind."

Jill stood up from her seat. "…right…"

With a hum, Adam pressed a finger against his ear; activating a communicator. "...yes, I need a soldier in the Captain's office. I have need of an escort... mhm... I see. Alright, then." With that, he glanced at Jill. "Unit Z-42 will be here shortly to lead you back to your home, Condit."

Jill nodded. "…thanks again."

"...don't mention it." Adam chuckled.

Eventually, the door opened, and a soldier stepped into the room; giving a quick salute. "Sir!"

"...at ease, Z-42. Just escort Condit to her home, alright?" Adam said with a smile. "After that, you can take a break for the day."

Z-42 blinked at that, before nodding. "...y-yes, sir! Understood, sir!"

"…well…shall we?" Jill spoke to the soldier.

"...y-yes, ma'am." Z-42 nodded, as he opened the door for her. "After you, ma'am."

Jill nodded. "…thank you…" and she walked out.

With a nod, Z-42 followed her out.

"…what's your name?" Jill asked the soldier curiously.

The soldier blinked. "...um... it's..." he began, as he glanced to the side. "...Mike."

"…Mike…" Jill nodded. "…thank you for escorting me…"

"...no problem, ma'am," Mike hummed, as he rubbed his brown hair a bit awkwardly.

* * *

><p>He escorted her all the way back to her house, opening the door for her to enter in…<p>

That was when Jill noticed Tails Doll's ripped off leg on the ground. "Tails Doll!" she uttered with a startled gasp.

_"...hey, Jill..."_ Tails Doll uttered.

She picked up the leg and ran to Tails Doll worriedly. "Did Callous do this to you?" she uttered.

_"...yeah." _Tails Doll nodded slightly. _"...sorry... I couldn't keep her from leaving..."_

Jill picked him up off the ground. "…it's okay…" she muttered. "…you tried, at least…" Tails Doll simply looked at Jill.

"…Here, I'll get some needle and thread and stitch you back up again," she said, walking into the hall in her house.

Tails Doll nodded, before his gaze fell on Mike; who still stood in the entryway.

"...um... shall I take my leave, ma'am?" he uttered.

Jill stopped and looked back. "Oh. Yes, you may leave," she said.

"...yes, ma'am." With a nod, Mike turned to walk out.

* * *

><p>"…Natal…how are you doing now?" Toki walked into her room later that day to check on her.<p>

Natal was silent, as she simply looked at the ceiling. "...better..." she murmured.

"…that's good," Toki said. Then she smiled. "There's someone that would like to see you." Natal slowly glanced back at her. Toki just smiled at her, and then looked at the door.

It opened, with a couple of hand-like feet stepping into the room. "…Natal?"

Natal's eyes widened when she saw that. "...Cal..."

Sure enough, there was Cal standing there. He looked much healthier than he was, and fully rested. He also didn't seem sick anymore. "…you look much better," Cal said with a breath of relief, walking over to her bed.

"...y-you..." Natal uttered. "...your fever's... gone?" she said.

Cal sat down beside her on her bed. "Yep," he answered.

Natal could only look at him with an absolutely relieved look. "...you've... recovered..."

"…yeah," Cal smiled down at her.

Toki smiled at that, and left the room, closing the door behind her. She figured she would give them some alone time. The moment she left the room, Natal tossed her arms around Cal in a hug; smiling brightly. Cal hugged her back, dearly.

"...I've been so worried, Cal..." she whispered, as she simply held to her.

"…same here…" Cal whispered back, stroking the back of her head.

Natal remained silent after that, though she kept hugging Cal ever so dearly. Cal kissed her forehead. Natal just smiled at that, as she gently rubbed the back of Cal's head.

"…how well do you really feel?" Cal asked Natal curiously.

"...well... health-wise, I feel good..." Natal hummed. "...but... I was... used by Patricia earlier..."

"…I heard about that…" Cal mumbled.

"...I'm afraid... what if she tries to do it again, Cal...?" she uttered fearfully.

Cal clutched to her tightly. "…I won't let that happen…" Natal simply held him, as she closed her eyes.

"…I wanted to know because King and his group are thinking about leaving in the morning…" Cal said. "…I wanted to know…so that you and I can go with them, along with Toki, Fargus and Nage…" Natal looked back at Cal then. Cal looked back at her. "…they didn't tell you…but Joy showed up in this very inn earlier today."

Natal's eyes widened. "...really?"

Cal nodded. "…caught stealing food…and Nage ran out after her, but lost her in the crowd. King and his group would've taken off after her right then and there…but they didn't want to leave us behind."

Natal nodded, as she glanced to the side with a hum.

"…do you think you would be able to handle any traveling?" Cal asked her.

Natal narrowed her eyes slightly, before closing them; nodding. "...yes... I think so."

"…are you sure?" Cal asked.

Natal nodded. "...I don't intend to become just dead weight for everyone else... I can travel with the others, no sweat."

Cal nodded back. "…okay…I just want to make sure." Natal nodded as well.

Cal cupped her chin with his hand. "…I…worried a lot about you…"

"...and... I worried about you, too, Cal..." Natal uttered, as she set a hand on Cal's cheek.

Cal smiled a little at that…and leaned down to kiss her on the lips. With a light sigh, Natal kissed him back. Cal held her dearly while he kissed her. Natal returned the favor; holding him dearly. Cal kissed her deeper and more longingly. Natal deepened the kiss as well; holding him closer still. Cal started stroking Natal's back softly. Gently stroking the back of Cal's head in return, Natal deepened the kiss enough for her tongue to enter Cal's mouth. Cal made a pleasant shudder when he felt her tongue. Humming in delight, Natal coiled her tongue around Cal's, as she kept caressing him so gently. Cal uttered a tiny grunt of delight, caressing her back just as gently. Shivering lightly, Natal kept caressing him as she deepened the kiss more. Cal started getting lost in the make-out, just simply feeling Natal's skin underneath her clothes. Breathing softly at his touch, Natal simply trailed her fingers across his fur, while she kissed him even deeper. Cal grunted in more delight. Hearing him grunt, Natal clutched even tighter to him.

Then suddenly, Cal yanked away, breathing hard. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and he simply tried catching his breath from being so worked up. Natal simply breathed as well, as she gazed back at Cal in return.

"…we…probably shouldn't get carried away like that…" Cal breathed.

"...maybe not..." Natal breathed in turn.

Cal stroked her cheek. "…but…you're okay…and that eases me a bit."

Natal smiled, and stroked his cheek in return. "...I'm just glad that you're okay, too..."

Cal kissed her forehead again and then pulled away from the bed. "…so come morning…and we're gonna go with King's group," Cal said. "…make sure and get plenty of rest today…"

"...I will." Natal nodded. "...you should get some rest as well..."

Cal nodded.

In King's room, there was another tap at his window. King was quick to open up the window when he heard the tap. It was that hawk again, and it was carrying a letter for him.

Giving it a nod, King took the letter, and began reading it.

_Twilight, your letter gave me a smile once I received it, and immediately, I wrote back. Things are…well, still steadily getting out of hand here at Safe Haven. The rebellion that arose in the area still resists against military forces, and the military is using their resources to try and….shall we say, "discipline" them? I fear that if the rebellion keeps up like this…the military might take more drastic action…_

_Jill is well…physically…but every time I have gone to visit her…she is quite depressed. In some ways, I wish that I could try and cheer her up…and the Lieutenants that visit her don't help her case. While Brawn seems to give her some respectful space, Trash…_

…_he almost tried to rape her, trying to make the deal that he would shorten her house arrest sentence if she cooperated. Thankfully, Callous stepped in and defused the situation…but it makes me worry even more about what the military thinks of doing to those who resist against them…_

…_it feels…like a dictatorship here…_

…_I look over what I've written so far and wish that I had more pleasant news to write about. I'm still healthy, and so is the child. My tribe and the others at Safe Haven make sure I am taking good care of myself so that you do not worry…I miss you dearly, Twilight, and I have faith in you… _

Reading through this, King sighed a little; disheartened by the fact that his nation was seeing a decline because of GUN stepping in... and of course, what Jill's situation was. Immediately, he began writing back.

"...Tasha, the moment I finished your letter, I began writing you in return. Things are... well, they're getting better over here, even if we've hit a few setbacks. Cal and Natal have fully recovered, and when morning comes, we'll head off once more... because...

...Joy showed up at the very inn we were staying at. The poor girl... I didn't see her myself, but she was caught stealing food. I can't imagine how malnourished she must be, trekking along all on her own... actively running away from us... all this business must take a heavy toll on her.

I cannot tell you how much it pleases me to hear that you're still well, even with the situation devolving to such a state back home... I only wish that I could be there, to do _something_ about what's happening over there... I still miss you ever so much, my dearest Tasha..."

With a sigh, he put the finished letter in its container. "...send this off to her, now..."

The hawk nodded and took off into the air. With that, King closed the window; managing a slight smile.

* * *

><p>"…so…you all are leaving now?" Catherine asked.<p>

"...yeah." Jack said with a light hum, as he rubbed his neck. "Thanks for letting us stay here!"

"...you guys just make sure not to get in over your heads..." Odium noted with a light hum,

"…and thank you for the help, guys," Milo said, nodding especially toward Bismark. Bismark simply nodded in return.

"...you all take care, then..." Kiri said with a light smile.

Catherine came over to Demi and kissed his forehead. "…and please be more careful," she said.

Demi nodded. "...we will, mother." he said, before he glanced at Bismark. "...father-"

"You heard your mother." Bismark hummed with the faintest hint of a smile beneath his bandages. "Just be careful."

Demi smiled at hearing that, as he gave Bismark a nod.

"...remember; I only have one big brother." Odium noted with a smirk of her own. "Make sure not to get yourself hurt, 'kay?"

"...alright..." Demi nodded.

"And we'll make sure nothing happens to any of us!" Striker said with a smile.

"I would hope so," that was Violet, putting her hat on.

Milo looked at Violet in surprise. "…are you…coming with us or something?"

"No," Violet said. "But I'm becoming very curious about this whole thing, since my son is involved…I think I'm going to go look for him."

"...if you find him, give him our regards." Charon hummed.

Violet nodded. "I will…" and she turned to leave, with her trench coat blowing in the wind outside.

"…that woman never rests…" Catherine sighed.

"...I think I can see where Lock gets it from." Jack noted with a light laugh.

"That's for sure!" Ani agreed with a smile of her own.

* * *

><p>Joy had gotten as far as possible away from that inn, and slowed down when she saw the sky fading to the orange glow of the sunset. It was getting later in the day now, and soon night would fall.<p>

Joy sighed in exhaustion…she had been running for a long time, and ever since the inn, she hadn't had anything to eat at all. Her stomach ached in the agony of her overwhelming hunger…and her legs trembled feebly from all the running she had done.

_You suck at surviving on your own, _Malice grunted in Joy's head. _I bet I could do a much better job…so why not let me have control?_

Joy grit her teeth. _…no…I don't wanna let you control me…that's why I'm running…_

_Running away from your problems?_ Malice laughed. _That's not gonna stop me…_

Joy scowled. _…I'm gonna start fighting you Malice…I might be running away from my friends and family…but I'm running away from them because I don't want you to hurt them…_

Malice scoffed. _I'm gonna break it to ya, squirt…you're not gonna be able to beat me anytime soon; especially when you're so unhealthy like this. Pretty soon, you're gonna be so exhausted that you won't be able to fight me at all…_

Joy clenched her hands into fists, pushing herself to walk farther. _...no…I'm stronger than that…I'm gonna beat you Malice…for my Mama and Daddy, and all my friends, I'm gonna... _and Joy's thoughts trailed off. Malice was right; she wasn't just physically exhausted, but she was mentally exhausted too…

…and the poor child finally collapsed to the ground. She tried to push herself back up, but she was just too weak.

_See? _Malice hummed. _Now, if you let me have control, I could feed your body and allow you to rest…but you keep fighting against me senselessly._

…_I'm…not letting you have control…and that's that…_ Joy thought, just lying there weakly.

"...hey; there's someone lying over there." At that point, a trio happened to wander where Joy was lying; noticing her fairly quickly.

When they got to her, one of them gasped. "It's Joy!"

Joy grew uneasy…it was someone that recognized her… and when they came around her, she recognized them too…but it was so long ago that her memory was blurry.

Large, careful hands picked Joy up…and even that felt familiar to her.

"...what's she doing out here, anyway...?"

Joy opened her eyes and looked…the one with large hands was a male horse, quite tall and very muscular in the arms, with dreadlocks of hair hanging down. There was another horse, which was a female, and her dreadlocks were wound up in a ponytail, wearing thick mascara.

The third one stood out; as it was a female rat, whose hair was styled in a rat-tail; wearing punkish clothing, with a cigarette placed between her lips. "...sheesh... she looks like hell..." she murmured.

Joy looked up at all of them weakly.

"…hey Joy, do you remember us?" the female horse said. "It's me…Ivory…and my brother Brute, and Mia. Do you remember us?"

"…a…little…" Joy uttered.

"…hm…" the female horse, Ivory, looked up at the other two, "Let's take her to the cabin."

"...right... and get her some food." Mia murmured.

Brute held Joy closely to keep her warm, and the three of them walked down the road. Joy soon fell asleep in his arms after that.

Instead of being subjected to any dreams, Joy just simply napped, all up until they reached their cabin in the woods. Once they did, Brute gently shook Joy. "…wake up…"

Joy blinked, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Then she saw the cabin they were walking up to.

"...there we go; you're awake." Mia hummed.

"…let's go inside and make you something, huh Joy?" Ivory suggested. Before Joy could really say anything, they went inside, and Brute set Joy onto their couch in the living room.

With that, Mia headed into the kitchen. "What do you want to eat?" she hummed.

Joy looked over shyly. "…anything is okay…" she muttered.

Ivory sat next to her. "…man…you've grown Joy…I can't get over that…"

Joy looked up at her uneasily.

"…look…I'll get straight to the point…" Ivory said. "…we've seen the missing posters...and we saw that something was going on at Safe Haven…so that's probably why you ran away…I don't know much…but I really want to know what you want to do here…"

Joy blinked. "…what do you…mean…?"

"Well, there's a reason you probably ran away, right?" Ivory said. "…I'm saying that we won't turn you in unless you want us to."

Joy's eyes widened at that. Mia glanced back at her from the kitchen; remaining silent for the moment. Joy looked away from her.

"…in the meantime, while you think about it, just relax a little bit," Ivory said. "You look like you've been travelling a lot, and to be honest…you don't really look very healthy…"

"…but…I can't stay…" Joy mumbled.

Ivory folded her arms. "…sorry Joy, but if you keep pushing yourself so hard like this, you'll kill yourself…do you even realize just how hard your mother pushed yourself when you were just a little baby?"

Joy shot a look back at Ivory.

"…I was at Safe Haven, with Mia and Brute, the year that your mom brought you there," she said. "…your mom was just as big of a mess as you are right now."

"...it sure wasn't easy for her..." Mia murmured.

"…really…?" Joy uttered. She remembered that she asked Sonia about her mother before…but Sonia only said that things were hard for her mother back then. She didn't really go into details…

"…yeah…" Ivory said. "…I don't know if you were told all this, Joy…but your mom didn't look very healthy when she started out at Safe Haven…she pushed herself really hard during that training to make sure she could get stronger…and during those times, I wondered if she was gonna kill herself from working so hard during training…"

Hearing Ivory say that, Joy was amazed.

"…and she worked hard to keep you safe," Ivory said. "…even we tried to take you away from her when you were a baby."

Joy's eyes widened at that. "…you did…?"

"...yeah; sorry about that, by the way." Mia murmured. "...geez... I still remember the beating Spiel gave us that day..."

"…Spiel…beat you up…?" Joy said.

"…he came along and stopped us from taking you and your mom away," Ivory said. "He beat down Brute and Mia hard, and he was gonna come for me…" She smiled a little. "…you said your first word that day, Joy…and I still remember it…"

Joy blinked. She remembered that her first word was "no" from what everyone at Safe Haven said, but no one knew where she learned the word.

"…you told Spiel no, so that he wouldn't beat me up," Ivory said. "You wanted him to stop, so you told him no, over and over again…"

"…I…did…?" Joy was amazed even more, and Ivory nodded.

"…and Spiel let us go, because you told him to stop," Ivory said.

"...pretty amazing," Mia hummed.

"…wow…" Joy muttered. "…I don't remember that…not really…"

"…that's okay; you were pretty young, so I doubt you would've remembered," Ivory said. "…my point is, though, your mom was pretty abused, but she fought through it because, well…she was a strong woman…"

Joy looked up at Ivory.

"…you're still a little kid…" Ivory said. "…so don't push yourself as hard as your mother did. She was able to handle it probably because she might've been used to it…but you're gonna kill yourself if you keep running and starving yourself like that…I figure a kid like you doesn't get to eat very much if you don't have any money for any food…"

Joy nodded, looking down at the ground.

"…so at least stay for a little bit so that you can recover a little bit," Ivory said.

Mia nodded in agreement.

"…you said…my Mama could do that…because she was strong…" Joy spoke out. "…so…can you help me be stronger like my Mama too?"

Ivory raised her eyebrow. "Why are you asking that? Is there something you're running away from?"

"…yeah…sorta…" Joy replied half-truthfully. "…I'm…running away because I can't fight something really big and scary… and if I don't fight it, it'll hurt everybody…"

Ivory hummed at that. "…that's…an interesting request…"

Mia hummed at that as well.

"…we'll think about it," Ivory said. "You'll have to tell us what's going on though, if you'd want us to help you…and in the meantime, you need to eat and rest up."

"Right." Mia nodded.

_Training? Psh…you think that's really gonna help you against me?_ Malice mocked in Joy's head.

…_it helped Mama when she had to fight Callous…_ Joy thought.

…_you really think that training did anything for her? Your mother killed herself in the end to stop mine! That wasn't training! That was a last minute resort!_ Malice complained.

…_but it helped her at Safe Haven, when she didn't have any of her powers, _Joy replied.

_Wrong again…my mother was the one that always had to step in and save her…_ Malice grumbled. _You guys are idiots…_

…_even then, I'm gonna learn how to start fighting you, _Joy thought back bitterly. _…I don't wanna run away forever…_

…_you're still as naïve as ever, huh…? _Malice murmured.

"...right... I'm gonna cook up some dinner for us." Mia hummed, as she returned to the kitchen.

"Here, I'll help," Ivory said, standing up from the couch. "Brute, stay here with Joy." When Brute nodded, Ivory walked out.

…_okay…I'll play your little game…_ Malice replied.

…_huh…?_ Joy was confused by that.

…_I won't interfere, and I'll let you get trained by them to see how far you'll go,_ Malice chuckled. _I don't think it'll help you fight against me…but hey, since it's no threat, I'll let you have your little training with them…gotta let you take care of our body, right?_

Joy scowled again.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Kinda reminds me of DBZ when Gohan is sent to train on his own...<strong>_


	26. Chapter 25

_One Month Later…_

* * *

><p>Since all those events for everyone, a lot of time passed; to be more specific, it was more or less a whole month. The three groups that were searching for Joy still continued to travel and look for her…the rebellion on Safe Haven still continued to make trouble for the military, and Joy's face was still advertised to the public. Joy was hidden with Ivory, Brute and Mia, and for that long, they have been training young Joy to build her strength and endurance physically…and mentally.<p>

The public had no idea that none of this was going on. The most they knew of this all was that Metal Sonic was out loose in the world, and when they tried to send in people to investigate what has been the deal with the Corrupted base…well, there were no survivors. The surrounding mystery of it all scared the public…and considering that the news reported that GUN forces were withdrawn to a secret location at this time, it put everyone at unease.

…then…there came a newsflash on the news, and it stole everyone's attention. News reporters were in a fluster, reporting an event that started happening earlier that morning.

A GUN base was under attack by unknown forces…no reporters could get any more on the story because the military was restraining all of them far, far away from all the action that was taking place for the sake of their own safety…but it startled everyone who saw the newsflash.

Meanwhile, a lot was happening on the battlefield itself…

"Glad that the Sergeant finally broke on that torture, huh Bulk?" Patricia chuckled, standing on a tall cliff overlooking the base while their forces were fighting against the military.

Bulk chuckled. "Guess he wasn't as strong as he thought he was... now..." With that, he cracked his knuckles. "...what do we do with the Commander when we corner her?"

"We already know the confidential information about my Uncle, so there's no point in asking her about that," Patricia said. Then she chuckled. "The most we could do is probably hold her hostage as a trophy of this victory, and then aim to tackle Safe Haven."

"Right..." Bulk chuckled, as he folded his arms. "...but you know... this seems kind of redundant. I mean, those puny military men... they can't kill even one Corrupted being. Why are they even trying to defend themselves against an armada of Corruption?"

"It could just be that their Commander is just stubborn as hell…" Patricia muttered. "Either way, it just means we add more to our own forces."

"...her loss, our gain." Bulk chuckled.

Patricia chuckled as well. "C'mon; let's get through their stronghold and see if we can find her."

Bulk chuckled. "I think we should, yeah." With that, he leapt right off the cliff; making his way towards the stronghold. Patricia leaped up into the air and flew after him. It didn't take Bulk long to burst right through one of the stronghold's walls; crashing into a hallway. With a smirk, he rubbed his hands, as he glanced around him; as if waiting for someone to show up to fend him off.

Sure enough, around came some of the machine units from GUN to attack them, firing at them. Patricia flew right around the fire, shooting flaming balls of Corruption at some of them. Bulk merely blocked the guns firing at him, before firing blasts of Corruption at them as well. "Is this it?" he chuckled.

"Must be!" Patricia added. That's when they wiped out the last of the ones that were in the hallway, and the two of them continued on.

Bulk rubbed his hands together, as he glanced at Patricia. "...how about you get the honors of roughing her up, then?" he chuckled.

"Aw, you're too kind," Patricia sneered.

"I guess in return, you could let me have my way with you before we send our forces to Safe Haven." Bulk quipped. "Sound appealing to you?"

"Guess everything had a catch," Patricia chuckled. "Sure, I can agree to that."

"Alright..." With a chuckle, Bulk stopped. "...then you go ahead. That looks like the Commander's office."

Patricia cracked her knuckles, and went up to the door, smashing it open with a harsh kick. When the door flew open, she saw a chair facing away from the door; too big for her to see who was sitting behind it, though there was a trail of cigarette smoke drifting up towards the ceiling.

Patricia chuckled, stepping into the room. "So we finally meet again, Commander…"

Silence.

Patricia sighed, and whacked the desk against the wall. "Let's get this over with, shall we?" and she went to the chair, turning it around.

However, what she found was not the Commander, but rather, a puppet taped against the chair, with a cigarette taped to one of its hands, and a note on the other.

"…hm…?" Patricia just simply gawked at the puppet, and couldn't help but be a little angry for getting tricked like that. Then she noticed the note in its hand and grabbed it to read it.

_To whoever it may concern,_

_If you're reading this note, then I'm afraid that you've been duped. True, you may have gotten the proper information of my whereabouts from the Sergeant... however, I've taken my own precautions to make sure that I do not fall into enemy hands. The soldiers left here have all been willing to lay down their lives for this cause... especially since it'll allow them to test out a new weapon we've developed over the course of the preceding month. Sincerely, the Commander of GUN._

_PS: By entering my office, you've triggered a silent alarm, which will... well... I'll let you find out for yourself._

Patricia's eyes widened at that, crushing the note in her grip with a growl.

In that instant, though, she heard a faint beeping. Her ears directed her toward the dummy, and she looked at it. "…now what?" she growled. And in that instant, the beeping stopped.

...and the dummy suddenly exploded; tiny shards of what seemed to be shrapnel flying straight at Patricia, as the explosion was fueled by an energy that actually was harmful to the bat.

"AAAAAAAGH!" Bulk could hear her screaming out in pain.

Hearing that, Bulk hissed, and began heading for the office...

...which was when he stopped; hearing more explosions coming from outside. Looking out of a window, he saw that the soldiers were tossing grenades at the Corruption-based beasts... and these grenades actually drove them away when they exploded; if they didn't outright kill them, they were too wounded to keep fighting. "...you've gotta be kidding me!"

"…retreat…" Bulk could hear Patricia's bitter voice mutter in the office. "…make them retreat…this was all a set up…"

"...shit..." With a grunt, Bulk smashed the window open, and bellowed out. _**"ALL OF YOU DOGS, RETREAT! OR YOU'LL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!"**_

His command was swiftly ahered by the corrupted forces who weren't currently writhing in pain across the battlefield, as they all proceeded to slither away. Bulk's hiss grew when he saw that, contrary to what he had believed, the GUN forces had barely been dented; as if they had merely bid their time until Patricia had sprung the trap.

Patricia stumbled out, gritting her teeth. The bomb didn't give her many scars, but it really did hurt; considering that it took her completely by surprise.

Bulk glanced at her. "...they saw us coming, huh...?"

"…yeah, they did…" Patricia growled. "…so let's bail…"

Nodding, Bulk grabbed Patricia's wrist, and submerged into darkness beneath them.

* * *

><p>The news reported that these mysterious forces retreated, and that the military won the battle. This made the public easier when they saw it…<p>

…but it didn't ease some of the select few, like, Stella when she saw it. "…hm…" she was very skeptical about it all…considering that she was pretty sure the Corrupted forces had been behind the attack.

Plus, she never really trusted a news report.

"...hrm..." With a sigh, Metal simply glanced to the side. The fact that they still hadn't found Joy was disheartening enough on its own... but then this manner of attack?

"…Patricia intends to take down the Commander, I'm guessing…" Charmy said gruffly.

"...I do wonder how they managed to force them to retreat..." Wiper murmured.

"...I guess they just found some way to repel them." Proxy noted.

"…hopefully they can keep them away like that for longer," Rudy said. "…until we find Joy…"

"...hm." Lock hummed, as he was simply keeping a lookout on the horizon.

Then…on the horizon…Lock could see a figure appear and walking toward their direction. With a hum, Lock narrowed his eyes; watching the figure to try and make out who it was. It was too far in the distance to really see who it could've been, but Lock did see what appeared to be a braid and a long trench coat blowing in the wind. Seeing that, Lock hummed.

That got the attention from the others. "What is it Lock?" Boomer asked.

"...we've got company." Lock hummed.

They noticed the figure walking toward them in the distance then. "…huh…" Rudy muttered. "…I wonder who it is…"

The figure looked up at them, and suddenly yanked something out, pointing it at them. A gunshot rang through the air, shooting at them.

Or, mainly, Lock.

Lock was quick to duck underneath that shot, as his gaze quickly narrowed...

...and he smirked. "...hm."

With that, he rushed towards the figure; drawing two revolvers to fire at the figure. The figure ducked and danced away from the shots, pulling some revolvers to shoot back at Lock as well. Tossing one of his revolvers into the air, Lock pulled out a submachine gun to repel the revolver fire coming from the figure; still shooting wildly at the figure.

The figure jumped away, doing hand stand backflips away from the gunfire that Lock shot out. Eventually, the figure pulled out a large rifle and fired at Lock again, still running. Humming, Lock began running circles around the figure to avoid the rifle shots; grabbing the incoming revolver with his teeth to keep shooting. The other figure still danced around the shoots effortlessly, returning the fire from their own revolvers.

This left everyone perplexed…and worried. "Is it Mercy again?" Stella uttered shakily, hiding behind Boomer.

"…no….I don't think it's Mercy this time," Charmy said. "…this fighting seems…different…and the other figure is fighting too similarly to Lock…"

"…so you're saying it's someone else that knows him, Captain?" Rudy asked.

"Yes…" Charmy said, watching the gunfight. "…except the other one seems more…graceful."

"...graceful..." Proxy hummed. "...like... a woman?"

_**"...what woman would be fighting like Lock would?"**_ Omega hummed.

"...I suppose we'll find out." Wiper mused.

Eventually, Lock began closing in the gap between him and the figure; still shooting more at his adversary. The figure shot back just as much, still evading the bullets effortlessly. Even as he was advancing towards her, he was still able to evade the shots the figure fired at him.

Suddenly, when they got close enough, the figure spun a quick circle around Lock. Quickly, Lock spun around as well to keep up with the figure; aiming his revolvers right at his foe. In turn, the figure also pointed the revolvers at Lock, and the two of them were frozen like that. The wind blew both their trench coats up in the air…

The others in the group just watched in anticipation to see what would happen.

"...still as sharp as ever." Lock hummed.

"…well, I have to make sure and keep up with you," the other voice chuckled. "But I'm glad that you haven't gone rusty either…"

"...with your teachings, how could I?" Lock chuckled.

The other chuckled once more. "That's my boy…" and suddenly, they grabbed Lock in a hug. Lock was quick to hug her back.

That left the others a bit more perplexed.

"…uhhh…" Boomer muttered, blinking.

"…well… at least it's not a bad guy!" Rudy threw in happily.

"...but the question is... who is it, then?" Newt uttered.

The other figure finished hugging Lock and looked at the group. "…the kids all told me about the situation…"

"…wait a minute…" Stella uttered. "…you were told everything going on by kids? Then that means…"

Charmy smiled, putting the pieces together. "You must be Lock's mother. It's a pleasure to meet you…"

The figure tipped her hat politely. "The pleasure's all mine…"

"...Lock's mother..." Metal hummed.

Lock merely smiled, as he adjusted his own hat a bit.

"Though my name's Violet, and I would probably appreciate being addressed as that instead of just his mother," the figure chuckled, and though she was slightly shorter than Lock, she shared a lot of the same features; only, she didn't have a large canine like he did.

"...heh; she's kinda similar to Lock, y'know!" Newt pointed out.

Violet blinked. "Really? Because I honestly thought he was more like his father…"

"...I suppose that's a discussion for another day." Lock chuckled, as he glanced at Violet. "Do you want me to introduce them for you?" he hummed.

"Sure," Violet said.

"...alright; I'm sure you know Charmy of the Chaotix." Lock began. "And of course, E-123 Omega... then we have Metal Sonic, and Wiper and Newt from GUN's Team Alpha, Boomer and Rudy from Team Chaotix, the Shadow Android's name is Proxy... and finally, Stella." As he said that, he gave Stella a brief nod.

Stella nodded to Violet. "…it's nice to meet you Violet…"

Violet looked at Stella with interest, and nodded back at her. "Yes, likewise."

"...so, what brings you to us, Violet?" Wiper hummed out of curiosity.

"I wanted to see how you all were doing," She said. "…and…" she pounded a fist on her chest. "…I wanted to help out."

"...helping out?" Metal uttered. "Really?"

"...seems like it." Lock mused with a chuckle. "Glad to have you with us, then, mother."

Violet nodded then. "…now…I've seen the reports on the news…but would any of you have better information on that?"

"…we suspect that it was Patricia trying to take down the Commander," Charmy replied.

"…I see…" Violet murmured. "…makes sense."

"...though them being able to fend off her forces... truly impressive, considering what they were up against." Proxy mused.

"…they must have had a secret weapon they developed to do that…" Violet said. "The only ones that were able to hold a good battle against Patricia was Vanessa and Jack."

Boomer did a double take. "Wait…Jack?"

"Jack?" Proxy uttered, as he tilted his head.

"...hm... I see..." Metal hummed, as he rubbed his chin at that.

"…I take it that he's a really special case?" Violet questioned.

"…yes, he is," Charmy said.

"...quite the special case..." Metal murmured.

"…at any rate, I'm sure we can catch up some more on the move," Violet said.

"Right. We should keep moving." Lock nodded in agreement.

Stella looked a bit curiously…but uneasily at Violet. Knowing this was his mother, she wondered what she would think of her…and when Violet glanced at her, she looked away hurriedly.

Lock simply hummed at that.

* * *

><p>It took Bulk, Patricia and their defeated forces little time to get back to their base; their numbers greatly diminished from the fiasco the operation turned out to be. While their grunts were busy licking their wounds, Bulk and Patricia stormed through the halls. "...I swear, I'll kill him the moment you've finished squeezing him for info..." Bulk hissed.<p>

"Do you think he finally got desperate and sent us to that hellhole of a trap?" Patricia snarled furiously. "A whole month of building forces; A WHOLE MONTH! Gone to waste because of that!"

"How did they even know we would show up? We've killed every last piece of shit who dared to approach us!" Bulk snarled. "That fucker's got something to answer to!"

"That's for sure!" Patricia growled.

They got to the door to the room where the Sergeant was held and Patricia smashed open the door. "Alright you little bastard, you got-?" and she stopped short.

For standing in front of the Sergeant was another human; a woman, to be precise. As she breathed a plume of smoke from her cigarette, she chuckled. "...you're later than I expected." she mused.

"...bitch..." Bulk hissed, as he clenched his hands together.

Patricia breathed out smoke herself; black smoke from her nostrils, snorting her anger. "…you…"

"...I take it that you got my present back at the headquarters." the woman chuckled, as she gave Patricia a mocking smirk; all while flipping her middle finger at her. "...good. Because there's more where that came from."

In that instant, an explosion erupted from one of the walls; sending more of those shards flying right at Patricia and Bulk. Bulk took several to his chest; causing him to roar in pain. Patricia got cut across her arms and legs while also being stabbed in the chest and she too, gave a painful cry. She still directed a look of pure fury at the woman.

She just smirked in return. "...seems like fake Chaos Emeralds have their use, after all. Good thing we thought to bring them with us before you took the base." Then, she gave Patricia a nod. "...adieu." With that, she grabbed the Sergeant, and ran for the hole in the wall.

"…COME BACK HERE YOU BITCH!" Patricia screamed, and even though she couldn't move, she shot Corrupted energy at the woman…

However, the woman managed to duck underneath it, before leaping out of the hole. Bulk managed to see that, the moment she had leaped, a helicopter had lowered a rope ladder down for her to grab; leaving her and the Sergeant to be hoisted into it before it flew off.

"...son of a bitch... she screwed us over twice..." Bulk uttered.

Patricia growled…and she got so angry that an ominous aura of Corruption built up around her. "…_**GODDAMNIT!**_" She screamed out, directing all of that energy into one punch against the wall that completely shattered it. Bulk simply remained silent, as his eyes narrowed.

* * *

><p>Outside in the helicopter, the Sergeant was put on a stretcher for paramedics to tend to him quickly.<p>

The woman simply sat down by his side; tossing her cigarette out the open door before the soldiers closed it. "...Sergeant... sorry for not getting to you sooner." she hummed.

Though the Sergeant was awake, he didn't respond right away. Respecting that, the woman simply glanced to the side.

Then…

"…Commander…" croaked a weak voice. "…I'm…sorry…"

Hearing that, the Commander turned back towards the Sergeant. "…I…tried to…keep quiet…" the Sergeant uttered. "…but…they broke me…"

The Commander hummed.

"...Sergeant... you have no need to apologize." she said, as she set her hand gently on his. "You survived more than a month through hell itself... I'm only grateful that you're still with us."

"…but…I gave them…the information they wanted…" he uttered, quivering. "…including…that classified information…which you request not to be shared with anyone at all…"

The Commander sighed. "...you were up against one of the most dangerous forces in our known history... honestly, you giving up that information is inconsequential, considering what you dealt with..."

A few tears actually came out of the Sergeants eyes. "…but…I…failed my men…my superiors…"

"...you failed no one." the Commander hummed, as she reached for the Sergeant's chest. "...in fact... more than anything... you succeeded."

With a sigh, she picked out something from within the Sergeant's collar; a small, speaker-like device. The Sergeant looked at it in weak surprise.

"...I planted this on you, just so I could know the status of Natal while she was infected with Corruption..." the Commander murmured. "...but I had no idea that those two would attack the headquarters... but I remain thankful that they didn't discover this; otherwise, I would never have been able to think of a way to at least repel those demons..."

The Sergeant was silent. "...if anything... I should apologize, for using you like this..." the Commander murmured, as she looked away from him. "...and for not rescuing you from that torturous hell sooner..."

"…Commander…" The Sergeant fell limp, with more tears falling from the sides of his eyes.

The machine that was monitoring his heart rate starting going haywire…and then it went dead.

Hearing that, the Commander shot a look of pure horror at him. "...Sergeant...?" she uttered. The paramedics shot to him and started hurriedly on CPR. The Commander's eyes widened considerably. She was frozen to the spot; merely looking down at the Sergeant's body in disbelief.

CPR proceeded for a long time, and just when the paramedics were about to give up on hope, the heart monitor suddenly picked up again, and the Sergeant twitched. He was alive again… With a gasp of both relief and shock, the Commander fell back on her rear; clutching to her chest as she fought the urge to start crying.

"…C…Commander…I'm sorry…" he mumbled, before he passed out. This time, though, he stayed alive, and simply rested.

"…his condition is very critical…" one of the paramedic's murmured.

"...tend to him." the Commander uttered shakily. "Do not leave his side, no matter what." Then, she looked away; closing her eyes as a few tears squeezed their way down her cheeks. "...do not let him die..."

"Yes sir," The paramedics replied.

With that, the Commander rose, as she climbed up to the passenger seat; gritting her teeth.

* * *

><p>"...fuck me, those hurt..." Sitting in what had once been the Commander's office, Bulk pulled out the last of the shards that had embedded themselves into his body; wincing at the sharp pain he felt. The only reason it felt like it did was because of the Chaos Energy that held them together... and he wasn't too pleased with it. And Patricia?<p>

Well, one could hear her angry screams in the base, since she had proceeded to go on a rampage in her anger.

"...geez..." With a huff, Bulk rose from where he sat, before he walked to the door; opening it to see if she was any closer to him at the moment.

She was down the hall, punching another wall with another roar, and stomping on the ground. "_**DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT!**_"

"...you know, we get it at this point." Bulk noted dryly. "You can chill the fuck out now, Patricia."

"Just shut your pie hole Bulk!" Patricia snapped, glaring back at him.

Bulk huffed. "Geez, with that attitude, you make it seem like it's my fault that we ended up in this kinda situation."

"It's not…but that bitch makes me so _**fucking**_ angry!" Patricia snarled, looking like she could tear her hair out.

Bulk scoffed, as he approached Patricia. "Just because you actually were defeated... in one sense of the word." he mused.

"Hey! I wasn't beaten! She cheated!" Patricia growled.

"Technically, we cheat by using Corruption." Bulk hummed dryly. "But enough of that; I think it's time we started to get over it..."

Patricia let out a long huff. "…yeah…I guess so…"

At that point, he stopped in front Patricia. "...and I think I know how we can do that." Patricia looked at him blankly. "...oh, come on, you know what I mean." Bulk huffed. "Isn't it obvious?"

Then Patricia glared at him. "I'm not in the mood for that Bulk," she grumbled and she turned to walk away.

At that point, though, she was grabbed by the throat, and slammed against the wall. "...well... _I'm_ in the mood, bitch." Bulk sneered.

Patricia growled at him, still glaring at him. "…the fuck do you think you're doing?" she snapped.

"You shut the fuck up!" Bulk snarled, as he gripped down on Patricia. "Don't tell me that you forgot... I _always_ get what I want... and what I want right now is _you._"

With that, he grabbed hold of Patricia's top, and effortlessly tore it asunder. Patricia hissed at that, trying to kick him off. However, her kick only served to make him grab one of her breasts; fondling it roughly. "...I don't care if it takes a day... or a week..." he snarled. "...but before we even think about moving to Safe Haven... I am personally going to make you my _bitch._" he added with a hiss. "You're going to obey my every goddamn command... and absolutely nothing, not even that Novagod bloodline bullshit, is going to save you from that fate, Patricia."

Patricia moaned out at her breast being grabbed like that, but she growled and continued to try and struggle against him. However, Bulk was relentless, as he kept roughly groping her like this. "...what's the matter? If you want to stop me, you'll have to try and kill me... make me _bleed._"

All the while, the two of them were being swallowed up in a dark void.

* * *

><p>Tasha was swinging through the treetops as usual, on her route to Safe Haven to check on what's going on. As she was swinging her way through the woods, she suddenly spotted someone headed her way.<p>

Brawn.

Noticing him, Tasha decided to carefully descend from the treetops to the ground.

Brawn came to a stop when he saw Tasha. "**...Chieftain.**" he hummed.

Tasha nodded. "…Lieutenant Brawn."

"**...where you going?**" Brawn hummed.

"To Safe Haven," Tasha said with a nod.

"**...visiting?**" Bulk assumed. Tasha nodded again. "**...you need escort?**" Brawn hummed.

"…sure," Tasha said.

Then all of a sudden, she let out a startled gasp with a jump. Brawn blinked at that. "**...what wrong?**"

Tasha didn't respond. Instead, she looked down at her stomach. Over time, it had extended a bit more, so it was more noticeable the fact that she was pregnant. It wasn't very large though, so it didn't keep her from her activities…

…but she swore that she felt movement inside of there …and it was so sudden that it really startled her.

"**...you need help?**" Brawn uttered.

"…no, it's not that," Tasha said. "It's just that-!" And she let out another sudden gasp, because she felt more movement. She touched her stomach.

"**...you in pain?**" Now Brawn seemed concerned, as he approached Tasha.

"…no, I'm not hurt," Tasha said. "…the baby's…moving around."

"**...baby moving...?**" Brawn uttered.

"…here…" Tasha gently took Brawn's hand and placed it on her stomach. Brawn blinked at that; simply looking at her stomach.

…then suddenly, Brawn could feel something moving in there, and Tasha jumped again. Brawn blinked at that. "**...it... moved...**"

"...so just what're you two up to?"

Hearing that, Brawn quickly pulled away from Tasha to look towards a tree, where he saw Caitlin standing with her back leaned against said tree.

"Oh, Caitlin!" Tasha was surprised to see her there.

"**...what you doing here?**" Brawn hummed. "**Civilians not allowed outside of town.**"

"Relax; I was just heading to meet up with a few friends." Caitlin said with a wave of her hand, before she glanced at Tasha. "The baby's coming along just fine, right?"

"Yeah," Tasha nodded with a smile. "…it started moving around…"

Caitlin smiled at that. "That's great news." Then, she hummed. "...maybe you should go pay Jill a visit? I'm sure that she'd enjoy the company."

"Yeah, that's where I was headed," Tasha replied.

"Alright." With a chuckle, Caitlin glanced at Brawn. "No funny tricks, now."

"**No tricks.**" Brawn hummed. "**Just escort.**"

Tasha nodded. "…let's go then," and she started walking. Brawn walked alongside her; not noticing that Caitlin took this moment to sneak off.

It took a while, but Tasha and Brawn arrived at Jill's house, and thanks to Brawn being her escort, the soldiers let them in without question to climb the stairs to her apartment.

Jill heard the knock when they got up. "Come in!" she called from the couch, where she had been reading a book. The door opened, and Tasha and Brawn walked in. Jill smiled. "Hi."

Tasha smiled back. "Hello Jill…how are you feeling?"

"…better," Jill admitted.

"**...things better thanks to Admiral?**" Brawn hummed.

Jill nodded. "Yes, much better." She looked at Tasha. "How about you Tasha? How are you and the baby doing?"

"We are well," Tasha replied. She touched her tummy and smiled. "…the baby moved earlier today, for the first time."

Jill smiled, standing up and setting the book down. "That's great Tasha."

"**...this... great?**" Brawn hummed; nodding slightly.

"Yeah," Jill said. "…the baby moving is just another part of the development in the pregnancy. It basically means that the baby is healthy if it's active." She looked at both of them. "How about something to eat?"

"**...eat...**" Brawn hummed at that, before nodding. "**...I hungry.**"

"...you don't have to," Tasha said.

"But I'd like to," Jill said. "Besides, Tasha, you have to eat for two," and with a few chuckles, she headed into the kitchen.

Brawn blinked. "**...what she mean? Baby eat too?**"

"…in a way, Brawn, I have to eat a lot more, so that some of the food I eat goes to the baby to help it grow," Tasha said. Brawn hummed, and nodded slowly.

So Jill got food made for them, and they ate.

"…So, you've been better now?" Tasha asked Jill.

Jill nodded. "…they…don't let Trash come in by himself, so that eases some things."

"**Admiral have Trash focus on rebellion at moment.**" Brawn noted. "**Try to make house arrest better for Condit.**"

"Right," Jill nodded. "…so…for the most part, I've been keeping myself busy, and every now and then, Sonia will come to visit…" She looked at Tasha. "What about you?"

"…my people are growing restless…" Tasha said. "…I asked the soldiers if they would allow my people to at least explore around so they aren't confined within the village, and as long as there are these, em, "units" that escort my people, they have managed to keep themselves busy…" Brawn simply looked back at Tasha.

Tasha looked up at them. "Actually, they've been suddenly very interested in some of the old ruins from the GUN base that was here many, many years ago…"

"**...ruins?**" Brawn hummed.

"Yes," Tasha answered. "…I'm not quite sure why…"

"…well, maybe you'll find out eventually," Jill said. Brawn nodded at that.

"…I suppose I should be going then," Tasha said. "That is, I would go visit the others and then return home…"

"**...you need escort?**" Brawn hummed.

Tasha nodded. "…sure."

Nodding, Brawn looked back at Jill. "**You alright on your own?**"

Jill nodded. "I should be."

"**...okay. Then we leave.**" With that, Brawn began heading for the door.

Just then, though, the door burst open, and soldiers rushed into Jill's home.

Naturally, both Jill and Tasha jumped at this. "What's the meaning of this?" Jill uttered out.

Brawn seemed surprised by this as well. "**...why you here?**"

"Lieutenant Brawn," All the solders saluted in respect. "Lieutenant Trash has reason to believe that Miss Condit took part in the rebellion's acts today."

"What?" Jill blurted.

* * *

><p>Currently, over at Fort Gierig, the rebels were celebrating once again for another prank they pulled on the military. This time, Jam had been outfitted with one of the scariest costumes they were able to put together, and with his ability to change his voice, he made scary noises which scared the living day lights out of the soldiers. It was a total riot to them…<p>

"Oh, man, you guys, that was way too friggin' easy!" Will cackled, as he wiped his eyes a bit.

"I have to agree; they never saw us coming this time." Phyrra chuckled with a smile.

"I gotta thank you all for agreeing with my idea on this one!" Caitlin laughed as well. "Man oh man, did the looks on their faces make it all worth it!"

"Yeah, that was really great!" Bruno laughed with Caitlin.

"Especially putting Jam in the costume; he really hammed it up with the performance," Francis admitted with a chuckle.

"…aw man, guys, like, it was nothing," Jam replied with a bashful grin.

"Nothing? Dude, you singlehandedly scared the crap out of the entire patrol group!" Marco laughed. "You're an inspiration!"

"Pat yourself on the back; you certainly deserve it." Marlo hummed with a laugh.

Maya simply snickered; really enjoying the moment with everyone.

"You know…I just wanna see him wear the costume again!" Ed laughed.

"Alright! I'll go get it!" Lin quickly called, as she headed outside with a wide grin.

"...guess you're wearing it again, Jam." Will chuckled.

"…it was fun though, man," Jam chuckled.

"Fun is definitely the word I'd describe this as, yeah." Caitlin laughed.

At that point, Lin poked her head back into the tent, looking somewhat troubled. "...uh... guys..."

"…what's up, Lin?" Bruno said.

"...we have a problem." she uttered bluntly.

"...problem?" Maya blinked at that.

"...the costume..." Lin continued. "...it... it's... g-gone."

Many smiles fell from their faces.

"What do you mean gone?" uttered Seymour.

"...it's... not where we put it." Lin replied.

"...you're kidding, right?" Will uttered. However, Lin shook her head in response.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back at Jill's…<p>

"…how in the world could you accuse me of being part of the rebellion?" Jill questioned. "I've been in this house for weeks!"

Brawn looked back at one of the soldiers. "**Explain.**"

One of the soldiers, who Jill recognized as Mike, looked aside with a disheartened look. "...we... searched through the malt shop, ma'am... and..."

"…and what?" Tasha asked. "Did you find something bad?"

Mike closed his eyes, as if he didn't want to answer.

Noticing that, Brawn turned back to the soldier that had addressed him. "**...what you find?**"

"We found the evidence, which was a costume that one of the rebels outfitted to scare all of the soldiers on patrol at the docks," the soldier replied.

Brawn blinked at that. "**...scare patrol?**"

"Yes Sir," the soldier said. "And Lieutenant Trash accuses Miss Condit of being the one who dressed up in the costume to—!

"—But I haven't left this house AT ALL!" Jill insisted angrily. "I even have Tasha and Brawn here as witnesses to confirm my alibi!"

"...m-ma'am..." Mike uttered. "...Lieutenant Trash has already gone to report this to the Captain... I don't think he'll accept any defense you come up with..."

Brawn simply looked at the soldiers with a blank look.

"But it's not fair!" Jill yelled. "I cooperated with the military! I stayed put! I even controlled Callous! Is THIS the thanks I get for that?"

Mike closed his eyes in guilt.

"**...Trash at HQ?**" Brawn grunted.

"Yes," the other soldier answered.

"**...you all go out. Now.**" Brawn murmured.

"…ex-excuse me, sir?" The soldier uttered.

"**You all go out.**" Brawn grunted, as he began moving towards the door. "**And no go back in.**"

"…Y-Yes sir?" The soldier responded.

With that, Brawn had left the apartment. The soldiers looked at each other, and one by one, they left the apartment as well.

Jill slumped down in the chair with a frustrated sigh.

* * *

><p>Over at the HQ, Trash just finished up his report to the Captain; his arms folded behind his back. "After that, I sent some troops to keep Condit at bay, before returning to give my report, Captain." he hummed.<p>

The Captain growled. "…I figured at some point she would try something behind our backs like that…"

"...guess the Admiral's sense of judgment was off." Trash scoffed.

"…I suppose the most we can do is extend her sentence…" Captain spoke. "…then again…maybe we could keep her contained elsewhere other than her house…"

Trash hummed at that. "Like where, Captain? An isolated cell?"

"Yeah…there are a few cells here in this HQ," The Captain said. "Quite reinforced, I must say…though I'm sure it was because of the soldiers at Safe Haven."

"Probably." Trash hummed. "Would you like me to go and bring her here, then?"

"Yes, could you?" the Captain asked.

Nodding, Trash turned towards the door, but the moment he did, it opened, as Brawn was standing in the doorway. "**...Trash.**" he snarled.

"…Lieutenant Brawn, I sense hostility in your voice," the Captain said, narrowing his eyes.

Trash looked up at Brawn with a narrowed look.

"**...Condit not guilty.**" Brawn growled.

"…explain why this is so, Lieutenant," the Captain said.

"**...I escort Chieftain to Condit. We stay there for long while. Condit never leave.**" Brawn explained.

"...so she had visitors, eh?" Trash hummed.

The Captain hummed at that. "…Lieutenant Trash, when did you say the soldiers were terrorized, again?"

"...some hours ago, sir." Trash replied.

"**...Condit never leave her home.**" Brawn growled. "**She not guilty.**"

"…Lieutenant Brawn, when were you over at Condits?" the Captain inquired.

"**...we... arrive there few hours ago.**" Brawn uttered. "**But she never leave home, sir!**"

"…hm…" the Captain hummed again thoughtfully, resting his chin on folded fingers.

Both Trash and Brawn looked at the Captain.

"…now, Trash had brought me the evidence that he found in Condit's home, so he had me believe that Condit was responsible, but with you being there, Brawn…that complicates things a tad," The Captain said. "…I only see one solution…"

Both of them remained silent.

"…we'll have to arrest Condit and put her in solitary confinement…unless someone were to step up and admit to the crime," the Captain said. "And they would have to prove they were the one as well…I can't have just anyone coming up to take the fall for Condit."

Brawn's eyes widened. "**But Captain!**"

"No buts, Lieutenant," the Captain ordered sternly. "I'm playing as fair as possible; otherwise, I would simply arrest Condit with no bail whatsoever!"

"**...but... it no fair!**" Brawn protested still. "**Admiral no approve of this!**"

"Oh, please. The Admiral's too busy to deal with something like this." Trash scoffed.

"I need to deal with this situation in any way I can, and if Condit is responsible, punishment has to be administered. If not, and the one responsible steps up to take responsibility for their actions, great. That means Condit will be free to go," the Captain said. "Lieutenant Trash, have the soldiers seize Condit and bring her to one of the cells here in HQ."

"At once, sir." Trash nodded, and brushed past Brawn to head off.

Brawn just remained there; looking down at the floor. "**...not... fair...**"

"Life isn't supposed to be fair, Lieutenant," the Captain grumbled.

"**...life nothing to do with this, sir.**" Brawn grumbled, as he turned around. "**...only unfair play...**" With that, he walked off.

* * *

><p>Many hours later…<p>

"_Guys! GUYS!"_ At Fort Gierig, certain AI units rushed into the tent where the rebels were; RACHET was in a panic.

As they entered the tent, several eyes fell on them. "...what's wrong?" Will uttered.

"_Guys! Condit got arrested for the big scare you guys did, because the military thought it was her that did it!" _RUCKUS yelled in panic.

"..._**WHAT?**_" was pretty much the response the robots got from everyone in the tent.

_"...take a look for yourselves." _RECEIPT hummed, as he gave the two other drones a nod.

"_RUCKUS and I were passing by and he recorded the whole thing!"_ RACHET said, just as a holographic light shot from RUCKUS's eye.

The following scene that played was at Jill's malt shop; the soldiers where yanking away a furiously struggling Jill out of her shop, and Jill was screaming and yelling in desperate protest. Tasha tried to reach her, but the other soldiers held her back away from her.

"...you've... gotta be shitting me..." Will uttered with widened eyes.

"_The soldiers claimed that they found the costume in her house!" _RACHET said. _"That's why they're arresting her!"_

"But-But that's not right at all!" Blitz uttered.

"You can't be serious..." Marlo uttered.

"...what do we do?" Phyrra hummed, as he folded his arms with a hum.

Caitlin hummed. "...they probably want the ones responsible... either they're really suspecting Jill, or... it's a ploy to shut us down."

"…either way, this isn't good…" Francis mumbled.

Jam just watched the scene in absolute guilt. What started out as a hilarious joke suddenly backfired on him…and got someone innocent involved.

"...so... what do we do about this?" Maya uttered.

"…the costume was missing earlier…which means that someone took it and planted it at her house," Belinda said. "…someone wanted to frame her…"

"...three guesses who." With a snarl, Will began heading out of the tent. "I'm gonna get her out of there."

"Will, wait!" Bruno uttered out.

Will quickly turned to look back at Bruno. "What? Are we just gonna sit around and let her rot in solitary confinement?" he snarled.

"No, but we need to plan this out more properly instead of just rushing in like that!" Bruno said. "Take my advice from experience; the minute you waltz in there, they'll throw you in a cell too, and if they find out you're part of the rebellion, they'll interrogate you for any information about us!"

"But how the hell do you expect us to break her out of there, then?" Will growled.

"Look, we'll figure out a way, but we just need some time to think!" Belinda snapped at him.

"Time, time, time... you think that's what Jill needs?" Will snapped back. "The poor girl's been through hell ever since those GUN bastards set up shop here, and now you expect us to just let her stay in solitary confinement until we figure out a way to get her out? The hell with that!"

"Will! You gotta calm down!" Ed pleaded. "You go in there alone and they'll tear you apart!"

"Please, Will, don't do anything stupid!" Marco shot in as well.

"What's stupid is not doing anything to help her out!" Will growled, before he turned to start walking off. "I couldn't care less if they tear me to shreds; I'm not letting her stay locked up in there!"

Ed shuddered. "…wait up!" and he ran after Will.

Seymour gave an irritated sigh. "…if anything…we can't let him go alone…" and he ran out as well.

"...damn it..." With a sigh, Marco ran after them as well.

Seeing the four of them run off, Lin let out a sigh, as she looked at Jam. Jam stood there, feeling really guilty, and he sat down in a nearby chair, hunched over. Lin set a hand on his shoulder supportively.

"…it's my fault…" he muttered.

"...oh, don't blame yourself..." Lin uttered.

"…but I…" Jam just couldn't stop blaming himself, however. Feeling sad for him, Lin hugged him out of sympathy. Jam let her hug him, sighing in depression.

"…we need to find a way to free her, quick," Belinda said. "…whoever framed her either did this to lure us out, or to torture Jill even more…"

Jam looked up suddenly. "…wait…" and he suddenly didn't seem so depressed anymore. "…I…like, have an idea."

* * *

><p>Over at the HQ, a quartet was quickly making their way through the halls; quickly brushing past any soldiers that came in their way.<p>

"Halt!" The soldiers kept screaming out at them, trying to shoot at them.

However, the four of them were virtually unstoppable; clobbering the soldiers they came across, and ducking away from fire while they kept storming through.

"Where do you think they took her?" Seymour asked in all this commotion.

"The private cells, without a doubt." Will grunted. "If she's in solitary confinement, she's bound to be locked in deep..."

"I hope that none of the soldiers are trying to interrogate her about the rebellion!" Ed uttered.

"Ed, shut it!" Seymour growled.

"Yeah; just keep running!" Marco called.

Will narrowed his eyes as the four kept running through the base.

Further down the hall, they heard a loud, pained yelp. Hearing that, Will snarled. "Son of a...!" And he broke into a sprint; leaving the other three in the dust behind him.

"Had enough?" he heard someone sneer, before a loud slap rang through the air. Another pained yelp followed afterward.

"Feel like saying anything yet?" And another slap rang through the air.

Eventually, Will stopped by a door, which was slightly ajar. The moment he peeked through it, he saw someone violently slapping someone else that was bound to a chair. The one bound to the chair breathed heavily, hunched over with a bruised face after all the slapping was done. It was Jill.

Will's eyes widened.

"...what's the matter?" The one smacking her around was Trash, who circled her with a wicked sneer. "Go on, then; have Callous save your ass and brutalize me... you're just gonna end up in even deeper shit than before, Condit." he chuckled, before smacking her across the face again.

Jill let out a yelp, and after the smack, she sat aside blood from her lips. "…I'm not…gonna play your game…Trash…" she muttered.

"...who's playing?" With a scoff, Trash smacked Jill again.

With a silent hiss, Will slowly opened the door, thankfully, Trash's back was turned to him, so the toad couldn't see him enter the cell.

Jill winced from that hit with another yelp, breathing hard. Then she noticed Will, but she didn't say anything about that.

So she glared at Trash. "…look…what do you want from me…?"

"...I want you to know your place." Trash huffed. "And this was the best way I could get that to happen... now, shut your mouth, and let me keep on..." At that point, Trash stopped...

...but the moment he turned around, he was struck over the head with a different chair; sending him reeling onto the ground in a daze. "...alright; enough of that; I'm getting you out of here." With that, Will tossed the chair aside, and began untying Jill as quickly as he could.

"…thanks…" Jill moaned a little in the pain she felt from all that smacking.

"...now come on; we're in deep enough shit as is." Once he finished untying her, he grabbed Jill by her wrist, and ran out of the cell.

They ran down the hall, and the rest of Will's group caught up with him. "Good, you found her," Seymour said. "Let's get out of here!"

"Right!" Marco nodded, as all of them hurriedly ran towards the exit.

But when they burst out the exit, all of them stopped.

Many soldiers were standing outside, serving as a surrounding blockade around the exit they just came out of, all of them pointing their guns at them.

Will's eyes widened. "...well, fuck..."

From behind some of the blockade, the Captain walked up. "…now then…let's get something straight here," he said. "The military came here to make sure things remained in order."

"What you're doing isn't orderly!" Ed screamed. "It's more like a dictatorship!"

"No, believe me, the things I do are for the best interest of the island," the Captain said sternly. "But you don't seem to agree…given the actions made against the military for the past month."

"Well, of course! Things were fine the way they were while King was in charge!" Will spat. "This is exactly the thing he didn't want Safe Haven turned into; some government boot camp!"

"But King raised and trained you all as troublemaking delinquents," the Captain growled. "And if your kind was released out into the world, chaos would reign supreme everywhere…"

"…no…it wouldn't…"

The Captain looked at Jill then.

"…you…want to know what real chaos is…Captain…?" Jill spoke.

Will and his group also looked at Jill, then.

"…real chaos…that's when you spend lonely night after lonely night in the middle of nowhere, with no way to defend yourself…and everything around you is after you…" Jill spoke. "…real chaos…is when every waking moment, those things chasing you will never cease their pursuit…you can't sleep, or ask for any help from anyone, for fear that the things chasing you will take them too…their innocent lives would be stained on your conscience, like their bloodshed…"

"…and real chaos…is thinking about the unimaginable torture you try to escape from, but no matter how fast you run, or how far you get away from them…they'll be there, they'll catch up…and you'll only realize that you can never get away…and that you were only prolonging the chase before you'd meet with a cruel, tormenting demise sought out by wicked, evil abominations that would want nothing more than to hear your cries of excruciating agony and desperate pleas for mercy…only to go unanswered in the darkness of the night…"

The words Jill said sent chills down the soldiers' spines.

"…that's what real chaos is…Captain…" Jill spoke.

Will and his gang could only gawk at what Jill said. The Captain simply looked back at Jill, though blankly, which was quite a change from his stern look earlier.

"…and believe me…I would know, Captain…" Jill said. "…I endured a chaos that no one should ever have to…"

"…if you're trying to scare me Condit, it's not going to work," the Captain said. "It only proves that you need more psychological therapy for saying such things."

Will shot a glare back at the Captain. "Hey, you shut your mouth, you bastard!" he snapped.

"_Yesssssssss Captaaaaaain….you should listen to him for oncccccccccccce…._"

The Soldiers grew frightened when they heard that hissing voice in the air, looking around worriedly.

Will stopped when he heard that.

"Th-that voice!" one of the soldiers sputtered. "I-it's... it's the one from earlier!"

There was a high-pitched shrill that startled all of the soldiers.

"…wait…you mean to say this one was the…" And the Captain looked at Jill, who simply looked around in astonishment at that noise. She has seen and heard scarier noises, so she wasn't frightened. Just simply amazed.

Then a soldier screamed with a point. "OVER THERE!"

On the roof of the HQ there was a cloaked figure with a creepy looking mask that had a sadistic grin on it with glowing eyes, and it carried a lantern that was surrounded by mist.

And seeing that…the Captain gawked between that and Jill; _…if it's not Condit…then who could it be…?_

Looking up at the figure, Will had to refrain from breaking out into a grin. _...Jam..._

The figure gave out another deafening shrill and it flew down toward the soldiers, which made them scamper away in fear, totally driving away the blockade they had set up.

"...y-yeah! Take that, soldiers!" Marco cheered.

Seymour knocked him upside the head. "You idiot…" and then he turned to Will. "Now's our chance. Let's take it." Nodding, Will grabbed Jill by her wrist, and hurriedly ran away from the soldiers; his group following him closely.

The cloaked, shrieking figure noticed them get away, and made its last scare with the soldiers before it vanished entirely as well.

That relieved the soldiers a bit, reorganizing themselves; the Captain included.

At that point, Trash stepped out of the building; rubbing his head in annoyance. "...ngh..."

The Captain noticed him and glared at him. "Lieutenant…"

Trash looked back at that Captain for that. "...sir?"

"…you have some answering to do for this, Lieutenant," the Captain growled.

"...answering?" Trash uttered.

"For instance…just how did you find that costume in Condit's home in the first place?" the Captain growled. "I saw Condit standing right there…and I saw someone wearing that exact same costume, which the soldier's claimed was the exact same figure they've reported earlier…"

"...I..." Trash uttered.

* * *

><p>"…you guys should…take me…home…"<p>

"Nonsense," Belinda said, pressing a warm, damp rag on Jill's bruised, bloodied face. Will and his group had taken Jill to the rebellion tents in Fort Gierig. "You need better care than that…" Belinda added.

"…but…if they don't find me there…they might…" Jill uttered. "…they might…" and she winced.

"Look, you're not going home until you get cleaned up," Bruno told her.

"Right; you look like a mess." Caitlin murmured.

"…is…Tasha okay…?" Jill asked.

"Yeah, the soldiers just sent her home is all," Belinda told her.

"...at the very least, you're alright..." Will murmured.

"…yeah…thanks guys, for that," Jill said, looking at Will and his group.

"…just…don't make that kind of creepy speech again…" Ed uttered.

"…what creepy speech?" Bruno asked curiously.

"...never mind." Will hummed, before yawning. "Damn... rough day. Took a lot out of me."

"Yeah…" Jill agreed.

Just then, Jam entered into the tent with the costume hung over on his arm, walking over to Jill. "…like, you okay?" he asked.

"…yeah, I'm alright Jam," Jill said, looking at him with a smile. "That was a great distraction…"

Jam smiled back at that.

"...seriously; you saved our hides!" Marco shot in, as he gave Jam a nod. "Thanks, man!"

Jam scratched the back of his head at that sheepishly. Then… "…I'm, like…sorry for getting you in trouble like that…" he said to Jill.

"…don't apologize, Jam," Jill said. "It wasn't your fault."

"...she's right." Caitlin hummed, as she folded her arms. "Remember, I'm the one who came up with this idea."

"…and even then…you weren't the one that tried to frame me," Jill said, turning into a scowl.

"...hey, let's try and forget about that." Will hummed. "I'm pretty sure that we won't be seeing that toad around for a while after this..."

"Yeah, hopefully that Captain is giving him what he deserves," Bruno chuckled.

Jam smiled at that, and with that, he walked out of the tent. After he had walked out of the tent, though, someone suddenly grabbed him by the arm, and yanked him away from the fort. "C'mere, you!"

"WHAO!" Jam let out a surprised yelp.

With a few giggles here and there, the figure kept dragging Jam through the woods, until eventually reaching a familiar cabin. The moment the two got into it, the figure looked at Jam with a wide grin. "...Jam, you were amazing!" Lin said cheerfully.

"…I…was?" Jam asked.

"You were!" Quickly, Lin grabbed Jam in a close hug. "The plan and just scaring those soldiers senseless twice... you're simply amazing, Jam!"

Jam smiled. "…thanks…"

"Oh, don't mention it." Lin laughed.

"I just, like, hope Jill'll be okay, y'know?" Jam muttered. "She was banged up really bad…"

"...well, the others are gonna keep an eye on her, so there's that." Lin said with a smile, as she looked at Jam. "She'll be fine, don't worry."

Jam nodded, "…mkay."

"...now..." With a smile, Lin leaned closer to Jam. "...I think you deserve a prize for being so smart and brave today..."

"…o-oh?" Jam started to blush. He started getting used to this, so he knew what was probably coming…

Locking the door behind them, Lin smiled wider the closer she leaned to him. "...well? Do you want a prize, Jam?"

Jam smiled sheepishly. "…yeah…"

Smiling with him, Lin planted her lips right on his. Jam kissed back, dropping the costume to the ground to hold Lin.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Been awhile since I submitted these, huh? Whole lot more comin your way!<strong>_


	27. Chapter 26

Charon's group was taking a break where they landed, which was in the middle of a mountainous region up really high; high enough for it to be snowing. Since the day was getting dark, they decided to make camp. The boys gathered up the wood, and the girls all pitched in to make the dinner. Everyone ate happily and cheerfully. Then they all sat around the warm campfire, making sure they all had plenty of blankets.

Afterward, though it was getting late, all of them were still wide awake.

"Boy, I can't believe it was snowing up here already, and it's just toward the end of summer…" Diablo murmured.

"...hard to believe, yeah..." Kiri hummed.

"…Hey! Maybe we can explore for a little bit," suggested Ani.

"I like that idea!" Striker said with a grin.

"…I don't know guys…" Milo mumbled. "…we really should try and get as much rest as we can…we're always travelling a lot, so we need as much energy as we can for that…"

"Oh Milo, don't be such a wet blanket," Vanessa chuckled. "Besides, some exploring can do some good. It can be a good way to tire yourself out, which means getting to sleep sooner than just tossing and turning all night."

"…if you say so," Milo said.

"...alright; let's go explore, then!" Jack called with a laugh, as he quickly stood up. "Man, this is gonna be awesome!"

"…maybe I'll come with you guys," Vanessa chuckled, standing up.

"...some of us can stay and wait here." Demi shot in. "It wouldn't be good if everyone wandered off."

"Right. You all be careful, now." Charon hummed.

"Right, thanks!" Striker said.

So Ani, Striker, Jack, and Vanessa started walking off…Milo heaved a sigh. "I'll go too," and he got up and ran after them.

"...don't get hurt." Kiri called to him.

"We'll be careful!" Ani called back, and just like that, the group was gone.

"…at least with Vanessa with them, they should be fine," Oblivion said.

"True enough..." Charon mused.

Back with the group, they were wandering around, looking around. The moon at night made all of the little flakes on the snow sparkle, and Ani looked up. She managed to avoid the full moon back one month ago by all of them sleeping in a cave, but the full moon was nearly upon them again. She would have to make sure that the next time they stop, it was somewhere hidden away…and they would have to stop when it was still daylight out.

She wasn't sure if her father was so lucky though…she only hoped that he did have the same luck of keeping the beast inside of himself contained.

"You okay Ani?" Striker asked.

"Y-Yeah!" Ani jumped when Striker asked that, and she looked at him. "Yeah, I'm okay…it's just…the moons gonna be full soon…"

"...well, we'll find somewhere safe before it gets to you." Jack mused with a light smile.

Ani smiled at that.

"Yeah Ani…we're looking out for you," Striker said, smiling too.

And Ani smiled briefly at Striker, before she turned away from him, trying to hide the fact that she was blushing.

Milo rolled his eyes and would've chuckled if he could. Yeah, the thought was amusing that Ani and Striker would crush on each other like this, but Striker was much more oblivious to it than Ani was…and he could only wonder if it would get anywhere with the two of them.

"...but man, this place looks neat." Jack hummed, as he looked around him with a smile.

Vanessa suddenly stopped, and sniffed in the air.

Milo looked at her. "…what is it Vanessa?"

"…I smell sulfur…" Vanessa spoke. "…children, I'm not sure it we should stray any farther…"

"...sulfur?" Jack blinked at that, whilst rubbing his neck...

...and then he blinked. "...hey... is it just me, or... is the air a bit warmer now?"

"…sulfur…warm air…" Striker's eyes widened and he looked at Vanessa. "…we're on a volcano, aren't we?"

"What?" Milo and Ani were shocked at that; being on a volcano. Striker may have his moments of being oblivious, but when it came to scientific elements, he could figure things out pretty quick. Tails was his teacher, after all…

"…yes, we're on a volcano," Vanessa confirmed. "And judging by the warmer air, it's still an active one…"

"...but... why would there be a volcano around here?" Jack uttered. "When there's a lot of snow and everything?"

"…not sure…" Striker replied.

"…yes, at any rate, we shouldn't get much farther into it," Vanessa said.

"...right... I wouldn't want any of us to fall into it." Jack murmured.

"Awww…" Ani moaned. "But I wanna see how far we can get…I even wanna see some lava!"

"It would get pretty hot at that point," Striker said. "I think Vanessa's right. Maybe we should turn back…"

"Right," Jack nodded "We should tell everyone that there's a volcano nearby, just so they won't be-!"

And in that instant, he just... froze up. Ani and Striker looked at Jack in question. "Jack?" Ani muttered.

Milo gulped.

Jack didn't respond. He simply looked blankly ahead of him...

...and in that instant, he broke into a sprint; leaving the others behind him.

"J-Jack?" Striker yelped out, seeing him run.

Vanessa grit her teeth. "…you're not getting away from me that easily!" she yelled, running after Jack.

"Vanessa!" Ani screamed out.

Milo grew very nervous…and so he ran after Vanessa too, followed by Ani and Striker in utter confusion.

Even with the thick snow underneath him, Jack was running a lot faster than one would usually expect; lengthening the distance between him and the others considerably. Vanessa was probably the only one that could start running even faster to keep up with her son, growing determined that she was not going to lose sight of him.

As the group kept on running, the air around them was gradually growing warmer, until they actually came to an area where the snow around them was starting to diminish, and heat waves were actively visible around them. Replacing the falling snow around them was more or less volcanic ashes, as Jack slowly came to a halt.

Vanessa stopped, and eventually, when the three others caught up, they stopped too.

"...what a sight." Jack hummed, as he folded his arms behind his back; simply looking downwards... towards the edge of the volcano itself.

Milo, Striker and Ani grew nervous about getting any closer…but Vanessa took firm steps forward toward the lion.

"...wouldn't you all agree?" he hummed once more; still not looking back at the four of them.

Vanessa was only getting angry. "…who are you…?" She growled. "…and what do you think you're doing with my son?"

Jack smirked. "...what makes you say that, hm?"

"…because for the past month, I noticed the strangest behavior from him…from whoever you are," Vanessa growled. "…my son…has shown a tremendous ability to fight over that month…all behind my back. I haven't taught Jack to fight at all…"

Milo, Ani and Striker looked away uneasily.

"...figures." he hummed in response. "Though if you want answers... why not ask _them?_" And at that point, he jerked a thumb right past Vanessa; pointed straight at Milo, Striker and Ani. "After all... they know what's up."

Vanessa's eyes widened, and she shot a glare back at the three of them. All three of them were startled by the mere look she gave them. Striker and Ani even cowered behind Milo.

"…is this true…?" she growled.

Milo felt tremendous guilt, as well as fear of Vanessa's anger.

"...oh, so very true," Jack chuckled. "In fact... they've known all this time, with no plans of telling you the truth."

Vanessa grinded her teeth in anger, still glaring at them.

Milo shuddered. "…Vanessa…if we tried…to tell you…we wouldn't have any idea how you would've reacted…"

"WHO IS HE?" Vanessa screamed at them with a roar, making the three of them yelp and cower.

Jack simply chuckled. The three didn't answer Vanessa right away, so she looked over at Jack when he chuckled. "…look, whoever you are, I demand that you let my son go right now!" she yelled.

"And why should I?" Jack chuckled.

"Because I did everything I could to protect him, and I'm not letting some demon or spirit posess—!" and then it finally occurred to Vanessa.

She gawked at her son, or the body of her son…but she started putting the pieces together quickly…

"…Johnny…?"

Upon hearing that name, the lion slowly turned to give Vanessa a mortifying sneer.

"...it's been a long time... big sister."

Vanessa's eyes widened in horror, "…why…why are you taking over my son?"

"...because I can." Johnny chuckled, as he glanced to the side. "Beats just floating about in limbo, if you ask me."

Then something else occurred to Vanessa…and she folded her arms. "Or having fun with Callous, for that matter?"

Smirking, he glanced back at Vanessa with a shrug. "Guilty as charged. What are you gonna do about it, huh?"

"Get out of Jack, right now!" Vanessa threatened, cracking her knuckles.

"...how about no?" Johnny sneered.

Vanessa stomped right up to him, grabbing him by his chest hair and glaring face to face with him. "I swear Johnny…you may be possessing my son, but I still wouldn't be afraid to force you out of him if I have to!"

Johnny simply grinned. "...do you honestly think you could keep me out of him? I can come and go as much as I please, so you can't do a thing to stop it."

Vanessa tried to hold back tears. She really didn't want to have to resort to attacking her son, but the last thing she wanted was her dead brother to have possession over him…

…but she could be confident that her brother still knew how to fight and defend himself.

So she pushed him over the edge of the volcano.

"VANESSA!" the other three yelped out.

Even as he fell, Johnny didn't lose his smirk. Vanessa glared at him, but she jumped down after him.

Striker, Milo and Ani rushed to the edge, watching them fall.

Johnny merely folded his arms as they fell. "So what now, sis? You gonna toss me into the lava?"

"You think I'm that stupid?" Vanessa scoffed. "I don't want to kill my son, Johnny…but I'm force you out of him if I have to!" Vanessa bounced off the wall and shot toward Johnny to kick him.

However, Johnny grabbed Vanessa's leg, and quickly aimed a punch at her face. Vanessa took the hit, but it hardly did anything to her, aiming a punch toward his gut. Johnny took the punch, but he was quick to grab Vanessa by the head, and slam his head against hers. Vanessa grunted in pain, and yanked herself away from Johnny, discovering some floating rocks on the lava, so she landed a few rocks away from him.

Landing on a separate rock, Johnny merely folded his arms. "Bring it on, then." he taunted.

Vanessa hopped across the rocks to him and started up a barrage of punches.

Milo grit his teeth…but thankfully, an idea came to his head. "Striker, Ani, stay here and watch them! I'm gonna go get Demi!" and he ran off.

In the meantime, Johnny was easily blocking the punches coming from Vanessa; smirking arrogantly still. Vanessa only got angrier and angrier, throwing harder and faster punches.

Johnny's smirk grew wider and wider for every punch, until finally... he stopped blocking, and one punch sent him staggering back a bit. Vanessa stopped punching, stepping back a bit.

"...you... you _hit_ me!" At that point, he looked back at Vanessa with an absolutely heart-broken look: tears welling up in his eyes. "Why did you hit me, mom?"

"J-Jack?" Vanessa grew worried, and hurried to Jack. "Honey, I-I'm sorry! I was just-!"

In that very instant, he flashed a grin, and aimed a powerful punch right at Vanessa's gut. Vanessa staggered back, glaring hatefully at him. "…you…tricked me…" she grunted.

"...the hell I did." Johnny chuckled, as he wiped his hand across his face. "You actually _did_ punch your own son in the face... I just made sure that he was there to feel it for himself."

Vanessa stepped away from him warily. She tried to think of what to do…and she realized how really stupid she was to get into this in the first place. "…you slimy little…bastard…" she growled.

"...who's worse, though?" Johnny chuckled. "The bastard who's possessing an innocent soul... or the bitch who, knowing this, still began attacking her own _bastard son?_" He said that last part with heavy emphasis, as his smirk grew wider.

Vanessa grit her teeth…and looked away. She lost herself to anger before, and the last thing she wanted was to lose control again and gravely hurt her son.

"...so, time for me to ask you something." Johnny chuckled. "When are you going to tell Jack that he was an accident, hm?"

"HE WASN'T AN ACCIDENT!" Vanessa screamed, making the volcano walls shudder.

Johnny chuckled at that. "Really, now? Because being a child of rape pretty much _screams_ "accident" to me." he sneered.

"Look, in the beginning, I was a victim, sure!" Vanessa said. "But I would NEVER consider Jack an accident. If anything, he's a pure _miracle_! A miracle that he didn't end up as just another bloodthirsty Leoniel like _YOU!"_

"...a miracle that he didn't end up like me..." Johnny chuckled. "...that's funny, coming from someone like _you._" he taunted.

Vanessa looked away from him, still gritting her teeth.

"You can try and deny it all you want... but the fact of the matter is, you're still a Leoniel." Johnny hummed. "Do you think that you can take the moral high ground just because you became a caring mother? Of course not. You've had your outbursts more than once, haven't you?"

"…at least…I _tried_ to control myself…" Vanessa grunted.

"But that just makes the times you _couldn't_ even worse, right?" Johnny hummed. "Besides... I'd want to point out that your parenting skills could use some work."

"And who are you to tell me how to be a parent?" Vanessa snapped. "YOU'RE the one who created Malice in the first place!"

"Well at least _I_ had the excuse of not knowing that she existed until around a month ago." Johnny shot back. "_You,_ on the other hand, allowed your kid to grow up into a _manchild_, who still can't handle hearing about the birds and the bees _at the age of 24. _Was that _really_ the best way to raise a kid, huh?"

"It's a lot better than how he would've been raised around _our_ family!" Vanessa snapped back. "I would rather die a torturous death then let our family destroy a child's innocence like that!"

"...well... technically..." With a hum, Johnny glanced to the side; smirking a tiny bit. "...considering that Joy's been alone with Malice for so long... I'd say her innocence would be destroyed at this point."

Vanessa glared back at him again, but she continued to try and keep a hold on her anger.

"...but, you know... there comes a time when someone just has to burst that bubble of innocence that wraps around people." Johnny hummed. "How long is it until Jack's birthday... a few months, perhaps?" Then, he glanced back at Vanessa. "How do you think poor little Jack is gonna act in five years time? Ten? Twenty? Do you want him to keep being the little manchild that he still is?"

Vanessa said nothing at that until... "…no matter what you say…it's still better than what he could've turned out to be around our family…"

Johnny hummed. "So you say." he mused dryly.

Vanessa was only getting angrier and angrier at her brother for twisting these words around for her…but that only made her even more wary to make her move…

"...so, what's the matter? Too afraid to risk hurting your son?" Johnny taunted again.

"You're just going to jump out for him to take the blows, so I won't bother," Vanessa snorted.

"…besides…I don't have to do anything now…"

Johnny blinked. "...excuse me?"

At this point, a figure descended in front of Vanessa; his arms folded as he looked impassively at the lion. "...hm." Demi hummed, as he simply observed Johnny.

"…I can't do anything Demi…" Vanessa said.

"...understandable..." Demi hummed. "...first, though, we should get out of here."

Vanessa looked around them, at the glowing hot lava that bubbled every now and then around them. "…right…" and she glared at Johnny. "But it depends if he'll even come willingly."

"...he has no choice in the matter." Demi noted. "It's either that or losing his host at this point... something he's probably not willing to allow."

Johnny frowned.

Vanessa bit her lip at that.

"...don't worry; I won't let him do anything drastic." Demi said reassuringly.

Vanessa toughened up a bit when Demi told her that, and so she rushed at Johnny to try and grab him.

Seeing that, Johnny quickly grabbed Vanessa's arms, and narrowed his eyes. "What're you playing at?"

Vanessa glared back with a bitter grin. "Oh, what? You've been hovering around us haunting us and yet you don't know what we're talking about?"

"...don't play games with me." In that very instant, Johnny swiftly snapped his arm back; creating a nasty cracking sound straight from Vanessa's arm.

"_AAAAAAAGH!_" Vanessa cried out, falling to her knees a bit helplessly. She was for sure that her arm had been broken by his hold…

…and yet, she still held that bitter grin.

"...what's with your grin?" With a snarl, Johnny grabbed Vanessa's other arm, and clenched brutally down on it. "Out with it!"

Vanessa let out another yelp of agony at the cost of her other arm, but she chuckled dryly.

"…you think I'm the coward…? …you're the one using someone else, hiding inside someone else…"

Johnny's eyes narrowed. "...the hell did you say?"

"…you were the favorite child…the one everybody thought would get the farthest in life…" Vanessa spoke. "…I honestly never thought you would die so young…and twice for that matter…"

Johnny's eyes narrowed.

"…so now…all you can do is use my son like a puppet…playing mind games…" Vanessa spoke. "…for our family standards…that's pretty weak if you ask me…"

Johnny instantly broke into a feral hiss, and clamped a hand around Vanessa's throat. "You _bitch..._" he growled. "...you think I'm _weak?_"

Vanessa gagged around his rock-hard grip he had around her neck, but she didn't break down at all. She remained strong with that bitter grin.

"…the Johnny I know wouldn't have put up with the brat you made with Callous…" Vanessa said while choking. "…so why are you lurking around us…when you could be following Joy by yourself?"

Johnny snarled. "...because... I can't do a damn thing as a spirit..."

"…well…way I see it, it's your own fault you're where you are…" Vanessa said. "…you know that Father would be the one to most likely say that…"

"...shut your mouth..." Johnny growled, as his grip grew stronger.

Vanessa felt her windpipe clamping tighter and tighter with his strengthening grip, and she wheezed with what air that was barely left. "…but it's true…isn't it…?" she croaked.

Johnny merely growled.

Vanessa understood that answer, still trying to stay alive by breathing as calmly as possible through her narrow throat. "…and imagine what he'd do if he found out your feelings for Callous were responsible for that…"

Johnny's eyes widened and he snarled louder.

"…yeah…the man that raped me was lucky to be killed…" Vanessa spoke. "…but if he saw that not only your feelings for Callous earned your second death, but that she's just as stubborn and tough as us…he would fight her, beat her down, make her suffer…"

"…because…no one can challenge or humiliate a Leoniel and get away with it…right…?"

Johnny narrowed his eyes considerably.

"…am I right Johnny?" Vanessa asked. "And ruling Corruption out of the equation…she wouldn't last long…"

"...the hell with that." Johnny growled, as he glared fiercely at Vanessa.

"But I thought that you were a true Leoniel, Johnny…" Vanessa said. "…so because of Callous, you'd turn your back on your family customs?"

"...shut up..." Johnny uttered.

"Tell me, what's more important Johnny?" Vanessa uttered. "Being the blood-thirsty killer you're meant to be…or blowing off tradition for a girl?"

Johnny growled. "...you think I can't do both?"

"You could be…Sure, you could kill me right here…but that wouldn't be satisfying without being alive yourself…or having Callous with you for that matter to enjoy it…" Vanessa said. "…but you showed weakness in your last moments…being tricked by Jill like that…"

Johnny growled.

"…so who's the bigger coward?" Vanessa asked.

Johnny hissed, and prepared to just outright crush Vanessa's windpipe... when his eyes widened with a pained grunt.

As he had been distracted, Demi had snuck up behind him, and sunk his fangs into the lion's neck; forcing him to let go of Vanessa. Vanessa fell to the surface of the rock they were standing on, and since both her arms were broken, she just laid there, trying to breathe more easily after her throat had nearly been crushed.

"...the hell are you-?" Johnny uttered, before his eyes widened, and he snarled in pain; Demi was forcing a lot of pain onto the lion via his fangs.

Vanessa looked over at them.

Johnny was clutching to his head in sheer agony, while Demi latched onto him. "...the hell is he doing...?" Johnny growled.

"…Blood can inject into your nervous system any emotional, or mental response through his venom," Vanessa said. "…while I can't hurt you…_he_ can."

"...you cunning- AGH!" Johnny cried out as he felt more pain. "...so, what... you think I'll... leave his body because of this...?"

"…it's better…than what I can do…" Vanessa said.

Johnny growled. "...this... changes... nothing...!"

"…the harm only goes to you. Jack isn't affected," Vanessa said.

"...you think... I was talking about _that...?_" he snarled in reply.

"…ah…" Vanessa hummed. "…then tell me Johnny…what do you hope to accomplish is all of this?"

Johnny remained silent.

"…well…?" Vanessa said. "Do you really have anything better to strive for that what I do?"

Johnny outright refused to open his mouth to speak.

"…hm…." She simply hummed and turned her away from him. Johnny stirred a bit. Hearing his stirring, Vanessa curiously looked back at him.

His head sank down so she couldn't read his expression, and he remained motionless. Vanessa assumed that he could be leaving the body…either that, or giving that impression to trick her again. Either way, Vanessa continued to watch…

Slowly, he groaned; and hearing that groan, Demi released his grip on Jack.

"...mom...?"

"…Jack…" Vanessa murmured.

Slowly, he looked up at Vanessa. "...what happened...?"

"…a lot…" she said.

"...it's hot..." Jack murmured.

"...we should leave." Demi suggested.

"…I agree…" Vanessa managed to sit up without her arms, and climb to her knees which helped herself get to her feet without the use of her arms, that hung painfully limp at her sides.

Seeing this, Jack blinked. "...mom... your arms..." he uttered.

"…I'll be alright," Vanessa said, looking away from Jack. "…I just can't use my arms for a while…that's all…"

"...why?" Jack uttered.

"…Demi, take Jack up…" Vanessa said.

"...you're coming with us, though, right, mom?" Jack uttered.

"…yeah…but I'm taking my own way up…" she answered.

"...how? You can't use your arms, mom..." Jack uttered.

"...let's just go, Jack." Demi hummed, as he grabbed hold of the lion, before flying up into the air.

Vanessa watched Demi fly up and away with Jack to make sure he got out alright…

…then she took off across the sea of lava that she was standing over, hopping from rock to rock. She grunted every now and then from the pain of her limp arms swinging around from each jump, but she held it in and coped with the pain. Eventually, she left out a huff before she started actually running up the wall of the volcano. Glancing down at that, Demi couldn't help but gawk.

The steeper the wall became, the more Vanessa started to slip, so she ran faster and faster and faster…and with a roar, she kicked herself up into the air. She gained enough momentum to kick herself over the edge so that she was out of the volcano now…but when she landed outside, she ended up tripping and falling to the ground.

"Vanessa!" Ani blurt out, while she, Striker and Milo ran for her. Demi quickly landed by her; letting go of Jack so he could rush towards his mother as well.

"…I'm…fine…" she coughed a little bit because Johnny's grip had been something fierce.

"...mom, you don't sound fine..." Jack uttered.

"…don't worry about me…" Vanessa tried to get up, and then she yelped.

"...no, mom; I'm gonna worry about you!" Jack protested, as he was quick to try and pick her up from the ground.

Vanessa allowed him to pick her up, but she looked back at Jack. She really wasn't sure now if Jack was really in control, or…

…so, she started walking away.

"...mom...?" Jack uttered.

"…Vanessa!" Milo shouted. "You shouldn't go anywhere with your arms in that condition!"

But Vanessa just ignored him…and kept walking.

"...mom!" Jack called out, as he began running after her.

Vanessa stopped walking.

"Jack, stay away…"

Jack came to a halt, and his eyes widened. "...m-mom...?"

"…you have to stay away from me for a little bit right now…" she spoke. "…right now, it's just…best that we stay away from each other…"

"...but... but why, mom...?" Jack uttered.

"…because…I don't want to accidentally hurt you…" and with that, Vanessa kept going.

"...hurt me...?" Jack uttered; looking at Vanessa with a saddened look. The other three stood there, looking at Jack in sad guilt. Milo knew the most about all of this, and he had no idea how he would've been able to tell Vanessa about all of this. Now he has no idea what will happen next…

"...did... I hurt mom...?" Jack slowly uttered.

They looked at each other. With what happened with Vanessa, each of them felt like they shouldn't have to lie about it this time…and Milo knew they felt that way through their troubled spirits. Striker and Ani didn't have the guts to say anything though…

…so the job fell to Milo.

"…Jack," he said. "…you didn't hurt her…but someone else did…someone that took over your body…"

"...someone... took over my... body...?" Jack uttered.

Milo was really going to hate himself for being the one to tell Jack this…and it didn't change the fact that right now he was angry with Johnny for what he did. All these games seemed fairly harmless, until he had finally decided to confront Vanessa. It was evident that there was some…violent memories there the two shared of each other.

_Very_ violent.

"…Jack…" Milo said, swallowing. "…it was Johnny."

Jack fell silent.

"…I'm sorry…" Milo said. "…we should've told you about that much earlier…"

"...earlier...?" Jack uttered. "...you mean... he's done this before...?"

"…you know why you black out…Jack?" Milo mumbled. "…that's because…those are the times he's taken over you…"

"...when I... black out..." Jack uttered. "...what... does he do...?"

"…he's done lots of things…" Milo muttered. "…some I don't think I could even tell you about…"

"...did he... hurt anyone...?"

"…well…right now…he just hurt your mom," Milo said. "…he broke both of her arms…and nearly choked her to death."

Jack let out what sounded like a mixture between a gasp and a choked sob when he heard that.

Milo shut his eyes hard to keep himself from letting out any tears of his own, turning away. His stomach churned and clenched inside of him and his throat ached. "…I'm sorry Jack…" he muttered.

Jack didn't say anything. Milo stayed just as silent, and Striker and Ani looked at each other worriedly.

Eventually, though, Jack let out another sob...

...and with that, he ran off; headed a completely different direction from where Vanessa had gone.

Seeing that, Demi's eyes widened in shock. "Jack!"

"Jack!" Striker was going to run after him, but Milo grabbed his shoulder.

"...Milo, we need to follow him." Demi uttered. "We can't let him run off on his own; not after that..."

Milo looked at Demi uneasily. Demi looked back at Milo. "...can't we follow him?"

"…that's the thing…I'm not sure if we should follow him or not…" Milo said.

Striker pushed off Milo's hand from his shoulder, looking back at him. "We're a big group Milo, and we all have to stick together! We can't leave anyone on their own far away from everyone else!"

"C'mon! I'll go with you Striker!" Ani started running, and Striker followed her, leaving behind Milo and Demi.

Demi hummed. "...do you think they can help him on their own?"

"…I don't know…" Milo replied. "…I won't really be of any help after telling him all that…" then he started walking down the slope with a heavy heart. "…we should go find Vanessa and help her with her arms…"

"...right." Demi nodded, as he followed Milo.

* * *

><p>Striker had Ani by the hand, since he was a faster runner than her. Then it suddenly occurred to Ani that she had her telekinesis. "Hang on!" she lit up with a blue glow, and so did Striker. They rose into the air and they soared through the air.<p>

They eventually spotted Jack running ahead of them; actually keeping at a very quick pace.

Ani shot for him, "Jack!" and lurched forward with open arms to grab him. Not having seen her fly towards him, Jack was quickly snatched by her; though he tried breaking out of her grip. "Jack! Don't struggle! We want to help!" Ani pleaded, trying to hang onto him.

"Lemme go!" he cried out; struggling harder now that he was being restrained like this.

"Jack! Stop!" Striker tackled him now, and his tackle put the three of them onto the ground; Jack being pinned down by both him and Ani. "Jack, I know it's really bad, but please calm down!" he said desperately.

"I BROKE MY MOM'S ARMS!" In that instant, Jack began bawling loudly, and stopped struggling entirely; hiding his face within his arms as he sobbed loudly.

"No Jack! You didn't break her arms!" Ani wailed out. "It was Johnny's fault!"

"BUT HE USED ME TO DO IT!" Jack kept crying loudly. "AND NOW MOM'S AFRAID OF ME!"

"She can't be afraid of you Jack!" Ani said. "Your mom's never afraid of anything!"

"…no Jack, she's not afraid of you…" Striker spoke in a strangely calm tone. It got Ani's attention. Jack glanced up at Striker with tear-filled eyes and a hefty round of sobs.

"…she wasn't afraid of you, Jack," Striker continued. "…she was afraid that she'd hurt you…she tried to fight Johnny and make him leave you, but Johnny used you to make her stop…she didn't know what else to do, and Milo went to get Demi to help. Your mom just didn't want to hurt you Jack…"

Jack's eyes widened, as more tears squeezed out of them.

"…they argued about something…" Striker murmured. "…Johnny said something about Vanessa being a really bad parent…but when Demi jumped in, Vanessa told him how much of a scaredy cat he was for using you…"

Jack just blinked.

"…Vanessa was mad that we didn't tell her about Johnny…but in the end, we were able to drive Johnny away thanks to Demi, and your mom stayed calm…" Striker kept on. "...I think she wanted to stay away from you because of the trick Johnny did…where he let her punch you instead of him…she said that she didn't 'accidentally' want to hurt you…"

Jack looked back down again. "...what if he does it again?"

"…we'll try to keep him away," Striker said, but Ani didn't really believe it when Striker said that. Ani didn't say anything against it though…since maybe it could make Jack feel better.

"...thanks..." Jack murmured. "...but... what if you can't...?"

"Hey, if there's a will, there's a way, right?" Striker said. "We can all figure out a plan to keep Johnny away from you."

Jack was silent.

Ani looked at Striker nervously. It really wasn't the most reassuring thing to say…but Striker kept talking in his oblivious, growing need to simply just comfort Jack. "We've all done a lot of things together as a team! We've beaten Johnny lots of times and we can do it again!"

Still, Jack remained silent.

Getting no response, Striker tilted his head. "…what's wrong?" he asked Jack, still not noticing Ani's reaction.

Jack did not answer.

"…Jack…?" Striker tried to shake him.

Jack didn't move a muscle...

"...you can't... keep him away..."

Striker blinked with his eyes growing wide. "…what…?"

"...I mean... Johnny's dead." Jack murmured. "...and... Milo's the only one who can talk to dead people... I mean, I didn't even know he was around until he said so..." Then, he closed his eyes in depression. "...besides... Johnny was really strong... I don't think any of us could beat him in a fair fight... even if he's a ghost..."

"…but…but there should be a way to…" Striker tried to think hard of something.

"…no Striker…Jack's right…"

Striker looked at Ani in astonishment…

Ani simply looked back at Striker with a strange look. It looked to me a mixture of sympathy, and frustration…and maybe a bit of depression like Jack too. "…Striker…if there was a way to stop Johnny, we would've figured it out by now…Milo doesn't know a charm yet that can hold him back…he really is a strong spirit…" She looked at Striker solemnly.

Striker just gaped at her. Jack, in the meantime, remained silent.

Striker got off of Jack, and so did Ani. The bear was befuddled with her agreeing with Jack on this. "But…but it's not fair! Johnny's just a spirit! He's a bad guy! He's not supposed to be stronger than us!"

Jack still didn't say anything.

"I mean, Jill beat him! And we all beat the bad guys every time!" Striker said with growing dismay. "That's how it's supposed to be-!"

"Striker the Slugger! Would you just _grow up?_"

Striker jumped, because that outburst from Ani startled him.

"…I mean, for heaven's sake Striker; Jack's actually acting more mature about this than you!" Ani scolded. "And he was the victim!"

Jack slowly looked up at Ani for that.

"…Ani…" Striker didn't know what to say to Ani.

"…look, you guys…Johnny was right about one point," Ani said. "…Jack, you're 24, and you're 17 Striker. You guys are much, much older now…and yet you both still freak out about where babies come from! Neither of you have changed much since the day I met you guys!"

"…Ani…is that…a bad thing?" Striker uttered.

"It can be!" Ani continued.

Jack looked away guiltily.

"You guys…some of it wasn't your fault," Ani said, noticing the looks that she was getting from the two boys. "You three lived in a tree house for most of your life, without many role models to look up to except the Professor, and sometimes the Captain…but most of the time you played by yourselves! The only one that really grew up and changed was Milo, maybe because he has to help take care of you guys! He knows a lot of stuff that you guys don't, and he makes sure that nothing happens to either of you!"

"…then what do we do Ani?" Striker asked in the same guilt Jack had.

Ani fell silent then.

Still, Jack was silent; biting his lip a bit as he just looked down at the ground.

"…just…grow up guys…" Ani sighed. "…we're…not kids anymore. We're almost adults now…me and Milo are different because of how we grew up but you two…still play hide and seek…and stuff...+"

And with that, Ani started walking away, leaving Striker with Jack. Jack still just looked down at the ground. Striker looked down at the ground too.

"...Striker..." Jack murmured. "...can we really help Joy out in this...?"

"…I…don't know, Jack," Striker replied.

Jack let out a light sigh.

"…Jack…"

Jack looked back at Striker then. Striker looked up at him with a sad look. "…I…don't know how to grow up…"

Jack nodded. "...me neither..."

Striker looked to notice a rock big enough for him, so he walked over to it and sat on it, heaving a sigh. Jack slowly sat up as well; closing his eyes with a sigh of his own.

"…Jack…I'm sorry all this happened to you…and your mom…" Striker murmured. Jack looked back at Striker when he said that. "…I really wish we could keep it from happening…" Striker said.

"...Striker..." Jack hummed.

Striker looked at Jack.

"...thanks." he said; managing a small smile. Striker smiled back, and then he looked away, losing himself in thought. Jack looked away as well.

It was silent for a really long time; just the two of them sitting there, thinking.

"…Jack…" Striker finally spoke up.

Jack glanced towards Striker then.

"…Johnny…why do you think he's staying around us?" he asked. "…Vanessa asked him why he doesn't just chase Joy down…"

Jack hummed at that. "...I dunno." he shrugged.

"…well…for whatever reason he's staying around…" Striker said. "…that meant that he's been around us the whole time…so…" he looked over at Jack. "…he could've taken over you…and he could've just hurt or killed all of us…but he didn't."

Jack blinked at that. "...yeah... he didn't, did he?"

"…so…if he didn't do that…do you think Johnny would actually be on our side?" Striker supposed.

"...I... guess...?" Jack uttered.

"…well, not entirely on our side, I'm sure, since it's Johnny we're talking about," Striker said. "…but…Milo said that he and Johnny tried to stop Malice back in Safe Haven…Johnny would be on our side since he wants to stop Malice."

"...right..." Jack nodded slowly.

"…and…remember back when we were fighting all those Corrupted on Safe Haven two years ago?" Striker asked.

"...yeah?" Jack uttered.

"…he…took over you, so he could help fight them," Striker said. "…that's what I was told anyway…"

"...he... did...?" Jack uttered.

"…yeah," Striker nodded.

"...huh..." Jack hummed, as he looked down thoughtfully.

"…you know what I think, Jack?" Striker said. "…I think he needs you so he can fight Malice…"

Jack blinked at that. "...he does?"

"If he was able to stop Malice, he would've done it already," Striker said. "So maybe that's why he's tagging with us…because he can take over you and use you to fight…" He looked at Jack again. "He took over you to fight Patricia back then…"

"...he _did?_" Jack uttered in surprise. "But... she uses Corruption, right? Johnny doesn't have Corruption, so... how could he...?"

"…Vanessa is always talking about how your family can really fight hard," Striker said. "…and Milo said his soul is still strong enough to withstand any of his spiritual charms that he's got…I think he's just…got it in him, y'know?"

"...right..." Jack hummed, as he looked down at the snow.

"...you think... I could fight like that, too?"

Striker looked back at Jack.

"...I mean... I know that mom doesn't want me to become like Johnny..." Jack murmured, as he rubbed his neck. "...but... mom's really strong and tough... and she's done a lot to protect us; even getting hurt..." He sighed. "...I don't want her to get hurt, Striker..."

Striker hummed, looking out in the snow covered wilderness. "…maybe…if it runs in your family…you might have something…but I don't really know for sure."

"...right..." Jack sighed once more...

...and then, he took out his harmonica, and began playing a soft tune on it. Striker watched him play. Listening to his tune helped to soften the tension in the air, and he took a deep breath. Jack merely focused his attention on playing; closing his eyes and becoming engrossed in the music he was creating. Striker closed his eyes too, appreciating the music.

Slowly, the tune came to an end, as Jack looked thoughtfully at the ground; the instrument still in his mouth. Striker let out another sigh.

"…you two are so adorable."

Striker jumped at that voice. He didn't recognize that voice. "Wh-who's there?"

Quickly, Jack shot to his feet, and looked around him. "Show yourself!"

There was a sound then…it sound like something scraping against the snow softly. The sound pulled Striker and Jack's attention to a figure that was approaching them menacingly.

Hearing that, Jack took a step back in slight fear. "...who are you?" he uttered.

Striker took a closer look at the figure stepping toward them. They were holding something long and sharp…which turned out to be a long sword that was causing the scrape against the snow, being dragged on the ground. The figure was a woman; a Mobian cat, wearing black, lace top and skirt slit at the side, showing her attractive figure (though to the boys it wouldn't have stood out in that way). She wore a hat that hid her face, and there was a feather sticking out of it that was in dark purple flames.

Striker's eyes widened at that, recognizing the signs. "...you are a Corrupted bounty hunter, aren't you?"

The cat grinned. "Smart kid…"

"...uh oh," Jack uttered, as he looked at Striker. "...we... should run."

Striker grinded his teeth in nervousness…and maybe even in a little anger; he thought back about how Ani was angry with them for being so immature.

"…no Jack…I'm not gonna run…"

Jack's eyes widened, as he looked back at Striker. "But Striker... she looks dangerous."

"Yeah kid, you'd only prove how smart you are if you just gave up and walked away…" the cat chuckled.

Striker looked at her seriously. "…no, you wouldn't let us go. If you're a Corrupted, then Patricia sent you to deal with us…so that we wouldn't reach Joy."

The cat smirked. "Okay, you've got a point."

Striker pulled out a remote, and pressed it.

Snap was back at camp with the others, wondering where the others were. It was getting really late, to a point where the others were actually starting to become a bit tired and ready to sleep…then he let out a startled yelp, and he shattered into pieces.

Diablo jumped when he noticed this. "Snap!"

"Snap, what's wrong?" Kiri uttered with widened eyes.

Seeing this, Charon grunted out of surprise.

The pieces of Snap rose into the air…and then they suddenly shot in one direction.

Oblivion watched this with widened eyes. "…he's being taken to Striker! Something must be going on!" and so she ran off toward where the pieces of Snap flew.

"We should follow him!" Kiri uttered, as she yanked a bit on Diablo's wrist. "Come on!"

"Eep!" Diablo yelped out when Kiri pulled him after them. With a grunt, Charon quickly took to the air after them.

Meanwhile, Milo and Demi had found Vanessa, and they were helping her wrap up her broken arms. Vanessa had been silent for a very long time, and from what Milo could see in her spirits, she was dealing with a great mixture of troubling emotions. After all, she just found out that her son could be possessed by her dead brother…and the idea that she could no longer protect Jack was a very disturbing and scary thought for her.

But she hid those emotions behind a dark, hateful look; one that they hardly ever saw in Vanessa.

Either way, they didn't question it or even try and talk to her.

Milo finished up wrapping up her arms to hang in front of her. Vanessa already knew that she couldn't move them if she wanted them to heal, and Milo didn't know how long it would take before her arms healed up.

Just then, Vanessa perked up, with her ears rising a bit. "…something's shooting through the air…"

Right on cue, robotic parts shot out from the trees and flew past them.

"...what in the..." Demi uttered, as he watched those parts fly through the air.

"…that was Snap," Vanessa said, with the parts disappearing. "…he's being summoned to Striker for something…"

"…oh no," Milo had a bad feeling in the pit of his gut about this, and he started running to where the robotic parts disappeared. With a light gulp, Demi picked up Vanessa, and flew off after the parts.

"…oh, and what's that button supposed to do?" the cat asked Striker.

"…you'll see…" Striker spoke.

The robotic parts popped out from nowhere, and they quickly latched to Striker, building his armor and his jetpack on him. Jack watched this in a mixture of both awe and light fear; after all, if Striker couldn't take care of this woman, they would be in trouble.

When Striker's armor was finished piecing together, Snap's holographic head appeared at his shoulder. "_Striker, what's going on?_" he asked worriedly, and then he noticed the cat standing there. _"…oh…_"

"…not bad…" the cat commented. "…build it yourself, kid?"

"…yep…" Striker answered.

"…so you're gonna fight me, huh….?" The cat assumed.

Striker held out his arm, changing it into an arm cannon which he fired at the cat. She hopped into the air away from the blast and ran around all the other blasts Striker shot at her. "…I'll take that as a yes…" she hummed.

Jack's eyes widened a bit at that.

The cat charged at Striker then, still avoiding the blasts, taking her sword to slash at Striker. Striker used his arm to block the blade with the armor. "Who are you?" he asked.

"…my name is Cyrene Margarita Xirgu…" she hissed. "…and you're all gonna die!" she pushed Striker back with a tremendous force and lunged at Striker with a thrust. Striker stepped aside, and opened his hand. Some of the armor turned into a baseball bat for him to use and the two began fighting.

"...wow..." Jack uttered in awe.

Her blade was strong enough to clash against his bat, and the armor was strong enough to protect Striker from any cuts. Snap gasped and yelped every time Cyrene attacked from different angles. Striker had to roll and jump away a couple of times, stepping back to keep distance. "You're quick!"

"So are you," Cyrene chuckled. "Impressive…for just a kid!" and she swung her sword through the air, creating rotating slash waves of Corruption that flew at Striker.

Striker gasped this time and jumped away from the attacks.

"...oh no!" Jack gulped.

Striker managed to avoid them, huffing. It was cold, and the sudden battle heat him up pretty quick…so it took his breath away for a bit. The cold, thin air stung his throat as he panted.

"What's the matter?" Cyrene taunted him, stepping toward him. "Out of breath already?"

Striker shook his head.

Cyrene raised her sword and shot dark purple fireballs at Striker. On instinct, Striker grabbed his bat and hit them away. Still, Jack could only watch this in stunned awe.

Seeing that the fireballs weren't going to work in that way, she shot them around in different directions so that they could home in on Striker from all over. He managed to hit them away with his bat, but he became distracted with them, which was what Cyrene intended as she ran at Striker for a good blow.

Jack's eyes widened. "STRIKER, LOOK OUT!"

Striker flinched and saw Cyrene coming, jumping away from a deadly slash. There was still one more fireball left, and it hit Striker since he used his attention to avoid Cyrene. He winced at the flames that he tried to brush away…

…but Snap whimpered in pain. Jack looked at them in worry.

"…Snap, are you okay?" Striker asked.

"_...it…hurts…_" Snap uttered.

"…guess that armor won't last long if I pound against it!" Cyrene cackled, shooting at Striker. She was so quick that Striker had to use his arm to stop her blade…but then he realized there had been an aura of Corruption around the blade.

Snap cried out.

"Snap!" Jack cried out in concern.

Striker jumped away from Cyrene, looking at Snap. Then he looked at where Cyrene hit with her blade, and he saw a large cut searing with black smoke on the armor. "…Snap…" he uttered worriedly. Jack saw this too with a worried look.

Then Striker was grabbed by the head with a startled gasp. Cyrene lifted him up since he was slightly shorter than her, holding Striker by his head.

"STRIKER!" Jack cried out.

Slowly, Cyrene started to squeeze her hand on his head, and black smoke sizzled from her hand. Striker trembled and whimpered in pain that was seeping through his head while her hand slowly crushed it little by little. "…I gotta say, kid…it wasn't that smart after all to face me…" she chuckled.

"...no... Striker..." Jack uttered with widened eyes.

"...STRIKER!"

In that instant, a massive tremor rang through the ground, as a massive dragon landed right by the group; with a pair landing close by said dragon.

Cyrene looked at them…and then her eyes locked onto one individual. This individual looked back at Cyrene with widened eyes.

"...Cyrene?" Demi uttered.

"…Demi, that you?" There was a little hint of surprise in Cyrene's tone of voice, but she kept her dark looking expression, and she still held Striker by his head.

"...yes..." Demi uttered, as he narrowed his eyes. "...who Corrupted you?"

"Who else do you think?" Cyrene grumbled. "Still pissed at your aunt, though, so you'd do your best not to talk about her."

Demi narrowed his eyes a bit. "...if that's the case... why are you still working for her?"

Cyrene was silent after that.

"...Cyrene, let go of Striker, and we can talk this out." Demi said, as he slowly stepped towards her. "We know someone who can remove the Corruption from you..."

"I DON'T WANT TO BE PURIFIED!" Cyrene suddenly screamed, clenching Striker's head even more to make him cry out.

Demi stopped at that. "...what...?"

"…it feels so good…" she hissed sinisterly, licking her blade. "…I don't want to be purified…"

Vanessa frowned at that.

"...and yet you hate Patricia still." Demi uttered. "Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

"…Patricia's just another little bitch…" Cyrene huffed. Then she chuckled. "…ooooh…but Bulk is another story…"

Demi blinked at that. "...Bulk?"

"...seems like there's someone else in charge..." Charon growled. "...someone with a stronger grip on Corruption than Patricia..."

"Patricia likes to think that she's running things…" Cyrene chuckled. "But Bulk can put her on her knees and beg like a sad little dog..."

"...hrm..." Charon grunted.

Slowly, Demi put the pieces together. "...sounds like Patricia isn't the _only_ one who is made to beg, then..."

Cyrene purred wickedly. "Oh…you have no idea…"

Charon grunted in disgust.

"...what are you all talking about?" Of course, this flew right over Jack's head.

"Oh, so innocent," Cyrene chuckled.

Then she slammed Striker against a tree. "Now then…step any closer, and I'll have his brains and his crushed skull in my hands," She threatened.

"STRIKER!" Jack cried out.

Both Demi and Charon narrowed their eyes. Vanessa stood there with a frown. She would've stepped in at this point but her arms were broken after all…and of course, trying anything could get Striker hurt.

"…good, I'm glad you all want to cooperate," Cyrene chuckled. Then she caught a glow from the side of her vision, "Hm?" And looked over.

A large blast of energy shot her away from Striker. Jack let out a surprised, yet relieved gasp at that. Striker stood there in the snow with the arm cannon falling to his side. With Cyrene distracted with the others, Striker had an opportunity and he took it. The others quickly looked at Striker.

Cyrene got to her feet with a growl, running at Striker.

Striker pulled a fist back, glowing with an electrical energy… and with a roar, he threw it at Cyrene's gut, making her fly back again.

"...go, Striker!" Jack cheered.

Striker didn't acknowledge his cheer, and he ran at where Cyrene flew. Cyrene suddenly popped up with an angry snarl, swinging her blade at him. Striker stepped around the blade quickly. Then he punched Cyrene again farther into the snow.

"You got it, Striker!" Jack cheered again.

Striker stumbled a little bit, feeling dizzy, and he held his head. Some blood trickled down from his forehead from where he had been crushed by Cyrene.

"_Striker! You're not well!_" Snap uttered worriedly. _"You should let someone else fight Cyrene!"_

"No…" Striker panted. "…no…I can't back down…"

"...Striker?" Jack uttered.

"…Ani wants me to grow up?" Striker growled. "…then I'll grow up…I'll show that I won't back down!" he ran at where Cyrene was struck away, only for her to pop out and try and attack him with her blade again, but he used his bat to block it.

"…Ani…?" Milo wondered what Striker meant by that…and then he even wondered what happened to Ani. The two of them headed off after Jack to try and cheer him up…and while Striker and Jack were here, where was Ani?

Jack's eyes slightly widened. "...Striker..."

"Oh lighten up, kid," Cyrene chuckled, because she could tell that Striker's emotions were rising a bit. That meant that he might not be as focused. She pushed Striker back and kicked him. Striker rolled onto the ground and skid in the snow, but he got back up.

"_Striker, don't do this!" _Snap begged. _"You're suffering from some head trauma!"_

"…no…" Striker growled, shaking in the cold, "…no I can't give up on a fight…" And then he got uppercut by Cyrene. This stunned him a bit and then Cyrene took Striker's head, kneeing right into that spot on his head where it was bleeding.

"...Striker...!" Jack uttered, as he clenched his hands.

Cyrene threw Striker onto the ground, laughing. Then she saw him get back up. "Kid, what makes you so damn determined to beat me?" she asked him.

"…I…can't…give up…" Striker uttered. "…because…adults…don't give…and they don't back down in danger…"

"Kid, would you just shut up about being an adult? Does what your girlfriend say really bother you that much?" Cyrene planted her foot on his back, pressing him against the cold ground.

Somehow, Striker grabbed her ankle, which surprised Cyrene, and he blasted her away again with his cannon. Slowly getting up, he heaved for his breath. It was getting so dizzy for him, and more blood trickled down the front of his face….but he had a fierce look of determination in his eyes.

"...Striker..." Demi uttered, as he narrowed his eyes. He wanted to intervene at this point...

"…it wasn't my fault…" Striker uttered. Being hit hard in the head, it messed with him…he was getting emotional enough that tears rolled out of his face. "…it's not like I've been able to see my parents…Jack's mom showed up, he's lucky…Milo's enough of an adult that he can take care of himself…The Professor didn't try to be a parent, and he's more like a grandpa…the only one I could look up to was Brick…"

"…Striker…" Milo's brow arched, realizing where this was going. Ani said something about how Striker should grow up…and considering that Striker and Ani had feelings for each other, Striker was now dealing with such new, negative emotions…

"_Striker, please, don't push yourself like this!"_ Snap begged Striker.

Just then, Cyrene popped out with a roar, and since Striker was not ready, Cyrene threw a coated fist of Corruption right into Striker's gut.

Jack's eyes shot wide open. "STRIKER!"

This made the armor shatter off of him, and the bear fell to the ground. This time, he didn't get up, and he quivered in pain.

Cyrene scoffed. "You talk about wanting to be an adult? Then stop crying about your life like a goddamn baby…"

Jack could only watch this in total fear for Striker's life. Milo shuddered. "…Demi…do something…" he uttered.

"...right. I-" Demi uttered, but in that instant, someone else ran in front of Striker; standing protectively before him to keep Cyrene away from him.

"...go away..." Jack uttered in a shaky tone.

Vanessa bit her lip at this. She didn't want to see Jack interfere.

"Cute, real cute, kid," Cyrene scoffed. "But you'd better move out of the way or I'll do the same to you."

"...no." Jack gulped.

Cyrene growled and raised her fist. Vanessa gasped and ran toward them. In that instant, however, something happened that no one would've expected.

Jack outright punched Cyrene in the face.

Cyrene did not expect that from him at all, and for that matter, neither did Vanessa. Vanessa halted in surprise while Cyrene stumbled back, holding her nose.

Jack merely breathed, as he still looked shakily at Cyrene. "...go away." he uttered; his voice a bit more firm now.

Cyrene gripped her sword angrily and swung it toward Jack. Narrowing his eyes, Jack stepped away from the sword, before he swung his fist down on Cyrene's wrist, to force her to drop the blade. "ACK!" Cyrene didn't realize how hard he'd hit her wrist, and she instantly dropped her blade, stepping away.

"...go away." Now Jack outright glared at her.

"…you fuckin' idiot!" Cyrene yelled, throwing a kick at him. However, Jack grabbed the kick, and with a light yell, tossed Cyrene away from him.

Cyrene landed on her feet, glaring back at him.

Vanessa only stared at that in surprise. "…Milo…?" she mumbled.

"…it's not Johnny, Vanessa…" Milo uttered, as surprised as she was. "…that's all Jack…"

Cyrene summoned up balls of Corruption and threw them at him. Jack, however, ran right past those balls, and very quickly caught up to Cyrene; throwing a punch at her face again. Cyrene still didn't expect him to make it to her or even punch her again, but with him being as close as he was, she decided to try and punch him back with a Corruption-coated fist. This punch struck Jack directly in the face, and he staggered back with a wince... but he quickly snapped back and slammed his knee into her gut. Cyrene grunted, doubling over.

"Go away!" Jack said again, as he glared down at Cyrene. Cyrene glared back up at him.

"…agh…whatever…"

She sank to the ground, and shortly after, her sword disappeared into the ground too. That was the last they saw of Cyrene.

And that was also when the others that were running made it to the area. Oblivion gasped. "Striker!"

"Striker!" Kiri called as well.

Jack slowly turned his head to see those who were running towards them. Everyone from their group rushed to Striker's side. Snap was still in pieces, though thankfully they pushed the remote button and Snap was put back together instantly; another function that was built into him from learning from experience.

"_Striker!" _He knelt by the bear too.

Jack knelt by Striker as well. "...Striker..."

He was awake, but he shivered in the cold, and he could barely move. Diablo picked him up. "...we need to get him patched up..." Kiri murmured.

"…yeah…" Vanessa agreed. Then she looked at Milo. "Milo, Demi…go find Ani..."

"...right..." Demi nodded, as he took Milo by the wrist. "Let's go." And he headed off.

Vanessa simply looked back at Jack.

There were very little words that could describe her reaction to the fact that it was not Johnny that fought, but her own son, Jack. Jack only kept punching and stood his ground to protect his friend…and he was quick enough to avoid the balls of Corruption… Vanessa realized that even if she had kept Jack from learning how to fight…it had still been in his blood all along.

"…Jack…" she spoke.

Jack glanced at her.

"…would you like me to start training you…son…?" Vanessa asked.

Jack blinked at that. "...train...?"

Vanessa nodded. "…I can see that you can fight…and…it wasn't right for me to entirely shelter you…the way I did…"

Jack blinked at that.

Vanessa smiled a little bit. She figured that this was probably a bit confusing for him. Either way, she could explain things… "…whether you'd like to or not is up to you."

"...I..." Jack hummed, as he rubbed his chin. "...I think... I'd like to try that out."

"…yeah?" Vanessa responded.

"...yeah..." Jack nodded, as he smiled at Vanessa.

Vanessa nodded. "…alright then…" and she turned. "…let's go back to camp…"

Jack nodded, and with that, the group began heading off.

_...well... this is unexpected... _a certain spirit thought, whilst floating in the air behind the group. _...but still... I guess something came out of this. Wonder how it's gonna develop itself... _Then, he smirked. _...finally... something interesting's gonna happen._

* * *

><p>Cyrene made it back to base, and by then, her wrist didn't hurt anymore. She grumbled though…grumbled at how cheap that was for a kid like him to be able to push her back like that. She had Corruption, and years of experience behind her blade…and some lousy kid who's hardly fought before beat her…either that, or she ran away too soon.<p>

But regardless, she had some valuable information to return to the higher ups. She had stumbled on the boys and Ani with their whole argument, and hearing everything she could, she found out that a spirit named Johnny could possess Jack and make him fight…

…which might explain how Patricia was torn apart by him a month ago; a thought that made Cyrene chuckle.

"...finally back, huh?"

Cyrene turned to the voice.

The voice belonged to Bulk, who smirked at her. "...got yourself beat up, huh?"

She growled. "…by a little kid, no less…"

"Now how did that happen?" Bulk chuckled.

"…some kid got a little confident, that's all…" Cyrene turned away from him, folding her arms. "…look, there's something I gotta tell you about that kid, Jack…"

"...Jack?" Bulk hummed. "...say... that's the same kid that beat Patricia, isn't it?"

"Yeah; there was a reason he could beat Patricia," Cyrene said. "I overheard them telling Jacky that he's been taken over by a ghost called Johnny…and that he was the one that beat Patricia, not Jack."

"...Johnny...?" Bulk hummed. "...interesting... so I'm gonna guess that this Johnny actually beat you, too?"

Cyrene rubbed her chin at that. She wondered if maybe it was Johnny that took over Jack…and only acted like Jack to trick her…and even if that kid, Milo, said that it was Jack, she wondered if maybe he lied for the sake of making Jack more intimidating.

"…yeah, I guess it was Johnny," she finally answered, looking back at Bulk.

"...then... maybe we need to take care of him, to eliminate a potential threat." Bulk hummed, before he grinned at Cyrene. "Good girl. You deserve a prize."

She smirked. "Oh…just what could this prize be?"

"...how about you come get it?" he chuckled. "It's staring you right in the face."

Cyrene started purring, seductively sauntering with swaying hips to Bulk with a mischievous looking smirk. "Oh Master…you would offer a lowly little whore a treat?" she cooed.

"...naturally..." With a chuckle, Bulk opened up a dark portal, and dragged Cyrene into it with him. Cyrene chuckled, being dragged into the void with him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Wonder what Flamenco would think if his childhood friend had been turned into this...<strong>_


	28. Chapter 27

Joy was coming back with Brute, carrying a basket of apples that morning. Naturally, Brute carried a lot more than she did, since she was small and not as strong…but Joy wasn't having trouble with the apples, thankfully.

Thanks to the little bits of training that she did with the three of them. They taught her some of the very simple things that they knew at the beginning of their own training, which were very simple physical exercises that Joy had to practice at a certain time of the day every day. Since she started, there had been a lot of improvement on Joy's body, though there wasn't really that much difference. Joy's endurance was stronger, but that was the gist of it.

They had tried a lot of things for mental exercises for Joy…since most of her conflict lay within her mind with Malice. So far, the training was working for Joy.

Her and Brute got back to their cabin. "We're home!" Joy called out, lifting the basket of apples to set on the table, while Brute set down the many others that he was carrying.

"...welcome back." Mia hummed from the kitchen; glancing out from the doorway to smile at the two of them.

"Hey, where's Ivory?" Joy asked.

"She went out for a walk." Mia replied. "She'll be back in a bit, I'd imagine."

"Mkay!" Joy said. "Does that mean we'd have to wait for her to start making the apple pies?"

"...well..." Mia hummed. "...Ivory's really the only one who knows how to properly make apple pies..." she murmured sheepishly. "I don't want us to create a mess of pie before she gets back..." she added with a light chuckle.

"Awww," Joy moaned. "…well, okay."

The moment she said that, though, the door opened and Joy turned. "Ivory!" she grew happy to see the horse walk into the house.

"…oh, hey," Ivory seemed lost in thought so it took her awhile to respond to Joy.

"Took your sweet time, eh?" Mia chuckled, as she shook her head a bit.

"…right, sorry; didn't mean to make you guys wait," Ivory said. "Let's get to some baking."

Joy helped out with the baking, but every time she looked at Ivory when she helped out, Ivory looked lost in thought. Even Mia and Brute noticed it, but they didn't say anything. All they all did was carry casual conversation around Ivory.

When all of the pies were made and just waiting in line to be baked, Ivory went to sit beside a window. Mia glanced towards her with a light hum.

Joy looked up at Mia. "What's wrong with Ivory?"

"...I dunno." Mia hummed, as she rubbed her chin.

"…some of the pies are done…"

"Yay!" Joy's attention was easily diverted, heading into the kitchen where Brute was pulling out some fresh pies from the oven.

With a hum, Mia turned to walk towards Ivory; folding her arms. "...what's on your mind?"

"…Joy is…" Ivory murmured, looking at Mia.

Mia hummed. "...what is it?"

"…she's doing good on her training," Ivory said. "…but the problem is…I don't think there's anything else we can teach her…not anything that could really help her…"

Mia hummed, as she narrowed her eyes. "...so... you're saying that we're done with her?"

"…yeah…basically…" Ivory mumbled. "…there's just…nothing else we can do for her…and after everything she's told us, I'm not sure it's a good idea for her to stay in one place for too long...that decision she made to run away made everyone chase her, so she has no choice but to keep running if she doesn't want to be found…" She looked back out the window. "…we'll have to let her go at some point…"

"...hrm..." Mia hummed. "...it's gonna be tough to break it to her..."

"…yeah, I know…" Ivory said. "…but just leave that to me. I know someone she could go to that would probably know what to do better than I could…"

"...who would that be?" Mia hummed.

Ivory was going to open her mouth to answer, but then Joy walked into the room. "Pies are all done and cooling now!" she said with a smile.

Ivory smiled back. "That's good…"

Mia smiled back as well. "...I can smell them... seems like we didn't mess up."

Joy smiled at Mia, and then looked at Ivory…and she could see her smile fall, looking away. "…Ivory?" Joy mumbled.

"…I need to talk to you, Joy," Ivory said.

Mia hummed. "...I'll go help Brute in the kitchen." she said, before heading towards the kitchen.

Joy looked at Mia, and then looked back at Ivory. She started to feel a little nervous…because the look on Ivory's face didn't look very happy. She looked down at Joy solemnly. "…Joy…I want to know what you want to do…"

"…what do you mean?" Joy asked.

Ivory closed her eyes. "…You ran away because you didn't want to be around your loved ones…you didn't want them to get hurt…but you also wanted to find a way to be able to fight her back, so that you could protect everyone…how long do you plan to keep running before that?"

Joy looked away uneasily, and there was a heavy silence in the room. Joy had no idea how long she would run away. "…as long as it takes…" she muttered, the best answer she could give.

Ivory nodded. "…I guess I can't argue with that answer…" She reached out and set a hand on her shoulder. "…the thing is…we've done all we can to help you. You'll be able to survive on your own out there with the things we taught you, and the training we gave you is a start…but we're not the people that can really, truly help you fight Malice."

Joy looked back at her.

"…I know someone that's known your mom…he was another soldier that was at Safe Haven with us that year when you and your mother came over," she said. "…he cared a lot about you and your mom…so Sage told him everything that happened in your mom's life. I can give you directions to his house…but it's a pretty far journey up the mountains. Though if you got this far on your own, I'm sure you can make it…"

Joy looked up at Ivory with blank, innocent eyes. Ivory pulled away from Joy, to get a paper and pencil to write down the directions, being very cautious to use words that Joy could understand so that she could get there.

Glancing out of the kitchen, Mia smiled a little, before she began packing up a few pies so Joy could have with her, if it came to her leaving.

"…do I have to leave…now…?" Joy asked.

Ivory finished writing the directions, so she looked at Joy. "…well, no, you don't have to leave right at this moment, but whenever you feel ready…I think you should head out…"

Joy looked at the ground.

"…unless…you don't want to leave…" Ivory murmured.

Joy twiddled her thumbs. She didn't just want to leave…not after being here for a month, being with someone that could take care of her, and she wasn't so lonely for once…not only that, but Malice hadn't bothered her for the duration of her training…so far, it had been much better than it had been before she came here to Ivory's cabin…she even had her moments where she cried for everything that happened and one of them was with her to let her cry and to hesitantly hold her.

Either way…she just…couldn't bring herself to think of leaving.

In that very instant, however, a loud blast caused the kitchen wall to erupt right out of the doorway in there; Mia screaming in panic over it. Joy and Ivory both jolted with their heads to the kitchen, Ivory jumping to her feet. "Mia! Brute!"

"IVORY, TAKE HER AND RUN!" Mia screamed, just before she made a choking sound; as if someone was grabbing her by the throat.

"Let go of Mia!" Brute roared, and there was noise in the kitchen.

"Brute, Mia!" Joy wailed, just as Ivory grabbed the paper and Joy and ran out of the room.

In that instant, however, the wall right ahead of the two of them burst wide open, as Brute had been hurled right through it. "...is this it? Pathetic..." a cold voice sneered.

Ivory held tight to Joy, and while Brute got back up, he glared at Ivory. "Go!" and Ivory ran past him.

In that instant, the figure suddenly punched Brute right in the face; knocking him right through the other wall as well. Mia, who was being held in a chokehold by the figure, coughed for air desperately. Joy desperately wanted to help…so she charged up a ball of Purity in her hands and shot it at the one who held Mia in a chokehold. However, a dark aura instantly welled up around the figure, and the blast of Purity was swallowed by the darkness.

"...well, well... there's the little girl..." he chuckled, as he turned to look at Joy; letting her see the massive, brutish-looking crocodile, who grinned menacingly at her.

Joy gasped, staring in utter fear of that character. Ivory, meanwhile, grit her teeth, and ran right out the door. She didn't want to leave Mia and Brute behind…but she had to get Joy to safety.

With a scoff, the crocodile glared down at Brute. "...now, then... I can either kill ya, or Corrupt ya. Which would you prefer?"

Brute got back up, cracking his knuckles. "Let Mia go!" he roared, throwing a punch at him.

However, the punch merely hit him with no effect. "...feh. Pathetic." With that, the crocodile suddenly shot his jaw at Brute's shoulder to bite down on it. Brute roared in pain.

Outside, Ivory could hear that, and she halted. She set Joy down, and shoved the paper into her hands. "I'm sorry Joy…I really am…but you gotta run," she said. Then she noticed a wrapped up pie that was conveniently lying around outside; probably from that crocodile bursting into the kitchen. She ran to scoop it up and toss it over to Joy. "Take that! Make it last!"

"Ivory!" Joy caught the pie, looking back at her in disdain.

"Just go!" and with that, she ran back inside.

With a cackle, the crocodile tossed Brute aside; spitting up blood as he smirked at the fallen horse. Then-

"Get away from him!" A figure lashed at him with a spear. Quickly, the crocodile grabbed this spear with his free hand; grinning at the one who had attacked him. Ivory stood there, gripping her staff tightly. "Who the hell are you?"

The crocodile smirked. "...the name's Bulk." he chuckled, before he suddenly snapped the staff in half.

Mia coughed. "...I-Ivory... you have to run...!"

"No! I can't leave you guys behind!" She tossed away her staff and threw a punch at Bulk.

However, Bulk quickly grabbed the punch with a sinister smirk. "...guess you're up first, then."

In that instant, his hand slowly began seeping dark goo onto Ivory's knuckles. Ivory's eyes shot open and she yanked the fist away, trying to shake of the goo. "No!"

Bulk laughed at that. "Surprised? You shouldn't be."

Ivory grit her teeth. Joy told her that if this stuff touched you, then bad things would happen. She glared at Bulk. "…I won't become your little slave…THAT I'll make sure of, you bastard…"

"...then you'd prefer death?" Bulk laughed.

Ivory growled, and ran at him to try and kick him. However, he was quick to grab her leg; causing more goo to seep onto her. "No!" Ivory tried to yank her foot away.

He allowed her to do so; laughing mockingly. "Running out of options, are we?"

Ivory grunted in pain, feeling the Corruption climb more and more around her body. Bulk laughed. "So, how's it feel? And when you're gone, I'll have you go after Joy and kill her yourselves." He sneered. "Either way, she'll either be dead or traumatized when I'm done here!"

"...f-fuck you."

Bulk hummed, as he glanced at Mia. "What's that, now?"

Mia was glaring at him as best she could while being choked. "...fuck you..." she hissed.

"…there's something…you don't know about us Safe Haven soldiers…Bulk," Ivory growled.

Bulk glanced back at her with a raised eyebrow.

"…King doesn't just train us to hone our abilities…" Ivory snarled. "…he trains us on how to have a strong will…so do what you fucking want, but we won't break…" Finally, the goo fully consumed her, and she stood there, quivering.

Bulk merely sneered. "...but did he train ya to handle Corruption?" he chuckled.

While the Corruption seeped into Ivory, they saw how it changed her. Her hair was made into a black and dark red fire in a ponytail, her body was more curved with some visible muscles that didn't distract from the body, and her clothes were black and ripped up with flaming bracelets.

Brute looked at Ivory in shock.

Bulk chuckled, before he turned to look at Brute. "...you're next." At that point, his free hand began seeping Corruption, as he approached the horse. Brute simply glared at him.

"_Stop."_

And all of a sudden, numerous spears of darkness appeared and were held at Bulk to stop him. Bulk hummed, as he glanced back at those spears.

"_I may not know how to use it…but you sure as hell underestimate it."_

Brute looked over at his corrupted sister in shock. She held the spears there by a hand. Mia glanced at Ivory with a surprised look.

"...well, now..." Bulk hummed.

Ivory's eyes were blazing in a fiery orange. "_Leave them alone…"_

Bulk chuckled, as he gripped harder down on Mia's throat. "...make me."

Ivory grew an aura of Corruption around her, and opened her hands to wield a large, massive spear. Then she shot at Bulk to thrust the spear at him. The spear tore at Bulk's body, but rather than create a gushing, bloody wound, it merely tore a gash to make black, gooey Corruption leak from his body. "...that's all?" Bulk chuckled.

The spear, stabbed him then. "No…I know you can't be killed…" Ivory spoke. "…so I'd obviously have to give more than that!" Having stabbed him, she was able to lift him, and toss him through a wall outside.

The wall crumbled as Bulk was hurled out of the cabin; causing him to let go of Mia, who wheezed and coughed for air desperately.

"_Brute, take Mia and hide for now!" _Ivory ordered, running out the hole in the wall she created.

Brute struggled to his feet, taking Mia up in his arms. Mia winced. "...no... we can't leave her..." she coughed.

"…I know…" he grunted with a wince.

Ivory, outside, ran to Bulk to swipe the spear at him again. Bulk chuckled, as he protected himself with his scales. Ivory took the spear and spun around with a whirl of Corruption, so that when she came around to slash at Bulk again, there would be a blast of Corruption to it. Bulk quickly slammed his hand against the spear; his fist blazing with Corruption as well.

Ivory got knocked back, but she stopped herself with her feet. She waved her spear, and many more copies of it appeared around her which shot like rain at Bulk. Bulk quickly waved his arm to summon a gooey wall of Corruption that absorbed the raining spears. Ivory suddenly appeared behind him then, with him distracted with those spears, and aimed to stab him again.

She pierced through his body, but he merely smirked. She hoisted him up again, and with a roar, slammed him against the ground. He merely began laughing. "What's the matter, bitch?" he cackled. "That all King's training can do?"

Ivory began growling…and her anger started to conjure up something behind herself. Seeing this, Bulk hummed with a curious chuckle. The mass of Corruption behind her grew into something very enormous… it became a large, black gorilla with the same flaming orange eyes she had, as well as piercings, necklaces, bracelets, and some feathers on its head. It seemed like some type of gorilla deity of some kind to Bulk…

Bulk grinned, "...marvelous."

Ivory waved her spear, and the gorilla yanked up Bulk. Then it proceeded to throw Bulk around the trees, the ground, and even punch at him every now and then. It was a regular rampage. However, most eerily of all, Bulk never once grunted in pain. In fact... he was laughing.

Brute could see outside, at the gorilla, and his eyes widened. "…Kekutan…" he uttered.

"...Keku-who...?" Mia uttered.

"…he is a deity of power and might…something that runs in our family…" Brute spoke, watching the gorilla, Kekutan, beat up the cackling Bulk.

"...wow..." Mia uttered.

With one last wave of Ivory's spear, Kekutan threw Bulk right down on the ground, and vanished away from sight. Bulk still kept laughing; even as he was bleeding profusely.

Ivory eyed him warily. _"…why are you laughing?"_

"You're just perfect!" Bulk cackled.

Ivory's eyes narrowed. _"…what?"_

"You got perfect potential..." Bulk chuckled, as he rose to his feet. "...yes... I'll enjoy making you one of my servants!"

Ivory pointed her spear at him. _"I'm not letting that happen…"_

"...and what are you gonna do to stop me?" Bulk chuckled.

"_Fight, that's what,_" And with a grunt, she shot for Bulk to stab him again.

However, Bulk grabbed the spear, and sneered at her. "...try."

Ivory opened one hand angrily, growing claws, and she shot it at Bulk to try and scratch his face. However, Bulk was quick to grab her hand, and sneered at her. "...how rebellious... I'll enjoy breaking you." he chuckled.

"_I'm not just a wild horse you can tame, Bulk!"_ Ivory growled, trying to yank away from him.

"That's right... and that'll make taming you _that much better_." he chuckled.

Ivory tried to kick him in the face to make him let her go. However, he responded by actually biting down on her leg. Ivory cried out.

Brute jumped at that, but he held Mia and remained in the house. "...we... have to help her..." Mia uttered.

Brute set her down, "Stay there," and he ran out.

"Ah- Brute!"

Ivory looked over when she heard that call, and she snarled. "_Brute, stop!"_

But Brute didn't stop, and instead, he threw a punch toward Bulk. Bulk smirked at that, and quickly grabbed the incoming fist; searing his own with liquid Corruption. Brute jumped away from that quickly, after seeing what happened to Ivory. Bulk chuckled. "Scared?"

"_Leave them out of this!" _Ivory snarled, still trying to pull her leg out of his mouth.

"...no." With a chuckle, Bulk actually began stomping towards Brute.

Brute readied himself for Bulk.

Then, "_Look! If I go with you, will you leave them alone?_" Ivory yelled. Bulk glanced back at her with a hum.

"…_I won't guarantee that I'll give up so easily…but if you take me with you, will you leave them alone?"_ Ivory growled with clenched teeth.

Brute's eyes widened. "…Ivory, no…"

Bulk chuckled. "...how sacrificing of you."

"_Will you leave them alone?"_ Ivory repeated, demanding the answer from Bulk.

"...for now." Bulk chuckled, as he approached Ivory again.

"Ivory, no!" Brute was going to run, but then Ivory put up a large barrier of Corruption that stopped him. He pounded against it while Bulk approached Ivory.

Stopping in front of her, Bulk chuckled. "...you're a brave fool, I'll give you that." he sneered. Ivory folded her arms, glaring up at him. Bulk smirked.

"...IVORY!" That was Mia, who was limping towards the barrier with a determined look. "You... better come back in one piece... you hear?" Ivory looked back at her and Brute. "...because if you don't..." Mia grunted. "...then you know that we're coming to get you back!"

"…_right…"_ Ivory murmured.

With a smirk, Bulk raised his hand, and summoned a massive cloud of Corruption around him and Ivory...

...and when it faded, so did the barrier... and the two of them were gone.

"…Ivory…" Brute murmured, staring at where they had been. Mia grunted, as she coughed a little. Brute picked her up, and limped back into the cabin with her.

* * *

><p>A dark swirl within the former office of the Commander emanated from thin air, which spat out two figures; Bulk and Ivory. "...and here we are." the crocodile sneered.<p>

Ivory growled at Bulk and then ran at him to punch him. However, he quickly grabbed her fist. "Whoa, there, relax!" he laughed. But Ivory didn't want to relax and so she threw her other fist at him. That only gave him the opportunity to grab her other hand, before slamming her into the wall. "You got an attitude problem!" he cackled.

Ivory tried to struggle away from him, snarling at him. He smirked at her. "...now... how to tame you..."

"_I told you; just because I came with you, doesn't mean that you'll tame me!_" Ivory yelled at him, trying to kick him in the gut.

When he was kicked, however, he cackled. "But seeing you break down would be so... _exquisite._" With that, he cracked his neck a little. "...so, do I take you by force... or leave you to some of my _other_ servants?"

"_Either way, I can hold up!_" Ivory growled.

"...we'll see about that..." Bulk chuckled, as he narrowed his gaze a tad. "...Cyrene!"

"_Yes Master?"_

Ivory could see past Bulk, and she saw someone come into the room. Cyrene gave her a wicked looking grin. Now she had dark markings that curled around her body like tattoos of vines. Her own feminine features were altered to be more curved, bigger breasted and stronger looking as well. Her eyes were also piercing red.

"...I'd like you to meet our newest recruit." Bulk chuckled, as he glanced at Cyrene with a smirk. "Why don't you show her the benefits of Corruption, hm?"

"_Yes Master…"_ Cyrene chuckled.

Ivory frowned. _"…what did you do to that woman?"_

"...I fueled her very being with Corruption." Bulk chuckled. "Doesn't she look lovely?"

"…_it looks more like it's sucking the life out of her,"_ Ivory answered in dry frankness.

Cyrene growled at that. Bulk hummed. "...care to rebutt her statement, Cyrene?" he chuckled, before handing Ivory over to Cyrene. "She's all yours."

Cyrene jumped at Ivory with claws…but quicker than she could anticipate, Ivory struck her away with her spear. Cyrene let out a hiss…and then saw Ivory running for the door. Cyrene threw her hands out and created a powerful barrier at the door…which grew around the room entirely.

Ivory whacked the barrier with the spear, but it didn't break…and so she was trapped in the room, glaring back at Cyrene.

Bulk laughed. "Oh, Cyrene... I don't regret giving you this power at all."

"_I'm glad to hear that…Master…"_ Cyrene purred.

"_Oh, I see…you're his little pet,"_ Ivory scoffed. _"So he's really lazy enough that he'll sic his pet cat on me instead of fighting me instead?_"

Cyrene growled. _"You dare mock my Master?_"

Ivory raised her spear, making numerous ones appear around Cyrene. _"I don't mock him…I pity his and your weaknesses," _she said, and Cyrene was sent on a wild goose chase to avoid the swiping spears.

Bulk chuckled at that. "Oh, how naive..." With that, he raised his hand...

...and from the darkness, numerous thick, gooey tentacles suddenly wrapped around Ivory's arms and legs; nearly crushing her in their grip.

"_AAAAGH!"_ Ivory dropped her spear because of that, which meant all of the spears around Cyrene disappeared.

"_I'm not weak…I simply know who's really in charge of the whole thing,"_ Cyrene chuckled. _"Unlike Mercy, who still listens to Patricia…and even Patricia learns her place next to Master Bulk!_"

"...Mercy, hm?" Bulk chuckled a bit upon hearing that. "...interesting... how about you bring her in, Cyrene? So we can break her in along with Ivory, here."

Cyrene purred. _"Oh yes Master…that sounds wonderful…_" And she dispelled the barrier since Ivory was still in the hold of the tentacles, so that she could leave.

Ivory continued to struggle. _"I refuse to give in!"_

Bulk chuckled, as he approached her. "...the funny thing is, you don't have a choice." he sneered.

Ivory glared at him. _"That's not up to you to decide that…_"

"...oh, but it _is._" Bulk laughed, as he snapped his fingers.

A black pit of ooze began gathering from the tentacles binding her, and soon, a tendril was rising from it; hovering towards Ivory's mouth.

Ivory grit her teeth and shut her mouth tightly, refusing for it to open. However, smaller tendrils sprouted from it, and actually began forcing her mouth open. _"Mmmph!"_ Ivory continued to struggle against them, fighting to keep her mouth closed.

The tendril, even as she struggled, attempted to at least partially squeeze itself within her. Ivory snarled, still trying to fight it by biting down on it. In that instant, however, Bulk suddenly ran up to her and punched her gut fiercely. Ivory lost her wind and with her mouth wide open with a grunt, she gagged on the tendril.

It didn't take the tendril long to start flooding into her; pulling with it copious amounts of Corruption within her. Ivory grunted and gagged in pain.

"Don't worry..." Bulk chuckled, as he watched her body. "...soon, you'll grow to love it..."

Ivory still tried to struggle, wincing in all the mixed feelings she felt while being pumped full of Corruption. She could feel her body changing…growing black markings on her body, and her body shifted little by little to look stronger and more attractive. The skirt started to diminish away to a loincloth, though her top remained the same. Both her tail and her hair were ablaze still, but the black and red flames changed to a bright orange flame.

Bulk's smirk grew wider at seeing her transformation. "...good..."

Ivory didn't struggle anymore, moaning vaguely. Bulk chuckled at that. "...so much for that determination... wouldn't you agree?" he asked in a bemused tone, once the last remainder of the dark tendril slithered within her.

Ivory collapsed on her hands and knees, breathing heavily, shuddering. Bulk chuckled, as he folded his arms. "...now... rise up."

Slowly, Ivory started getting up, but even then, it looked like there were hints of struggling against it with wincing. Bulk chuckled at that sight. "...now... who do you serve?"

Ivory grit her teeth, refusing to answer. "...well?" Bulk chuckled, as he gripped Ivory by the jaw and forced her to look back at him.

Ivory glared back at him.

"…_Master…if I may…_" Just then, Cyrene was walking in with Mercy following behind. _"Someone with a strong will like hers won't easily be broken in violent, aggressive ways…"_

Bulk chuckled a tad. "True enough..." And he let go of her. "Then I suppose alternate methods would be more beneficial, then?"

"_Yes Master…_" Cyrene giggled with a purr. Mercy just rolled her eyes at that.

"Speaking of..." Bulk chuckled, as he looked over to Mercy. "...how are you doing, Mercy? Anything to report?"

"Just been keeping an eye on Metal Sonic's group," Mercy said dryly, looking at Bulk with disinterest.

"I see..." Bulk chuckled, as he glanced at Cyrene. "Now, then... how would you go about to make our new recruit more obedient, Cyrene? Care to demonstrate, perhaps?"

"_You have to play with her mind, and her emotions, Master…_" Cyrene sneered, walking up to Ivory who still glared at them; mostly her as she approached the flaming horse.

"...a subtler approach... I like the sound of that." Bulk sneered.

Cyrene went up close to Ivory, and she leaned to her ear, whispering. _"What about it…? What are the things you would desire most…?"_ and she licked her ear lustfully.

Which earned her a punch in the face from Ivory.

"…if Cyrene did that to me, I would punch her too," Mercy admitted.

Bulk merely laughed. "Oh, this is gonna be good..."

Cyrene hissed back at Ivory, and now Ivory was smirking. Cyrene walked away then. _"…Master…you would be more experienced with this sort of thing…_" she grumbled.

"...right..." Bulk chuckled, as he approached Ivory now. "You two just watch... I'll have her obeying me soon enough."

Mercy folded her arms, while Cyrene smirked wickedly. Ivory glared again at Bulk. "...you see, before someone strong-willed would willingly submit to someone's wiles..." Bulk mused, as he looked down at Ivory with a wicked smirk. "...you should gradually break down their defenses."

* * *

><p><em><strong>I'll show some of what's going on, but I'll cut off at a certain point...If you don't enjoy reading stuff like this, feel free to skip ahead. That's my warning for you.<strong>_

* * *

><p>And in that instant, he grabbed hold of Ivory's breasts, and began fondling them roughly. Ivory gave a surprised yelp, while Mercy groaned in disgust and Cyrene chuckled.<p>

Kneading them in his grip, Bulk sneered at Ivory with a smirk. "Tell me how this feels..." he chuckled tauntingly, as he kept on roughly massaging and squeezing her breasts. Ivory let out a few shuddered breaths, but she pushed him away.

"_Get off me!" _she screamed, turning away from him.

However, the moment she turned around, Bulk instantly grabbed her again; groping her from behind this time. "You act uncomfortable... but deep down, there's this tiny part of you that's wanting more." he chuckled.

"…_get…off…_" Ivory growled at him.

"...I don't think so." Bulk chuckled, as he made a light motion that formed dark binds around Ivory's arms; all while he kept roughly fondling her breasts. "I can keep this up as long as it's needed... all that remains is how long you can hold up."

Ivory shuddered, trying to keep herself from reacting to it…but he could hear her breathe. Bulk smirked, and leaned in closer to her, so he could hear her breathing better. "...see? You're feeling good right now, aren't you?"

"…_stop it…_" Ivory uttered.

"...why? Doesn't this feel good?" Bulk whispered, as he kept massaging her breasts; moving his hands sensually around them.

Ivory tried to struggle with her arms in the binds, still trying to hold in her shuddering breath. _"…this is wrong…_" she muttered.

"...it may seem like that... but relax; it'll all feel so right in the end..." Bulk whispered still, as he kept massaging her like this. "...so go on... let yourself go... let it feel _good..._"

"…_let go…stop it…_" Ivory gasped.

"...no." Bulk chuckled, as he kept squeezing her breasts; even sliding one hand within her top to gain control over her bare breast. Ivory shuddered even more, whimpering.

"Ugh…it's like watching a dirty movie or something…" Mercy groaned, turning around to walk away. "I'm not interested in watching this." Then a barrier appeared at the door, halting Mercy.

"_Once he's done with her, he'll have business with you,_" Cyrene snickered. _"So stay put…_"

"...actually... why don't you warm her up, Cyrene?" Bulk chuckled, as he slid his other hand within Ivory's top to massage her other breast. "But do remember to constrain her; you don't want another punch, do you?"

Mercy looked at him, and then at Cyrene. "…what are you talking about?"

Cyrene chuckled, looking at her with that wicked smirk. Even as he still massaged Ivory's breasts, pulling her top over them so they weren't concealed, Bulk glanced back at the two of them with a smirk.

Mercy finally got the idea. "…you're gonna break me the same way you're gonna break her…"

Cyrene chuckled, advancing toward her. Mercy closed her eyes, showing no fear.

"…Lock was right…" she whispered under her breath.

With a chuckle, Bulk returned his attention towards Ivory. "So, how's it feel now?" he hummed. Ivory refused to answer, but she was still breathing shakily. "...well?" Bulk chuckled, as he actually nibbled at her ear a tad.

Ivory tried to hold in a moan, but even Bulk could her it being whispered. _"…you won't get away with this…_" she muttered.

"...and who's gonna stop me, hm? The kid?" Bulk whispered with a downright sadistic undertone. "Don't fool yourself; she could hardly take care of herself. Compared to me, she's just a _speck._" And he began kissing at Ivory's neck. Ivory winced, trembling.

Just then, Bulk heard a massive fire of Corruption blast out, knocking Cyrene into the wall. Perking up, Bulk glanced towards that fire with a narrowed gaze.

"I signed up for this only to get my revenge on Lock; not to be part of some cult of yours," Mercy growled, with her rifle drawn out.

"...sounds like someone didn't read the fine print." Bulk scoffed, as he narrowed his eyes further. "...and we _don't_ accept resignations." In that instant, he snapped his fingers...

...and all around Mercy, a horde of tentacles quickly surrounded her; forming a barrier around her as they loomed ominously over her. Mercy tried to fire at them with her rifle. However, even as she blasted holes in them, they were quick to reform themselves. With that, they quickly shot down to yank Mercy off the ground; intending to knock the rifle out of her grasp. Mercy dropped her rifle on accident, and she tried to struggle in their grasp. They left her little room to struggle, though, as they were tightly wrapped around her wrists and ankles; quickly taking this opportunity to tear her clothes apart.

* * *

><p><em><strong>And here's where I cut this off.<strong>_

* * *

><p>"…hey…" Rudy spoke out in the group, sniffing the air. "…do you guys smell…pie?"<p>

Newt perked up, and sniffed at the air. "...yeah... it's... apple pie, I think."

"...apple pie..." Wiper hummed, as he rubbed his chin. "...I would assume that someone lives close-by."

_**"Disturbing them is not adviseable."**_ Omega shot in. _**"We have a task at hand."**_

Metal remained silent, as he was walking ahead of the group; the month-long drought of any kind of information regarding his daughter was getting to him, and he seemed more or less ready to accept _anything_ that could help his cause at this point.

"…uh, Omega?" Boomer was ahead of the group, even ahead of Metal, seeing something of an uneasy sight. "…I think you may want to belay that advice."

_**"...how so?"**_

Proxy quickly ran ahead towards where Boomer was, and when he saw what she saw, he narrowed his eyes as well. "...seems like trouble struck here... recently."

Metal perked up at that, and hurried over to them; with the others following... and then they saw what Boomer and Proxy had already seen. There was a cabin there, but it was split apart and there was even a giant hole in one of the walls.

"Oh no!" Stella gasped.

"…I wonder what went down here," Violet hummed.

"...we should investigate." Lock noted.

"...let me go ahead." Wiper hummed, as he gave the others a sharp look. "Wait here for the moment." With that, he hurried towards the cabin.

"Hang on," Violet called, following Wiper closely in case he needed backup.

A figure jumped out from the cabin, aiming a punch at Violet suddenly. Violet deflected away the figure and yanked out her rifle to start an attack—then Stella jumped in. "Violet, stop!"

The figure stopped when hearing that voice, and slowly turned. "…Stella…" It turned out to be a partially wounded Brute.

"...Stella? You... kidding?" And that was an injured Mia, who trudged out after Brute.

"...what happened to the two of you?" Wiper uttered, as the rest of the group caught up.

"…strong user of a power called Corruption…he came here and destroyed the house…" Brute muttered, sitting to rest his wounds. "…he took Ivory…"

Stella's eyes widened. "Who took Ivory?"

"…a guy named Bulk," Brute answered.

"...Bulk..." Metal uttered, as his eyes narrowed. "...and... why did he come here?"

Brute looked at Mia, and then to the ground. "…Joy…" he spoke lowly. "…he wanted to get Joy…"

"She was here?" Violet asked solemnly.

Brute nodded.

Metal's eyes widened when he heard that. "...how long... was she here...?"

Mia glanced to the side. "...a month."

Metal fell to his knees in absolute shock.

"…Ivory…sent Joy to another solder from Safe Haven…to get away from Bulk," Brute mentioned. "…said something about how the soldier knew her and her mother and cared about them…when they first came to Safe Haven."

Stella immediately knew what he was talking about, and she gawked at him. "…she was talking about Cowpoke…wasn't she?"

Metal perked again at that. "...Cowpoke..."

Proxy hummed. "...so... where did Joy flee to?" he inquired.

"…Ivory wrote some directions for her…" Brute mumbled. "…I'll go get a pen and paper so we can do the same…we also know where he lives…" and Brute limped inside. Mia glanced back at Brute entering the cabin, before looking back at the group.

"...thank you..." Metal murmured, as he was looking down at the ground.

Mia couldn't help but crack a slight smile at that. "...you're welcome."

At that point, Lock glanced at the others. "...get the walkie-talkie ready. This is far too important not to let the others know about."

"Right," Boomer answered. She was the one that had possession of it this time, and she pulled it out.

Stella looked at Mia worriedly. "…are you guys going to be okay?"

"...we've had worse." Mia grunted, as she rubbed her neck. "...honestly... Spiel kicking our asses five years ago hurt more."

Stella bit her lip. "…would you believe that…Spiel had been infected with Corruption too?"

Mia's eyes widened, as she looked back at Stella. "...are you kidding? Him, of all people?" she uttered with wide eyes.

"…That was all just two years ago," Stella said. "Metal told me that he wasn't just infected with it…but he suppressed the one that tried to possess him…but all of that killed him in the end."

Mia gaped wide. "...holy shit..." she uttered. "...Spiel's... _dead?_"

"...that's the truth..." Metal murmured.

"…Him and Krieg are both dead…" Stella uttered. "…in fact, Hex—" she shuddered at that name, "…Kiri, Diablo and Raider had all been infected by the stuff…"

Mia gaped even more. "...all of those guys...?" she uttered. "...d-did they die, too...?"

"...no. They lived." Metal murmured. "...though... Raider was killed a while back."

"...you're shitting me." Mia uttered, as she stumbled back a bit.

Stella nodded. "…Raider being killed is what set off this whole thing in the first place…" she gulped. "…from what I understand…Malice…the evil thing inside Joy…that's what killed him."

"…Malice very bad…" Brute had heard the whole thing, and he was walking out with written directions on it.

"...and we have to help Joy against her..." Metal murmured.

"...somehow, though... I think you'll have your hands full with those other guys, too..." Mia noted.

"...we'll handle them." Proxy noted. "You two just focus on recovering..."

Boomer took the directions from Brute, skimming over them with her eyes. "…okay, pretty easy enough to follow," she muttered, pressing the button on the communicator. "Hey guys, this is Boomer. We got a lead on Joy's trail."

"_Really?" _Milo's voice responded immediately.

_"Where's she headed?" _King's voice shot in rather quickly as well.

"...to Cowpoke." Metal answered.

King let out a surprised-sounding gasp. _"To Cowpoke? Are you serious?"_

_"Seems that way, King." _Sage mused.

"Joy had been with Ivory, Mia and Brute for a whole month guys!" Rudy threw in. "But this guy named Bulk showed up and he was a Corrupted! He took Ivory away!"

"_NO!" _Ani sounded pained to hear that, that's for sure.

_"...son of a bitch..." _King grunted.

_"...Bulk..." _That voice was Natal's. _"...he's... the one..."_

Lock perked at that. "...you've met him before?"

"…_Natal was the one that put him in prison in the first place…"_ Cal growled.

They could hear Ani start crying on the other line. _"…Ani?" _Milo sounded surprised at that.

_"...Ani?" _King uttered from his end on the line.

_"...Ani, what's wrong...?" _they heard Jack speak as well.

Ani just kept on crying. Milo sighed. _"…we…had some pretty harsh things happen last night,"_ he started off. _"…King…Cyrene appeared last night and she attacked…but Striker tried to fight her off._"

King grunted. _"...tsch..."_

_"...is Striker alright?" _they heard Queen inquire.

"…_yeah, but…he got very badly injured…_" Milo mumbled. "…_something that Ani said to him really set him off and he pushed himself too hard…_" thus explaining why Ani was falling apart on that end.

_"...hrm... then we wish him the swiftest recovery..."_ Queen murmured.

_"...things... haven't been too good on our end lately, either..."_ King murmured.

Metal glanced at the walkie-talkie when he said that. "...what do you mean?"

_"...lately..." _King began in a concerned tone. _"...we've been overhearing rumors, and... reports..."_

_"...it's slow, but... Corruption's spreading."_ Sage pointed out. _"No major cities have been targeted, but... reports of smaller villages just... vanishing... have caught our ear..."_

"…that sounds pretty bad…" Violet said grimly.

_"...not only do we have Joy and Malice to worry about..."_ King murmured. _"...but the exploits of Patricia and Bulk are growing far too out of hand."_

"...hrm..." Metal hummed.

_"...in any case, we know where Joy's headed."_ Sage shot in. _"We'll work something out."_

"Right," Boomer said. "I'll read the directions to you guys so you know where to head…"

* * *

><p>"Do you HONESTLY want me to give you that much leeway after ALL THAT COMMOTION YESTERDAY?"<p>

Jill winced at that yelling. She wondered if coming here on her own volition was a good idea or not…but she didn't want to get all her friends in trouble. If she stayed too long with the resistance, the military would eventually find them and the last thing she wanted was to break everything up. Naturally, when they fixed her up from all the beatings she took from Trash, she walked over to HQ on her own to ask the Captain not to be too harsh on her.

But that didn't seem to be very evident.

The Captain gave her a furious look. "Do you realize how much chaos and disorder your _friends_ caused yesterday?"

Jill didn't speak back.

"How do you expect me to lighten up on such criminal behavior like that?" the Captain kept screaming. "Sure, perhaps you weren't the "Phantom" as all my men have decided to call it, but you were still broken out of holding by your friends, and not only that, but you never returned home! You still broke the rules!"

Jill glared at him grudgingly. "…so what…? I'm just as much a criminal as they are?"

"Don't give me that tone, Condit!" the Captain growled. "The last thing we need is for you to act like a sniveling child!"

"But I haven't acted like a child!" Jill protested back. "I've cooperated as much as I possibly could with all of you! But you still seem to treat me like I'm a serial killer!"

"Condit, from the report I heard made by the Sergeant, you are capable of being that great a danger!" the Captain yelled.

"...oh, for goodness sake, Captain, what are you screaming about now?"

At that point, the door opened, and the Admiral stepped inside; quickly taking notice of Jill, "...oh. I see." he instantly hummed.

"Admiral!" the Captain rose politely for the Admiral as military protocol. Jill just looked back at him.

The Admiral glanced back at the Captain. "Could you tell me what you were screaming about this time?"

"…Condit finally showed up on her own this afternoon, and she was asking me to be easy on her," the Captain growled. "But after the commotion from yesterday, I don't see why I should."

The Admiral sighed, as he rubbed his temples. "...honestly, Captain... you're blowing this out of proportion, aren't you?"

"…what do you mean, Admiral?" the Captain asked, narrowing his eyes.

The Admiral grew serious. "What I mean is that there's been over a month-long drought of information coming from HQ, we haven't heard a word from the Sergeant or the Commander all this time, and you're _still_ focused on maintaining the house arrest of one girl. Honestly, Captain? We have bigger priorities to worry about."

The Captain was silenced after that.

At that point, the Admiral walked over to the Captain. "...our focus needs to shift elsewhere. Leave the Lieutenants to deal with the rebellion, if you absolutely must... but henceforth, we _need_ to establish contact with HQ. It takes precedence over anything else."

Jill kept silent. Obviously, she's been in contact with Metal all this time, so she really knew everything that was going on…but the only one she could trust to impart the information would be the Admiral and the Admiral only. If she started spouting things like that around the Captain, he'd just have even more reason to accuse her of being another troublemaker… so she kept silent.

"…how do you intend to go about that, sir?" the Captain asked the Admiral after a while.

"...you leave that to me." the Admiral spoke, as he narrowed his eyes. "Now, I want you to return to the mothership, and aid in communications. Every little bit would aid us in getting contact with HQ."

"…yes sir," the Captain answered. Obediently, he left the room and closed the door behind himself, leaving Jill alone with the Admiral.

Then all of a sudden…there was a ringing that came from the Admiral. Hearing that, the Admiral quickly dug into his pocket; pulling out a cellphone that he quickly answered to. "Yes?" he spoke when he put it to his ear. Jill kept silent so she wouldn't interrupt the call.

"...what? Is that really... I see. Yes... yes, I understand... what? Are we to... hm... I see... until further notice..." The Admiral seemed deep in thought, as he rubbed his chin. "...I understand. Thank you for contacting me. Yes... yes. I wish you well."

With that, he hung up. Jill looked up at him.

"...that was..." the Admiral spoke thoughtfully, "...the Commander."

Jill's eyes widened. "It was?"

"...yes." he hummed. "...she didn't say how, but... the Sergeant has slipped into a coma."

Jill's brows arched. "…I'm…sorry to hear that."

"...she also said something else..." the Admiral hummed. "...to not move the fleet away from Safe Haven... she noted that it would need all the protection it could get..."

"…I see…" Jill didn't like the sound of that. It meant some pretty ominous business to her…

"...so, in the meantime..." the Admiral hummed, as he glanced at Jill. "...until the Sergeant recovers... would it be too much to ask of you to... remain in your home still?"

"…just until the Sergeant recovers?" Jill asked.

The Admiral nodded. "I realize that it may take quite a while, but... to compensate, GUN won't pay any visits to you; they will only keep patrol around your home, in case Callous tries anything." Then, he folded his arms behind his back. "...it's not something I want to do, but... what the Commander said... to protect Safe Haven... it's foreboding..."

"…yeah…it is…" Jill muttered. Then she looked at the ground thoughtfully. If she agreed to this, then the time of her house arrest could range from a few days, to months, to… she shuddered to think just how long she might be stuck there…

…and it all really depends on what put him in that coma in the first place… but at this rate, Trash doesn't have to be a mandatory thing…and if she doesn't want him in her house, then she can ask him to leave and he can't try to take advantage of her.

To be honest…that was the best she could really think of.

"…okay…I'll agree to it," Jill said.

The Admiral nodded, as he set a hand on Jill. "...remain strong." he hummed.

Jill nodded. "…right…"

"...now... head home, Condit." the Admiral hummed, before he turned to sit down in the chair by the desk.

Jill nodded, and she turned away, leaving.

She wasn't even given an escort this time; she just walked through town on her own. Soon, the Admiral would contact the Captain about these matters, and that the Lieutenants are no longer in charge of checking on her. Sure, maybe Brawn would drop by when Tasha comes, for the sake of being her escort…and maybe Trash might attempt some things…

…but either way, she wasn't being breathed down her neck.

She reached her home, and the soldiers standing out front. At first, they were alarmed.

"…ask your Admiral, and he'll explain the situation," she simply told them, entering inside. That left them confused, but less uneasy.

She climbed up the stairs to her apartment, walking in the door. "Tails Doll, are you here?" she called out. "It's just me, Jill."

Tails Doll, she found, was sitting on the couch, but he was unresponsive. Jill blinked at him. "…Tails Doll?" and she went to pick up the doll.

_"...Jill."_ A completely different voice greeted her instead.

Her eyes widened at that. "…Metal…"

_"...I... have good news to bring..."_ Metal spoke via Tails Doll, as he looked up at her. _"...we've... finally found a trail after Joy."_

She grew tense, holding the doll a bit tighter. "…you have?"

_"...yes." _the doll nodded. _"For the past month, she had been staying with... Ivory, Brute and Mia, if I recall correctly... when we arrived there, though, she had moved on."_ Then it closed its eyes. _"...she's... currently headed for... Cowpoke."_

Jill had no idea how to react to that…so far, it sounded like Joy had been able to find many soldiers from the previous years she's been here, that knew about her and Joy. This, though…

…it felt strange…different…and…Jill felt a mixture of emotions right now. She remembered how the three, Ivory, Mia and Brute at first nearly took them away to Hex to be her playthings…but toward the end of the year they changed into decent people. Cowpoke though…that was something she had a very hard time describing. She never talked to him again after that year, and even after Metal came back, she never talked to him. She wondered what he was doing, how he reacted to the news of Metal Sonic's capture…

…whether or not he had even been waiting to her from Jill again.

_"...we're currently on her trail."_ Metal spoke. _"Hopefully... we should be able to catch up with her soon..."_

Jill nodded shakily. "…r-right."

Brief silence.

_"...are you... going to be alright, Jill?"_

"…I…don't know…" Jill muttered.

He hummed. _"...I'm... sorry... that this has been taking so long..."_

"…that's alright…" Jill murmured.

_"...I promise... we'll return as soon as we can..."_

"…I know…" and Jill hugged the plushie closely. It hugged her back.

"...good luck…" she whispered to it.

_"...thank you."_

* * *

><p>"Alright Jack…show me what you got so far," Vanessa said.<p>

"...okay, mom..." Nodding, Jack began throwing a few rapid punches at the air; nothing too uncontrollable, but enough that one could see a certain elegance in his style of fighting. Vanessa couldn't help but be really impressed…Jack was not only a quick learner, but he was showing a lot of progress in the training that they just started today… He threw a few kicks in there as well, mixed in with all of his punches. His moves were swift, but there was a degree of power added into them.

"…that's good," she said, smiling. "That's _really_ good, Jack."

"...is it, mom?" Jack hummed, as he kept jabbing and kicking at the air.

"Yeah," she answered. "…I think it's time for a break."

Nodding, Jack stopped, and sat down on the ground; breathing a bit. It was interesting for Vanessa to train him, still with her broken arms, but she was able to explain everything to Jack fairly well for him to be able to understand, and she was good enough at observation to see if he was grasping it or not. So far, things were going well.

She went over and sat at a nearby rock to settle down a bit.

"...so... do you think I'm doing good, mom?"

Vanessa looked at Jack with a smile. "…yeah…for your first training ever, you're doing really well."

Jack smiled at her. "...thanks, mom." he hummed.

Vanessa nodded, and then she took a minute to breathe. Last night was intense…and they were still dealing with the aftermath of it today, this afternoon.

In fact, Vanessa wasn't able to sleep at all last night from everything…

"...mom..." Jack hummed, as he glanced at the ground. "...do you think... things are gonna get better from here?"

"…I can't say for sure, Jack," Vanessa replied. "Only time can tell…"

"Right..." Jack hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...I just... don't want anyone else to be sad..."

"…I know," Vanessa said. "…but I think most of the time, it's up to them to work through how they feel…"

"...yeah..." Jack nodded, before he smiled at Vanessa. "...thanks again, mom."

"No problem Jack," Vanessa said.

Jack smiled more...

...and then he perked a bit. "...mom... did you hear that?"

Vanessa's smile fell. "…I did…"

Quickly, she ran at Jack and pinned him down. This managed to save them both from a blast that shot out past them, hitting a nearby tree.

Jack quickly looked towards that tree with wide eyes. "What was _that?_" he sputtered.

"…someone who doesn't want to come out of hiding," Vanessa huffed, trying to get back up. "Jack, find some cover!"

"...o-okay!" Quickly, Jack ran towards one of the larger rocks; huddling up close-by it. "...mom, what about the others?"

"Hang on," Vanessa called back to him, looking around. She needed to figure out what that was exactly….

…then came another blast, and Vanessa was able to jump away. That was enough for her to see just what it was exactly. "Jack, we've got someone with Corruption around!" she yelled, running to him. "We need to warn the others!"

"...right!" Jack nodded, as he ran out. "Let's go!"

Vanessa ran ahead to lead the way for him, keeping her eyes peeled. Jack ran after her in turn. While Vanessa would've made a remark on how Jack heard that on his own, she needed to keep her focus on any attacks that would come after them…

And suddenly, a figure jumped down in front of them, making Vanessa and Jack halt.

It was Mercy.

Just like Cyrene and Ivory, black markings were across Mercy's body, but they weren't all over; there were some around her forearms, her thighs, and then some on her lower back, looking very much like tattoos more than the others. Her eyes had been red to begin with, but they turned a bright shade of purple that glowed brightly. Her figure, too, was a bit altered to look much more attractive, but still more slender compared to the other two to retain her agility.

"...who are you?" Jack uttered with a gulp.

"…_my name is Mercy, though I won't give any of that for you,"_ she replied, pointing her rifle at them. _"Give me the boy, or you'll have more than just broken limbs…_"

Vanessa grit her teeth… Cyrene probably went and tattled on Jack, and for all she knew, she could've been watching, finding out about Johnny…either way, now they showed interest in Jack.

"...mom... what do we do?" Jack uttered.

Vanessa didn't answer, and Mercy started walking toward them. "...mom?" Jack grew more nervous now.

Mercy started charging up her rifle at them, and Vanessa stayed put for the moment…

…just right before it would fire though, Vanessa kicked the barrel up quickly, and the shot fired up into the sky.

Jack gazed up at the soaring shot in awe...

...and, back with the other group, Demi quickly glanced in that direction when he saw a shot being fired into the sky. _...that's... where Jack and Vanessa...! _Quickly, he took to the air and began flying in that direction.

"…oh no…" Oblivion uttered when she saw that.

Milo glanced back. Striker was still resting up from last night, but already they had another attacker. He didn't know if he should follow though...

Charon's eyes narrowed. "...hrm..." Then, he glanced back at Oblivion and the others. "...please, wait here." With that, he flew right after Demi.

"Charon wait!" Oblivion called out, but Milo stopped her before she could run after him.

"Oblivion, we have to stay together as a group; not spread out like this," Milo told her. "He'll be okay…"

Back with Vanessa, Jack and Mercy, after doing that kick, Mercy was able to whip Vanessa across the face with her rifle, knocking her aside. "MOM!" Jack uttered in fear, as he looked at Vanessa in concern.

Vanessa got back up. "Jack, help me out!" she called, throwing a kick at Mercy that she blocked with her rifle.

"Uh... right!" Jack nodded, as he quickly ran up to swing his fist at Mercy.

Mercy had to block back and forth between Jack and Vanessa, but with the two of them beating against her, Mercy had to back away little by little from them. Eventually, she jumped away in hiding again, leaving Vanessa and Jack to guess where she vanished off to.

Jack quickly looked around him. "...where did she go?"

"Keep your ears open," Vanessa told him, looking around.

"Yeah..." Jack nodded...

...and his eyes widened. "Mom, someone else is coming!"

"Who?" She asked.

Then a fire was shot at them, and she had to push Jack out of the way of fire. "Whoa!" Jack uttered, as he stumbled after that. "...I think... it's someone from the group!"

"…I think so too; I hear flapping wings," Vanessa replied. So it was either Charon or Demi…

Then another shot fired toward them. "Look out!" she gasped.

Narrowing his eyes, Jack actually dove right for Vanessa; tackling her to the ground so that the shot narrowly missed them. "You okay, mom?"

"Yeah, I'm alright," Vanessa uttered, carefully getting herself on her feet without the use of her arms. "Thanks, son."

"No problem, mom." Jack nodded, before he looked around. "Alright, wherever you are, come out!"

Mercy did come out…she popped out right behind them to throw a kick toward Jack's head. However, her leg stopped just before striking his head.

"...don't you even dare." Demi growled, as he was clutching her leg to keep her from attacking.

Vanessa breathed to some relief, seeing Demi here to help. Vanessa kicked Mercy in the gut then, and that was enough for the rabbit to jump back a bit. Demi flapped his wings a bit to create a blanket of dust around him, as he glared at Mercy. "...you're not touching them."

"Not if we can help it." And with that, Charon landed with a fierce thud by Jack and Vanessa; glaring at Mercy.

Mercy simply glared at them. _"You realize that I'm not alone, right?"_

On cue, a swarm of spears flew at the group. Seeing that, Charon quickly breathed a blaze of fire to swallow these spears.

"More of them?" Jack uttered.

From another direction, a flaming figure jumped down, and charged at them with a spear in her hands. Narrowing his eyes, Demi quickly flew up to knock aside this flaming figure. The flaming figure jumped away, and then the flames receded back to just hair and tail, and it revealed herself to be Ivory.

"_The Master wants to see the boy,"_ she hissed.

"...master?" Jack uttered.

"...you're not getting him." Charon growled.

"_That's what you think,_" Mercy remarked, firing another blast of Corruption out of her rifle at them. Demi, however, was quick to knock that blast aside, before he shot at her with a roar.

"...Vanessa, stay close to Jack." Charon growled, before he rushed towards Ivory with a snarl.

"Right," and stay close she did, keeping an eye on Ivory and Mercy while they proceeded to fight against Demi and Charon.

"...man... they're strong..." Jack murmured as he watched the two Corrupted women fight fiercely against Charon and Demi.

"…yeah, they are…" Vanessa murmured.

Then her eyes widened. "Jack!" and she pushed him to the ground again, avoiding a slash-wave of Corruption that flew over their heads.

"ANOTHER ONE?" Jack sputtered.

To answer Jack, there was a sinister cackle in the air.

Vanessa growled; recognizing the voice, and when she got up, she stood in front of Jack protectively. "Cyrene…" she growled.

Cyrene was standing there with her drawn sword, grinning wickedly at the two of them. "...you again..." Jack uttered.

"_We're going to take the boy, and we won't take no for an answer…_" She snickered, lunging toward them. Vanessa was able to kick her back, and from there, Vanessa got absorbed in the fight too; fighting against Cyrene to keep her away from Jack.

Jack just stepped back a bit in fear. "...mom... Charon... Demi..."

With Mercy and Demi, they were evenly matched in speed; both to avoid the others attacks. The longer it went on, the more and more that Demi had to borrow power from Blood inside of him…but it almost seemed like Mercy was toying with him, still evading most of his attacks.

The fight with Ivory and Charon seemed similar; while Ivory was much smaller than Charon and much quicker, Charon was still able to withstand some of her attacks, and even avoid them to some degree…but it just seemed like Ivory was toying with him the same way Mercy toyed with Demi.

Vanessa and Cyrene though; it was quite evident that Cyrene was toying with his mother. She kept shooting a teasing, evil little smirk at Vanessa every time she tried to kick and stomp on Cyrene. Vanessa was quick enough to avoid Cyrene's attacks, but every now and then Cyrene would strike a hit on Vanessa's arms and make her whimper.

Jack's eyes narrowed in concern, and he bit his lip.

Eventually, one of the battles started to take a turn for the worse; Vanessa, since she hadn't slept all night, was starting to get exhausted and sluggish, so Cyrene was able to land more and more hits on the lioness. "...mom...!" Jack uttered.

Cyrene, with an opening at hand, charged at Jack wildly…but Vanessa pushed herself to appear right in front of Jack protectively, kicking away Cyrene again. "You won't take him away!" she roared, running at Cyrene with a newfound fury energizing her.

"...mom!" Jack uttered with more worry.

The fighting continued, but Jack had right to be worried, because Cyrene was grinning more and more at Vanessa's anger.

Eventually, Cyrene made a brutal drop kick onto Vanessa's back when she was on the ground, making Vanessa yelp out at that…and it somewhat paralyzed her to the ground.

Jack's eyes widened. "MOM!" And he rushed towards Vanessa.

Cyrene saw Jack coming with a grin, waiting for him…

…suddenly, Vanessa flipped over, and ripped one of her arms out of the cast, using it to knock Cyrene off of her feet with a pained grunt. Cyrene, not expecting that, fell to the ground. Vanessa wasn't paralyzed anymore, so she climbed onto Cyrene. She decided to use her broken arm as a blunt object to beat Cyrene with, and despite all the excruciating pain Vanessa put herself through, she kept beating on Cyrene over and over and over and over again.

Jack's eyes widened as he came to a halt. "...mom?"

Vanessa ignored him, still beating down on Cyrene with yelp after yelp of pain from her broken arm.

Cyrene eventually kicked her off, however, and though her nose was bleeding with a black ooze, she was still grinning. "…ready to be broken, yet, Leoniel?" she chuckled.

Vanessa growled at her.

Jack gulped in fear. "...m-mom..."

Vanessa ran at Cyrene, raising her arm, but Cyrene knocked her in the face effortlessly, knocking Vanessa to the ground. Then Cyrene climbed on top of her the same way Vanessa had previously done.

And with a wicked laugh, she proceeded to beat down on Vanessa with her bare hands.

That was more than Jack could bear to see. "MOM!" Quickly, he rushed to kick Cyrene away from Vanessa. Cyrene actually caught Jack's kick, and with a sneer, pushed him away with powerful force. Jack crashed against the ground, but quickly got to his feet. "Leave my mom alone!" he cried out.

Cyrene just kept laughing and beating on Vanessa; whom, at this point, was too exhausted to defend herself. "Stop it!" Jack cried out again, as he broke into a dash towards them. "Pick on someone else!"

Suddenly, spears appeared in front of Jack to halt him and lunge at him.

They came too fast for him to evade, resulting in him being struck. "...guh..."

"_GET HIM!"_

Cyrene suddenly jumped off Vanessa, running to Jack. Out of nowhere, Ivory and Mercy showed up, and the three of them ganged up on Jack to beat him up. The trio was too much for Jack to knock away, as he cried out desperately.

"JACK!" Charon roared the moment the three began beating up Jack.

They beat him down wickedly without mercy.

"….RRRRRAAAAAAAAAUUUUUGH!"

They turned when they heard that roar, and then Cyrene was knocked away onto the ground away from Jack. Jack coughed, as he weakly looked towards the one who did that. His mother stood over him protectively, fuming. Though she was bleeding from her arms at this point, as well as her nose, lips, and even her head, she was still standing somehow.

"_...hmph…she doesn't easily give up…_" Ivory remarked.

"...neither do we."

Battered, bruised and bloodied, Demi and Charon stood by Vanessa's side; their eyes narrowed. Jack could only look at them weakly.

"…_well, you never really learn then,_" Cyrene snickered, wiping some black liquid from her lips.

"_You leave him alone, or I swear…I will find a way to kill you…_" there was a tone of hatred that dripped from Vanessa's lips.

"...m-mom..." Jack uttered weakly.

"_Ooo…pretty dark for a mother, isn't it?"_ Cyrene teased.

"…I would do anything to protect him…" Vanessa uttered. "…you would never understand that…"

"_Spare us the speech about what it takes to be a mother,"_ Ivory told her. _"Last warning; step aside and give us the boy or else._"

"...or else... what?" Demi grunted.

"_This."_

Mercy fired a shot of Corruption right at Vanessa, and she couldn't have possible dodged it, getting knocked against a tree. Both Charon and Demi shot shocked looks towards her, while Jack let out a startled scream of fear.

Ivory shot tiny knives of Corruption at her, pinning her against the tree through her broken arms and legs. Vanessa cried out at that.

Demi's eyes widened. "Vanessa!"

Charon quickly turned to snarl at the trio. "Why, you cowardly-!"

"STOP!"

Charon blinked, as he looked down at Jack, who was openly crying now. "Please... don't hurt my mom anymore!"

The three corrupted turned to Jack. _"So, Jackie boy, you wanna come with us now?"_ Cyrene sneered. _"We won't hurt your mommy anymore if you do!"_

Jack just kept sobbing. "J-just don't hurt her anymore!"

Mercy took one of his arms while Ivory took the other. _"Then let's go,_" Ivory said.

And like that, Jack and the three Corrupted women sunk beneath the ground, disappearing. This also meant that the knives holding Vanessa against the tree vanished and she fell to the ground. While Charon could only gawk at this, Demi ran for Vanessa to help her up.

Vanessa was limp in Demi's arms while he picked her up, and he could see tears streaming down from her eyes in agonizing guilt.


	29. Chapter 28

"Agh!" Jack cried out the moment he was tossed onto a cold, dark floor. Coughing, he weakly looked towards his captors.

"_Alright, so what do you all think we should do with him?" _Cyrene snickered.

"_You know what the Master wants with him,"_ Mercy grumbled.

"_Right, right, I know,_" Cyrene snickered. Then she took Jack's chin. _"But he's so adorable…I think we should have some fun with him first!"_

Jack managed to knock her hand away, and backed away from them. "Wh-what do you mean?" he uttered.

"_The Master wants to Corrupt you and make you part of us,"_ Ivory told him.

Jack gasped in shock. "No! I don't want to be Corrupted!" he yelped out.

"_A bit too late for that, sorry!"_ Cyrene laughed.

"...n-no! Leave me alone!" Jack sputtered.

"…_what do you like, little boy?"_ Ivory asked curiously.

Jack blinked. "...wh-what?" he uttered. "What do you mean?"

"_I mean, what are the things you want the most out of life?" _Ivory asked.

Jack blinked. "...uh... I've... never really thought about that..." he replied.

"_Well, we're giving you a chance to think about it,_" Ivory said.

Jack blinked, as he looked down at the ground. "...honestly... the only thing I can think of is... being happy with my friends..."

Mercy rolled her eyes, Cyrene grinned at how she could use this, but Ivory was the one that took this seriously. "...but... why do you ask?" Jack uttered, as he slowly got to his feet. "I mean... you just want to Corrupt me, so you don't really care about what I like, right?"

"…_that's not necessarily true," _Cyrene chuckled.

Jack blinked once more when Cyrene said that. "...what do you mean?"

"_Oh, don't you worry your silly little head about it,_" she chuckled, approaching Jack.

Jack narrowed his eyes a tad, and took a small step back. "...why not...?"

"_Because, I'm sure you'll have a lot more to worry about in a moment,"_ Cyrene chuckled.

Jack gulped upon hearing that. "...why...?"

Tentacles came out of the wall, snaring Jack up and holding him captive. Jack let out a yelp, as he tried struggling out of the tentacles' grip. "Let me go!"

Cyrene got up to him, pressing herself against him. _"Oh…don't scream for help…everything's going to be fine,_" she whispered into his ear with a chuckle.

Jack was rapidly growing uncomfortable, as he struggled against the bonds even more. "...wh-what are you going to do...?" he uttered fearfully.

"…_we're gonna take good care of you…_" Cyrene chuckled.

Then she nibbled on his neck a little. Jack yelped again, as he tried pulling away from her. "Stop that!"

Cyrene chuckled and yanked him back, now kissing his neck. Ivory and Mercy started approaching him now too. Jack's eyes widened in horror when he saw the other two approach him; Cyrene's direct advances not helping one bit. "...I said, get away!" And, out of desperation, he slammed his own head against Cyrene. Cyrene, once again, didn't expect getting knocked away like that, and in irritation, she commanded the tentacles to grab Jack's head to keep it stationary, as well as anything else that could struggle.

Jack yelped, and struggled more. "...leave me alone! I don't want this!"

"_We know…"_ Cyrene chuckled. _"…but this will help you grow up Jackie boy…"_

"N-not like this!" Jack cried out. "I... I don't want..." He was only guessing what they wanted, but with Cyrene's actions... "...I don't want to make a baby!"

That just made the three of them look at each other and laugh at how Jack put that into words. Jack seemed hurt by their laughter. "What's so funny?" he yelled.

"…_oh Jack…if you only knew what you were missing out on," _Cyrene chuckled.

"...what do you mean by that?" Jack inquired.

"…_it doesn't hurt at all, if that's what you're afraid of…"_ Cyrene sneered.

Jack gulped. "...I don't think I can trust you on that one..." he uttered.

"_Oh, believe me…it all feels really _good…"

* * *

><p>"…damn it…" Hunter groaned under his breath. Sage had her arms folded with a thoughtful look on her, whilst the others were just... silent.<p>

"…don't push yourself too hard, Hunter," Cal spoke, suddenly breaking the silence.

"…goddamn it…why shouldn't I?" he uttered, walking up the hill. "…they took Jack…they took him…"

Naturally, when they got the news from Milo, everyone was hit hard with it. It devastated all of them…

Miser had to linger behind the group with Ripper; biting her lips to keep herself from weeping in sorrow, whilst the mantis could only set a hand supportively on her shoulder.

Nage, too, seemed fairly distraught, as she held her arms insecurely and merely looked to the side. Having heard that Cyrene had been responsible for kidnapping their friend... she was so wrought with guilt, for not having saved her from Patricia all those weeks ago.

King, being at the front of the pack, merely clenched his hands; his expression hidden from the entire rest of the group. Noting that he didn't want to be disturbed, Queen decided to walk behind him; holding back anyone who tried walking up to the tiger.

Cal was only trying to remain calm about this…but he, too, was hit pretty hard about the news that Jack was taken away. He felt his own kind of guilt for the situation…just like how he felt guilty that Natal had been corrupted. He tried to stay calmer than the others though…and now it looked like Hunter was stomping farther, past King. "Hunter, wait!"

Hunter ignored them and just kept walking.

"...hey, Hunter!" At that point, though, someone else walked past King and grabbed Hunter by the shoulder. "No wandering off, you hear?" Fargus said with a stern tone; while the news had surprised him as well, he was keeping himself more or less composed.

Hunter yanked his shoulder out of his hands. "…I'm just scouting ahead…" he muttered. "…tonight's going to be a full moon…so we need to find shelter soon..."

"...right, right..." Fargus grunted. "...but you're sure as hell not going alone. I'm coming with you."

"…right…" he muttered.

"...Queen, Sage, Toki, you all keep a sharp eye around you." Fargus hummed, before he began walking ahead of Hunter. "We won't be long."

"Right," Toki replied with a nod.

With that, Fargus pulled Hunter with him.

"...hrm..." Letting out a low hum, Queen closed her eyes and folded her arms. "...we should stop until they return."

"…yeah, I agree…" Cal murmured.

"...alright; then we'll stop." King finally spoke, as he stopped walking; though still not facing the group.

With a light hum, Sage sat down with her eyes still closed; setting her hands on her legs while remaining in deep thought.

Cal walked over to Natal. "…how are you doing?" he asked her. Natal remained silent, as she merely looked towards the horizon with a thoughtful look. True, the news had indeed hit her hard, but she knew better than to let her emotions get the best of her; especially with her still being under the influence of Corruption. Cal sighed at that, figuring that she was doing okay, and he, too, looked out to the horizon.

"...the sun's setting..." Natal murmured, as she closed her eyes. "...a storm is brewing..."

"…yeah…" Toki agreed with her on that.

"...and it doesn't seem like we're gonna be prepared for it." Nage murmured.

Everyone was silent at that remark.

At that point, Sage suddenly perked up; her eyes opening. "...hm?"

Cal's head jerked too. "…we're not alone, are we?"

Natal's eyes narrowed. "...no. We've got company."

Instantly, everyone went on alert, as they got in defensive positions.

Toki looked back at them. "Who is it? Do you guys know?"

"...it's... strange." Natal murmured. "...I can't really pick out anything but... pure Corruption."

Sage narrowed her eyes, as she looked around her. "...whoever could it be...?"

_"...hello."_

In that crucial moment of weakness, all of a sudden, a dark hand shot out of the ground underneath Sage, and clamped down on her; causing her to let out a startled yelp.

Miser gasped. "Sage!"

Cal reacted, drawing his katana to send a slash wave of Corruption at the dark hand to make it release Sage. Before the slash wave could strike the hand, however, it flung Sage in a certain direction, before dissipating just as the wave connected with it.

The moment she landed, Sage tried pushing herself back on her feet, as she looked up. "That voice... you're-!" And in that instant, a hand grabbed hold of her head, making her feel a sting in the back of her mind, which caused her a small headache.

King's gaze immediately fell on the one who had grabbed Sage, and his eyes widened. "...you've... got to be kidding me..."

When they all saw who grabbed Sage, all of their jaws dropped. Letting go of her, this figure looked back at them with pale, black-and-yellow, lifeless eyes. _"...sorry... for making you worry..."_There, with his fists clenched and a completely lifeless look on his face, was Jack; appearing with an insanely Corrupted look to him. Aside from growing taller and his muscles having grown quite firm, his teeth were very sharp. Within his palms, what could best be described as some form of protruding mouths formed, while directly on his forehead, the black markings that covered his body were converging into a single point on his forehead, where a large, crimson crystal was.

King merely dropped to his knees in utter shock. "...no... not you, Jack..." he uttered.

"…J-Jack…" Cal did his best to try and stand his ground, but the sight of Jack like this actually made him shudder. What had they done to him?

"...th-that's..." Natal uttered, as she covered her mouth in horror at this sight. "...Cal... do you feel that?"

"...f-feel what...?" Nage uttered; feeling rather intimidated at the sight of Jack looking like that.

"...with anyone else... I can at least sense them along with Corruption..." Natal whispered, as tears were starting to form from her eyes. "...but... I can't sense Jack. It's like... there's nothing but Corruption within him..."

Cal grit his teeth; he could feel just what Natal was feeling.

"…wh-what have they done to him…?" Toki uttered in horror.

"...Corrupted him." Queen uttered bluntly, as she tried her very best to appear stoic at this sight. "Only... he's been affected in an entirely different way from anyone else... even Spiel..."

King grit his teeth, as he slowly rose to his feet. "...why... why are you here, Jack?"

Slowly, Jack turned his gaze towards King; the gaze of those lifeless eyes looking so piercingly when directed at the tiger.

Just then, when Jack's attention was stolen, a tree with a blue aura around it was tossed at him. Jack's gaze, however, didn't waver, as he merely lifted an arm up; causing a massie, blue flame to erupt by him, which engulfed the tree that was tossed towards him.

Pushing herself onto her feet, Sage looked towards where the tree had been tossed from. "...Hunter!"

Unlike the others, Hunter didn't seem intimidated by the sight of Jack; in fact, he only looked angrier, as he stomped down toward him with a telekinetic aura around him. "...Hunter, don't be a hero!" At that point, Fargus emerged after him; his eyes narrowed. "He's dangerous in this state!"

Jack's gaze slowly moved towards Hunter; his eyes remaining as dull and lifeless as before.

"…I'm tired of all these fucking puppets of Corruption tormenting all of us like this…" Hunter growled, ignoring Fargus. Then he threw his hands, throwing boulders at Jack.

With no change in his expression, Jack merely raised his hand to summon large, dark hands that grabbed the boulders, and tossed them back at Hunter. Hunter grabbed Fargus and shot away from the rocks with telekinesis. Fargus grunted, as he glanced behind Hunter... and his eyes widened. "Watch out!"

All of a sudden, Jack had shot himself right next to Hunter and Fargus; quickly extending his hand to grab hold of Hunter's head. Hunter only had time to glance before Jack's hand latched to his forehead and, just like Sage, he felt that sting within his head as well.

"…ngh…" Hunter felt…motionless at that time…he wasn't sure why this was, but he couldn't bring himself to move, staring back at Jack when he felt that sting. Jack merely gazed at him with those vacant eyes of his, before he proceeded to let go of Hunter; landing on the ground without breaking eye contact.

Hunter stumbled a little bit. "…what the hell was that?" he demanded. "What did you do?"

Jack still looked at him, as he slowly raised his hand. _"...this."_

In that instant, a blue aura suddenly surrounded some boulders close to Jack, which were flung right at Hunter.

Fargus' eyes widened. "Hey! That's your ability, Hunter!"

Hunter grabbed Fargus and shot away in shock.

"…he…is he…using someone else's powers?" Toki gasped.

"...that's not all..." Sage uttered, as she held her head. "...he's... reading our minds!"

Everyone gaped in shock at that; King most of all. "...wha... are you serious?"

At that point, Jack's gaze slowly moved towards King again.

"…he copied your powers too, Sage…" Cal uttered. "…they gave him the ability to copy other's powers..."

"...no... there's something else." Natal uttered. "We've seen others who have been under the influence of Corruption much longer than him... Callous, Deity, Johnny... _none_ of them have displayed this kind of power..."

"...true... there has to be something else." Queen murmured, as she glanced at Sage. "Can you pick anything out?"

Sage, however, merely narrowed her eyes. "...I can only see... that he's reading our minds. Everything else... is just blackness."

"…we gotta warn the others," Toki uttered. "King! The Communicator!"

"...right!" Quickly, King snatched the communicator and prepared to press it...

...but Jack suddenly shot right up to him and grabbed him by the head; forcing another sting to jolt through King's head. With that distraction, Jack kicked at King's hand to make him let go of the communicator, before pushing the tiger away, and snatching it.

Miser gawked at this. The cheerful, childish lion that they all knew so well had turned into a cold, dispassionate _machine_, fueled by Corruption... "...how... horrible..."

"…I…I can't watch this…" Cal uttered. "…I just can't…not without trying to do something…" and he shot at Jack with the katanas in hand. Quickly, however, Jack aimed his other hand at Cal, just as dark lightning shot from his fingertips; aimed directly at the simian. Cal was stopped in his tracks with lightning jolting through his body and systems, and he yelped.

"CAL!" Natal shrieked, as she quickly rushed towards Cal; grabbing him to yank him away from the dark lightning.

The moment he was out of the way, Jack slowly looked at the communicator... and clenched his fist violently; crushing the device in his grip.

"…oh no…" Toki uttered, seeing the crushed communicator. How would they warn the others now?

With that neutral gaze, Jack slowly turned his head towards someone else this time.

Miser.

Without missing a beat, Jack shot right towards Miser, his hand extending.

"KEKEKE!" Quickly, Ripper shot towards Jack; crossing his scythe arms defensively to try and knock him away. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!"

Before Ripper could do anything to stop Jack, however, the lion slammed his other hand against Ripper's head; knocking him to the side as he finally reached Miser, which allowed him to grab her head as well.

"NO!" Hunter knew that if Jack could copy Miser's immortality, there wouldn't be very much use to stop him, so he ran to try and punch Jack.

However, Jack merely grabbed the incoming fist without looking back at Hunter, whilst still clenching down on Miser's head.

But somehow... no sting was formed within Miser's mind. Even Jack seemed curious about that. The others watched with worry, not knowing what was going on.

Miser looked back at Jack with some worry as well.

_"...I see... he was built differently..."_ With that, Jack kicked himself off Miser; landing in the middle of the group, though his gaze remained fixated on Miser.

"…huh…?" Cal was shocked at that, while Hunter jumped in front of Miser protectively.

_"...farewell..." _With that, Jack sunk within a dark vortex beneath him.

King's eyes narrowed, as he clenched his hands into fists. "...Jack..."

* * *

><p>Stella wished that she could cheer the others up…but there didn't seem to be anything just her, alone, could do. Charmy was silent and withdrawn from the others, but he wasn't so cold about it. Boomer, though, was unapproachable just at a glance. Rudy was ready to cry, but he tried to hold back. Lock was staying close to Stella; his face hidden from view by his hat.<p>

Violet, unlike most the others, was very composed about all of this, keeping the front of the group. While Wiper was helping Violet in keeping the front, Newt was further in the back; his expression a mixture of pained grief and unbridled fury. Quite obviously, Omega didn't seem affected in the slightest, but Proxy had a mild frown on him...

...but Metal was a completely different story. His expression was completely hidden from view, though one could obviously tell that he was not to be approached at this point. One of their closest comrades had been snatched away by these dark forces... he knew that he had to tell Jill about it, but... he couldn't even bring himself to imagine it.

Stella let out a depressed sigh; she, too, took this pretty hard. Her heart ached for it.

There was this silence in the air that left a heavy atmosphere around everyone in the group. No one said a word. No one dared to.

Violet suddenly stopped then.

Lock noticed that. "...what's wrong, mother?"

"…someone's coming…" she answered, without looking back at anyone. "…brace yourselves…" Everyone stopped, and looked around them cautiously. Violet reached into her coat and pulled out one of her pistols.

Stella didn't like the looks of that, and she stepped closer to Lock insecurely. Lock, in turn, took out one of his revolvers.

Narrowing his eyes, Metal suddenly glanced to the side. _...Corruption..._ Charmy noticed Metal's look, and looked in the direction where he looked. However, nothing was there.

_"...you're following Joy... aren't you...?"_

Boomer's eyes widened when she heard that. "…that voice…"

Metal narrowed his eyes further.

_"...right?"_

At that point, a figure suddenly appeared behind Lock and Stella. Stella felt the creepy sensation that something ominous was behind her, and so she slowly turned to look shakily. Standing right behind her was a lion who gazed into her eyes with soulless, vacant eyes that seemed to be piercing her very soul with naught but a look.

Letting out a slight grunt, Lock quickly grabbed Stella, and leaped away from this lion; noting that he had snuck up right in the middle of the group. Stella clutched to Lock, still staring at the lion. "…no…" she gasped.

"…Jack…?" Rudy uttered in fright. "…is that…you?" The lion's gaze slowly moved towards Rudy; merely looking at him with those eyes of his.

"...J-Jack, c'mon!" he uttered. "It's me! Rudy! One of your buddies!" Jack still just looked at him.

"...Rudy, be careful." Quickly, Wiper hurried in front of the kangaroo; his eyes narrowed. "He's..." He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't _want_ to finish it.

"…he's what?" Rudy asked.

"...Corrupted."

All eyes fell on Metal, then, as he was glaring at the lion with a narrowed look. The others distanced themselves warily from Jack.

Boomer had her gun pointed at him, but she couldn't bring herself to shoot at him. "…I really don't like the look of this…" she muttered.

"…neither do I," Charmy admitted.

Slowly, Jack's gaze moved to look directly at Metal; his pale, lifeless eyes locking with the organic and cybernetic eyes that glared back at him. They all watched Jack silently and closely.

_"...I wouldn't keep following her... if I were you..." _Jack slowly spoke; his tone a hollow, haunting one.

Metal's eyes narrowed further. "...Jack... are you listening to yourself?"

Jack didn't respond.

"…I don't think he's Jack anymore…" Violet hummed.

"...no... that can't be right, y'know!" Newt uttered. "He's gotta be in there somewhere! We can't give up on him, y'know!"

"...Jack..." Metal uttered, as he closed his eyes and clenched his hands. "...please... tell me that you're alright..."

Still, there was no response from the lion.

"…just what have they done to you, boy…?" Charmy asked, with narrowed eyes.

No response still.

"...alright... please forgive me, Jack..." At that point, Metal looked back at the lion, as his hand shone with Purity. "...but this might hurt you... quite a lot, in fact."

Jack's eyes moved down a little; eying the Purity surrounding Metal's hand. Some of the others stayed back, while the ones with drawn weapons readied themselves.

In that instance, two forces shot forward.

While Metal clamped the hand imbued with Purity around Jack's head, the lion had taken the opportunity to take hold of Metal's head in turn; causing the hedgehog to feel a light sting in his mind.

Just seeing the two having reacted so quickly put the others at unrest, though they held their ground for now. Stella still clutched to Lock worriedly, while Boomer stood in front of Charmy protectively, watching carefully.

After a few moments, however, Metal made a certain observation that astounded him.

"...Purity's... not doing anything."

"…wh-what?" Rudy uttered at that.

"...I... can't purify him." Metal uttered. "The Corruption... it's more than I've ever seen within someone before..."

Everyone's eyes widened upon hearing that... but even moreso, when a crimson light began shining from where Metal was holding Jack.

Charmy grew tense at that. "…Metal, I believe you should let him go…"

Metal quickly did so... but the glow did not subside. Rather, it grew stronger.

The glow was coming from the crimson crystal embedded in his forehead, and it was rapidly building up... until a powerful shockwave erupted from it; knocking absolutely everyone away from the lion. They all yelped and grunted in pain when they were knocked over.

Breathing from that, Metal was quick to get to his feet, when he saw that Jack was now walking towards someone else. "...no!"

At this point, they saw that the one Jack was heading towards was Boomer; his cold gaze fully locked onto the duck. Boomer jumped back up and started firing at Jack. "Get away!" However, what seemed like a psychic barrier appeared to repel the shots, as Jack kept advancing towards her.

_**"Stay away."**_ Quickly, Omega began opening rapid fire on Jack with his machine-gun arms, but the barrier still held strong; even as he stopped directly in front of Boomer.

If the firing wasn't working, then Boomer got desperate enough that she wondered if a punch would stop him. Sadly, that wasn't the case. Jack merely grabbed her by the wrist, before digging his hand into one of her pockets; his gaze still lingering on her.

With a quick battlecry, Wiper suddenly lunged to jab his hand at Jack, but the lion leaped back before he could be struck; though Boomer was quick to see that he had grabbed a certain object.

She gasped. "The communicator!"

And at that point, Violet started firing at him. Lock, too, opened fire; however, the same psychic barrier appeared to shield him from their bullets.

"...Jack... don't..." Metal uttered, as he narrowed his eyes.

Jack slowly looked back at him... and with that, he crushed the communicator in his grasp.

Violet stopped firing her gun, seeing how futile it was with that psychic barrier, "…damn it…"

Tossing the wrecked communicator aside, Jack looked ahead of him. _"...one more... then I can go back..."_ With that, he began sinking down within a dark vortex once again.

Once he was gone, Metal sank to his knees; gritting his teeth. "...Jack..."

"…that psychic barrier looked like the kind that Sage put up," Charmy commented.

Stella grew worried. "Do you think he already confronted King's group?"

"Well, we might never know, since the communicator is toast now…" Boomer huffed.

Metal narrowed his eyes, before he closed his eyes. "...we... need to regroup..."

Proxy glanced at Metal with a hum. "...what do you mean?"

"...if Jack is destroying our way of communicating with each other..." Metal murmured. "...then we need to find a way to counter-act that..."

"…I agree," Charmy threw in. "And as soon as possible…"

* * *

><p>Ani was weeping her heart out. First, Striker gets hurt, and then Vanessa gets beaten up, and Jack gets taken away. She just didn't know what else to do other than cry; she felt so horrible for everything that's happened.<p>

Then, suddenly…she felt arms around her, giving Ani a small start. Striker was sitting up, and hugging her. "S-Striker!" she yelped in surprise.

"…Ani…why are you crying…?" he asked her.

Ani tried to speak, but only a choked croak came out, and she buried her face in his chest to cry some more.

"…Jack…he got taken away…"

Striker looked up at a solemn Milo that walked over to him and Ani on the ground. "…who…who took him away?"

Milo swallowed hard; he wanted to cry, himself, but he was much better at restraining his emotions than the others. "…Cyrene…only…she came back with backup…"

Striker gawked up at Milo when he said that. He couldn't believe how much he missed when he was resting… "What about Vanessa?"

"…gravely injured…" Milo mumbled, feeling a few tears trickle down his face. "…she…she was so desperate to try and stop them…she…" he turned away with a shudder.

Striker felt his heart ache hearing all of this…Jack getting taken away, and Vanessa being injured so badly was so horrible to think about… "…why…?" he uttered, gritting his teeth. "…why would they take Jack away…?"

"…it was because of Johnny…" Milo uttered. "…because of what he could do…what Jack was…they…" he wiped his eyes. "…I'm sorry Striker, I just…can't really explain everything right now…"

Striker looked up at Milo, and then down at Ani who was still sobbing in his arms. He held her warmly and tightly. "…I understand…" he muttered. With that, Milo walked away from them, leaving the two of them alone.

Striker held Ani for a long time, rubbing her back to try and soothe her emotional pain, but even that didn't do much for the husky-wolf. "…Ani…" he mumbled. This made Ani look at him, still weeping. Her face was a mess from all the crying she had done, staring at Striker with a truly hurt look. Sure, Striker felt really bad too from hearing what just happened…

…but for some reason…he felt even worse seeing that look on Ani's face. It just felt like it was going to tear him apart inside. "…Ani…" he uttered. "…please…don't cry…"

Ani just shut her eyes and sobbed some more, but more silently.

So Striker placed his hands on her cheeks and wiped the tears away. "…Ani…please…" he whispered his plea weakly to her. Ani opened her eyes and looked back at him, still with that hurt look, but she wasn't sobbing as badly as before when he wiped away from of her tears with his thumbs. Striker just wanted to make Ani feel better so that Striker didn't have to see her so miserable like this.

Striker had no idea how to describe the way he felt right now…he felt weak with a lot of emotions running rampant inside of him. He felt sad too, but he didn't cry…because there were many other emotions keeping him from crying. His heart pounded against his chest for some reason, making it a little harder to breathe for him, and he started to feel warmer and warmer. "…Ani…don't cry…" he uttered. "…I don't like seeing you this sad…"

Ani looked back at him, stopping all of her crying for the most part, but Striker could still see so much guilt and shame in her look. He still didn't want to see that, so he just tried to figure out a way to make her feel better…

…then suddenly, one idea came into his head, and it turned him hotter at the thought of it, making him blush. When Jill felt this sad, he remembered Brick stealing her away so that they could be alone, but Striker was able to catch a single glimpse of them kissing before he was grossed out and he went away. After a few hours, Jill seemed to be much better.

He wondered if he should kiss Ani…if that would make her feel better…and at the same time, he felt a strange, warm fluttering feeling in his stomach at the thought of kissing Ani. He didn't just want to try it to make her feel better…in a way…he _wanted_ to kiss her. He felt so weak at the thought that he was worried if Ani would notice his shaking.

Ani shut her eyes though, and her head hung, refusing to look at him anymore.

"…Ani, please…" Striker begged, putting his hand to her chin to lift her head up. Doing that, Ani actually opened her eyes again, still looking depressed as she did.

Striker started getting closer to her, feeling his heart pounding harder. "…just don't…feel sad…" he uttered. Ani didn't act surprised when he got closer; in fact, she looked less depressed the closer he started to get to her, with a daze that drowned her sorrow away. Striker started to feel a little dazed in this too, wondering just what he was feeling right now.

But it was already too late to think about that, because his lips finally touched hers gently…and Striker was showered with warmth and all kinds of amazing feelings inside of him from that. Ani didn't really realize that Striker was kissing her; she knew it was happening, but she didn't realize the magnitude of it all in her own spiral of emotions inside of her. It felt good, that was for sure…

…it felt so good to Ani, she craved more from Striker, kissing him back desperately. Striker was surprised Ani kissed back, but that ignited even more of his own emotions and he held the back of her head, kissing back longingly. Ani felt her own heart pounding and she clutched to Striker, kissing harder. Striker wondered what was going on with Ani, but his own emotions brought him to compete with Ani on the passion of the kissing.

And the two got lost in a heated make out.

Then suddenly…Ani's eyes shot wide open and with a gasp, she pushed Striker away, breathing heavily.

Striker was shocked by that. "…A-Ani…?"

"…S-Striker…" Ani responded. "…did we just…?"

"…y-yeah…" Striker answered, breathing as well.

It finally hit her, what was going on…the fact that she and Striker had gotten so lost with each other like that only made her think how shocked she was that it finally happened…

…Her first kiss, and with her best friend, that admittedly, she had a crush on since two years ago.

"…Ani…are you okay…?" Striker uttered.

"…I…I don't know," she uttered, brushing back her bangs. "…this is the first time I've…kissed anybody before…"

"…same here…" Striker uttered. "…was it…a bad thing that I did that…?"

Ani blinked. "…what…?"

Striker looked away from Ani. "…I…wanted to make you feel better so I…kissed you…I wanted to know if I shouldn't have done that."

Ani was uneasily silent, trying to think of her answer…

"...if you both like each other... I don't think you should think like that, Striker..."

Both of them jumped with a startled yelp. "Kiri?" both of them uttered.

The smaller owl walked out from behind a nearby tree; her eyes slightly red from weeping, but relatively composed for the moment. "...Big Brother, Demi and Oblivion are treating Vanessa, so... I came to check up on you..." she murmured, as she fidgeted a bit. "...I... didn't mean to startle you, but..."

"…you uh…saw the whole thing…didn't you…?" Ani uttered in embarrassment, turning away to hide a blush.

"...only when you..." Kiri cleared her throat, and looked away with a light blush. "...really got into it..."

"…Kiri, what did you mean by that?" Striker asked, breaking some of the awkwardness of the moment.

Kiri glanced back at Striker. "...well... you like Ani, right?" And then she looked at Ani. "And... you like Striker, right?"

Striker nodded at Kiri, and then he looked at Ani, who looked back at him. "…yeah…" Ani answered eventually.

"...then... if both of you like each other..." Kiri hummed. "...then... it's not a bad thing... right?"

"…right…" Ani answered, seeing Striker smile at her, which caused her to smile back at Striker.

Kiri managed a small smile at that as well. "...I... guess I'll leave you two alone, then..." she hummed, as she turned to leave.

They didn't really notice Kiri leave, but both their smiles fell, leaving them to stare at each other. Eventually, Ani broke eye-contact to twiddle her thumbs. "…I'm not really the best at this kind of stuff…" she mumbled.

"…that's okay…" Striker replied. "…I'm not very good with this stuff either…"

"…Striker, about telling you to grow up yesterday…"

Striker could see Ani get depressed again. She looked up at him in guilt, with ears drooping. "…I'm…sorry I yelled at you…"

"…don't feel bad about it Ani," Striker said. "…in some ways, you were right…"

"…but…I just…I would've felt really bad if that ended up being the very last thing I ever said to you guys…"

And a few more tears fell out of her eyes. Striker came to hug her then. As the two of them hugged, something else was watching them; keeping itself hidden from sight and view... They didn't notice anything, since they were caught up in their own moment. They stared at each other, feeling the warmth of their bodies radiate from each other in faint blushes.

Ani had always wondered to herself if Striker would ever realize these kinds of feelings and be mature enough to confront them… sure, it had been funny to tease them, but deep down, it left Ani somewhat closed off to the idea of liking Striker… now, though…it just seemed unreal to be with Striker, feeling his arms around her like this…in this way…

And Striker was simply amazed at the feelings inside of him when he looked at Ani. He knew he'd probably never look at Ani the same way again…but…he liked seeing Ani this way…she wasn't just his best friend that they played games together with…she was someone else as well…someone he wanted to be with.

Naturally, he went to kiss her again. It surprised Ani again, but she melted into it.

Still, the figure merely watched them. Seeing them embraced like that... it evoked certain memories of his experiences... it made him wonder if the two of them would...

Striker remembered the things Milo told him, especially when they were at the Clubhouse one last time before this long journey; something about eventually wanting certain things with Ani if he liked her enough. Back then, the idea totally baffled him.

But now, in the moment where he was kissing and holding Ani for the first time ever, those ideas didn't seem so ridiculous…he had no idea why, but he really did want to hold Ani and touch her skin on her arms, her back…admittedly the bear became more bashful the farther his thoughts wandered, but he tried to restrain himself. He wasn't used to this, and he didn't want to rush it.

He just stroked back Ani's hair, while Ani wrapped her arms around him and rubbed his back. The figure kept watching; genuinely curious to see how far the two of them would go. Striker started stroking Ani's back too, kissing her deeper. Ani touched his chest softly and longingly, never experiencing anything so amazing like this before. She didn't think it could get any better…

…and then Striker's fingers crept up her shirt, still rubbing her back.

It startled her a little. "S-Striker…" she gasped shakily, feeling goose bumps shoot up her spine.

Striker stopped nervously, pulling his hands away. "…are you okay?" he asked.

Ani swallowed a little. "…I…didn't know you were gonna do that…"

The figure slowly and silently began approaching the two of them; he moved with such silence that the two of them simply wouldn't notice him.

"…I didn't hurt you, though, did I?" Striker asked.

"…no, that didn't hurt…" Ani uttered. "…that actually felt nice a little…but…I don't know if we should go so far…" she blushed. "…I don't know what my Dad would think…"

"…oh, yeah," Striker felt a bit bashful…and maybe a little nervous at the thought of what Hunter would say upon finding out that Ani and him were doing some things while they were alone. It probably wouldn't sit very well with him.

_"...if you like each other... then why not go all the way?"_

That gave them another start; Striker holding to Ani while they gawked at the one standing there. "…Jack?" Striker uttered out.

The lion looked down at them with those impassive, yellow eyes of his; the darkness surrounding them making him look more or less demonic in this state. _"...Striker... the communicator... do you have it...?"_

"…yeah, it's in my backpack," Striker replied innocently. "…Jack, what happened to you?"

_"...I'll... tell you later..." _Jack uttered, as he tilted his head a bit. _"...could I... borrow it, Striker?"_

"…Jack…you got taken away from us…" Ani uttered. "…you gotta at least tell us how you ended up looking like that…"

_"...I... I will..." _Jack nodded, as he held his hand out a bit shakily. _"...I just... need the communicator... to... talk to Metal..."_

Striker and Ani looked at each other. Then Striker went to his backpack to dig for the communicator. Jack simply watched him; his hand still wavering a bit.

When Striker dug around in his backpack, he started thinking…something didn't sit well with Jack. Being corrupted, and wanting to contact Metal…that made sense since Metal could probably purify him, and he's probably need the communicator to ask where he was.

But it was what he said earlier that bothered him…the remark about him and Ani.

_If you like each other…then why not go all the way?_

That just…wasn't something Jack would say. Jack might either be grossed out or surprised to see them embraced the way they were…not encourage them to go far enough to do…_those_ things.

He stopped looking in his bag, turning to face Jack with a suspicious look.

Jack merely looked back at him with that gaze of his.

"…Jack, what are you really trying to do?" Striker asked him.

Jack didn't respond.

Ani started growing nervous about this, and Striker watched Jack warily. "…Jack, I need you to answer my question…"

_"...why...?"_ Jack replied slowly.

"…because you're acting really strange…and with the fact that you have Corruption inside of you…I'm not sure if I should trust you," Striker replied.

Jack remained silent. Striker kept staring at him.

"Striker, look out! That's not Jack!"

Jack's expression remained the same; however, he was quick in raising his hand...

...and a large, dark hand suddenly shot out of the ground to grab Striker; turning him upside-down and shaking him to make him drop the communicator.

"Wah!" Striker yelped out.

"Striker!" Ani didn't hesitate to pick up some rocks with her telekinesis to throw at Jack.

"Ani wait!" Milo came running to the scene, but he couldn't stop Ani from throwing the rocks at Jack.

However, a different blue aura surrounded those rocks, and pushed them back towards Ani. Ani gasped at this. "…no way…that feels like my father's…"

"Jack, put me down!" Striker called out. However, the dark hand kept shaking Striker, until something fell from his backpack, which Jack caught.

The communicator.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Ani uttered.

Jack didn't answer, as he suddenly crushed the communicator.

"…now we can't contact the others…" Milo gulped.

With a glance in Milo's direction, Jack dispelled the dark hand, which dropped Striker to the ground. "Oof!" Striker grunted in pain at being dropped like that, and Ani rushed to him to help him up.

"…what did you do with Jack…?" Milo uttered in some fear, gulping when Jack stared at him.

Jack merely looked back at Milo.

_"...nothing." _he uttered. _"I _am_ Jack."_

"…but I can't sense you in there, Jack…" Milo uttered. "...you're so filled with Corruption…" he swallowed, keeping tears back. "…you've…been turned into a monster…"

Jack let out a brief hum. _"...so you say..." _And he began slowly walking towards Milo.

Milo stepped back. "…what are you doing…?"

_"...I'll take you three with me..."_ Jack replied slowly; his steps carrying a sense of dread with them. _"...so you three... can become monsters, too..."_

Milo's eyes widened, freezing with fright.

"Leave him alone!"

And a knife was flying toward Jack. However, a blue aura surrounded the knife, and prevented it from touching the lion.

"Stop!"

Jack ceased, as he looked past Milo to see who was approaching. First came Diablo, who didn't seem afraid of Jack. Following him closely was Kiri, who glared at Jack the same way.

Soon, Charon flew over the woods and landed by Ani and Striker; glaring at Jack as well. Oblivion dismounted from Charon's back, helping Vanessa down from his back. Demi leaped off Charon's back as well.

Jack slowly looked around him at everyone surrounding him.

"...we're not gonna let you take us so easily," Diablo muttered, still glaring at him.

Jack hummed. _"...so you say..." _And he slowly raised his hand.

_...you guys have a plan, right? _Milo heard a voice speak to him. _Because if not... you're all pretty much dead._

…_can't you still take over him?_ Milo asked. _You've got experience with this stuff…you should be able to handle it…_

_...you think Vanessa would let me, though?_

…_I think at this point Johnny…she'd rather that you take him over than have him kill all of us as a Corrupted puppet,_ Milo replied, looking at Vanessa.

Sure enough, Vanessa had a hardened, but still hurt look when she looked at Jack. Milo could tell that her strength could only last so long…and that the sight of her son being turned into something so horrible was slowly making her strength crumble.

_...very well... but I can't make any promises._

In that instant, Jack's eyes widened, and he stumbled backwards. The others stood, watching him carefully, while Milo watched hopefully.

_"...ah..."_ Grunting, Jack slowly held his head...

...and all of a sudden, the crystal on his forehead radiated a brilliant, crimson glow; causing him to let out an immensely pained yell. This made Vanessa jump, and she was going to go to him, but Oblivion held her back, and with how weakened Vanessa was, it was easy to hold her back, while they watched Jack.

"What's going on?" Ani uttered in fear.

Milo didn't answer her, and only watched Jack. Smoke began searing from Jack's forehead, and his cries grew louder and even more pained. In desperation, Jack clawed at the crystal itself.

"…should we…help him?" Striker uttered.

Diablo looked at one of his knives, and since Jack was distracted, he threw one of the knives for the crystal on Jack's forehead. In that instant, Jack caught that knife; breathing desperately...

...and he actually drove the knife underneath the crystal itself; as if trying to pry it off his forehead.

"…c-c'mon! You can do it!" Striker suddenly cheered him on.

"...go for it!" Kiri called out.

Jack's cries grew louder, as he pried the crystal further off his forehead.

Vanessa bit her lip. _…C'mon…_

Finally, with a loud, pained cry, Jack pried the crystal off him with a sickening sound of flesh being ripped, which let the crystal drop to the ground before him. Once it hit the ground, he tossed the knife aside, and clasped his head; breathing.

They all stared at him cautiously.

_"...ngh... that was a close call..." _he eventually grunted.

Vanessa's eyes widened with hope. "…Jack?"

"…no, Vanessa…" Milo mumbled. "…sorry to burst your bubble, but…it isn't Jack…" he stepped toward the lion. "…you alright, Johnny?"

_"...meh... I've had worse."_

Finally, the lion looked down at Milo, and he could see that his eyes, at the very least, had returned to their regular state; no longer the lifeless black and yellow color they had been before. _"...though... it was rough, I'm not gonna lie..."_ Johnny murmured.

"…how is Jack?" Milo murmured. "…is he alright?"

_"...barely."_ Johnny murmured, as he folded his arms.

"...what do you mean...?" Charon uttered.

_"...what I mean is that..."_ Johnny began, as he glanced towards Vanessa. _"...the Corruption had such an effect on his body and mind that... there's almost nothing _but_ Corruption within him. He's practically a vessel of pure Corruption at this stage..."_

Vanessa gawked at him.

"…are you saying that…Jack's long gone…?" Ani uttered.

_"...no." _Johnny said. _"He's still here."_

Demi looked at Johnny with wide eyes. "...how...?"

_"...there's this tiny little bubble that's shielding him from being 100% Corrupted... but it's small."_ Johnny murmured, as he glanced to the side. _"...frankly... I'm surprised that he even managed that... considering what they did to him..."_

Striker was going to ask, "…what did they-?"

"No, you most likely don't want to know what they did to him," Diablo interrupted Striker, getting a shocked look from him.

"…we…can purify him…right?" Ani asked. "I mean…Metal might be able to purify him…right?"

_"...no."_

Kiri gasped at that. "...b-but... does that mean..."

_"...what I mean is that..." _Johnny began, as he closed his eyes. _"...Jack has paid visits to King's and Metal's groups in this stage. When Metal tried purifying him... it did absolutely nothing."_

"...no... way..." Charon uttered.

"…the corruption is that strong…?" Striker uttered.

"…_but there has to be another solution, right?"_ Snap asked.

_"...I have one." _Johnny hummed, as he folded his arms. _"I'll-!"_

In that instant, a massive glow suddenly radiated from the crystal still lying on the ground; catching everyone's attention.

"…n-now what?" Oblivion gasped, hiding behind Demi.

"...I don't know..." Demi uttered.

The glow around the crystal was only made more apparent as it was surrounded by a dark, gaseous cloud that was slowly rising up from the ground; reaching the same height as Johnny.

"…the Corruption…it's manifesting into something…" Diablo murmured.

"...but... what?" Kiri whispered.

Slowly, this cloud of Corruption was beginning to diminish; though only to the point that they could make out some kind of shape within this cloud...

...a shape that perfectly mirrored Johnny's current physique. All of their eyes widened at that. Even Johnny seemed baffled by this. _"...what the fuck?"_

_"...hn..."_ Slowly, the figure opened its eyes; gazing back at Johnny with a pair of lifeless, black-and-yellow eyes.

What they were all looking at was a perfect replica of the Corrupted Jack.

"…no way…" Striker uttered with a croak.

_"...son of a bitch..."_ Johnny uttered.

_"...hrm..."_ Slowly glancing around him, the Jack replica seemed just as lifeless as Jack was before Johnny possessed him. _"...no matter... I'm done here..."_

With that, he sank down within the ground in a vortex of darkness before anyone could think to catch him. "Ack!" Milo ran, but then he realized it was much too late and he stopped. "…oh no…"

"…I didn't expect anything like that to happen," Oblivion uttered.

"…I think none of us did," Diablo remarked.

"...we need to contact the others..." Charon murmured.

_"You can't."_ Johnny murmured. _"Jack smashed the communicator... he did the same at King's and Metal's groups as well."_

"...really...?" Kiri uttered in slight despair.

"...well... I have a different way of communicating." Quickly, Demi took out his cellphone, and began going through his contacts. "Things are getting out of hand... I say that we get some additional support."

"…in the meantime, you said you had a solution?" Diablo said to Johnny. "Before…that crystal interrupted us, that is…"

_"...yeah. With the blockade, getting there might be a hassle, but..."_ Johnny murmured, as he folded his arms. _"...I need to get to Jill."_

"…you think she might know what to do?" Striker asked.

_"...probably."_ Johnny nodded.

"...and why do _you_ care about this?" Charon suddenly inquired.

Johnny didn't answer right away, though his glance slowly moved towards Vanessa. Vanessa stared back at him for a long, silent time. Milo looked at her, not really sure what was going to happen, or it Vanessa was even going to react. Her spirit was vague again, and Milo hated when that happened…it meant that not even _he_ knew what Vanessa was going to say or do.

"…do whatever it takes to bring him back." Vanessa finally said, surprising everyone.

_"...hm."_ Johnny hummed, as he glanced ahead of him. _"...so... you don't wanna know _why_ I'm doing this, then?"_

"…as long as you set out to bring Jack back, I won't ask questions…" Vanessa uttered. "…because that's all I care about right now…"

Johnny merely hummed. _"...I'll do what I can..."_

With that, he ran off; leaving the group on their own.


	30. Chapter 29

It was getting close to the evening. Not quite there yet, since the sun was setting in her kitchen window, but it was definitely getting late. Jill decided to finish whatever dishes were in the sink so that later she could maybe relax a little bit. It made her tense; the idea that she had to stay in her home until the Sergeant got better...but now, at least, there doesn't have to be this looming threat of her sentence being lengthened whenever she was a quote, unquote, "troublemaker." And Trash and Brawl aren't even required to check up on her anymore... not that it would stop the two of them to visit every now and then. All that mattered is that Trash didn't have any upperhand on her.

She turned around for something else, with a plate in her hand...and she suddenly let out a startled yelp, dropping the plate on the ground, shattering it.

_"...pretty jumpy, aren't you?"_ Standing right behind her had been a rather familiar lion; though black markings were covering his body, and his entire body structure was completely changed.

Total shock filled her body, and she gawked with wide eyes._"...aren't you gonna say anything?"_ he hummed in a dry tone.

It took Jill a long time to respond…at first, she thought it was Jack somehow, but the manner of dialogue told her otherwise. "…Johnny?" she uttered. "…wh-what…happened? Why do you look like…that?"

Johnny glanced to the side. _"...sorry to say, but..."_ he began, as he sighed. _"...Jack was... Corrupted."_

"…what…?" Jill uttered. She started to get worried, "…how?"

_"...you don't wanna know how."_ Johnny murmured.

She clenched her hands into fists. "…who did this…?" she uttered. "…who corrupted him…?"

Johnny hummed. _"...a trio of girls taking orders from some power-hungry fool."_ he replied.

"I asked 'who' specifically, Johnny…" Jill growled. "…I want to know their names; I want to know who was in charge of it all…"

_"...fine..." _Johnny murmured. _"...the fool's name is Bulk. And the girls... Mercy. Cyrene. Ivory."_

Jill's eyes widened. She didn't know Mercy, or Bulk…but she's vaguely heard of Cyrene…and Ivory… "…Ivory…" she uttered. She just now realized that Ivory had been Corrupted too, in order to be a follower of this…Bulk…

She turned away from Johnny, trying to cope with her emotions. "…why…did you come here?" she asked quietly.

_"...I need your help, Jill."_ Johnny said, as he glanced at her. _"I need you to tell me how I can purify Jack."_

"…did you try Metal…?" she asked.

_"...he already tried before I took over Jack's body."_ Johnny noted. _"Didn't work. His Purity wasn't strong enough..."_

Jill fell silent, thinking. She didn't realize that Jack had been so powerfully corrupted. "…if it was that strong…is Jack okay…?" she uttered.

_"...barely."_ Johnny murmured. _"He took a heavy blow during all of this... only a microscopic part of him still resists the Corruption."_

She grit her teeth and tried to hold her tears back. She just couldn't believe that all this had to happen to Jack of all people. He was still one of the most innocent friends she had…and now his innocence had been brutally crushed. "…why…?" she uttered. "…why did they target him?"

Johnny closed his eyes, _"...because... of me."_

Jill fell silent after that. She could understand that…but it still didn't make her feel any better. She would yell at Johnny for attracting the attention to him, but she knew that Johnny really wasn't to blame in this situation. "…let me think…" she uttered, wiping some tears from her eyes.

_"...take your time."_ Johnny murmured, before he leaned against the wall; folding his arms with a sigh.

While she tried to think of a solution to this, a question came to mind. "…Johnny…why are you doing this?" she asked. "As in…why are you willing to purify him…?"

Johnny narrowed his eyes. _"...he didn't deserve what they did to 'im." _he growled. _"I mean... okay, I'm an ass when it comes to messing with people, but... they virtually _destroyed_ him. That's not funny at all..."_

Jill didn't like hearing how they destroyed him…but her feelings softened a little bit when she heard Johnny's reasoning. Knowing that even he had his standards eased her a little, and helped her believe that Johnny was really going to try and purify Jack.

"…Joy's obviously not an option, given that you guys haven't found her yet…" she murmured. "…my own mother wasn't able to purify…" it was strange talking about her mother after all these years… "…I think…the only one who could be the strongest is…Light Gaia…" she mumbled.

_"...him?"_ Johnny glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. _"...you think he'll be willing to show up for a scumbag like me?"_

"…I'm not even sure…" Jill muttered. "…but he's the one I know would be the strongest…maybe you might get lucky if you visit a Gaia Temple…"

_"...hrm... I suppose..."_ Johnny murmured, as he glanced out the window. _"...it's getting late, though..."_

Jill fell silent again, looking away from him. With a low hum, Johnny began walking towards the window; likely figuring that he was overstaying his welcome.

When Jill noticed this, "Johnny, wait," she spoke out.

He stopped, and glanced back at her. He saw her shut her eyes.

Then when they opened, they flashed red.

"…hm?" She looked at her hands. "…what…?"

Johnny's eyes widened. _"...Callous?"_

Callous looked up at Johnny. "…she…let me have control…"

_"...why would she do that...?"_ Johnny uttered.

"…I think I know why…" Callous mumbled. "…just her being her goody-two shoes, compassionate self…"

_"...well... that's considerate of her..." _Johnny mused.

Callous let out a single, amused chuckle. "…guess she felt sorry for us, huh?"

_"...guess so."_ Johnny chuckled in turn.

Callous walked toward him. "…then we shouldn't waste the opportunity then…"

_"...probably not."_ With a chuckle, Johnny approached Callous as well.

Callous reached him and wrapped her arms around him. Johnny, in turn, wrapped his arms around Callous. _"...goddamn, I've missed you, Callous."_ he hummed.

"…I missed you too, Johnny," Callous whispered.

With that said, Johnny pressed his lips on Callous'. Callous kissed back longingly, feeling his chest. Johnny's kiss grew deeper and more passionate, as he stroked her back. Callous breathed excitedly, digging her fingers into his chest fur. Breathing out with her, he held her closer as the kiss grew more heated.

* * *

><p><em><strong>And so on and so forth. Though this part is plot material...<strong>_

* * *

><p>Johnny slowly allowed himself to lie back and breathe. Callous pulled off of him, and laid herself down next to him, panting. Breathing as well, Johnny turned to look at Callous. Callous looked back at him.<p>

_"...Callous..."_ Whispering that, Johnny slowly stroked her cheek.

"…Johnny…" Callous sighed in content when she felt him stroke her cheek, and her eyelids started to droop tiredly.

Johnny smiled a light tad. _"...I love you so goddamn much, Callous..."_

Callous smiled back, with her eyes closing. "…I love you so goddamn much, too, Johnny…" she mumbled.

_"...sweet dreams, then, Callous..."_ Johnny hummed, as he kept stroking her cheek.

Callous smiled, and once it slowly faded, she fell sound asleep. As she slept, Johnny's smile faded, as he slowly sat up. Now that the moment had passed, he did wonder exactly why Jill had allowed Callous this moment with him... especially since the last time they had spoken, she was obviously appalled...

...but then again... last time, she had no idea of what was transpiring...

With a light grunt, he slowly climbed back out of bed, and proceeded to get dressed. His gaze fell back on Callous, and seeing her figure slumbering peacefully brought his smile back. Having spent this time with his lover... it felt good, and not just in the way he usually felt it.

With that, he prepared to sink into the darkness below and head off. The nearest Gaia Temple was still a ways away, so he would have to travel during the night if he hoped to get there by morning. It seemed like the logical thing to-

_...bring me back..._

Johnny's eyes widened. That voice... that all-too familiar voice. One he hadn't heard ever since he had followed the kids off Safe Haven...

...and it was asking him to... bring him back?

"...no can do just yet..." he murmured, as his eyes narrowed, "...I've got a job to do."

With that, Johnny vanished into the darkness; leaving the slumbering ewe all on her own.

* * *

><p>"…I see…" Patricia murmured, once the girls told her what was going on. "…so you corrupted him, and sent him upon his friends?"<p>

Cyrene nodded with a chuckle. _"Oh, you should've seen the way we made him squirm…_"

Patricia simply scoffed at that. "Whatever…"

In that instant, a dark vortex opened, and someone familiar to the girls stepped out of it. _"...I'm back..."_

They all looked toward the vortex. There, the Corrupted lion stood; rubbing the crimson crystal on his forehead, as he glanced at the girls standing in the room. They stared at him.

"…_there's something off about him…"_ Mercy remarked.

He looked back at Mercy. _"...what makes you say that...?"_

"…_I can't even sense the kid inside of you anymore…" _Mercy pointed out.

"_But isn't that what we want?" _Cyrene added.

"…_no, he's not gone in the way we intended…"_ Mercy muttered. "_...how did your mission go?_"

He folded his arms. _"...I destroyed their communicators... but an unexpected anomaly attacked me..."_ he spoke, and rubbed the crystal more, _"...I was tossed out of my body... so I had to create a replica..."_

"_Oooooh…" _was Mercy's response, now understanding what was going on. _"That makes much more sense…_"

Meanwhile, Cyrene's response was different. _"Let me guess; it was Johnny that threw you out of your body, wasn't it?_" she growled.

Slowly, he nodded. _"Yes. I tried fighting him off, but... he overpowered me..."_

"Well, now what's he doing with the body?" Patricia asked curiously.

_"...from what I could tell during our struggle..."_ he murmured. _"...he intends to... purify it."_

They all looked at each other for a while, and then they looked back at him.

"…_well, to be honest, it isn't a huge loss,"_ Ivory replied. _"We still have our recruit, after all."_

He slowly tilted his head. _"...recruit...?"_

"_You are our recruit, part of the army," _Ivory explained. _"Better yet, if you're powerful enough…you might just become a general with the rest of us."_

He hummed. _"...if I'm powerful enough..."_ Then, he glanced towards Patricia. _"...so... if I can beat someone like her... would I be powerful enough...?"_

"_Either that, or if Master Bulk decides you're strong enough,_" Cyrene purred.

Patricia glared at her when she called Bulk 'master,' for her own personal issues on the matter.

"Speaking of new recruits, I have another one that I'd like you all to meet that I just recently drafted," Patricia said, changing the subject. "His name is Pierce, and he should actually be coming back from a mission of his own that I sent him on."

He tilted his head a tad. _"...Pierce..."_

"...someone say my name?"

At that point, another dark vortex opened, and someone stepped into the room; swiping a thin katana at the air, which sent some blood that was dulling its blade splattering onto the ground.

"Ah, good timing," Patricia said, turning to that someone. The others looked at him with interest.

As it turned out, they were looking at a black poodle with a fairly sizeable afro; wearing what seemed to be samurai garb, as he weighed the katana in his grasp. "...they went down without much of a hitch."

_"...are you Pierce...?"_ the lionassumed.

"Yes, that's him," Patricia said. "…glad to hear your mission was a success."

Pierce merely nodded.

"Pierce, I'd like you to meet your other comrades in the operation," Patricia said, gesturing to the girls and the lion.

Pierce looked them over with a hum. "...lively bunch." he mused dryly.

The lion merely tilted his head.

"...by the by..." Pierce hummed, as he reached into the dark vortex behind him. "...I found someone while out on the field." And he tossed a pair of figures into the room, right before Cyrene.

"...ugh..." With a cough, one of them, a female swan, slowly rose to her feet. "...wha... where are we...?" she uttered.

The other was a crane, trembling weakly. "…I don't like the looks of this…" he uttered, looking up.

"Well well…if it isn't Geese and Grace," Patricia mused.

Quickly, Grace got on her feet. "...Patricia..." she uttered. "...then... we're back at the GUN HQ?"

"...that seems to be the case." Pierce hummed, as he closed off the dark vortex. "Now, Patricia... what would you like to do with them?"

"First, I'd like to know why you cowards ran away…" Patricia asked.

"Look, we didn't want to be part of this; we made that perfectly clear with that brat!" Geese growled, getting to his feet too.

"Besides... we did what you wanted; created a distraction." Grace murmured. "Once we did that, we got out of there before GUN could arrest us."

"Well, did you ever think that we may have some use for you yet?" Patricia hummed.

"Patricia, we don't want to be used, and we sure as hell don't want anything to do with your army of psychotic killers," Geese growled.

"_Well, that's not a nice thing to call us,_" Cyrene purred.

"...then what do you want us to call you?" Grace scoffed, as she shot a condescending glance at Cyrene. "_Whores?_"

Cyrene frowned. _"…only Master Bulk can call us that,_" and she slapped Grace across the face.

Grace merely scoffed, as she slapped Cyrene right back. "Then would _sluts_ be more fitting?"

Pierce couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the brewing squabble between Grace and Cyrene. Cyrene snarled at her and tackled Grace to the ground to start clawing and punching her. Grace, in turn, didn't even seem to flinch as she was scratched by the cat, as she kept smacking at Cyrene repeatedly.

"The two of you ought to get a room." Pierce mused with a chuckle, as his gaze fell on the lion; who simply looked at Cyrene clawing at Grace.

Mercy chuckled. _"Now cat fight would be fitting…but yet, so cheesy."_

By this time, Cyrene finally tackled Grace to the ground, pounding her hard against the ground by her shoulders. With a scoff, Grace merely glared back at Cyrene with a dignified gaze; the scratches and rough slaps had done nothing to crack her spirit.

"...she's a strong one." Pierce mused, as he folded his arms.

"...a true lady never loses her composure, even in the face of death." Grace scoffed. "Of course, riff-raff such as yourselves wouldn't know what being a lady is like..."

"_Why you little bitch!" _Cyrene snarled, raising her hand.

"Cyrene, that's enough."

Cyrene shot a shocked look back at Patricia, who was observing the whole thing.

"...you heard her. Get off the swan."

And in that instant, the doors opened, and Bulk entered the room with a chuckle; watching the scene. "So, we have some new recruits?"

The lion's glance slowly fell towards Bulk, while Pierce and Grace merely spared him a quick look.

"_Master Bulk,_" the three women whispered, Cyrene immediately getting off.

"…Damn, Bulk…you made yourself a pimp," Geese remarked.

Bulk chuckled. "I suppose that's one way of putting it."

"...hmph." Grace scoffed.

"Bulk, the lion came back, but only as a copy," Patricia told Bulk. "Johnny ended up snatching the body to go purify it."

"...I see..." Bulk hummed, as he turned to look at this copy. "...so, what are we gonna call ya?"

The lion remained silent.

Chuckling, Bulk glanced at Cyrene, Ivory and Mercy. "...why don't you three name him?"

They all turned to him, thoughtfully. He merely looked back at them.

"…_I can't think of a name for him," _Mercy eventually said. _"Haven't really been good with anything like that._"

"_I can't think of a name either,"_ Cyrene remarked with a sigh.

Ivory still continued to stare at the lion. His gaze eventually fell on Ivory.

"…_Husk,_" Ivory eventually said.

Bulk hummed at that. "Husk, eh? Where did that come from?"

The lion hummed, as if he were judging that name.

"…_he is the husk that came from the lion,_" Ivory reasoned. "_The part of him that we need._"

"...sounds logical to me." Pierce hummed. "The question is, though... will he accept that name?"

"Well, if he doesn't like the name, he's free to substitute with an idea of his own," Patricia mused, leaning against the wall with folded arms.

The lion still seemed deep in thought; rubbing his chin, before he looked back at the trio...

...and slowly, Husk nodded in approval.

"Good, now we have that settled," Patricia spoke.

"...right; we have guests, after all..." Bulk chuckled, as he looked at Grace and Geese.

Geese looked at all of them warily. "…I still don't want to be Corrupted, or whatever the hell you call it," he growled.

"...me neither." Grace huffed. "That vile stuff has no business being close to me..."

"_Look, we don't even know if you're Corruption material, so don't give yourselves the leisure to decline an offer we haven't even made yet,_" Mercy scoffed.

"...well, why else would we have been brought here?" Grace retorted.

"...I dunno." Pierce shrugged. "I thought we could get some use out of you."

"…we were hoping to get any useful information we might need out of you," Patricia said. She looked at Pierce then. "…where were they when you found them?"

"...near the mission site." Pierce explained. "They were leaving this nightclub, along with a siamese cat and a flamingo. I just recognized the two of them as being some of those who escaped this base before you took it over, so I snagged them when the two groups went their separate ways."

Patricia looked at them. "A night club, huh? Couldn't resist yourselves…and just who were the ones you were with?"

"Some butler and a girl that live in a mansion," Geese answered with a vague shrug.

"They said something about the girl's sister not being able to come... something about helping a friend keep an eye on the mansion." Grace mused as she drummed her finger against her chin.

Husk perked up slightly at that. _"...mansion..."_

Patricia eyed the two of them. "…there's something you're not telling me…"

"...what?" Grace huffed. "What could you possibly want to know about what a butler and a girl from a mansion were thinking while at a nightclub?"

"…well, it's not necessarily you being at a nightclub with people," Patricia said. "…you two seem too…vague about it. It's suspicious…"

She turned to Pierce. "Did you happen to listen in on any conversation they had?"

"...they were talking about a few things I happened to overhear." Pierce noted. "About... someone called Hex and May, and... how not having access to the kitchen because someone's trapped inside there is inconvenient..."

_"...Hex..."_ Husk slowly tilted his head, as if he was fitting the pieces together in his head.

"…now why would someone trap someone else in a kitchen?" Patricia asked curiously, looking at them.

Geese looked away. Grace did the same.

"...because the one they trapped did something to Hex." Pierce noted.

"Oh?" Patricia asked. "…now tell me you two…who is that person they have trapped, and just what did they do to this…Hex?"

Geese still didn't look at her.

"Come now…you don't want Pierce to have to answer your questions for you, do you?" Patricia asked them.

Grace hissed. "...apparently... Hex was... Corrupted."

Pierce nodded.

_"...by... who...?"_ Husk eventually inquired.

Patricia raised her brow. "…my thoughts exactly…who could've Corrupted someone that wasn't any of us?"

Geese glared back at her grudgingly. "…some woman named Desire…"

Patricia was silent.

…eventually, a small chuckle came out of her.

Then it turned into a full blown, insane sounding laugh.

Pierce looked back at Patricia, as the others just looked at her with curious looks. "...uh... what's so funny?"

"_That _bitch? Really?" Patricia continued to laugh so hard, her eyes watered up and her gut was starting to ache. She clutched to it, trying to compose herself. "My brother's ex-wife, corrupting someone!"

"…what…?" Geese was really surprised by Patricia saying that.

"...brother's ex-wife..." Grace uttered. "...did we miss something?"

"…lots…" Patricia chuckled. "…long story short, my bro found out his first wife was still alive. That means nothing more for that little whore with her brat, bastard son…but to hear that she was corrupted and corrupted someone else only makes me laugh…"

"…_but then how could this Desire have been corrupted, Patricia?_" Ivory asked.

"By Malice, that's who," Patricia answered. "My bro predicted a month ago when she was gonna stop by his place, so I can only assume what went down."

"...he can see the future, eh?" Bulk chuckled. "How convenient..."

"...still... that woman's trapped, from the sound of things." Pierce hummed. "Do you intend to leave her to that fate?"

Patricia scoffed, "Tsch, _duh_. I've met the woman and don't like her. She probably deserves it. Hex, on the other hand…" Patricia rubbed her chin. "…now that name is awfully familiar…"

"...you've heard of her before?" Pierce hummed.

Ivory looked at Patricia. "…_Hex…she was a soldier at Safe Haven I knew…_" Ivory didn't know what fogged up her memories; probably the Corruption, but she just suddenly remembered her.

Patricia chuckled. "That's right; she had a file at Safe Haven…and she's corrupted…"

Bulk chuckled. "I think I know what you've got planned, Patricia..."

"…if she made Desire her little bitch, though admittedly that wouldn't be very hard," Desire mumbled, "then she might be someone useful to us."

Bulk chuckled. "So... why don't you go and persuade her, Patricia?"

"That was my plan," Patricia said. "As for Grace and Geese…we'll keep 'em around to gather info for us; just a little compromise for not turning you scumbags into our slaves."

"...hmph... says the woman leading an army of darkness..." Grace murmured.

"Once again; be happy you aren't becoming our underlings," Patricia said. She opened a black vortex in the wall, but before she stepped in, she stopped. "Oh yeah."

And she turned to Ivory. "Since you sent the girl away, it's your assignment to track her down and keep an eye on her. You should know where she's going, I'm sure…"

Ivory nodded.

"Pierce, you go with Ivory on this one," Patricia ordered.

"...as you wish." Pierce nodded, as he weighed his sword in his hands.

At this point, Husk looked towards Patricia. _"...do you have... any assignments for me...?"_

"Not at the moment, unless Bulk decides what he wants you to do," Patricia spoke. "Anyhow, see ya." And she disappeared in the black void, leaving them behind.

Ivory opened up her own vortex, nudging for Pierce to follow as she walked in.

Pierce merely walked after Ivory.

Bulk hummed. "...Mercy, you can lock the two of them in a cell somewhere. Husk, Cyrene... consider yourselves off-duty for the moment." With that, he wandered out of the room.

Mercy came over and grabbed both birds by their collars. Since she was taller than both of them, she was able to lift them up. "_C'mon,_" she grumbled, carrying a struggling Geese and Grace.

"H-Hey! Let us go!" Geese yelled.

"Ngh... you ruffian; watch where you're grabbing!" Grace grunted, as the two of them were dragged out; leaving only Husk and Cyrene in the room.

Cyrene snickered at that. _"Well, looks like we're starting to get the ball rolling, aren't we, Husk_?" she said, turning to the lion.

Husk slowly looked back at her. _"...seems like it, yeah..."_ he nodded.

"…_hm, you kinda lack some emotion, don't you?"_ Cyrene mused.

Husk simply nodded. _"...I'm acting as I recall my state of mind being after being Corrupted... I would require some aid in recalling certain emotions..."_

"…_I see,_" Cyrene replied. _"Well, we have some downtime. Any ideas on what to do?"_

_"...I would assume that you would have an idea."_ Husk mused, as he stepped closer to Cyrene. _"You were one of those who Corrupted me, after all..."_

"…_straight forward…"_ Cyrene mused, stepping closer to Husk in turn. Then she chuckled. _"…I like that…_"

_"...you do?"_ Husk hummed.

"_Yeah…_" Cyrene purred a little.

With a hum, Husk stopped right in front of Cyrene. _"...are you going to show me how much you like it...?"_

Cyrene only chuckled. _"Oh hell yeah…_" and she grabbed Husk, kissing him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Lots of grabbing and kissing, huh? Moving on...<strong>_

* * *

><p>The sky was dark; it would be a while still before the sun would rise again.<p>

Johnny figured that this was more than fitting.

The Gaia Temples, unfortunately enough for him, were spread very thinly around the world, so even the closest one would be a long way from the other groups. Still, though, this was something that had to be done... even if him doing it was just way too bizarre for his personal tastes.

So, standing before the Gaia Temple, Johnny let out a sigh, and wandered within the chamber; fully expecting Light Gaia to come with some kind of tirade against him, or whatever...

Nope, none of that greeted him.

The one that greeted him was a tall, cloaked figure. Seeing that, he tilted his head out of curiosity.

"…I'm sorry that Light Gaia couldn't meet you, Johnny…"

The figure pulled off the hood, revealing a ewe with long, curly, pale brown hair, and a familiar face as well as familiar eyes. "I came in his stead," she said.

Johnny's eyes narrowed. "...so, you were expecting me... Goddess."

"…yes," she answered.

"...then you know why I'm here. Great." Johnny huffed. "That saves us a lot of time."

Goddess nodded. "Though it wouldn't be possible for Light Gaia to show up himself, he can channel his energy through me because I am his messenger. That's why I came."

"Even better." Johnny huffed, as he folded his arms. "So let's get this started..."

"Right," Goddess nodded. "First, follow me to someplace," and she started walking deeper into the temple. With a hum, Johnny was quick to follow her.

Goddess led Johnny to a small chamber in the temple that had a fountain sprinkling down from a wall into a small pool on the ground. "…water is the metaphor of cleansing oneself… so it would be helpful to use it in this."

Johnny hummed. "...so, what, I just step in the pool?" he assumed.

"If you would, please," Goddess said.

With a nod, Johnny proceeded to walk into the pool of water; glancing back at Goddess. Goddess nodded. "Just lie down."

"...right..." Nodding, Johnny slowly lied down in the pool of water; gazing up at the ceiling.

Goddess knelt by his head, touching his temples with her fingers with a white glow to them. "…so he's still there…but barely…" she mumbled.

"...yeah... I figure that as long as I'm in here, the Corruption won't try overpowering what's left of him." Johnny murmured. "...but that's not an existence he deserves..."

Goddess nodded. "…to be honest…I don't know how much I can purify you. I don't possess that ability myself, but like I stated before, I'll be channeling the power from Light Gaia himself…from this temple."

"...hey," Slowly, Johnny looked back at Goddess. "You're not purifying me, you hear? You're purifying my nephew."

"…right…" she replied.

Then she closed her eyes to concentrate. Johnny closed his own eyes as well.

…just then, the temple itself started to stir…

…markings on the walls and floor started to glow with a turquoise-greenish light, slowly crawling its way toward them. Johnny's brows furrowed, but his eyes remained closed. The glow crawled all the way to them; namely, Goddess.

Suddenly, the glowing markings took onto her body, growing on her arms and across her face. Johnny slowly opened his eyes to glance at her when he noticed the glow coming from her. Goddess trembled a little while the markings grew all over her…and then she relaxed.

Her eyes opened, consumed with a glow of the same color light. She looked lifeless. Johnny's eyes narrowed. He didn't like the looks of this...

Soft ripples spread out from Johnny's body in the water, and Goddess pressed her palms on the sides of Johnny's head, pulsing into him a tremendous power all of a sudden. Johnny's body stirred, and he grit his teeth. That power brought with it a searing, painful sensation...

Then Johnny noticed something. Black goo was seeping out of him into the water, where it deteriorated away under the surface. Despite how painful the power felt, it was doing the trick. While thankful for that, the pain he felt was still tremendous; forcing him to bite down on his lip to keep himself from making any kind of pained noise. The temple itself started to tremble a little while this continued on, and Goddess's body started to tremble again, still holding to Johnny's head. Johnny shut his eyes and clenched his hands together; striving to keep himself composed in spite of the pain he felt.

Then, Goddess dug her nails into his head. That tore it. Johnny's eyes opened wide, and he let out a pained cry. Goddess ended up screaming out too, in a maddened, insane shriek.

Then there was a bright flash. As the flash blinded him, Johnny felt what amounted to an unknown feeling flooding throughout his body; as if he was being tossed into a raging ocean...

...and slowly, he began relaxing the moment the flash faded.

Goddess was no longer above him when the flash faded. In fact, she had been hurled quite a distance away from Johnny, and the markings in the temple faded away from their glow.

Groaning, Johnny slowly sat up, and rubbed his head... when he noticed something.

The black markings... they were gone.

In fact, his entire body had been changed; turned into what it had been before Jack had been Corrupted. Looking at himself, Johnny let out a hum. "...so... it's done..."

With that, he got on his feet, and hurried towards Goddess. "You alright?"

Goddess's arm trembled when she tried to push herself off the ground, and the hood had fallen back over her head to shroud herself.

Blood trickled down from under her hood, dropping to the floor.

"...geez, did it take _that_ much?" Johnny uttered, as he quickly tried getting Goddess on her feet. "C'mon, here you go..."

Goddess grunted in pain a little when she was helped up. "…I'm not very strong anymore, Johnny," she spoke. "Most of my powers have withered away over time…"

"...right..." Johnny murmured, "...still, though... you did it. The Corruption's gone."

Goddess nodded. "And that's all that matters."

"...still, though... you look like you took a beating," Johnny mused. "Need any help with that?" And just to see how she looked, he moved his hand to remove the hood shrouding her face.

He noticed one thing immediately; that the blood trickled down from one of her eyes, which was now fully red with blood. There were also dark, swollen markings across her face, making her look a bit grotesque.

"…don't worry about me," was all she said, looking away from him.

"...wha...?" Johnny was baffled by that. "...what the hell happened? Was it _really_ that straining to help me out?"

"…on my spirit, yes," she answered, "…but despite that, I am still here, and I was able to purify your nephew. It doesn't matter what happened to me."

Johnny narrowed his eyes, and glanced to the side. "...geez... even after seven years, you're still the same as you were back then... self-sacrificing to a fault..."

Goddess remained silent after that, turning away from him entirely.

"...I know that we've got Malice running around, but..." With that, Johnny rubbed his neck a tad, "...geez, Goddess, when can you just rest? I mean, Deity's not gonna come back; I've made plenty sure of that. You don't need to keep beating yourself up over it."

"…it's not necessarily that…" she murmured. "…it's seeing my daughter as helpless to do anything as I was when I watched Deity terrorize her as a teenager…"

"...deja vu, huh," Johnny sighed. "Still..."

"…I'm trying to find a solution to this just as anyone else is, Johnny…" Goddess spoke. "…even though Light Gaia has purified Jack, he hasn't given me any clue as to what to do about Malice."

With a scoff, Johnny turned away from Goddess. "...maybe because he's just gonna have the rest of us do his work for him." he murmured. "Like he _always_ does..."

"Or perhaps he too, is trying to think of a solution," Goddess remarked back with a bitter tone.

"Oh, yeah, right; like when he was _thinking of a solution_ for when Deity was roaming free, or when I took over Deity's powers, or when he possessed Diablo and Spiel." Johnny spat, before he turned around to glare at Goddess. "Aside from having you as his agent, _what_ has that little snot done in regards to _anything_ related to Corruption these past seven years?"

"…you sound like you have a personal quarrel with him," she suddenly said calmly, looking back at him.

"Well, maybe I do!" Johnny growled, as he kicked at the ground in frustration. "It may be because I'm not used to playing for the nice team, but if you ask me, he sounds like a _pretty lazy bastard_ if he allowed all this shit to happen without lifting a _finger_ to help anyone out!"

Goddess remained silent.

In frustration, Johnny punched a nearby wall. "...I'm pretty sure that he could've stopped those wannabes using Corruption single-handedly... but I guess he's too busy _thinking of solutions_ to bother helping those who actually _give_ a rat's ass about solving the problem..."

"…he hasn't stopped them because he _can't…_ and he feels even guiltier about it than I do."

Johnny glanced back at Goddess with a scowl.

"…he's _tried _to come to this world…to fix things," Goddess spoke calmly. "…but has found that he hasn't been able to, because a higher force than any of us has put him in his place for who he is…the reason he had been put on this world in Sonic's time was because of the drastic release of Dark Gaia by Eggman's hands."

Johnny remained silent, but his scowl didn't diminish.

"…the reasoning would probably stand that if Dark Gaia was released, then we would be too," she said. "…but that's the last thing any of us needs right now…"

"...hmph..." Johnny scoffed, as he folded his arms.

"…Sonic and his friends too are growing restless about things, but I suppose they have more power to do something about it than Light Gaia and I would…" Goddess spoke. "…they've gone out on their own, and I don't know where any of them are."

Johnny hummed. "...but they're just ghosts." he noted. "Unless they have descendants that they can possess, like I do... the most they'll amount to is fodder for anyone using Corruption who knows how to absorb spirits."

"…doesn't seem to stop them," Goddess hummed as well. "…but what you say about descendants might have given me a clue to where Espio could be."

Johnny raised an eyebrow at that, "...really, now."

"If I recall, his granddaughter is helping search for Joy," Goddess replied.

"Really." Johnny hummed, as he glanced to the side. "...hrm..."

"…at any rate, perhaps I should make up for things by returning your nephew to his group," Goddess said.

"...maybe so," Johnny murmured. "I was thinking of how to get back, to begin with..." Then, he closed his eyes. "...just hold on, Goddess... I have to see if he's fine..."

Goddess looked back at him. Johnny slowly rubbed his own temples. Even if the Corruption had left his body, his mind could very well have been permanently scarred by how he had been Corrupted... above all else, he had to make sure that Jack wasn't going to remain an emotional wreck for the rest of his life.

"...hrm..."

"…what is it?" Goddess asked.

"...on the surface..." Johnny murmured. "...he... seems alright. I guess that little bubble of denial kept him from remembering what went down after the Corruption left his body... but..."

"…but?" Goddess inquired.

"...it's... hard to say, how he's gonna act from now on." Johnny murmured. "With his buddies like Striker and Milo, he may not be too different... but I think he'll have a hard time letting any girls near him from now on..."

"…would that include his mother?" Goddess asked.

"...possibly..." Johnny murmured.

"…hm…" Goddess hummed solemnly, looking away again worriedly.

Johnny glanced away as well, with a scowl once more.

"...and it's my fault."

Goddess looked back at Johnny with some surprise, not expecting something like that to come out of his mouth.

"...if I hadn't kicked Patricia's ass... if I hadn't been so eager to just mess with everyone around me, Jack included... if I had taken this shit a little bit seriously..." He grit his teeth. "...goddamn it... he didn't deserve it..."

Goddess looked at him a bit longer.

"…you didn't know. Besides, I don't think Callous would want you to feel guilty."

Johnny glanced back at Goddess when she said that.

"…but you need to keep on your toes, because eventually, they will target Safe Haven," Goddess said. "Eventually…they will come for her, too."

Johnny's eyes narrowed and he glanced aside. "...shit... I can't do much without Jack..." he murmured. "...and now that he's been purified... I can do even less when they decide to attack her..."

"…even then…I don't think either her or my daughter would give up without a fight," Goddess said.

"...I know, I know, but..." Johnny murmured. "...I just wish that _I_ could put up a fight with them... but..." And he snapped his fingers. "...I don't want to risk Jack again. I know it sounds weird, coming from me, but... I'd hate for him to be reintroduced to Corruption because of me fucking up."

"…I could understand that," Goddess answered.

"...though..." At that point, Johnny's eyes widened. "...before I left Safe Haven... someone called to me..."

"…hm?" and Goddess looked back at him again.

"...he called... he asked to be brought back..." Johnny hummed. "...because only I could hear him..."

"…you mean, Jack?" Goddess asked.

"...no." Johnny hummed, as he slowly looked back at Goddess.

"...Spiel."

Goddess blinked with widened eyes. "...I was surprised, too." Johnny noted. "But my priorities lied with getting Jack purified... so I couldn't answer his pleas."

"…he wants to be brought back…" Goddess murmured thoughtfully, looking away.

"...it struck me as odd, because..." Johnny hummed. "...he hasn't complained about being dead for the two years he has been... and now he wants to be brought back..."

"…it could be because of the situation going on in Safe Haven," Goddess said. "…that he wants to be brought back to fight again."

"...possibly..." Johnny hummed.

"…hm…him being brought back by the time Patricia and Bulk invade Safe Haven might give them a fighting chance," Goddess murmured thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. "…but I just purified you, unfortunately."

"...and I'm not gonna let Jack get Corrupted again just to bring Spiel back to life..." Johnny huffed. "...so... that would mean that the only one capable of bringing Spiel back to fight against Bulk and Patricia... is Callous."

"…seems that way," Goddess replied.

"...so what remains is to get Callous to bring Spiel back... and Safe Haven has some kind of defense against Corruption." Johnny hummed. "I mean, yeah, Callous is strong, but against an army, she'd be outnumbered..."

"…so I think with that reasoning, Spiel would contact Callous on his own," Goddess replied, looking back at Johnny yet again.

"...I just hope that he'll be noticed by her." Johnny murmured. "I mean, there _is_ a reason why I kept possessing Jack to see Callous; it was downright impossible to establish contact with her otherwise."

"…hrm…" Goddess murmured a bit worriedly again.

"...but I suppose that'll be dealt with accordingly." Johnny hummed. "So, how's about taking Jack back to the others?"

"Right," Goddess nodded.

And with that, Johnny was suddenly gone in a flash.

* * *

><p>When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a meadow, near a small pond. He didn't see or hear anyone, so he figured that at the moment, he was on his own. He did wonder how long it would take for someone to show up and get sentimental over seeing Jack returned to normal...<p>

...but as that thought struck him, he turned around to look down at the pond. His reflection was clear as day in the water; looking like it always had before he had been dragged into that cesspool of darkness...

...just the sight of his body restored to normal actually brought a light smile to his face. "...goddamn... guess I've grown up, after all..." With that, he closed his eyes...

...and when he opened them, he blinked out of confusion. "...where... am I?"

No response...

...curiously, the lion wandered away through the meadow, for a long time.

Eventually, he came to a cave, and for curiosity's sake, entered inside.

Then the lion heart slow, sluggish footsteps coming toward him. His eyes widened, and he stopped, looking deeper into the cave. It was a familiar figure rubbing their eyes, and quickly, when they noticed the lion, they stopped with wide eyes.

"JACK!" It was Striker, and immediately, he ran to hug the lion.

His eyes widened in surprise when he was hugged, but with a grin, he hugged him back. "STRIKER!" he laughed.

"Oh Jack, you're alright!" Striker almost sounded like he was crying and laughing at the same time. "We were so worried!"

Jack simply hugged him tighter. "It's alright, Striker; I'm all better, now!"

Suddenly, more figures appeared; all of them wide eyed.

"Jack!" Milo was another one that ran to hug Jack. .

Jack quickly hugged him back again. "Hey, Milo!"

Another figure that appeared was Diablo, but unlike Milo and Striker, he stopped to inspect Jack. "…is that really you, Jack?" he asked a bit warily.

Jack smiled at him. "Yeah, it's me! Who else would it be?"

Diablo frowned a little. He still wasn't sure.

"Jack!" Oblivion came up next. "Oh Jack! You're alright!"

In a very brief instance, however, Jack backed away from Oblivion warily whilst still hugging Striker and Milo.

As he arrived, Demi saw this, and blinked. "...Jack?"

"...hey, Oblivion." Jack said with a small smile; his tone a lot more cautious than it had been before.

"…Jack…?" Oblivion noticed his strange behavior a bit…worriedly.

Then, "JACK!" Another pair of arms threw themselves around Jack, turning out to be Ani.

Jack's eyes shot wide open. "GAH!" And quickly, he stumbled backwards in what seemed to be panic. "A-Ani!" he uttered, in a mixture of what seemed to be both joy and shock.

"…Jack…?" Oblivion uttered again, more worried.

"Jack, what's wrong?" Milo asked.

"...I... I dunno..." Jack uttered.

Demi looked worriedly at Jack for that. "...do you... feel alright, Jack?"

"...yeah, I do." Jack slowly nodded, as he glanced to the side. "I don't feel anything unnatural..."

Ani walked toward Jack. "Is there something wrong with me then?"

Jack seemed to crawl a bit away from Ani. "N-no, nothing's wrong with you, Ani..."

"…you're crawling away Jack…" Ani muttered.

Upon hearing that, Jack stopped. "...uh..."

Diablo went to Jack then, helping him up. "Jack, what happened to you?" he asked.

"...I... don't know..." Jack murmured.

"…hm…" Diablo still looked at him suspiciously.

"…well, I think Johnny was able to get you purified somehow," Striker said.

"...yeah..." Jack uttered.

"...are you going to be okay, Jack?" At that point, Kiri stepped out by Oblivion and Demi.

Jack glanced at her with a light smile. "...I... guess..." Then, he blinked. "...where's mom?"

"...she's with Charon at the moment." Demi noted.

"…yeah…" Ani murmured. "…I guess none of us have really slept…but to be honest, she hasn't said anything at all…we at least found this cave so that I could stay out of the way of the full moon."

Jack glanced deeper into the cave where everyone had come from with a concerned look. "...mom..."

"…Jack, maybe you should go see her!" Striker suggested. "Seeing you back might make her feel better!"

"...yeah!" Jack said with a nod. "I'll go do that right away!" As he set Striker and Milo on the ground, he dashed past the others.

"…are you sure it's a good idea?" Diablo asked the others, looking at them.

"…we can't let him see Vanessa alone, at least," Milo said, running off where Jack went.

"...right..." Kiri ran after Milo as well.

"...would it be a good idea if all of us followed him?" Demi hummed, as he glanced at the others.

"…we don't want to crowd around Vanessa," Oblivion said. "…Milo and Kiri should be enough…"

Meanwhile, Jack finally encountered Charon, looking down at someone who was hunched over, sitting by a stalagmite. Jack's eyes widened, and he slowly approached Charon, who cast a glance in his direction, but remained silent in spite of his surprise.

It was Vanessa sitting there at the stalagmite. Her arms were slung around her shoulders again to try once more at mending their broken bones. The scars from the knives when she tried to defend Jack were very evident in swollen, dark markings. Her head was hung over… and she didn't dare to look up at all.

With a saddened look, Jack slowly, yet silently, approached the lioness; though when there were just a few feet separating him from her, he stopped, and knelt down to look at her. "...mom..." he whispered.

Her head hung even lower when she heard that voice.

"...mom..." Jack uttered, as he hesitantly reached a hand towards her. "...it's... it's me... Jack..."

"…what did they do to you…son…?"

Jack blinked at that, and his hand stopped. "...what?"

"…what did they do to you…to turn you into that…?"

Slowly, Jack's gaze moved down towards the ground, and he retracted his hand. "...they... did... _things..._" he uttered, as he slowly set a hand on his head. "...n-naughty things... it's vague, but... I... I think the Corruption made me..." He shuddered visibly, and set his other hand on his head, as his breath grew slightly more rapid. "...l-_like_ it..."

Vanessa remained silent, only tensing up a little more when she heard it.

"...it was like..." Jack continued, as he closed his eyes. "...like... my entire body just decided to stop listening to me... it did whatever it wanted... I _wanted_ to stop, but I... I couldn't..."

Vanessa was silent a bit longer… then…

"….I'm so sorry Jack…" croaked a pained voice.

Jack's eyes widened, as he looked at Vanessa. "...mom...?"

"…I…couldn't protect you from them…"

A couple of tears fell from her hidden face while her shoulders shuddered.

"…I couldn't stop them from doing those horrible things to you…" she croaked again.

Jack's eyes widened, and a few tears began welling up from them. "...mom..."

And for the first time ever, Jack saw his mom break down and cry. This was just the moment when Milo and Kiri arrived, and they stopped at what they saw in silence. Charon stepped back as silently as he could, which left Jack just looking at the crying Vanessa with wide, tear-filled eyes. Vanessa sobbed so broken-heartedly, that Milo actually had to look away from it. He felt a lot of pain from Vanessa right now. Kiri quickly hid her face in Milo's chest to keep from looking at it.

Slowly, Jack tried moving a bit closer to Vanessa; tears trickling down his cheeks as he reached out to her again. "...m-mom..."

Vanessa didn't seem to notice him, still sobbing.

As he got closer, Jack grew more hesitant in approaching her; though he still reached his hand towards her, if ever so slowly. "...mom... you don't... have to be sad..." he whispered, "...not... alone, at least..."

"…b-but…it was my fault…" Vanessa uttered, still weeping.

"...mom... I'm not gonna blame you for it..." Jack sobbed lightly, as he gently managed to set his hand on her own. "...i-if anything... it's my fault, for... letting you get so hurt to begin with..."

"…but…I spent my life to make sure…nothing bad would happen to you…" Vanessa uttered out. "…I would've been more than willing to get hurt to keep you safe…so you didn't end up like I did…"

Jack blinked. "...like... you did...?" he uttered.

Vanessa's sobbing actually died down from that. "…the same things…were done to me Jack…" she uttered. "…only…no Corruption…"

Milo's eyes widened at that. Kiri looked at Vanessa with wide eyes as well.

So did Jack. "...it... happened to... you too, mom...?"

Vanessa nodded, letting out a few more sobs.

"...wh-who... did it...?" Jack uttered. "Was it... really bad people?"

Vanessa nodded again, weeping a little more. Biting his lip, Jack eventually mustered the courage to slowly hug Vanessa; closing his eyes and sobbing a bit. "...you don't... have to be sad, mom..." he whispered.

Vanessa couldn't quite keep it together, though, so she cried in her son's shoulder; unable to hug him back because of her broken arms. Jack sobbed with her, as he simply held her closely; not wanting to let her go.

"…they should be fine…" Milo mumbled under his breath. "…at any rate…I just can't watch this anymore…" and he turned to walk away. Kiri, holding onto Milo, left the lions to sob on each other's shoulders with Charon to watch. Charon simply watched them silently; taking care not to make a single sound.

Eventually, Vanessa's sobs died down and she became silent. Jack grew silent as well. Then Vanessa became limp. Jack blinked, as he glanced at her. "...mom...?" he whispered. Jack could hear her breathing, but she slowly started to tilt over.

"...asleep..." Jack murmured...

...and he let out a small yawn; he was getting tired, too.

Slowly, Jack gently set Vanessa down on the ground; making sure that she was lying comfortably, before he huddled someplace close by her, but not too close. He intended to sleep for the night as well...

Charon felt a little more at ease seeing them relax like this, and he, too, laid down silently.


	31. Chapter 30

"...mmmh... how distressing..."

Writing down a few lists of supplies, Hex was pacing around the living room with a pencil in her mouth and another in her hand. "...giving me a warning at such short notice... I need to prepare for something like this..." she murmured to herself.

May walked into the room then. "So, what have you got so far?" she asked.

Hex gave her a nod. "...well, I need to find out what I should bring with me, and I'm still stuck on provisions..." Then, she glanced towards the kitchen door. "...not to mention... I have to find some way to keep Desire and her kid from accidentally breaking out while I'm gone... can't be too careful, you know?"

"Right," May said. "…though at this point, I think we should move them out of the kitchen."

"Right, right..." Hex nodded, as she rubbed her neck. "...but the question is, where do we put them?"

"…why not the basement? That's basically concrete, and nobody's using it," May figured. "It should be fine to just stick 'em there."

"...yeah, that sounds like a plan." Hex nodded. "Though I'd rather move them without you, Fae or Mordecai watching; even considering our usual standards, it could make you guys sick to even see them..."

May looked away, trying to hide her uneasiness. "…probably."

Hex sighed. "...it's something that has to be done..." she murmured. "...speaking of, I should clean the kitchen the moment I've moved the two of them."

"I could help you out with that," May said.

"Mmmh..." Hex hummed, as she rubbed her neck. "...well, it's _kinda_ difficult to clean up Corruption if you can't use it... but if you're sure..."

"Yeah, I'm sure," May said.

Hex actually smiled a little at that. "...wait here, then. It won't take long for me to move them."

With that, she slipped inside of the kitchen. May stood there, folding her arms.

A few minutes passed...

...and eventually, Hex opened the kitchen doors. "It's empty. Shall we clean it up?"

"Sure," May said, walking toward the open kitchen door.

Hex stepped aside to let her enter the empty kitchen; though, while there were no one but them inside of it, it was still an absolute mess. "…huh, so this is what it looks like in here," May mused, looking around.

"Yeah..." Hex mused, as she closed the door behind them. "...I did a quick check after taking them downstairs, and I didn't find anything volatile. The Corruption that's in here can't infect you."

"Oh good; I was actually kinda wondering that," May remarked. "So…I just grab a broom and brush away the Corruption?"

"...I would recommend a mop." Hex noted with a sheepish chuckle.

"…right…" May went and opened a closet in the kitchen to bring out the mop.

"...I'll fetch some water." Taking a nearby bucket, Hex was quick to start filling it up with water from the sink. "...we're gonna be at this for a while, I'd reckon; cleaning up a month's worth of mess isn't going to be a cakewalk..."

"Right," May replied.

When she filled the bucket up, Hex glanced back at May. "...you guys'll manage without me around, right?" she hummed, before approaching the flamingo.

"Yeah, we should be able to," May said. "But they're both still living; wouldn't we have to feed them, or something?"

"...the kid needs more food than the mother." Hex noted, as she set the bucket down. "All you need to do is to put the food in the same room as them, and they'll take care of it themselves. Though the important thing to remember is to not stay in the same room as them for too long... I mean, for me, it's nothing to worry about, but for people who aren't Corrupted..."

"…right…they could just snatch me up and destroy me," May replied, dunking the mop in the bucket. "…I should probably be the one feeding them then. Fae might feel sorry for them and linger, and well…don't really know if Mordecai would really want to or not." Then she pulled out the mop and started moving it on the floor.

Hex simply nodded, as she rubbed her neck. "...hrm... still, I'm not entirely sure if me traveling with them would be... wise..."

"Why do you say that?" May asked, mopping the floor up.

"...well... I know that it's been two years since any of them last saw me..." Hex murmured, as she folded her arms. "...but the things I used to do... I'm sure that some of them wouldn't be too keen on cooperating with me..."

"To be honest, I think most of them would just focus on what they're trying to do, rather than what happened in the past," May grunted while she mopped up large amounts of Corruption.

"I know, but... hrm..." Hex sighed. "...I dunno... there's a chance that some of them would be intimidated by my presence... being Corrupted sure wouldn't help that image..."

"Then just prove that you're not there to be their enemy, but their ally," May said. "Anyhow, did they say where Joy was headed down?"

"...yeah, actually," Hex hummed, as she looked aside in dismay. "...they were headed for... Cowpoke's place..."

"…who's Cowpoke?" May asked. "Somebody you know?"

"...he was someone from the year before you came to Safe Haven." Hex murmured. "...I have my doubts that he'd be happy to see me..."

"Not another fan of yours, huh?" May chuckled.

Hex merely folded her arms. "...we had a... _history_... during the year he was on Safe Haven. It wasn't exactly a pleasant encounter..."

"What exactly happened?" May asked curiously. "I mean, I guess you never really told me about any other years on Safe Haven for you, other than my year, and the year that Corruption broke out."

"...well..." Hex murmured. "...it was the year that Jill happened to arrive on Safe Haven. I took an interest in her, as I did back then... but from what I could gather, so did Cowpoke. He defended her avidly, and eventually, I just wanted to get back at him... but..." Then, she held her head. "...nh... weird... I can't remember much of it..."

"…really? Weird…" May hummed, mopping up even more.

"...strange..." Hex hummed, before shrugging. "...in any case, if the plan is to go directly for Cowpoke's... I wonder if our group is going to end up getting there first..."

"…kind've sucks when you get thrown back into a past that wasn't very pleasant, huh?" May mentioned.

"...yeah..." Hex murmured.

May mopped on in silence for a bit. Slowly, Hex looked back at May. May eventually looked back at her.

"...um..." Hex murmured, as she rubbed her own neck. "...I know I've asked you this before, but... are you really okay with me being here...?"

"Yeah," May answered. "I know I might tease a bit about it but really, I've been alright with you being here."

Hex smiled just a bit. "...thanks..."

"No problem," May replied. Then she stopped mopping and wiped her brow. "Whew…you weren't kidding when you said this wouldn't be easy."

"...hm..." Hex hummed. "...do you want to take a break?"

"Sure," May said, setting aside the mop. "…so…when do you plan on leaving?"

"...either tonight or tomorrow morning." Hex mused. "Whichever seems more fitting..."

"Right," May nodded. "…y'know, admittedly, I'll miss ya Hex."

Hex looked back at May. "...really?"

"Yeah," May replied.

Hex smiled at that. "...thanks, May... it really makes me feel at ease..."

"Sure thing," May replied.

Hex smiled more...

...and glanced to the side; a lightly bashful look coming over her. "...I... do wish that we could do something memorable, before I have to leave..."

"…yeah?" May asked, looking at her.

"...yeah..." Hex nodded slowly, as she looked back at May.

"…well, maybe when we clean all of this up, we can do something before you leave," May supposed.

"...yeah..." Quickly, Hex went to the closet to grab a mop of her own. "...let's get to cleaning, May." And, like she said, she began cleaning. May picked up her mop and started after her.

Eventually, they were able to get the kitchen cleaned up completely, and May was slumped over the counters, pooped.

Clutching to her mop, Hex merely breathed. "Ugh... never thought I'd be able to pull off this kind of work..." she murmured.

"Now I have a newfound respect to Mordecai for doing this sort of thing," May chuckled with a wheeze.

Hex chuckled as well. "Amen to that."

May took another breath, and stood up. "Better go put the mops away."

"...I'm on it." Hex murmured, as she walked towards the closet, and stuffed her own mop inside of it. "And don't forget the bucket, either."

May grabbed her own mop and the bucket, dumping the murky water in the sink and then walked it over to the closet.

Hex kept the door open for her to put the mop and bucket aside. "There we go..."

May toppled over on the floor with another weary sigh. "Whoa, there..." With a hum, Hex helped May up on her feet; as she was Corrupted, her endurance seemed a lot greater than May's. "Do you need to rest?"

"Nah, I'll be fine," May said. "Just gotta catch my breath…"

"Right..." Hex hummed, as she patted May's back. "...you did well, though." she said with a smile.

May smirked a little. "Don't worry about me…but thanks." Hex smirked back at her.

"…well…now what?" May asked.

"Now... well..." Hex hummed, as she glanced around. "...Mordecai and Fae went out again, didn't they? I do wonder when they'll get back..." she mused, but in a quite suggestive tone.

"…dunno," May answered.

Then she started stroking her arm. "But hey…means we have some free time."

Hex hummed, as she stroked May's arms in return. "...some well-deserved free time, I'd say..."

May snatched Hex by the wrist and yanked her out of the kitchen down the hall. Hex smiled a tad as she was dragged out. She brought her into Hex's room and closed the door behind them, locking it. Hex smiled, as she looked longingly at May. May gave her a mischievous glint in her eye.

Then she tackled Hex to the bed. Hex laughed a bit, and wrapped her arms around May in response.

"Oh, you think I'm funny, huh?" May mused.

"Oh, I was just amused by your eagerness." Hex chuckled teasingly.

"Oh?" May chuckled. "Maybe I'm just eager to tease you a little bit."

And she licked Hex's neck. "Ah..." Hex let out a tiny gasp, as she closed her eyes. "Mmmh... I do like it when you tease me..."

"…that's good…" and May proceed to kiss her neck.

Hex let a tiny moan escape her lips. "Mmmh... just like that..."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Skip some of the way through...<em>**

* * *

><p>…eventually, the climax died out again and they were left breathless. It had been so extreme that Hex had to lie down and just breathe. May collapsed on top of her, heaving for her own breath. Hex slowly looked up at May. May looked back at her. "…damn…that was pretty intense…"<p>

"...yeah..." Hex slowly nodded. "...good thing I didn't go all-out; otherwise, I might've Corrupted you by accident due to sheer lust..."

"Oh?" May asked curiously.

"Yeah..." Hex nodded again. "...I actually held back a bit..."

"…Looked like to me like you two put everything you got into that; something Bulk would find… appealing."

That was a different voice. Hex's eyes shot wide open, and she quickly rolled around to get May underneath her; covering her as she glared towards the new voice.

Patricia was simply leaning against the wall. "Oh, but don't mind me. You can keep going if you want."

May, at first, was surprised when Hex protectively rolled on top of her. Then she glared at Patricia. "What kind of twisted, peeping-tom, are you?"

"...a Novagod." Hex uttered, as she narrowed her eyes, "And a Corrupted one, at that."

"Oh c'mon; just because I'm a Novagod?" Patricia asked. "…well, okay, that's a good enough reason."

"...oh, now that I'm focused on you, I can practically smell the Corruption wafting from you." Hex scoffed. "What do you want here, Novagod?"

"To propose something, but I can obviously tell that you wouldn't be interested," Patricia spoke, folding her arms.

"...humor me." Hex spat.

"The freedom to join us," Patricia said. "You've already been corrupted by that washout ex of my brother's, so it's not like I would forcibly corrupt you…though you keep holding it back, afraid of it. That fear could ultimately be consumed by it and change you into a monster."

Hex slowly rose from the bed. "...you honestly think that _I'm_ afraid?" she scoffed. "Bitch, you don't know who you're talking to."

"Probably not," Patricia hummed. "I mean, you've been Corrupted before I even knew what the stuff was…I'm sure you controlled that really well at Safe Haven…"

Hex narrowed her eyes. "...don't remind me..."

"I'm really curious about that experience Hex," Patricia said. "You know the stuff better than I do; I'm sure you had a better time controlling it and not letting it transform you into an evil little titan."

"So, what, you want my guidance?" Hex scoffed.

"I was being sarcastic," Patricia groaned.

"Well, so was I." Hex scoffed in turn. "So, was there anything else? If not, I'd appreciate it if you got out of my friend's home."

"Obviously you won't want to join, and even the offer of training you with your powers probably wouldn't interest you either," Patricia said, "…but if you would be so kind as to give me some idea on what you're going to do, with this list." And she lifted up Hex's list from earlier.

Hex's eyes shot wide open. "...give me that!" And suddenly, she shot a dark, gaseous tendril out to snatch the list from Patricia's grip.

Patricia folded her arms. "…well?"

As she hid the list behind her, Hex narrowed her eyes at Patricia. "...I'm going traveling. I needed a list of things I would require, that's all."

"…you seem pretty selective on what you want to tell me," Patricia said.

"Why shouldn't I? I have no reason to tell you _anything._" Hex retorted.

"I have a good reason why you should tell me," Patricia said. "Because if you tell me, I can easily leave you alone, for a time…but if you don't, then I can always have Bulk come visit you instead…and I don't think he'll show as much mercy as I would."

Hex's eyes narrowed. "...are you _threatening _me?"

"It's really more like giving you a choice," Patricia said.

"A choice of what?" Hex huffed. "Either tell you my plans, or risk some guy barging in to attack us?"

"That's simple enough," Patricia spoke. "…and believe me, I'm sure you wouldn't like his methods."

Hex narrowed her eyes. "...and what makes you think that I'm weak enough to let an amateur overpower me?"

"Because he can use the one thing you're afraid of against you…" Patricia said. "…and that could be forcing you back into old habits."

Hex fell silent.

"…I thought so," Patricia grunted, folding her arms again.

"...you're wrong." Hex eventually said.

"…Oh?" she gave Hex a curious look.

"...yeah, I was afraid." Hex nodded. "Afraid of falling into that routine again, with the possibility of not being able to stop... after what happened at Safe Haven, I realized how much misery I had caused for my own selfish desires..."

Then, she scoffed. "...but in a way, being Corrupted for a second time has removed that fear. I can control my urges a lot more than I could before, and I have plenty of opportunities to get healthy ways of relieving stress. You think that this guy can bring out the old Hex again? You're _seriously_ not knowing who you're dealing with."

"So I take it you aren't threatened in the slightest then?" Patricia hummed.

"Not in the slightest." Hex huffed.

"Alright then," Patricia said.

She turned around and disappeared into the wall. "I'll be sure and tell him that," echoed her voice, before she disappeared.

Hex narrowed her eyes. "...uptight bitch." she hissed.

May looked up at the ceiling after that. Hex slowly sat down on the bed, and took hold of May's hand whilst looking down at her. "...you alright?"

"…yeah…just thinking," May answered.

"...are you sure that you'll be alright, May?" Hex eventually inquired.

"…yeah…" May replied. "…but if she's going to let some big guy hunt us down, maybe I should consider taking me, Fae and Mordecai somewhere else to hide for a bit…"

"...yeah... I would think that to be wise." Hex nodded, before she looked away. "...I'm sorry. The only reason she came here was because of me..."

"…don't apologize," May said, sitting up on the bed. "…the only thing I don't know is what to do with those two in the basement…"

"...I think I can sort something out there," Hex noted, as she looked at May. "In the meantime, though..."

May looked at Hex. "…in the meantime?"

"...we should prepare." Hex hummed in response. "Unless you'd... rather kill a bit more time with me?"

"…I'm not sure…" May replied. "…I mean, who knows when I might see you again, but…"

"...but?" Hex hummed.

"…but there's no telling how soon things could go to hell…" May muttered.

"...yeah... you're right..." Hex hummed.

"…when Fae and Mordecai get back, we'll start packing," May said. "You should head out as soon as possible."

"...right." Hex nodded.

* * *

><p>Tasha was finding it a bit harder to walk around lately. Sure, she was still remaining active, but her energy drained more quickly than it used to be, carrying the extra weight of her growing pregnant belly. Right now, she was just relaxing under a tree to catch up on her energy. She wondered if she would be able to continue back and forth between her village and Safe Haven at this rate…<p>

"**...Chieftain?**"

Tasha blinked and looked up. "Oh, hello Lieutenant Brawn."

Towering over her, the komodo dragon gave her a light nod. "**Brawn will do, Chieftain.**" he spoke slowly. "**Are you okay?**"

"I'm alright…just a bit tired…" She replied. "…and Tasha will also do, Brawn," she added with a lighthearted chuckle.

Brawn chuckled a bit as well. "**Okay, Chi- I mean, Tasha.**" he said.

Tasha figured it was about time to get up, so slowly, she did, with the support of the tree. Brawn tilted his head. "**You need help?**"

"I'm alright," Tasha said, fully standing up. "It's not so heavy." Then she flinched and held her belly. "Oof…another kick. This one has a lot of energy."

"**...like father?**" Brawn mused.

Tasha chuckled at that. "Yes, like the father…"

Brawn hummed at that. "**...he be proud when he comes back?**"

Tasha smiled, looking at her stomach. "…yeah…I'm sure he'll be very proud."

Brawn smiled a bit as well. "**That good.**"

Tasha's smile fell, still looking at her stomach. "…I miss him…"

"**...gone for months.**" Brawn hummed. "**I miss person dear to me if not seeing them for long.**"

"…yeah…" Tasha murmured. "…so, what have you been doing Brawn?"

"**Small things.**" Brawn noted. "**Keeping rebellion in check. Waiting for communications to come back. Taking walks.**" Then, he glanced towards the mountain. "**I like looking at scenery. It relaxing.**"

"…yeah, same here," Tasha said, looking around.

Then all of a sudden, she spotted something land in the trees and her eyes widened. Brawn blinked, as he glanced towards that tree as well. Up there in the tree was the same hawk that Tasha sees every now and then, with a letter strapped to it. Without any hesitation, the hawk soared down to Tasha so that she could receive the letter.

Only, Tasha wasn't sure to take the letter with Brawn here. She looked at him nervously. Brawn merely looked back at her with a mildly curious look. Eventually, Tasha reached out to the letter and took it, unraveling it. Brawn hummed. "**...who it from?**"

"…It's from King," Tasha spoke without looking back at him. Brawn blinked at that.

_"My dearest Tasha,_

_I'm glad to hear that things are looking relatively better back on Safe Haven. It's always great to hear that both you and the baby are hanging in there, and knowing that Jill is being hounded less by GUN is a pleasant thought, even if she's still in house arrest... I could only hope to bring better news as I write you back, but I find that I can't._

_You see... we lost someone to Corruption. And it just so happened to be the one no one could have foreseen being Corrupted... Jack. We only got a message from Milo's group saying that he had been captured by the enemy, and the next thing we know, our communicator was destroyed by him. It was frightening... he even managed to intimidate Queen, of all people._

_We're still trying to find a way to restore communication between us and the others... but it's not looking good at the moment. At this point, anything could happen... but whatever happens, I don't want you to worry about me. I need you to keep strong, for the sake of our child. I'm going to come home to both of you, and I won't let anything get in the way of that. I do wonder how the two of you are doing right now... but hopefully, you'll let me know when you reply._

_With the most gracious of love,_

_King."_

Tasha looked at the letter with widened eyes. "…Jack…"

Brawn blinked. "**...Jack?**"

Tasha didn't respond to him. Instead, she covered her face with her hands, trying to deal with the news. Brawn looked at her with concern. "**...something bad happen?**"

"…something very bad happened…yes..." Tasha replied.

"**...what?**" Brawn inquired. "**Did a friend get hurt?**"

"…it was more than hurt…" Tasha uttered. "…we lost him to something very horrible…" a few tears came down from her eyes.

Brawn narrowed his eyes. "**...did he... die?**"

"…no…he didn't die…" Tasha uttered. "…he…" she was all choked up, trying not to embarrass herself in front of Brawn by getting so emotional.

"**...it okay.**" Brawn hummed, as he knelt down to look directly at Tasha. "**If it sad, you no let it bottle up. It only get worse, then.**"

Tasha was surprised that Brawn was nice like this, but she couldn't help it. She covered her face with her hands and wept a little. Brawn set a hand on her shoulder. "**You can tell me. I keep secret.**" he said with an assuring nod.

She looked up at him, still nervously. She's never wanted to trust anyone part of the military, even now. Brawn is simple-minded, which meant that if she told him anything, he could potentially be tricked into giving away the information to those who would take the wrong idea. Like Trash, or the Captain.

She was about to open her mouth to speak, when she heard her name called elsewhere, "Tasha!"

Her ears perked, and she looked over to see one of her people approach her and Brawn. He looked cautious of Brawn, "Uh…" Glancing over at the tribesman, Brawn slowly rose up and merely looked at him.

"…he's alright, don't worry," Tasha assured the tribesman. "…is there something you needed me for?"

"Oh! We found this!" The tribesman pulled out a folded parchment of paper and handed it to Tasha. She looked at it curiously in her hands.

Brawn hummed, as he looked at the parchment. "**...what is that?**"

"I don't know, but we found it," the tribesman said. "Open it."

Tasha did so. There seemed to be written directions and pictures of landmarks in the jungle; some Tasha recognized but others that she didn't. "…where to these directions lead?" she asked.

"I don't know, but…the birthmark of the Cheiftain signs the letter," the tribesman said, pointing to the bottom of the letter where, indeed, a picture of the birthmark was placed. "…so only you're really supposed to know what this leads to."

Tasha looked at the tribesman in amazement. "…where did you find this?"

"…with some of your father's things…" the tribesman answered in a small, nervous whisper.

Tasha's eyes widened even more at that.

"**...father?**" Brawn uttered. "**Former chieftain?**"

"Yeah," the tribesman answered.

Tasha felt something she didn't expect to…which was a little bit of anger. "…and…what were you doing, rummaging through my father's things?" she uttered in a restrained tone.

The tribesman shuddered at her sudden change of behavior. "N-no! It's nothing like that Tasha! I swear!"

And suddenly, Tasha burst into tears while she glared at the tribesman in fury. "Get out of here! Don't ever touch any of my father's things again!"

That was enough to send him scampering. Brawn looked at Tasha with a slightly surprised look. "**...you want me to leave, too?**" he assumed.

Tasha wiped her eyes and looked at him blankly. "…no, you're alright."

"**...but... I GUN lieutenant.**" Brawn pointed out with a confused look. "**That better than your own tribe?**"

"…oh dear, I should explain…" Tasha muttered. "…another thing about pregnancy is I will probably tend to get…unreasonably emotional…so…the poor thing triggered some of that…" and now she felt really guilty. She was really good to her people, never yelling and always remaining calm. Now she almost accused him of being something close to a thief that was invading her home.

"**...so...**" Brawn uttered; slowly trying to comprehend this. "**...if you not pregnant... you no cry because of Jack?**" he assumed.

Tasha gave him a startled look. "No, I-!" and she sighed, covering her face again with her hands. "…that's not what I meant…"

Brawn held his head at that. "**...I confused.**" he stated bluntly.

"…don't worry about it," she said, looking down at the directions she just received.

Brawn looked down at them as well. "**...where does map lead?**"

"…I guess I'll have to find out," Tasha murmured.

"**You going alone?**" Brawn hummed. "**Could be dangerous as you are now.**"

Tasha looked at him. "**I can come with. As support.**" Brawn suggested.

"…really?" Tasha asked. Brawn simply nodded.

"…thank you…I would appreciate that…" Tasha said. Admittedly, if this was something that only a Chieftain was supposed to follow, maybe it wouldn't be a good idea for Brawn to come…but in case they would encounter booby traps or something, Tasha might need some extra support because she's pregnant.

Brawn smiled. "**I glad to help.**"

She looked at the directions again. "…but let's not do this now…let's wait until the evening to track down whatever this is," she said.

Brawn nodded. "**I be waiting for you.**" he spoke.

Tasha nodded. "…in which case, I suppose I will explore around town before returning home," she said, turning to start walking.

Brawn nodded. "**Be safe.**"

Tasha nodded back. "I will."

* * *

><p>Jill ached in strange places today, but she ignored it. She expected something like this if she allowed Callous to have control around Johnny, but now it seems like Callous had been pretty…peaceful. Jill hadn't heard a single word from her…<p>

Jill only smiled, finding it amusing how surprised they were that she did that.

She let Callous have control because she could empathize with being separated from someone you loved. It was only fair to let Callous have time with him, not knowing the next time they could see each other. Jill wouldn't willingly do this normally…

…but if it came down to it, she felt that Callous would've done the same for her in the situation was reversed.

Then again, maybe not…but it was one way to calm down Callous from getting stir crazy in this house.

As she mused to herself, there was a knock at the door. "Come in," she called to the door.

The door opened, and the first one that walked in was Seymour. Walking in right after him was Will, and the third one, who closed the door after them, was Sonia. "Hey, Jill! Sorry for barging in like this." she called with a chuckle, as she gave Jill a smile. "How're you doing?"

"Not too badly," Jill said with a smile. "What about you guys?" \

"Well, we're doing good for ourselves." Will mused. "We got finished with a meeting not too long ago, and decided to pay you a visit, since GUN's gonna stop hounding you and everything."

Sonia chuckled. "Yeah, I happened to run into these guys while on an errand, and since they were going to visit you, I figured that I could visit you as well."

"That's nice of you guys," Jill said. "Yeah…I'm kinda relieved that GUN's getting off my back…helps when the Admiral isn't as stuck up as the Captain."

"I know, right?" Seymour groaned.

"True, the Captain's a real stick-in-the-mud... to say nothing of his toadies." Will grunted.

"...I'll be honest, I haven't seen much of the Admiral around the island. He seems fairly busy these days..." Sonia mused, as she rubbed her chin.

"I wouldn't be surprised; he's the Admiral after all…" Jill replied. "…I just hope things are going good for you guys; with GUN trying to deal with the rebellion and all…"

"Eh, they haven't been able to sniff us out yet." Will chuckled.

Sonia chuckled a bit as well. "I'm the one who's got my hands full; the Captain's peeved that I'm allowing the rebellion to even get rolling, even though I'm supposed to be the mediator between GUN and Safe Haven while King's gone. Not to mention, some of the recruits are interested in joining the rebellion, and I've gotta make sure to keep them under control as well, the impulsive guys that they are."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Will hummed, as he rubbed his neck with a light chuckle.

Jill chuckled at that. "Well, things are kept interesting at least…I'm just here with no real sentence."

"No sentence on how long you're here?" Seymour grew curious at that. "How come?"

Jill looked away from them, growing quiet.

"...is it something only the top brass are privy to?" Sonia assumed.

"...you could say that."

Instantly, Sonia and Will tensed up, as they glanced towards the door, which had been opened by the Admiral himself. "Sorry for intruding; I was just passing by." he hummed, as he tipped his hat to the four Mobians.

"Admiral," Jill uttered, looking back at him.

"Glad to see that you're doing well, considering the circumstances." the Admiral mused as he looked at Jill, before he happened to glance at Will. "Hm... the Captain told me something about you and your gang trying to help Condit earlier, young man."

Will blinked at that. "Uh... he did?"

"Indeed." the Admiral hummed. "I have to say, I admire that kind of spirit. You four could go far working with GUN." he added with a light-hearted chuckle.

"...joking aside, is there a reason for you visiting here?" Sonia inquired.

"Ah, yes; I actually wanted to speak with you." the Admiral noted, as he gave Sonia a nod. "...but... perhaps the two gentlemen would be kind enough to accompany us?"

"…just me 'n Will?" Seymour asked with more curiosity, and a bit of suspicion. "What about Jill?"

The Admiral shrugged. "...she's still in house arrest." he pointed out.

Jill looked at the Admiral wonderingly…and a little worriedly. "...oh, it's nothing serious; I'd just like to talk with the three of you." the Admiral noted.

Sonia hummed, as she glanced over at Jill; wondering what she thought about the turns this situation was taking.

"…well, if you guys need to, then go ahead," Jill murmured, turning back around.

"...Jill..." Will hummed with a slight grunt.

"...very well. Have a pleasant evening, Condit." the Admiral hummed, before he allowed Sonia, Will and Seymour to walk out of the apartment before him.

Seymour looked back at Jill, who didn't move from her place when they walked out. "…what gives?" he asked the Admiral when they were out of the building. "You'd usually be open with her, last I checked."

"...I was going to be a bit more blunt with you." the Admiral explained. "Especially with you two gentlemen."

Sonia blinked, as she slowly looked at the Admiral. "...what are you talking about?"

Then, the Admiral looked at Will and Seymour. "Don't try to deny it. You're directly involved with the rebellion."

Will's eyes widened a bit at that. So did Seymour's.

"...now, don't worry. The Captain, and the Lieutenants, have no knowledge of your involvement with them." the Admiral noted. "I've just been poking about to get some information for myself."

"...a stalking Admiral, eh?" Will grunted, as he clenched his hands. "So, what's the deal?"

"...nothing much." the Admiral hummed, as he looked ahead of him. "Only that I figure that you'd be perfect for arranging something... something Safe Haven might need in the future..."

Sonia raised an eyebrow at that. "...what's that, Admiral?"

"...the whole island may be in danger." the Admiral spoke. "And it will likely come out of nowhere..."

"…like what?" Seymour asked.

"...I'll explain on the way." the Admiral hummed. "Now... how many of the rebels are handy with, say... throwing weapons?"

* * *

><p>Tasha walked into town alone after leaving Brawn, and then she was stopped. Turning when her name was called, she saw Caitlin approaching her. "Oh, hello Caitlin," she greeted with a friendly smile.<p>

Caitlin smiled back at her. "Hello, Tasha. I see that you're holding up well." As she spoke, her eyes briefly fell on Tasha's stomach. "And so is my grandchild, from the looks of it." she added jokingly.

Tasha giggled at that. "Oof!" and she grunted a little, holding her stomach. "This little one is a very active one," she giggled again.

Caitlin chuckled as well. "Sounds quite like my own child." she mused jokingly.

"Yeah, it does," Tasha agreed. "…I would even go as far and say it's a boy…but my people don't have ways of learning the gender until after the children are born."

Caitlin hummed. "...you know... I think there might be a way of finding it out." With a nod, she gently took Tasha's hand. "Come along."

Tasha became surprised, but responded with, "Okay."

And so Caitlin dragged Tasha with her all the way from where they were, to the HQ building. As she waited for the doors to open, she looked at Tasha with a smile. "I'm sure that there's equipment in here we can use to have a look at the little cub you're growing in your tummy." she said with a smile.

Tasha looked at Caitlin with wide eyes. "Really?"

"Yup." Caitlin nodded. "Believe me, while I was carrying King inside of me, this was foreign to me, too." As the doors opened, she gently led Tasha inside.

Before Tasha knew it, she was adorned with a patient's robe, and they had her answer a few questions about her pregnancy, such as how long she's been pregnant, who the father was, if she was getting enough nutrition to help the child grow, and such. Then they brought Tasha and Caitlin to one of the rooms in the HQ's infirmary. According to Tasha's answering to the questions, it would be a good time to have what they called an "ultra sound" and it would help determine whether the child was a boy or a girl.

Tasha sat in a bed with Caitlin sitting beside her, waiting for a doctor or a nurse. She felt a bit nervous… especially when it was military officials that were going to do this for her. "…is this safe?" she asked Caitlin.

"Definitely," Caitlin hummed, as she set a hand on Tasha's whilst giving her a reassuring smile. "In all my years, I've never heard of anyone experiencing anything negative from an ultra sound routine."

Tasha looked at her. "…do all pregnant mothers do this?"

"The majority do." Caitlin mused. "I did it, at least."

"…and it didn't hurt, or harm the child?" Tasha asked.

"Not in the slightest." Caitlin chuckled.

Tasha gave a small smile of relief, but she was still very nervous; especially when the door opened then and a few nurses were wheeling in a machine with a monitor on it. They went through explaining to Tasha what they were going to do, while spreading a strange gel onto her stomach. Apparently they would press a small part of the machine on her stomach to move around, which would protect what the inside of the stomach would look like on the monitor.

This only baffled Tasha for a long time, and cooperated when they set her up. They pressed that thing on her stomach like they said, and shortly after, she glanced at the monitor with wide eyes.

There, inside the uterus, was the growing fetus in its fetal position. It made her jaw drop, and she couldn't pull her eyes away from the monitor. Caitlin smiled at seeing the fetus. "Look at that... that's your baby, Tasha."

"…it is…" she remarked in awe, looking at the monitor.

The nurses moved the thing on her stomach, and the monitor turned a little in a few angles. "Oh, look at that," the nurse pointed out at the monitor in a particular area.

Tasha's eyes widened when she noticed it too.

"…it's a boy…" she uttered. "…I have a son…"

Caitlin smiled even brighter. "...and I have a grandson..."

The nurse smiled. "Congratulations to you both."

Tasha didn't answer back, but she did smile while staring at the monitor. She wondered what King would think when she'd write him the news.

"...ooh, that makes me wonder... what's the little tyke's name going to be?" Caitlin mused with a wider smile.

"…I don't know," Tasha answered, "but now that I know it's a boy, I suppose I can start brainstorming."

"And he looks pretty healthy too," The nurse added, pulling the contraption off her stomach finally and turning off the machine.

"Much like his father." Caitlin chuckled warmly.

"Well, you're done for now," the nurse said.

Tasha looked over at her. "…for now?"

"I expect at least another visit in a few months," the nurse said. "…also, at some point, I think you should consider staying closer to someone that could help you when you get farther along."

Tasha blinked. "…I have plenty of people in my tribe that can help me," she said in confusion.

"Well, yes, I can understand that, but…" the nurse tried to figure out how to put it. "…I meant closer to Safe Haven, probably even in Safe Haven, where you can get medical attention at a moment's notice."

"…are you suggesting…I live in Safe Haven…away from my tribe?" Tasha asked in shock.

"…well, basically, yes," the nurse said. "You've been taking wonderful care of yourself and your child; getting the proper nutrition and the exercise, but when it comes time later on when you go into labor, it would be very hard to move you out of the jungle, and it would take a long time for medical help to arrive to help you."

Tasha looked shocked and even more confused. "But…but my people they…they've known how to do these things for a long time…" and maybe, she felt a little hurt too. She didn't want to have to leave her people.

Caitlin hummed, as she rubbed her neck.

"…ma'am, I'm not forcing you to do anything; I'm simply suggesting that moving into Safe Haven later on would be a safer choice," the nurse said. "It's ultimately up to you to decide what you wish to do."

That managed to calm Tasha a bit, but it put her into her thoughts.

"At any rate, we'll let you know when you should come in for another ultra sound to check up," the nurse said. "You're free to go now."

"Thank you for the help." Caitlin said with a smile, as she helped Tasha on her feet.

"No problem," the nurse said.

Tasha was able to return to her regular clothes and she and Caitlin were outside again, Tasha still in thought while she rubbed her stomach.

Caitlin glanced at her with a smile. "...you're baffled by this revelation, huh?" she mused.

"…I am…" Tasha answered.

"...oh, you're just precious." Caitlin chuckled, as she set a hand on Tasha's shoulder. "I can see why you and King would've hit it off so well..."

Tasha blushed a little. "…you flatter me, Caitlin," she said.

"Oh, but I'm being sincere, too." Caitlin chuckled.

Tasha giggled.

"…Caitlin, what was King like as a baby?" she asked.

Caitlin hummed, as she looked up at the sky. "...he was healthy, and full of energy." she mused with a small smile. "Full of life, you could say..."

Tasha giggled some more. "Seems like he's always been like that," she said.

Caitlin chuckled with her. "And I wouldn't have wanted it any other way."

Tasha grew thoughtful. "…and yet…he could be gentle if he wanted to…"

"...indeed." Caitlin hummed. "That's one of the things I like the most about my dear Twilight; he's not just some inconsiderate brute, but a caring soul..."

Tasha gave a small sigh. "…I hope they return soon…"

"...so do I." Caitlin hummed.

* * *

><p>"...now... what could I think of for the next meeting...?"<p>

After the rebellion meeting concluded, Lin wandered through the woods all on her own; rubbing her chin in deep thought. After their latest prank had gone off smoothly, she figured that she had to try and trump the previous plan with another... "...but how...?"

As she kept thinking, she eventually found herself by a familiar pond, which she just glanced at with a thoughtful hum. "...maybe something... yeah, that could..."

"And what are you doing out here, soldier?" asked a voice behind her.

Lin perked up. "...uh... I was on my way home." she noted, as she turned around. "What's it to-?" And she stopped when she saw who it was.

While the one who had addressed her was a GUN soldier, the one he was accompanied by gave Lin a smirk. "Oh, really? At this hour?" Trash chuckled.

The GUN solder folded his arms, only looking at Lin suspiciously. "Where do you live?"

"...in a cabin, on my own." Lin replied. "It's further into the woods."

"You don't say..." Trash mused. "So, why stop in this part of the woods?"

"Why not?" Lin inquired. "It's on the way to my place, after all..."

"Maybe you should get a move on then, shouldn't you?" The GUN soldier said.

"Maybe I will." Lin huffed.

"...tsk, tsk... you need to show more respect, soldier." Trash shook his head with a light smirk. "Or do we have to discipline you?"

"I'm sure you wouldn't want Lieutenant Trash to discipline you, soldier," the GUN soldier said.

Lin narrowed her eyes. "Well, maybe Lieutenant Trash should keep his ugly face out of my business." she retorted.

Trash scoffed. "...soldier. Subdue her."

The Gun Soldier grabbed Lin and pinned her down onto the ground. "Agh!" Lin yelped, as she tried kicking the soldier off her. "Lemme go, you creep!"

Humming, Trash approached the two of them with a smirk. "...I'll let you do as you please, soldier. My eyes are closed, so don't worry about things that may not be... up to code, for soldier standards." he chuckled.

"Yes sir," The GUN soldier replied. "Keep still you!" and he smacked Lin over the head.

"Ow!" Lin yelped out of pain from being smacked. "Kh... you creep!"

From out of nowhere, a rock flew and hit the GUN soldier on the head. "Ow!" he yelped, rubbing where he was hit. "Who threw that?" he demanded, looking in the direction it came.

And out walked out Jam, glaring at them and folding his arms, "Like, leave her alone…"

Trash glared at Jam. "And you are?"

Lin let out a brief gasp of relief when she saw the parrot. "Jam!"

The GUN soldier threw Lin against the ground again. "Quiet!"

Jam narrowed his eyes.

"…you don't treat a lady that way."

Suddenly, he was in front of the GUN soldier, throwing a punch so hard it sent him flying off of Lin.

Trash's eyes narrowed, as he grit his teeth. "...you..."

Jam glared back at Trash now, while he helped Lin back up to her feet. "..ugh... thanks, Jam..." Lin murmured.

Trash hissed. "...you're gonna regret this..." he snarled.

"I think it's worth it," Jam spat back. "C'mon Lin," and he led her away.

Lin groaned, as she looked back at Jam. "...thanks..."

"Like, no prob," he said to her. "You okay?"

"...a little roughed up, but... I'll manage." Lin hummed.

"…you sure?" Jam asked her a bit worriedly.

"Oh, yeah... I just need some rest." Lin hummed. "Maybe a bag of ice..."

"Let's, like, take you home then," Jam said, walking her off. Lin smiled in gratitude as she let him lead her home.

When he got her home, he took her inside and set her on the couch, and then he went to get a bag of ice for her. Lin let out a slight sigh, as she glanced at Jam with a smile. "Thanks again, Jam..."

"Yeah," Jam nodded. "…where does it, like, hurt?"

"I dunno... a bit in my head..." Lin noted. "...maybe other places..."

Jam put the bag of ice on her head where he remembered the soldier hitting her. "...nh... that's refreshing..." Lin uttered, as she winced a light tad.

"…you sure you're okay?" Jam asked her a bit worriedly.

"...mh... I'll manage." Lin hummed, as she looked at Jam. "...I really can't thank you enough, though."

"…I just wanna make sure you're okay, y'know?" Jam said. "…didn't want those jerks hurtin' ya…"

"...I know..." Lin hummed, before she hugged Jam. "You're my own hero, you know that?" she chuckled.

Jam hugged her back. "Yeah…" he said with a smile.

"...and you know..." Lin hummed, as she looked up at Jam. "...heroes get rewards..."

"Oh they do…do they?" Jam replied, looking back down at her.

"Mhm." Lin nodded. "You can have whatever you want..."

Jam smiled, and lifted her chin to press his lips against hers. Lin let out a grateful sigh, and kissed Jam back.

* * *

><p>Tasha finished her letter to King, entailing everything that was going on, and she walked outside to send the hawk on its way. She noticed that it was starting to get late, and so she pulled out that folded note with the directions on it. "…time to meet up with Brawn…" she whispered under her breath.<p>

She hopped up into the trees, and leaped across them to get through the forest.

Eventually, she would find Brawn sitting against a tree near where they had met earlier that day; his eyes closed as if he were asleep. Tasha halted herself on a vine, and slowly, she climbed her way down to the ground carefully, so that she was standing before Brawn. The komodo remained stationary.

"…Brawn?" Tasha whispered.

"**...hngh...**" he grunted in his slumber.

Tasha came over and tapped him on the shoulder. "Brawn," she whispered, "wake up."

Grunting, Brawn slowly blinked, and looked up at Tasha. "**...what...?**"

"It's time," Tasha said.

"**...time to follow map...?**" Brawn yawned.

"Yes," Tasha answered.

Brawn nodded slightly, before he rose to his feet. "**...lead way.**"

Tasha nodded, unfolding the paper. Thankfully, the directions started out around an area she was familiar with, so she walked with Brawn following her. While following her, Brawn remained silent.

It was like that for a long time, very silent. Tasha was concentrating on the directions they were now starting to follow, but every now and then, she'd smile and rub her tummy, thinking about earlier today.

"**...what on your mind?**" Brawn hummed.

"…I found out that my baby is a boy, today," Tasha answered.

"**...baby boy?**" Brawn hummed. "**Congratulations.**"

Tasha nodded. "Thanks."

"**Anytime.**" Brawn hummed.

Now Tasha was getting to parts of the jungle she wasn't quite familiar with, so it was silent for a bit longer while she read the directions carefully. She wanted to make sure to follow them correctly, because she felt very compelled to find out what this would lead to.

Then at some point, she stopped, and she looked up at where they were. They were at one of the various entrances of the long abandoned GUN base.

Brawn looked up at the base with a curious look. "**...why we at old base?**"

"…I'm not sure," Tasha spoke, wondering more and more what could be at the end of these directions. Was there something about this base that needed to be seen by those in the Chieftain line? "…c'mon," and she walked inside. Brawn followed her without a word.

Tasha read the directions very carefully this time, making sure that she wouldn't spring any kind of traps or anything…

…and when she looked up, she gasped with a start.

"_Oh! Sorry Tasha! We didn't mean to frighten you!_" It turned out to be the sentry AIs, and the one speaking to her was RACHET.

RUCKUS was with her as well. _"Hey, what about this guy? He legit?_" he asked, looking over Brawn.

Hovering closely by Brawn, RECEPT glared at the komodo dragon, while the lieutenant merely looked at the drones with an indifferent look.

"…he's alright," Tasha answered. "But…what are you three doing here?"

"_This is kinda where we've been going since the military put Safe Haven under lockdown,"_ RACHECT answered. _"We've never really had the time to explore places like this on the island!"_

"_And ol' Rust-bucket is still guarding the HQ, so he doesn't bother us,_" RUCKUS added.

_"...not to mention, looking into the past is a fairly good way of killing time."_ RECEPT shot in.

Brawn simply tilted his head a tad.

Tasha looked up at them, at the paper again, and then back up at them, holding it up. "Then, since you've explored this area, perhaps you will know where this leads?" she asked.

Both RACHET and RUCKUS started scanning the note curiously. RECEPT glanced at it as well, and hummed. _"...now that you mention it... that seems familiar..."_

"**...so you been to objective before?**" Brawn hummed.

"…_yeah! I think we've been there!" _RACHET said.

Tasha lit up with interest. "Do you think you could lead us there?"

"_Sure thing!"_ RUCKUS answered. _"But you should let us make sure some of those traps don't activate again!_"

_So there WERE some traps…_ Tasha thought.

_"We'll go ahead and disengage the traps." _RECEPT hummed. _"You follow behind."_

Brawn nodded slightly, as he looked at Tasha. Tasha nodded as well. "Then let's go."

So the three sentries flew on ahead, with Tasha and Brawn following behind at a good enough distance for them to deactivate various alarms and traps that had been along the way, which were somehow still working after all the years of abandonment the base suffered.

After a long time of traversing through the base, when Tasha was pretty sure that it was very late now in the night, they finally came to a small hallway leading down to a lone door.

"_We've tried to get through this door, but it requires an eye scan,_" RACHET said. "_And uh…we aren't built to override something like that…_"

"**...because you have no eyes?**" Brawn assumed.

_"...yes."_ RECEPT would have made some dry remark, but he found that he simply couldn't think of anything that Brawn would even comprehend.

"**...well... me and Tasha have eyes. We might open door.**" Brawn hummed.

"…but…" Tasha may not know much about technology, but she knew this much. "…that scanner was probably programed during the time Prison Island was active…so there couldn't possibly be anyone's eyes it can scan to open the door…"

"_Well, we honestly don't know what else to do,"_ RUCKUS said.

"**...hm...**" With a hum, Brawn approached the door, and simply looked into the eye-scanner, whilst tapping his hand randomly against the door; almost as if he was trying to find the weakest spot on it.

"…what are you doing?" Tasha asked.

"**...opening door.**" Brawn responded...

...and in that instant, he began hammering on the door with his hands at full strength; intending to simply tear it asunder with his bare hands. Tasha cringed while he ripped the door open effortlessly with loud pounds against the metal.

"_Damn!"_ RUCKUS exclaimed when he saw that.

_"...impressive." _RECEPT noted.

Brawn cracked his knuckles when he finished. "**Easy.**" he grunted.

Tasha carefully stepped inside through the opening Brawn made, and they entered into a small computer room, where some of the computers were worn out. One, however, was still functioning…and on for some reason, projecting a holographic screen across the wall.

"_Whoa, look at this,_" RACHET said, hovering around the large computer.

_"Quite curious, I'd say..." _RECEPT mused.

Brawn looked at these holograms with a tilted head. Tasha walked up to them, and looked at the control panel. When she touched one of the buttons on it, the holographic screen reacted.

"_Identification, please,_" requested a robotic, male voice.

RECEPT grunted at that. _"...great; more identification nonsense..."_ he murmured.

"**...I don't think smashing will help...**" Brawn noted.

Suddenly, a robotic eyeball popped out of a hole in the wall, and it stared at Tasha in the face, making her nervous. _"Identification, please,_" repeated the same voice.

"…my name is…Tasha?" Tasha answered even more nervously.

Then a light shot from the robotic eyeball, scanning Tasha around in circles. She looked scared.

"_Oh don't worry; it's just looking you over,"_ RUCKUS told her when he noticed her getting worried.

_"It's a scanning light. Completely arbitrary, really."_ RECEPT mused.

"**...well, at least you not being hurt.**" Brawn hummed.

The robotic eye finished, and pulled away to slip back into the hole. Tasha's data showed up on the holographic screens, showing a lot of details. They even showed the details about her baby boy in her uterus.

Then one particular thing stood out that it zoomed in on; the birthmark on her neck.

"_Identification, accepted. Access granted._"

"…wha…?" That baffled Tasha.

"…_.it registered her identity?" _RACHET was also pretty surprised by that.

"**...but... how that possible? Who tamper with data?**" Brawn blinked.

_"...something tells me that we're about to find out."_ RECEPT noted.

And just like that, a video was uploaded to the screen, and it started playing.

It was of a Mobian dog male, looking worn with torn clothes and dark circles of lack of sleep. Tasha was shocked to notice the same birthmark on his shoulder, which the sleeve was torn from to reveal.

"_To anyone who finds this file, my name is Shepherd,_" the dog began to speak. _"I, along with a few others, was shipwrecked onto this island by something…and we can't find any way to communicate to the outside world that we need help."_

"…what is this…?" Tasha uttered.

"**...video... of past...**" Brawn hummed, as he looked at this footage with a curious look.

"_I have no idea what's gonna happen to all of us…so I'm gonna start recording what's going on as much as I can…_" Shepherd began. _"We've all heard the stories about Prison Island and Sonic and Eggman and whatnot…but I think there's something they aren't telling us, because…there's something here on the island…I haven't been able to sleep at night because of it…it haunts me in my nightmares…_"

Tasha started growing more concerned.

That video ended, and another started playing; another one with Shepherd.

"_It's been a few weeks since we made camp, finally,"_ he started. _"We were lucky to find plenty of things we could use to make shelter, and thankfully, most of the fruits on the island are safe to eat. It's nice when some of the folks have some knowhow on it."_

"_We've all been trying to investigate the strange things that have been happening on the island but…no real knowledge of what we're dealing with yet…and we still haven't been able to communicate to the outside world, so…"_

"…_hopefully, someone will find us, and save us."_

That video ended as well.

_"...a survival log."_ RECEPT murmured.

"**...but... now me curious.**" Brawn grunted, as he rubbed his head. "**Why directions lead to survival log made years ago?**"

"…that man…Shepherd," Tasha spoke, rubbing the back of her neck. "…he has the same birthmark…I must be related to him somehow…"

"_You think so?"_ RACHET asked.

Tasha nodded.

Then another video started. Shepherd was in the room with various other people, putting heavy things in front of the door because there was something that was pounding against it. The other Mobians in the room were terrified, holding to each other.

This was much different than the last two videos and Tasha was shocked. Seeing this, Brawn set a hand on Tasha while he kept watching; eyes narrowing.

The pounding kept happening to the door, and Shepherd held the large objects in front of the door in efforts to keep it shut. One or two more Mobians even came to help him…

…and eventually, the pounding stopped.

All of the Mobians looked at the door.

"…_is it safe?"_ asked one of them; a little horse boy.

"…_I don't know…"_ Shepherd answered, rubbing his brow. _"…but we should all stay here for the night to make sure we're safe…"_

"…_that was a scary monster…"_ the same horse boy uttered with a shudder.

_"...just what in the world was that monster, anyway?"_ a female panther murmured, as she stayed close to the horse boy. _"You don't think it lived on this island before we wrecked, do you?"_

Brawn tilted his head slightly at seeing all this.

"_...all of you just get some sleep,_" Shepherd instructed them.

So they did. All of them laid on the ground, huddled closely to one another and eventually all of them fell asleep. At this point, Shepherd addressed the recording going on. _"One of those monsters decided to attack our settlement this morning…took some of the people with them, while the majority of us managed to escape."_

This was really starting to scare Tasha, wondering what monster could be terrorizing them. As far as she knew, there had never been a monster in the jungle.

"…_I heard the monster whisper something too; strangely, no one else heard it,"_ Shepherd said, looking thoughtful. _"It kept whispering a name…"_

And Tasha would never imagine what name he would say.

"…_Deity Novagod._"

Tasha let out a choked gasp, covering her mouth from uttering any other sounds, and she shuddered.

Brawn blinked at that. "**...Deity... Novagod...?**"

Tasha shuddered more, hunching over and covering her face. Just hearing that name brought back horrible memories of her father dying…but to know that he had terrorized the people that were stranded on the island.

"_Tasha? You okay?"_ RACHET asked worriedly.

Tasha didn't respond.

Brawn glanced at Tasha. "**...you... know Novagod?**" he assumed.

"…he's…a horrible, horrible man…" Tasha uttered. "…there's so much one would have to explain about him… but I am not the best one to talk to about Novagod…"

She looked up at Brawn with that hurt look, trying to hold back the pain of that horrible night when everything happened. "…if you should ask anyone about him…and I'm not even sure if you should or not…it should be Jill."

Brawn hummed. "**...I see...**"

Tasha looked back at the screen, and the next video played. Shepherd looked even more exhausted, and yet…some time seemed to have passed since the last recording. He had seemingly aged a little, and his fur had grown more ragged. Also, his clothes, while they were ripped, were also wrapped up strangely.

"…_Novagod is a monster…"_ Shepherd began with a hateful tone. _"…there's no reasoning behind his terrorizing of us…he just seems to toy with us as he sees fit. I can't figure out why he's doing this to us…but apparently, he was the one that wrecked our ship in the first place."_

Tasha shouldn't have been surprised at something like that, but she was, gawking at the screen. "…he wrecked them there on purpose…?"

_"...doesn't sound good."_ RECEPT noted.

"…_when I find him, I swear I'll figure out how to kill him…"_ Shepherd hissed. _"…because he killed my father._"

Tasha felt her heart ache for that. While it wasn't Deity who killed her own father, she could empathize with him for the loss. That was where the video ended.

"**...Novagod... cruel.**" Brawn grunted.

"…he is…" Tasha agreed.

When the next video played, it wasn't Shepherd anymore. It was another male dog Mobian that actually looked a lot like him, but someone else. "_Is this thing recording?" _he hummed with a clueless tone.

Then he cleared his throat. _"Well, uh…I'm Marshall. Shepherd's my Dad."_

Tasha was surprised again. Brawn folded his arms, and narrowed his eyes.

"…_Dad said that now I'm taking care of all of us, that I should start doing my own recordings here," _he started. _"There was a lot that Dad had to explain to me after I saw the recordings he made…that stuff about Novagod and his powers…the reason we're all still here…but I don't get it. They shipwrecked here years ago before I was born, but…they've all still stayed here…"_

Tasha started to get a good feeling about where this was going…and she noticed the same exact birthmark on him, too; on his shoulder as well, just like his father.

"_Dad also said that Deity hasn't even been around anymore…_" said Marshall, something that shocked Tasha. Brawn blinked at that.

"…_but Deity killed a lot of the people that used to live here long ago; only a small amount of people are here,"_ Marshall said. _"My dad decided that our family would be responsible taking care of the remaining people that were alive, and once he died, it'd be up to me…but I don't know if I can do that…"_

He fiddled with his thumbs a little. _"…I don't seem like much of a leader to be honest…_"

And that video ended.

"**...should we play next video?**" Brawn hummed.

"…yeah, there are a few more," Tasha said.

But when the next video played, she gasped.

It was not a dog, this time, but a male cat Mobian. She didn't need to check if they had a birthmark though because she was able to easily recognize who it was. While they were very young, there was no mistaking that face.

It was Tasha's father.

She held back her tears while he recorded his video as a young adult. He looked depressed. _"…I am Marshall's son…though I am a cat because of my mother…in fact, I think there's nothing but jungle cats out of all of us now…my father passed away of heart failure, and we don't have any running medical equipment anymore…I think absolutely everything that was left behind in the ruins is no longer usable at this point. We've all become nothing but a tribe at this point, and me…appointed Chieftain._"

Brawn blinked. "**...that... former Chieftain?**"

Tears streamed down Tasha's face at this point. "Yes…" she uttered.

"…_after everything that I've seen of these recordings, I now carry another responsibility…protecting people from anything supernatural,"_ he spoke. _"This…Deity guy…might not have been back for a couple generations…but I think all of us might've gotten comfortable with the idea that he hasn't come back…my mother always warned me that something that horrible could always come back…"_

"…_but I don't know what to do when that happens…_"

That was the end of that one.

Brawn glanced back at Tasha. "**...should we... continue?**" he inquired; his tone showing concern for her.

"_There's one last video here,"_ RUCKUS said. "_So, you think you could handle watching that one?_" he asked Tasha.

"…I must watch it…" she uttered. "…it has been recordings that have been passed down through my bloodline…I must watch it…"

So the next one played.

"_Tasha."_

She jolted, looking up at the screen. It was her father again, but he was much, much older. In fact, he looked just as she remembered him before he died years ago. She gawked at the screen.

"…_I assume this will be the last recording I make here, before I pass the title of Chieftain down to you," _her father began. _"Which also means you've seen all the other previous recordings, and already know the history of our people._"

Everyone was quiet; letting the video play out.

"…_I realize things have been tense between us these last few years…especially when King and his group showed up, talking about starting up Safe Haven,"_ her father continued. _"When they showed off their powers…I grew wary. From what you've seen of these recordings, you can now understand why I didn't trust King and the others immediately, like you had. While they seemed friendly and had not intended to take our home from us, the idea of a warrior nation training others with powers so similar…it disturbed me."_

"…_it made me wonder if it might summon that dark man back here again…and I don't know if it will or not, but lately, things around Safe Haven have been growing unsteadily dangerous in my opinion. I hoped that you would be able to help me understand most of what could be going on over there when I sent you there; to help figure out what I need to do for my people…but at the same time, I was conflicting with myself about you wanting to be with King. You trust him, and I don't find your judgment impaired, but simply…a bit naïve I suppose."_

"…_but on more than one occasion, King has proven to me to be a trustworthy man…and though I don't fully trust him, it wasn't fair of me to keep you from him, to keep you from a life you wish to start…"_

Tasha couldn't hold back her tears anymore and they just dripped to the ground by her feet while she watched this.

"…_just know that if the time ever does come when that dark man really does come back…I hope you are prepared for it…"_ he spoke to her. _"…and with our own family history of unfortunate accidents…I wish to record this for you to see, if anything were to happen to me."_

Tasha saw a genuine look in her father's eyes in the recording of concern and compassion. She never saw that look on him when he was alive; not since she had been very, very young. _"…Just know, my daughter…that I still love you. I have not judged you as harshly as you may feel I have…I was making decisions for the good of our people. I'm confident that when you are Chieftain, you will know what to do. Also, being with King could really be good for all of us in the end. I think in your generation and in others to come after, our people will be more willing to work together with the Safe Haven soldiers…and perhaps…"_

He looked like he was trying to find the words to say.

"…_perhaps…we've been too closed off to the outside world…and some outside perspective would help us all to survive…all of this would seem very much outside of my character, but I've always been thinking about all these things…"_

And that was the end of the last video. "**...wow...**" Brawn hummed.

Finally, Tasha broke down into her hands, and wept. Brawn glanced at her. "**...Tasha sad... because of videos?**" he inquired.

"…yes…and…" she spoke in-between sobs. "…I miss my father…so much…" She tried to calm down but she was so emotional. "He died in a fire that was started in the village, used to lure Jill into a trap that would unleash Deity Novagod…and that fateful night, we had to fight him and all the soldiers he Corrupted…" after that, she kept sobbing.

Brawn hummed, before he gently wrapped his arms around Tasha in a hug. "**...it okay... you can cry. I no tell anyone...**"

So Tasha cried into his shoulder, while the AI's just watched in amazement. Brawn simply let her cry, while remaining completely silent.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Wow, crazy these plot twists are, isn't it?<strong>_


	32. Chapter 31

The following morning, Cal gave a yawn when he sat up, scratching his head.

"Mnh..." Murmuring in her sleep, Natal turned a bit over; still not awake yet. Cal looked down at her, smiling a little, and he kissed her forehead. Natal smiled just a tad as well.

Cal decided to see if there was anyone else awake, so he got up to stretch, and look around. To begin with, it didn't seem like anyone else was awake yet, but he'd be able to see someone standing a distance away from the group; watching the rising sun on the horizon. Cal decided to walk over there and see who it was.

As he quickly found out, it was Sage; her arms folded and her eyes closed, as she seemed to be focusing intently. Cal didn't want to disturb her from her concentration, and he figured she knew he was there, so he sat beside her, looking out at the horizon.

"...morning." she eventually hummed, without opening her eyes.

"…morning," Cal replied.

"Sleep well?" Sage hummed.

"Yeah, for the most part," Cal said. "…what about you?"

"Didn't sleep." Sage replied.

"…didn't sleep huh…?" Cal murmured. "…what were you thinking about?"

"...lots of things." Sage hummed. "What we're going to do with our communicator lost, for one thing..."

"…I wouldn't know what to do either…" Cal said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"...figured as much," Sage hummed.

"…hopefully we'll be able to figure out something…" Cal murmured.

"...hopefully..." Sage sighed.

Just then, Cal's hearing sensors started to pick up a noise… "…Sage…" he muttered.

"...yeah?" she hummed.

"…do you hear something?" Cal asked, looking off in a direction.

"...I sense something." she replied.

"…aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Something shot out of the woods suddenly, swiftly shooting around the campsite, and it was enough to jolt everyone awake.

"...we have guests." Sage hummed dryly.

"What the hell's going on?" Hunter roared, sitting up.

"I CAN'T STOP THIS THING!"

"YOU GOTTA FIGURE OUT HOW DAX!"

Two figures were clutching to an out of control Extreme Gear that was shooting back and forth across the campsite.

"Who the hell is that?" Fargus grunted as he quickly sat up.

Hunter simply grumbled, and thanks to his telekinesis, he was able to suddenly stop the object in the air. Then his eyes widened at the two figures clutching to the Extreme Gear in baffled silence. "…Crystal? Dax?"

"…uh…heheh…" Crystal chuckled nervously. "…hi guys…"

King looked at them with wide eyes. "...you guys?" he uttered. "What are you doing here?"

"Demi sent us," Dax replied. "When your communicators got smashed, he figured he'd call us up to join you guys so there's still open communications between the groups!"

"Really?" Tobi asked in amazement.

"Yeah!" Crystal said. "…now, uh…maybe you could put us down, Hunter?"

Hunter put them down, and looked at the Extreme Gear. "What do I do with this?"

"It's turned off now, so just let it drop," Dax said.

Hunter did so, and it simply dropped to the ground. Crystal kicked it. "…piece of junk…" she growled.

"...now, don't be that harsh on it." Nage noted, as she picked up the Extreme Gear. "I mean, it looks pretty good to me."

"I swear, that thing has a mind of its own!" Crystal protested.

"...maybe you just need more practice, keke?" Ripper assumed.

"…don't know…but I don't wanna deal with that thing right now…" Crystal groaned.

"…wait…" Hunter murmured. "…if Demi sent you guys to find us, who did he sent to Metal's group?"

"…um…" Dax loosened his collar a little uneasily.

Sage's eyes widened. "...oh, dear." she hummed.

"…it was the only other help we could get," Dax murmured.

"Who?" Cal asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Hex," Crystal replied.

Silence.

"...come again?" Miser uttered.

"Did I hear that right?" Queen grunted.

"…yeah, you did," Dax murmured.

"...Hex, huh..." King hummed.

"…yep," Crystal answered. "…oh! But great news! Demi says that Jack came back two nights back and he had been purified!"

Again, this was a surprise to most of everyone. "...really?" Miser uttered with wide eyes.

"Yep!" Crystal replied.

"…you serious?" Hunter uttered.

"Yeah!" Crystal said again. "I'm serious!"

"...that's... great." Queen managed to utter, as she cracked a small smile.

"Kekekekekeke!" Ripper laughed. "This is great news!"

"Yeah, but…how?" Toki asked.

"Uh…something about how some guy named Johnny took him to a Gaia Temple," Crystal replied, scratching her head with a clueless look.

Sage blinked at that. "...Johnny... huh..."

"...I see... curious..." King mused.

"…but yeah; Hex's got a phone, We've got Dax's robotic arm, and Demi has my cell phone," Crystal said. "We can get in touch with the others again!"

"...that's great." Sage hummed. "In fact... we should get in touch with Metal's group, and let them know that Jack's safe."

"Right…" Crystal said. "…but…we have to wait for Hex to call and let us know she found 'em first…" she said.

"Of course." Sage hummed. "...but I have a feeling that her meeting them isn't going to go over too well with some of them..."

"…probably not…" Dax muttered. "…but it was the best we could do."

"...hopefully, the others won't react too badly to her." Miser sighed.

"…yeah, hopefully," Crystal said. Then she heard a rustling in the trees. "Hm?" and she looked up, seeing a hawk. There was a letter strapped to it. "Hey, what's that?" she asked, pointing to it.

Seeing the hawk, King smiled. "...a letter from Tasha." he hummed, before he held his hand out to the hawk.

The hawk flew down and dropped the letter into his hand, landing on his shoulder.

"Tasha?" Crystal murmured. "…who's that?"

"...my, um..." King uttered, as he quickly unwrapped the letter to read it.

Sage simply smiled. "...a very dear friend of his, you could say." she told Crystal.

_Dear Twilight,_ the letter read.

_I am…very sorry to hear about Jack. My heart ached when I read about the news…I can only hope for the best for all of you regarding that tragedy._

_Things here have been somewhat calm, thankfully. It sounds like the military has been more and more lenient on Jill, so she hadn't had it too hard for the past few days. I'm quite relieved on that…and the rebellion has been doing their usual routine of…well, rebelling. _

_As for my business, someone in my tribe found a strange note, with directions on it. It also has my birthmark on the note, which could only mean that this note is meant for Chieftains…I can only wonder what could be on the other side of it. Tonight, after I write this letter, I will learn of what this could be._

_Also, I have news that I'm sure would bring a smile to your face. Your mother took me to something they call an "ultra-sound." I wasn't quite sure of it myself, but I was able to see our child through this monitor. _

_And guess what Twilight? I discovered that we have a son. And he has just as much energy as you do. _

_I sure miss you my love, and wish you luck on your travels._

_Tasha._

King's smile grew quite a bit as he read the last part of the letter, and he closed his eyes. _...a boy..._ he thought to himself.

"…what's up King? Dax asked.

King simply kept smiling.

"...best not to disturb him right now; he's very happy." Sage mused with a smile.

"Aw, but I wanna know what the letter's about!" Crystal whined. "You say this is from a dear friend of his? Just HOW dear is this friend to him, huh?"

"Crystal, don't go butting in on someone else's business…" Dax groaned.

"...kid's got a point." Fargus hummed. "Leave King be, y'hear?"

Crystal stuck her tongue out at him.

"Must be happy news though, if he's smiling like that," Cal chuckled.

"Oh, it is quite happy." Sage chuckled.

"…is it from a girlfriend of his?" Crystal finally asked.

King blushed, and quickly looked at her with a surprised look. "Uh... that's..."

Crystal beamed brightly with excitement. "It IS, isn't it? King has a girlfriend?"

"...it's... actually a bit more than just a girlfriend." Queen hummed with a small smirk.

Crystal's own smirk grew. "Ooooooooooh! King's pretty serious with a girl!" she teased.

King glanced aside with a flustered look. "...well... yeah..."

"Are you gonna marry this girl, King?" Crystal kept teasing.

"I, uh..." King uttered.

"Oh, stop teasing him." Sage chuckled. "It's not nice, you know."

"Oh, I can't help it!" Crystal laughed. "King's been my teacher and him getting soft for a girl is just so _cute!_" and she laughed some more.

"Oh, this went on even before you came to Safe Haven." Sage chuckled, as she looked at King. "Why not tell her the news?"

King blinked, and glanced to the side. "...well..." he began, as he closed his eyes. "...I..."

Crystal watched him intently.

Eventually, he gulped. "...me and her... we're... having a child."

Crystal, when she heard those words, suddenly grabbed King in a hug. "OH MY GOSH! You guys are having a BABY? WAY TO GO KING!" she laughed, squeezing him.

"Ah- GAH!" King sputtered; not having expected this kind of reaction at all.

"…yeah, Congrats," Dax pitched in with a smile, though he was much calmer than Crystal.

"So is it a boy or a girl?" Crystal asked excitedly.

"I don't think they know yet," Hunter answered her.

"...actually..." King corrected with a smile. "...Tasha told me that... she had an ultra-sound..."

Queen perked up at that. "...meaning...?"

King smiled more. "...it's a boy..."

"WOOHOO!" Crystal laughed. "Once again, way to go!"

"A boy? Really?" Hunter asked in amazement.

Sage nodded, "Really."

"…wow…a son," Toki muttered. Then she smiled. "…kinda fitting for King."

"I'll say." Fargus chuckled.

"I mean, no offense King…but how do you think he'd do raising a daughter?" Toki chuckled.

"...good question, actually," Queen chuckled. That raised a chuckle from a few people.

"Well anyhow, that's great news to hear King," Dax said. "All the more reason to get all this done and hurry back."

King nodded. "Yeah..." he hummed.

* * *

><p>Stella shifted about every now and then a little in her sleep…and eventually, she awoke and sat up, shivering a bit.<p>

"...morning." she'd hear Lock hum.

Stella looked over. She happened to see Lock sitting on a tree stump with Violet. Both of them were carving pieces of wood with their knives.

"…oh…good morning…" she mumbled.

"...sleep well?" Lock hummed.

"…kinda…" Stella murmured, standing up and walking over to them. "…what are you two…doing?"

"Carving…" Violet replied. "…something we both do in spare time." She glanced at Stella under her hat. "Have a nightmare or something?"

Stella looked away. "…not really…I just wasn't able to sleep very well was all."

"...I see..." Lock hummed.

Stella shifted her feet nervously on the ground in silence.

Violet chuckled. "Why not just have a seat? We won't bite."

"O-Oh!" Stella uttered out. There was another tree stump near them, and so she sat there. This only made Violet chuckle even more. Lock simply hummed, though a smile was visible on him.

Stella tried to figure out how to make conversation. "So…what are you carving…?"

"Well, I intended a duck, but have no idea where that's going," Violet said, turning her chunk of wood over in her hand to look at it.

"...I tried for a pig." Lock hummed, as he turned the chunk of wood around.

"…I see…" Stella replied with a small, nervous smile.

"…hm, not much of a talker, are you?" Violet hummed.

"…I….um, suppose not," Stella replied. Lock chuckled a bit at that.

Violet chuckled as well. "Well, Lock was right about you…"

Stella's eyes widened and he started to blush, "R-really? What did he say about me?"

"That you're so…" Violet waved the knife, trying to think of the word. "…oh how did he put it?"

"...tender, mother." Lock chuckled.

"Tender, yes, that's it," Violet replied. Then she saw Stella's blush grow brighter and she couldn't help but chuckle, "And maybe a little precious too."

"…I…never thought anyone would describe me that way…" Stella mumbled, "…especially not…um…you."

"…well, what's so particular about me?" Violet asked curiously.

"…you're Lock's mother, and…" Stella couldn't say anymore because she was too embarrassed about the whole thing.

"…oh, don't worry so much about me, dear," Violet chuckled. "Just as long as you treat my son good, you have no problems with me."

Stella gave her a shocked look, and blushed even madder than before. Lock couldn't help but smile. "…y-you know?" Stella uttered, staring at Violet.

"Well, I noticed how friendly you two were, and I know that my son isn't usually so casual with other people," Violet replied. "I asked questions, and he told me when you were shot in the shoulder, or when he saved you from drowning. I think from there, I was able to figure the rest out."

"...very perceptive, as always," Lock mused.

"…I find it surprising, really; I didn't think Lock would find a girl," Violet said. "But you seem nice enough, so I'm happy for the two of you."

"…really…?" Stella actually smiled at that.

"Yeah, I mean that," Violet replied. "And I usually mean what I say, of course."

"...that's usually how it goes." Lock hummed. "Mother never says anything she doesn't mean."

Stella smiled even more at that.

Violet looked at her carving and tossed it away. "Well, Proxy and Omega should be back from scouting here, soon, and once they're back, it'll be time for everyone to wake up here."

"True." Lock hummed. "...though they've been gone longer than usual..."

"…that's true too…" Violet also hummed.

Stella looked out. "…do you think…they ran into trouble?"

"I wouldn't say that this early," Violet said. "But if they still don't come back after a long time, we'll go search for them."

"Right." Lock hummed.

Stella kept looking out with a worried look.

"I wouldn't worry about them so much," Violet told her. "I'm sure they can hold their own if they were in trouble, and besides, worrying gives you wrinkles."

"True enough." Lock mused.

Stella looked back at her. "Were there times when you worried about Lock?"

"Well, sure, since I'm his mother," Violet replied. "But most of the time I'm confident that he can survive on his own. I taught him all he knew."

"And, if nothing else, she's been a wonderful teacher." Lock mused.

Stella smiled. "I can see that…"

"...Lock. Violet. Stella."

At that point, two figures approached the trio, quickly showing to be Proxy and Omega.

"Welcome back you two," Violet greeted them. "How did scouting go?"

_**"...we found someone."**_ Omega spoke.

"Oh?" Violet hummed with interest.

Proxy and Omega glanced behind them...

...and then, the three would see someone else approaching them. "...this might seem unorthodox, but... hello." a female spoke.

Stella immediately froze up when she heard that voice. Violet noticed this curiously, but turned to the one approaching them. "Well, well…what business would you have with us, miss?" she asked.

"...reinforcements." the woman hummed. "I was told that you were in need of help."

Lock glanced towards this woman, and narrowed his eyes. "...hrm... seems like you need help on your own."

"Oh, this?" she scoffed. "Just a nuisance. I can deal with this, no problem..."

Slowly, Stella decided to turn and look, to see if her ears were playing tricks on her. She looked back with wide, frightened eyes. There, standing in a Corrupted form, was none other than Hex, who simply looked at all three of them. "...no need to stare, you know..." she murmured.

Stella, once again, was frozen with fear.

Violet noticed this too. "Well, I wasn't staring for one," she answered Hex.

"…get…away…"

Violet's ears perked when she heard Stella utter that. Lock looked at her with a tilted head.

Hex glanced at her as well, with a surprised look on her. "...Stella...?"

Stella got up from the stump, stepping away from her. "…g-get away…from me…"

Hex simply looked at her.

Stella's breathing was unsteady, feeling her heart beat frantically. Eventually, she just couldn't take it anymore.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed in agony, turning and bolting away.

"Ah- Stella!" Lock quickly began running after her.

Seeing her run away, Hex let out a sigh. "...just the welcome I was expecting, really..." she murmured.

"…hm…guess you didn't have too many friends?" Violet assumed.

"You'd be right." Hex shrugged.

"…so you said something about reinforcements, huh?" Violet began. "Who sent you?"

"...someone named Demi." Hex replied. "He's with Vanessa's group."

"Oh yes; I recall him," Violet said with a nod. "So I'm also guessing that sending you will fix communications between the groups, correct?"

"...quite perceptive, you are." Hex hummed, as she held up a cellphone. "Demi's among my contacts. You could call him if you'd like."

"Right, I think I'll do that," Violet said, taking the cellphone. Hex folded her arms. Violet dialed up the phone, calling him.

In the meantime, Lock kept looking around for Stella; adjusting his hat as he searched for her. Lock got far enough to where he could soon hear the sound of someone crying nearby. Narrowing his eyes, he followed that sound.

Eventually, he found Stella sitting at the trunk of a tree, hidden from view. Her face was buried in her knees and she cradled her head while she was crying. Lock approached her, and set a hand on her shoulder.

"Why did she have to come back?" Stella asked bitterly, while she kept crying. Lock simply looked at her; unsure of what to say at this moment.

"…and she just looked at me, like she didn't do anything at all!" she continued. "Like she doesn't even remember how she locked me up and abused me! Or many other soldiers for that matter!"

Lock remained silent.

Stella continued weeping. "I will never, EVER forgive her!"

Lock hummed.

"...even if... she genuinely sought for redemption?"

Stella actually calmed down from her weeping when she heard that, but she remained silent.

"...I can't pretend like I know what you had to go through back then..." Lock hummed. "...but... I believe in second chances. Unless she's just here to do as she used to do... we shouldn't be afraid of her, for what she used to be."

"…there's truth to that…" Stella uttered. "…but…I just can't be ready to forgive her, even if she does want it…I can't…not until the nightmares stop completely…"

"...do you think you'll need some aid, there?" Lock hummed.

"…possibly…" she sniffled a little.

Lock hugged her gently. "...I'll do what I can to aid you..."

Stella placed her head on his chest, clutching to him. "…thank you…"

"...anytime." Lock hummed.

"…I don't wanna go back for a while, either…" she uttered, burying her face in his chest.

"...I understand." Lock hummed, as he held her gently.

Back at camp, Violet hung up from her call. "Well, that's good news," she said. "Sounds like Jack got back to them, and he was purified from his state."

"...hope he's okay, though." Hex murmured. "Take it from me; being cleansed of Corruption isn't something you can just walk off..."

"I guess I wouldn't know that," Violet murmured. "Here," and she handed the phone back to Hex. "I think it's about time we start getting everyone up."

"...probably." Hex hummed. "...but... I don't think I should wake them up. Waking up to the sight of me's probably not gonna go over too well with most people here..."

"Well, I knew that," Violet said. "I'd be doing the waking up." And she walked off toward their camp. "Stay here."

"Yes, ma'am." Hex hummed dryly, as she took out her pipe and lit it.

Violet came around the area where everyone was sleeping. "Alright everyone! Time to wake up!" she called.

Boomer grumbled while she sat up, yawning. "Do you have to wake us like that Violet?"

"...yeah, I was sleepin well, y'know..." Newt groaned.

"...mh..." Slowly, Metal rose up as well.

Rudy, unlike the others that sluggishly got up, sprang to his feet. "Woohoo! Another day!"

"…some of us can only wish to be as enthusiastic as you are, Rudy," Charmy chuckled, slowly getting up. Then he rubbed his back sorely. "Oh, I'm getting so old."

"...don't strain yourself." Wiper hummed as he rose up as well.

"I'll try," Charmy replied.

"…I'm going to have to warn you guys that we'll have another tag-along," Violet said.

Boomer sighed. "Another one? Really?" she groaned.

"Yes," Violet answered. "A woman named Hex."

Metal's eyes shot wide open, as he looked at Violet. "...Hex?"

Most of the others were surprised too.

"Hex is here?" Rudy uttered. "Why?"

"She was sent here to restore communications between the groups, and add reinforcement," Violet answered. "I've even called Demi to confirm. Jack's also been purified and returned to Charon's group."

Wiper hummed. "...well... that is good." he mused.

"That's really good!" Rudy exclaimed.

"…well, is Jack his normal self again?" Charmy asked.

"According to Demi, not entirely," Violet said. "But for the most part, he's back to normal."

"...not entirely..." Metal hummed, as he folded his arms. "...well... we should probably contact King's group to let them know that he's safe."

"Demi heard from someone named Crystal, who was sent to their group," Violet said. "They know."

"...well, then... that leaves one less threat for us to worry about." Wiper hummed.

"I suppose so," Violet replied. "It might take us a while to leave, but we will shortly."

"Right." Metal nodded.

"So Hex got to Metal's group, and Crystal and Dax got to King's group?" Milo asked Demi that same morning. "That sounds good…now we can reach them again."

"Right." Demi nodded. "This'll give us an advantage..."

* * *

><p>They spent all of yesterday traveling, so now they weren't so high in the mountains where the snow was. Thankfully, they were in a slightly warmer area with trees all around them. Everyone was just starting to wake up, cooking up breakfast.<p>

Charon let out a light yawn. "...hrm... very early, isn't it...?" he hummed.

"Yeah, just a bit," Oblivion replied.

Kiri simply nibbled a bit on her own breakfast; remaining silent for now. Diablo did the same as Kiri eating his breakfast silently.

Ani and Striker were silently eating their breakfast too, but for their own reasons. Ever since they shared that kiss, the two of them have now felt a bit awkward around each other. Every little moment between each other was so different now. The closer Striker would be to Ani, she'd start feeling her heart beat faster, and anytime she stared back at Striker, he felt a hot sweat and a blush. The two couldn't really talk to each other without both their thoughts going back to that kiss.

It wasn't that they were both embarrassed about it either. Both of them actually liked it…but they had no idea how to go about this.

Sitting a bit on his own, Jack glanced at the two of them from time to time, but majorly focused on his breakfast. Oblivion had to help Vanessa with her breakfast since she couldn't use her arms, and the lioness occasionally glanced at her son, and then Striker and Ani. Jack remained silent whilst eating. It was fairly noticeable that he was changed; he didn't seem nearly as cheerful and active as he usually did. In fact, he came across as rather mellow for the moment.

"…hm, the fire's gettin' low," Diablo pointed out.

"…should we get more wood for it?" Milo asked.

Vanessa looked at the bare, makeshift fire pit. "…I suppose. We won't be going anywhere for a while yet…"

Striker finished his breakfast, and he stood up. "I can get some firewood for you guys."

"You should probably have someone come along with you." Demi noted. "Getting firewood on your own might be a bit tough..."

Ani stood up then. "…I could go with him."

Striker looked back at her. "…okay," he said. "Let's go."

And the two of them passed by everyone, disappearing into the forest.

"…is it just me, or have those two been acting weird around each other?" Diablo commented once they were gone.

Kiri glanced to the side, as she rubbed her neck.

Jack, too, glanced down at the ground; a thoughtful look on him. "…what's on your mind, Jack?" Vanessa asked.

Jack glanced at her. "...nothing, mom." he hummed.

"…I see," she responded, finishing her own breakfast. "I think I'm going to have a stroll around. Wish to join me Oblivion?"

"Sure," she answered, and the two of them stood up to walk off as well. Jack slowly watched them leave, before he looked back at the ground.

Suddenly, from the skies, Snap lowered to the ground with a hover function in his feet. _"No danger around any areas,"_ he stated.

"...that's good to know." Charon hummed. "We're not being hounded, at least..."

"_Though I'll probably keep a lookout just in case,"_ Snap said. "_I also saw Striker and Ani running off. What's that about?"_

"They're getting more firewood," Milo answered, though part of him wondered if they would end up doing anything else.

"_Ah, I see then," _Snap replied. _"See ya!" _ and he took off into the air again. Jack let out a hum once Snap flew off, as he rubbed his neck.

"…you sure look thoughtful," Diablo remarked to Jack. "You sure there's nothing on your mind?"

"...I'm sure." Jack replied.

"…maybe you can go help Striker and Ani collect some wood then," Diablo suggested.

Jack hummed, and nodded slowly. "...sure." With that, he stood up, and began wandering in the direction the two of them had gone to.

Eventually, he encountered the area where Ani and Striker were, but on his way there, he could hear them talking.

"So…um…how're you?" that was Ani. "Your wounds I mean…you doing okay?"

"…yeah, I've been alright," Striker answered. "Frankly, I'm just glad that Jack's back."

Jack remained silent so he wouldn't be heard, as he simply listened to the two of them.

"Yeah, me too," Ani said back. "…but…why do you think he's afraid of girls…?"

"…it was probably something those girls did to him to corrupt him like that," Striker replied. "…gosh…I can't believe Jack went through something like that…I wish I would've been able to stop it."

Jack quickly glanced at the ground with a frown. Just thinking about what he could recall sent shivers down his spine... and most definitely not the good kind.

"…Ani…?" Striker suddenly sounded surprised. "Ani, what's wrong?"

There were sounds of someone crying that followed afterward.

Jack's eyes widened, and he slowly peered towards where the crying came from.

Jack saw Striker slowly approach Ani, but she just turned away and wiped her eyes. "I'm fine," she uttered, trying not to seem so emotional.

"…what's wrong Ani…?" Striker asked.

"…just…all these things happening to all of us…" Ani replied, looking back at Striker. "…Milo's holding together the best, but Jack gets Corrupted and put through all that…and you and me…" she suddenly blushed and looked away again.

Striker blushed too. Jack blinked, before he glanced aside. He did remember, while he was Corrupted, what he had seen Striker and Ani do together...

"…I…don't know how to deal with feelings like that…" Ani uttered. "…that was the first time I ever kissed anybody…"

Striker nodded, "…yeah…me too."

Jack closed his eyes, and gripped down on the tree he was hiding by. He actually felt kind of envious; while they had their first kiss with someone they really cared for, his... well...

"…it…felt kinda nice, actually…" Striker's voice spoke quietly.

"…yeah, it did…" Ani agreed with just as quiet a voice.

Then Jack heard footsteps, and someone turning around. "Striker?" Ani uttered. Then there was a light gasp, and Ani's voice was muffled. Jack blinked, and looked back at the scene.

There was Striker holding Ani by her shoulders with his lips on hers. Ani looked very surprised by it, but she didn't fight it. Jack, though still keeping silent, couldn't help but be surprised by this as well.

Striker eventually broke his lips away, looking at the surprised Ani. The two of them were silent for a long time.

"…why…did you do that…?" Ani uttered.

"…I…don't really know…" Striker replied. "…I just…couldn't help it I guess."

Jack glanced away again; really not sure what to do at this point. Should he leave them on their own, should he make himself known... should he even keep watching...?

"…it's just…these feelings are so strange…" Striker continued, not letting Ani go. "…I can't stop thinking about you…I don't wanna leave you alone, and I even get scared that something might happen to you…"

"…really…?" Ani uttered.

"…and…I start thinking about…_things…_" Striker mumbled.

Ani looked confused. "…things?"

Striker suddenly let her go and turned away, "…n-never mind."

Jack's eyes widened. _...things...?_ he thought. _...he's not... talking about...?_

"…Striker?" Now Ani became worried.

"…don't worry about it Ani…" Striker uttered. "…we should get that wood for the fire."

Jack held his head. _...that doesn't make sense... would Striker really be thinking like that...?_

"…okay," Ani sighed, and she used her telekinesis to pick up fairly decent sized wood. Slowly, Jack began walking away from that scene; unsure on whether or not to keep watching, but more or less not wanting to confront them about it. He didn't want to be rude, after all.

"…Do you think Jack will go back to normal?" Striker suddenly asked Ani to break the silence.

Jack came to a stop, as he looked back towards Striker and Ani.

"…I don't know; it's hard to say," Ani replied. "…I just…can't believe what was done to him though…"

Jack slowly clenched his hands as he listened; tensing just a bit now that the subject had shifted to him.

"…what if…what if they come to get him again, Striker?" Ani asked this time, sounding worried.

"…I don't know that either…" Striker uttered.

Jack's eyes widened a bit, and he bit his lip. He hadn't thought of that; what if they decided that they wanted him again...?

"…but we won't let him go again…" Striker said, tossing the wood to the ground. "He's my best friend, and I'm not gonna let them take him again without a fight."

Ani looked at him worriedly, and Striker looked back at her. "You'd do the same for him, right?"

Ani smiled a little. "…yeah…I'd fight too. I'd do whatever I could to keep them from taking him again."

Jack tensed even more. Knowing that his friends would do whatever they could to try and help him... even if it meant going against people even Demi, Charon and Vanessa couldn't beat...

Ani's smile fell again. "…but Striker…you went up against Cyrene, and she beat you down hard…and just two more beat down Charon, Demi and Vanessa…even if we wanted to protect Jack, we just couldn't stand against them."

"…I know…" Striker sighed, looking away from her. "…gosh…I wish Jill was here…she'd really be able to help us out…"

Jack looked down at the ground. He agreed; the only one he could see helping them out against people like that was Jill... not even Metal would be enough, if what he remembered while he was Corrupted still held true...

"…I'm sure she'd wish she was here too…" Ani mumbled. "…I mean…her little girl's out there somewhere…and it's probably driving her nuts that she can't go out and look for Joy."

...looking for Joy...

...that made him think about what he and Striker talked about before Cyrene showed up the first time. Even after his mother had trained him a bit, he was still helpless against the Corrupted...

"…if anything…I still wanna help Jack heal from whatever experience he went through," Striker finally said. "…he doesn't seem happy anymore…he seems scared of something all the time now…" Striker looked at Ani. "Kinda like Diablo, only not as bad…"

...Jack didn't know if he agreed with that. At least Diablo was showing signs of recovering, especially after two years of having been locked up... this had literally happened just a few days ago to him, so he still felt... somewhat vulnerable.

"…yeah, but how would we do that Striker?" Ani asked. "…I mean…" she sighed, deciding not to finish her thoughts on that.

"…I don't know…" Striker replied, also not willing to finish those thoughts either. Jack simply closed his eyes; unwilling to think of that as well.

"…well, I think this is enough wood, so let's bring this back to camp," Striker said, kneeling down and picking back up the wood he tossed to the ground earlier.

Hearing that, Jack began walking off, making sure not to make a sound to alert them to his presence. He wasn't heading for the camp, either; he was headed into the woods. He needed some time to think...

Jack ended up walking through the woods for a long time…

...and all the while, he couldn't stop thinking. This whole thing had started so positively, and now... well, he had been Corrupted and purified over the course of a few days...

...and, being Corrupted, he had caused a lot more damage to the groups than the bad guys had done in just a manner of minutes.

Eventually, he just found himself slumping down against a tree, and wrapping his arms around his legs whilst just looking up at the sky. He knew that no one would hold what he did against him, but... right now, he really resented what he had done. And his psyche had been damaged, too... he just couldn't bring himself close to any girls anymore...

_...not even my own mom..._

He had to struggle not to break down crying just from reminding himself of that painful fact.

Then all of a sudden…there was a loud crash nearby, knocking down a tree. Jack's eyes shot wide open, and his gaze shifted towards where the crash came from; scrambling to his feet.

A figure shot by Jack, hitting one of the nearby trees with a loud, pained grunt. Jack's eyes widened, and he ran towards this figure; kneeling by them with a concerned look. "H-hey, what happened?" he uttered.

"…damn…powerful types are trying to take me somewhere I don't wanna go…" grunted the figure. When Jack got a better look, it turned out to be a rat with a lot of fur in front of their face underneath their hat and a sweater over some overalls, so Jack couldn't tell if it was a girl or a guy. The voice sounded like a guy though.

Jack blinked at that, before he looked at where the rat had been launched from. "...who... did you say tried taking you away...?" he uttered; though, he had a certain feeling...

"…this cat lady, and this lion guy…" And then the rat looked at Jack. "Now that I think about it, the lion guy kinda looked like you!" and the rat jumped up to his feet. "You aren't just a copy of his, are you?"

Jack blinked, as he looked back at the rat with a hurt look. "N-no! Wh-why would you think that? I'd never-!"

And then it suddenly hit him. The one who tried taking the rat away... it wasn't just some random passersby... it was...

"...n-no... n-not... _her..._" Quickly, Jack gripped his head in terror, and slowly looked back towards where the rat had been launched from.

"…huh…?" and the rat looked over.

"_Well, well, hi Jackie boy_," sneered a voice, while two figures approached them. One of them was Cyrene.

The other one was a lion who looked quite similar to Jack, but his build was distinctively different; being more muscular and taller than Jack, and the markings on his body, the soulless eyes he possessed, and the gem encrusted on his forehead made him look intimidating from the get-go.

Just seeing the two of them, especially Cyrene, was enough for Jack to start panicking; clutching to his chest as his breath rapidly grew quicker. Just looking at her brought back traumatic memories...

"_Oh what's the matter, aren't you happy to see me again?"_ Cyrene chuckled when she saw Jack's reaction.

The rat stepped in front of Jack then. "Guess not," he said, folding his arms. "Look you two; you started picking a fight with me. Don't go dragging others into it, since that wouldn't be nice."

Jack looked at the rat with as calm a look as he could possibly muster, considering the situation.

_"...Cyrene..."_ the other lion spoke, as he slowly looked at the cat, "_...do you have... business... with my former host...?"_ As he spoke, his gaze slowly fell on Jack again. _"...or... shall I kill him...?"_

Cyrene rubbed her chin, looking at the rat and Jack. _"…nah, no need for such extremes, Husk,_" she chuckled. _"I think to be honest, he's pretty harmless now._"

The rat cracked his knuckles. "You guys are starting to sound even more like a bunch of wussy bullies," he said. "Guess I'd have to teach you guys some manners."

Cyrene chuckled mockingly at the rat. _"Tough words for a girl like you._"

Jack blinked at that. "...b-but... he's a guy..."

Husk simply held out his arm; his soulless eyes staring back at the rat, as if waiting for him to make a move.

The rat sighed. "…it's not the first time I was mistaken for a guy…" and then the rat looked at Jack. "Step back a bit…I don't want you getting in the way."

The very instant he heard the rat say that, Jack instantly backed away considerably; his breath growing rapid again out of fear.

Husk noticed that, as his eyes trailed to look at Jack. _"...intimidated... by females..."_ he mused.

"…gynophobia, huh?" the rat assumed, looking back at the two, "What'd you do to him?"

"_Wouldn't you like to know?" _Cyrene chuckled, approaching them.

The rat hummed. "…actually, never mind. I don't want to know what you sickos did to him."

Husk's gaze fell on the rat again, as he remained stationary. _"...do we... bring him with us... along with her...?"_ he inquired.

Just hearing him say that made Jack let out a choked gasp; as if he was on the verge of tears just from recalling everything that had transpired days earlier.

Cyrene chuckled at his reaction.

"…_yeah, I think he'll make a great hostage," _she finally said.

This time, Jack let out a panicked scream, and quickly turned to flee; however, a large, dark hand appeared from nowhere to grab him and constrict him; all while he struggled out of pure desperation.

_"...ready..." _Husk spoke, as he looked at Cyrene. _"...one more..."_

"_Right, I'll get this one,"_ Cyrene chuckled, walking toward the rat.

The rat simply grunted indifferently, folding her arms again.

And suddenly, Cyrene stopped. She noticed that the grass around the rat's feet suddenly died and crumbled, and it stretched out to Cyrene. This is what caused her to stop…

…and suddenly, she collapsed to her knees, clutching her stomach. She felt really ill all of a sudden. Both Jack and Husk looked at Cyrene with surprised looks.

Cyrene looked ready to puke even, looking up at the rat. _"…what…is this…?" _she uttered.

"Radiation," the rat bluntly answered. "If you idiots don't high tail it, you'll get radiation poisoning."

Cyrene, for once, actually looked shocked. _"…you can control…radiation…?"_

Jack blinked at that. "...radiation...?"

Husk, however, didn't seem worried. _"...stand back..."_

Quickly, a second dark hand grabbed Cyrene and pulled her away from the rat, before it shot right at the rat to punch her. The rat ducked, and then shot her hand forward.

Suddenly, Husk was blown away by an explosion. His expression formed a pained wince, but he gave no sound to indicate anything of the sort.

However, the instant the explosion struck him, the dark hand keeping Jack constricted faded away; leaving him to drop to the ground. Due to the explosion, some sparks caught on the grass, starting a small fire.

The rat stepped toward the two of them without a hint of fear, while Cyrene seemed even more baffled. "_Where did that come from?"_

"I can make explosions too," the rat said. "I'm pretty much nothing but a walking atom bomb."

Jack blinked at that.

Husk, however, didn't seem intimidated by that, as he stepped towards the rat; holding up one of his hands to show a protuding mouth on it.

Instantly, something clicked in Jack's mind. "...watch out! He's... gonna try and copy your ability!" he called.

"Really now?" The rat hummed.

So she blew Husk away with another explosion. However, Husk quickly recovered from that explosion, and ran straight towards the rat again. The rat created multiple explosions in his path to stop him. However, Husk showed incredible agility as he rushed directly for the rat, shooting his hand towards her head...

...but just before he could grab her, Jack suddenly shot in front of her and kept him from reaching her. "Don't you even try...!" he uttered, as he pushed against the Corrupted lion.

The rat was surprised at that. Then she saw Cyrene trying to run in from behind.

So she grabbed Jack, and they both were consumed in an explosion. Cyrene was pushed back from that in total shock. Being pushed aside as well, Husk looked at this with a surprised look. _"...she... killed both of them...?"_

"…_it…looks like it…" _Cyrene muttered. She still had suspicion, but it looked like at this point, they couldn't do anything else. _"…let's bail Husk."_

_"...very well..."_ Husk hummed, as he opened a portal with a flick of his wrist. _"...what do we do... when we return...?"_

"_Find something else that needs to be done," _Cyrene replied, leaving into the portal. Husk shot one last look at the dust cloud, before he entered the portal; closing it behind him.

Once they were gone, the matter of the dust cloud shifted. Suddenly, bits and pieces started coming out of the cloud and sticking together, more and more. When the dust cloud was gone, there stood the rat and Jack, totally unharmed.

In that instant, Jack quickly stumbled away from the rat; looking at her with wide eyes. "Wh-wha-what just happened?" he sputtered.

"…I shifted our atoms and matter," the rat replied with a shrug. "Made it seem like we were both done for, but in reality, we were never hurt."

"...wha... so..." Jack uttered, as he held his head. "...how does that work...?" The fear of Cyrene coupled with the adrenaline from nearly having been captured again wasn't helping him in thinking straight at the moment.

"…it's pretty complicated science to explain, and to be honest, I don't entirely know the science myself," the rat replied. "I just know how to mess with them and manipulate them…"

Jack just looked at her with wide eyes. "...so... if you didn't know how to mess with that science... we could have _died?_" he uttered.

"Yeah, I guess," the rat answered, and with that, Jack just _gaped._ "Well, life's about taking chances," the rat said.

"...but... you could've killed us!" Jack uttered, as he quickly got to his feet. "We could've just run! We didn't need to take that kind of risk!"

"Dude, if we ran, they would've followed us," the rat said. "Something about them just tells me they're that persistent…"

"...but you could've caused an explosion to distract them!" Jack sputtered. "Or... you... ARGH!" Out of frustration, Jack quickly spun around; turning away from her and dropping down into a sitting position, before he wrapped his arms around his legs.

"…hey, your name's Jack, right?" the rat asked. "You okay?"

"...I don't know..." Jack sniffled; his voice hinting that he was trying not to cry.

The rat looked at him, and then came over and sat near him, though she made sure there was some distance between them so she wouldn't make him nervous. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"...that woman... Cyrene..." Jack murmured, as he hid his face in his legs. "...she... kidnapped me a few days ago..."

"…and she did some pretty bad things to you, I'm guessing?" the rat assumed.

Jack nodded slightly. "...y-yeah..."

"…if it's not too much to ask, and you don't have to tell me everything…just what did she do to you?" the rat asked.

Jack whimpered, and held his legs tighter. "...n... naughty things..." he uttered; his entire body trembling just from the thought of it.

"…I see…you were raped, weren't you?" the rat asked. "That's why you're afraid of girls."

Jack whimpered, and nodded. "...you can tell, huh..." he uttered; barely managing not to break into sobs.

"…yeah, I can tell," the rat replied with a sigh.

"...a-and..." Jack uttered. "...she... wanted me as a hostage..." He grit his teeth and gripped his legs even tighter than before. "...if you didn't have your powers... th-then..."

"…I don't think you should worry about what could've happened, since it didn't happen," the rat advised.

"...b-but... it could've happened again..." Jack uttered, as a small sob escaped his lips. "...I don't wanna think about it... it's scary... but... I-I can't... forget..."

The rat simply looked at him. Jack merely sat there; biting his lip to keep himself from crying.

"…I wouldn't hold all of that inside of you," the rat said. "I'd let it out."

Just hearing that made Jack start sobbing uncontrollably; burying his face within his knees as he wept. The rat watched him with another sigh, and eventually, she pat his back. Normally, Jack would have reeled back from having a girl pat his back, but at the moment, he was just far too emotional to care; weeping his heart out in utter anguish. They both sat there for as long as Jack could cry, the rat rubbing his back in efforts to help comfort him.

Eventually, Jack stopped crying loudly, though a few sobs still escaped his lips. The rat still remained silent, letting him get out what he needed to. Trembling just a bit, Jack eventually moved his face away from his legs; using a hand to try and wipe away the tears on his face.

"Feeling better now?" the rat asked, patting his back one last bit before taking her hand away.

Jack sniffled. "...a bit..."

"…my name's Arsenic," the rat said.

Jack looked back at her. "...n-nice to meet you... Arsenic..."

"…still afraid of me because I'm a girl, huh?" Arsenic assumed.

He slowly nodded. "...a bit..."

"…well, you didn't seem so afraid of me when you thought I was a dude," she said. "What if you still pretended I was a guy?"

Jack blinked, before he glanced ahead of him. "...but... I know that you're a girl... I don't know if I can pretend that you're a guy..."

"…I don't know; most people easily mistake me for a guy," Arsenic shrugged. "Maybe you'll eventually forget I'm a girl…but either way, don't worry about me raping you. I have no interest in any of that stuff."

Jack shuddered a bit. "...I know... I mean..." he murmured. "...I'm with a group of friends... some of those friends are girls..." As he spoke, he looked down. "...I know that they don't wanna hurt me or anything... but..."

"…I see…you're just that afraid…" Arsenic hummed.

"...I don't wanna be afraid..." Jack murmured. "...if I'm afraid all the time... I can't even stay with my own mom..."

"…hm…" Arsenic could really see that as a problem. She didn't think that he'd be afraid of his mother like that, but apparently he was. "…what if I worked with you to help you not be so afraid anymore?"

Jack blinked, and looked at Arsenic. "...you'd... help me...?"

"Yeah," Arsenic said.

Jack found himself blinking. Someone who he only knew the name of was willing to help him with his crippling problem... and there didn't seem to be anything ulterior behind her wanting to help him...

He actually managed a small smile. "...thanks..."

Arsenic nodded. "In fact, let's try something now."

"...what?" Jack inquired.

"Anytime we're going to do something, I'll always tell you what it is first so that you have time to brace yourself," Arsenic said. Then she held out her hand. "We're gonna try holding hands for a bit, so that you can get used to being near a girl."

Jack blinked, and slowly looked down at her hand, before looking back at Arsenic. "...just... holding hands...?"

"Mhm," Arsenic nodded, "Just holding hands; nothing else."

"..o-okay..." Jack uttered, as he looked back at her hand. He figured that it wouldn't be too hard; it could be like shaking hands, and he figured that just shaking hands wouldn't be too hard...

...but when he raised his own hand, he found that it was trembling; almost as if his body tried telling him not to do it. Arsenic remained still, watching him. Jack tried controlling his breath, as he slowly inched his hand towards Arsenic's hand. When he was just about to try and grab it, he reeled it back a bit cautiously, before he inched it towards her again. Once again, Arsenic remained perfectly still, allowing him to go his own pace.

Eventually, Jack just closed his eyes completely shut, before he slowly found the courage to at least let his hand come in contact with hers. Arsenic's fingers curled around his hand gently, but that was all she did, holding his hand carefully for him. Jack's entire body trembled, as he slowly found himself curling his own fingers around Arsenic's hand. From there, Arsenic remained still, simply holding his hand and watching Jack. Jack kept holding her hand for a while; though his face showed that this was taking a lot of effort on his part...

...and eventually, he had to pull his hand away from Arsenic; breathing out. "...it's... tough..." he uttered.

"That's okay, no worries," Arsenic said. "But this is something we'll have to try again and again every now and then, okay?"

"...right..." Jack nodded, as he looked down at his hand.

Arsenic stood up then. "We should take you back to your friends."

"...okay..." Jack nodded, as he slowly stood up as well.

"Lead the way," Arsenic said, motioning him to go ahead. Jack nodded, and he began walking ahead of Arsenic. Arsenic followed him, but made sure to keep her distance from Jack so she wouldn't make him nervous. As he walked, Jack kept looking down at his hand. Meeting up with someone like Arsenic really wasn't something he had been expecting... but the fact that she wanted to help him, he found, was really great. If he was lucky, maybe her helping him could rid him of his phobia...

Meeting the group was really something too. Naturally, the others were questioning the sounds of the explosions they heard earlier. Vanessa and Oblivion returned, as well as Striker and Ani, and all of them were about to set out to find Jack just as he showed up…with Arsenic.

"Who's that?" Striker asked Jack in surprise, pointing at the rat.

Jack blinked, before he looked back at her. "...oh, that's Arsenic." he said.

"...Arsenic?" Demi uttered, as he looked at the rat with a tilted head.

"...more importantly..." Charon quickly said, as he looked at Jack. "...did you hear those explosions?"

"Yeah, uh…those were from me, sorry," Arsenic said, though she didn't sound so apologetic.

"…why were you making explosions?" Diablo asked.

"These two wanted to take me away with them, and I was only trying to defend myself, as well as protect Jack here," Arsenic replied.

"...what...?" Kiri blinked, as she quickly looked at Jack, who looked away from them.

"...Cyrene..." he murmured, "...and... this lion who looked like me when I was..." He didn't finish that sentence, as he shook his head. "...his name was Husk... and they tried taking me and Arsenic away..."

Arsenic looked at Jack then. "Hey, what did I say earlier? Don't worry about what could've happened because it didn't happen. You're safe here with your friends now."

"…you mean…that copy is still out and about?" Milo uttered in shock. "…and working for them?"

"…Them?" Arsenic looked at the group in confusion. "You guys have a lot of explaining to do."

"...there's... quite a lot to explain." Demi hummed. "You should take a seat..."

"Okay," Arsenic said, hopping onto a log to sit and kick up her feet onto a rock.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yeah, I know. I threw another character in the sea of characters in this story...<strong>_


	33. Chapter 32

Cal was just simply chuckling at Crystal who pestered King with all kinds of questions once she learned that he was going to be a father. Natal couldn't help but snicker as well. "He's cute when he's flustered." she pointed out.

"I just find it funny how Crystal is so interested in what he's been doing all these years," Cal said.

"Well, he was her teacher when we were at Safe Haven," Dax remarked. "…in fact, they both have a lot of the same personality."

"...I can tell." Fargus chuckled. "It's almost like a pair of siblings."

Nage snickered a bit as well. "That's one way of looking at it, I suppose..."

While they found it entertaining, Hunter just groaned after a while. "Could we stop and rest or something?"

"...I suppose." Queen eventually hummed. "We've been wandering for a few hours, now..."

Once the group stopped, Hunter just fell to the ground with a large sigh.

"….you tired big guy?" Toki asked.

"…I couldn't sleep last night…" Hunter grumbled.

"...thinking about a lot of things, right?" Sage hummed, as she sat down as well.

"Yeah…" Hunter replied.

"...I can understand that..." Miser murmured with a light yawn, as she sat down next to Hunter. "...I've been thinking a lot lately, too..."

"...kekeke... same here..." Ripper murmured.

"Well, while you guys are thinking," Cal chuckled. "I'm gonna explore a bit."

"Don't go too far away," Toki said.

"I won't," Cal replied, taking off from the group into the treetops. Natal watched him leave with a smile.

"...you could follow him." Sage mused. "If you don't feel tired, maybe exploring a bit could be good for you."

"...possibly." Natal mused, before she leaped up after Cal through the trees.

Cal was too lost in his own thoughts to notice Natal following behind. He was wondering how Metal's group was handling having Hex around, and how Jack was doing after his whole ordeal. It was still amazing to hear that he had been purified when Metal couldn't do anything to him (all that had been explained when communications were restored again).

While everyone was overjoyed to have Jack back, it sounded like things just weren't the same anymore with Charon's group, which was kind of a shame. Still, Jack had been purified and returned unharmed…

Cal partially wondered if he should just get him and Natal purified too. Metal would be the only one to go to for that nowadays, but he lived with Corruption inside of him, while Natal is just now starting to get used to it. He still felt somewhat guilty for what happened, and he wondered if purifying the both of them, or at least Natal, would make him feel better.

As she followed Cal, Natal remained silent in thought. Her thoughts, too, fell back on the other groups, and what they had to go through at the moment. Just the thought of Jack going through that process was... she shook her head. She knew what being overtaken by Corruption felt like, but what happened to Jack was an extreme case... one she prayed would never be repeated.

Cal eventually stopped when he got a good view of the area, and took a look around. Natal came to a stop not too far from him; looking around as well. It was also then that Cal became aware of his surroundings.

"Decided to follow me, huh?" he chuckled.

Natal chuckled. "I wanted to explore, too." she reasoned.

Cal looked back to see her. "You sure you want to stick with that excuse?"

Natal simply smiled back at him. "What, may I use other excuses?" she hummed.

"Oh, you have other excuses?" Cal hummed. "I'd like to hear them."

Natal chuckled again. "Well, I needed some fresh air, I needed the exercise, I didn't want to sit still, I figured I could challenge myself to a solo race... there's more where those came from." she said jokingly.

"I see," Cal responded, hopping the tree tops over to her.

Natal looked back at him. "...what, did you have a specific excuse you wanted to hear?" she chuckled.

"Nah, but I was curious to see if you had any ulterior motives," Cal answered her.

"What sort of ulterior motives?" she chuckled.

"Oh, I don't know," Cal said, seemingly innocent. "…maybe you'd tease me or something for being a klutz like I usually am."

"Teasing you, hm?" Natal hummed in a seemingly innocent tone as well. "There's a thought..."

"Hey now, don't go getting ideas," Cal chuckled.

"Well, stop giving me ideas, then." Natal chuckled.

Cal chuckled some more.

_...well, isn't that charming..._

Cal blinked. "…Natal, did you hear something?"

Natal looked back at Cal. "...no... I didn't." she spoke.

_Look at that... so naïve... isn't that just adorable...?_

Cal looked around, wondering where the voice came from. "...Cal...?" Natal uttered in a more worried tone.

_Now, now... you're making the poor girl worry. You shouldn't make her worry..._

Cal should've been much more concerned…but for some reason, he felt compelled to listen to the voice. Plus, he really didn't want to make Natal worry after all. "Probably my imagination then," he said. "Can't be too careful though, right?" he asked Natal with a smile.

"...yeah... you have a point..." Natal hummed.

_...you should be protective of her... there's no telling what could jump out of nowhere, right...?_

Cal was wondering why he was hearing a voice in his head, but once again, he scooted closer to Natal just in case the voice was right. "Certainly is a nice day though," he said, looking out.

"...yeah... a really nice day..." Natal hummed, as she looked towards the horizon.

_...and yet, it could be even better..._

…_How?_ Cal asked inside his head.

_...why... you have a lovely lady next to you, don't you?_

Cal blinked, and then he looked at Natal. Then he couldn't help but smile, wrapping an arm around her affectionately. Natal blinked, and looked at Cal with a small smile. "...feeling protective today?" she hummed.

"Just enjoying the day with the girl I care about the most," Cal said with his smile.

"...oh, you flatterer," Natal giggled with a light blush, as she playfully pushed Cal a bit.

"No, I'm serious," Cal chuckled.

Natal giggled still.

_...adorable, wouldn't you agree?_

…_yeah…_ Cal thought, still smiling.

_...can't take your eyes off her, eh?_

Cal didn't answer, but he did find that he really couldn't take his eyes off of Natal. Natal looked up at him. "...Cal?" she hummed.

_...so innocent... makes you think of the things you two could do on your own, right...?_

Cal started to blush, both when Natal noticed him and when the voice said that. He shook his head, chuckling in embarrassment, "It's nothing…" he answered Natal.

"...oh, it has to be something." Natal noted, as she prodded Cal's nose. "Why else would you be so red in the face?"

_Oh, she has a point... try making her just as red..._

"…maybe it's because I can't take my eyes off of your beautiful body…" Cal whispered, before he really realized what came out of his mouth.

Instantly, Natal's face turned red. "...r-really, now?" she hummed; trying to mask her bashfulness.

_Oh, it worked... add more fuel to the fire; keep showering her with sweet nothings..._

Cal leaned in to Natal's ear, breathing a little down her neck. "…yeah…" he whispered. "…and how much I want to touch every inch of it, sometimes…"

Natal's eyes widened, and she blushed more. "...Cal..."

_...don't stop. You have her right where you want her... just keep going..._

Cal didn't say anything else, but instead, he gently kissed Natal's neck. Natal let out a soft gasp, as she closed her eyes. "...Cal..."

Cal's hands gingerly caressed Natal and her curved figure while he kept kissing her neck. Natal felt goose bumps throughout her entire body, as she breathed slowly. "...C-Cal..." she whispered, as she began enjoying what he did.

Cal enjoyed the sounds she made, pressing her against the tree while he kept caressing her. Natal let out soft gasps and moans, as she let her head rest against the tree. "...nh... Cal..." she whispered.

"Natal…" Cal moaned back, slipping his hands inside her clothes to caress her skin.

Natal's eyes widened, as she moaned more; surprised that he was being so forward. "Mh... Cal..."

"…your skin feels so soft…" Cal whispered, stroking her waist.

Natal moaned, as he head fell back. "...mh... yes..."

_...keep praising her... I think she enjoys it just as much as your touch..._

"…your body is just so wonderful, like a piece of art or something…" Cal whispered, kissing her collarbone since her head was back.

Natal moaned softly upon hearing that, as she gently wrapped her arms around Cal. "...mh... m-more..." she uttered.

"…You're so precious, I wouldn't let any other man touch you, or even look at you," Cal whispered, kissing her jawline while his hands crawled toward her ribs.

Natal's body shivered in utter anticipation, as she held Cal closer. "...oh... Cal..." she moaned.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Once again, skipping ahead...<em>**

* * *

><p>Eventually, the climax came to an end, as Natal fell limp to catch her breath; panting a bit from exhaustion.<p>

_...look at her... so precious... so innocent... so pure..._

Cal pulled his fingers out of her, looking at her in a daze. Natal slowly looked back at him; a small smile crawling across her lips.

_...take her... keep her innocence and purity all for yourself..._

Cal smiled back at her, leaning forward to give her a gentle kiss. Natal kissed him gently back. Cal cupped her cheek while they kissed. Natal gently held him as they kissed; closing her eyes in content.

Eventually, Cal broke away again, smiling at her. "…we should probably head back…"

"...yeah..." Natal nodded slowly.

_...oh, but why stop there? The others can wait... you haven't had the chance to be with her like this for a while..._

…_stop it…I don't like you pushing me like this,_ Cal replied in his head.

_What's the matter? Nothing bad will come from it... just enjoy the moment with your beloved..._

Cal became silent, looking away.

Natal blinked. "...Cal?" she uttered.

Cal didn't respond. Natal set a hand on him. "...Cal, what's the matter?"

Suddenly, Cal grabbed her wrists and pinned her back against the tree. Natal's eyes shot wide open. "C-Cal?"

"…I…" Cal felt alarmed at what he was doing, and yet he felt…helpless. "…I haven't…been with you like this…for a long time…"

Natal's eyes widened more, and she began growing fearful again. "...C-Cal..."

"…I need you Natal…I need to be with you…" Cal uttered, kissing her neck again.

Natal gasped out, and tried wriggling out of Cal's grip. "...C-Cal... stop..."

"…but I need…more…" Cal uttered, trying to hold her down harder.

Natal squirmed more. "...please, Cal... c-control yourself..."

This time, Cal tried to, though he had such a hard time with it that he eventually released Natal and threw himself off of the tree into the bushes below, to knock some senses into himself. Natal looked down with intense worry in her eyes, before she quickly got dressed and leapt down after him.

…_whatever you are, get out of my head!_ Cal growled in thought, shakily getting up from where he landed.

_Why should I? I'm just telling you what's best for you..._

Quickly, Natal landed on the ground near Cal; her eyes widened with concern. "…Natal, get away from me; I'm not myself," Cal uttered.

Natal looked at him. "...is it... Corruption...?" she uttered.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Cal grunted.

_Who are you?_ He demanded in his head.

_...the better question would be... who are _you?

_Look, quit screwing around with me,_ Cal responded. _I've had experience with voices in my head, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be desperate enough to rape her._

_Who said anything about that?_ the voice hummed. _I never said that you'd go to such extremes... after all, if both parties want it... just look at her._

As Natal looked at Cal worriedly, when he'd look back at her, he'd see something... different. Cal blinked at her. "…Natal…?" What he saw was Natal giving him an alluring look, and motioning for him to come closer, when in reality, she simply reached out her hand in concern, as her expression remained worried.

Cal stared back at her in wonder.

"...Cal... I can help you out..." Natal spoke in concern. "...please, just say something..."

But what he heard...

_"...Cal... don't hesitate..."_ she whispered with a smile. _"...I want you..."_

Cal started to sweat nervously, entirely unsure of what to do.

_...go on; she wants you..._

"...Cal, say something!" Natal eventually uttered...

...but what he heard was this: _"Don't just stand there... come closer, my love..."_

Cal was so weak at that. The sight of her beckoning him was so seductive and hypnotizing to him, but he couldn't possibly be sure if it was real or not.

"…it's not real…" he finally uttered, shaking his head. Then he jumped to his feet and bolted away from Natal. "IT'S NOT REAL!"

"Ah- Cal, WAIT!" Quickly, Natal ran after him; her expression growing more concerned.

_Running away? Even when she's giving herself to you? When she's chasing after you?_

_That's NOT the Natal I know!_ Cal responded, still running. _And I can't be sure of anything like that when I know something's going on here!_

_What's going on is that you're just... afraid. You should loosen up... let that anxious feeling go..._

_Just who the fuck are you?_ Cal demanded.

_No one of consequence..._

…_so you admit that you aren't me anymore,_ Cal pointed out, halting from his run.

_...that's what you assume. But right now, you're not in any position to make good judgment calls, are you?_

Cal fell silent after that.

_...you're confused... frightened... angry... you should relax, and take your mind off things..._

"...Cal!" Natal finally caught up with him, and stopped just out of his reach. "...Cal..."

Cal didn't respond to Natal, but he knew she was there. At this point, he started to relax a little, considering what the voice was saying in his head._...worrying about all these things isn't healthy... you simply need to relax... don't think; just feel..._

Cal slowly turned around to look at Natal with a dazed look. Again, while in reality she looked at him worriedly, he saw her smiling alluringly and seductively at him.

_...just feel... don't think... just feel..._

Cal stepped toward her. She looked at him in concern. "...Cal...?"

When Cal was in front of her, he took her shoulders gently, breathing. Natal blinked. "...Cal?"

Cal leaned down then and kissed her neck again. Natal let out a gasp. "Ah- C-Cal!" she uttered.

_...don't mind her if she tries pushing you aside; she's just thinking too much... just go with the flow..._

Cal clutched to her, kissing her jawline longingly. Natal gasped, and squirmed in his grip. "Nh... Cal, let go!"

But what he heard...

_"Ooh... Cal, don't stop!"_

Cal pinned her to the ground feverishly. "Ah!" Crying out, Natal struggled desperately in his grip. "Cal, snap out of it!"

But...

_"Oh, Cal, don't hold back on me!"_

Cal felt so desperate he wasn't thinking clearly anymore; just acting. He ripped open her outfit, grabbing one of her breasts. Natal let out a startled gasp, and tried to wriggle out of his grip. "...damn it, Cal, stop!"

_"That's it, Cal; tease me more!"_

And yet, something just…didn't seem right with him….he was so driven to continue and listen to the voice he thought he heard, but…something was off.

So he slapped himself across the face, rolling on the ground to free Natal. Natal quickly covered herself with one arm, as she looked right at Cal. "...are you alright?"

_"What's the matter...? Don't you want me...?"_

Cal grit his teeth, refusing to look back at her. "…I don't trust what I see…" he uttered, clutching the ground.

Natal's eyes widened. "...Cal...?"

_"...Cal...?"_

_...still thinking, are we...? You should stop thinking..._

Cal felt pained in many ways, trying to hold back tears. _Get the fuck out of my head you sick creep…_

_...why?_

_Because I'm getting tired of these games…_

A dark aura built up around Cal for Natal to see, ominously building his power. Natal gasped lightly. "...Cal...?"

_...hmph. You're treading on thin ice... building up so much energy can only mean trouble for your body._

_As long as I can keep myself from accidently hurting Natal again, I don't care what happens to me!_

Cal forced all the energy he built up to force away whatever it was inside of his head that was tricking him into what he was doing earlier. Just as the voice warned him, though, his whole body felt pain, and Cal grunted in agony. In turn, the voice grunted in pain as well; seemingly fading bit by bit. _...you..._

"Cal!" Natal cried out in worry.

With that, Cal collapsed onto the ground, just barely able to hear Natal call out before he passed out.

"Cal!" Quickly, Natal grabbed Cal and cradled him; looking down at him with a worried look. "Oh, no... Cal, stay with me!" Quickly making sure that her outfit was on properly, Natal began taking the unconscious Cal back to camp.

* * *

><p>"AGH!" Stumbling and supporting himself against the wall, Bulk clutched his head with a scowl. "...fucking primate...!"<p>

"…now what?" That was Patricia, leaning against the wall with her arms folded.

Grunting, Bulk glared at her. "...that fucking monkey broke free from my control a lot more differently than I expected..." he hissed. "...gave me a goddamn migraine, he did..."

"…I see…" Patricia responded. "What are the others doing?"

"...they've been spread out to keep an eye on things." Bulk grunted. "Mercy's watching Metal Sonic's group, Ivory and Pierce are still hunting the kid, and I sent Cyrene and Husk out to do some scouting on the other groups looking for her... and potential recruiting, if they'd ever get the chance."

"_I'd scratch that, Master…_" groaned a voice.

Patricia looked over and Cyrene walked in, wobbling a little bit while looking somewhat ill, while Husk followed her.

Bulk shot the two of them a look. "...what the hell happened to you?"

_"...we were... surprised..."_ Husk began. _"...radiation... explosions... suicide... we had to... recuperate..."_

Patricia raised her eyebrows. "…suicide?"

"_We started out trying to recruit this kid, a rat, and as luck would have it, we ran into Jackie boy,"_ Cyrene began to explain, pausing to keep herself from gagging. "_But when we decided to take him as a hostage…this rat…ugh…_"

_"...she revealed... radioactive powers..."_ Husk murmured. _"...trapped Cyrene in a radioactive zone... and triggered explosions to... keep me at bay..."_

Bulk grunted, as he glared at Husk. "...well, did you at least copy her powers?"

_"...I tried..."_ Husk hummed. _"...but... host stopped me... from reaching her... so she grabbed Jack, and... blew both of them up..."_

Patricia grew more interested. "…so that's what you meant by suicide."

_"...yes..." _Husk nodded.

"…but did you two even bother to go back and see if it wasn't just a hoax?" Patricia suggested.

"_I was going to be poisoned if we didn't get out of there…"_ Cyrene moaned.

_"...she needs treatment..."_ Husk noted. _"...she was... struck by a lot of radiation..."_

"...well, give her a check-up, and get back out there!" Bulk growled, as he massaged his temples. "For fuck's sake..."

Cyrene grumbled. _"Whatever…"_ and she stumbled out. _"C'mon Husk…"_

Shooting Bulk and Patricia a glance, Husk followed Cyrene.

"...feh." With a grunt, Bulk glanced at Patricia. "So, how did your excursion go?"

Patricia shrugged. "She refused."

"...I see..." Bulk grunted, as he rubbed his temples. "...fuck... do we really have no good news to fall back on...?"

"Well, I suppose the only thing we can look forward to is Ivory and Pierce hunting down the kid…" Patricia said.

…then she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "…hm…"

Bulk glanced at her. "...what're you thinking about?"

"…I'm wondering if I should go see the brat's mother…" Patricia hummed. "…observe to see if she really is as powerful as some claim to be."

"...her, huh?" Bulk hummed, as he folded his arms. "...well... that's food for thought."

"After all, if we invade there, we want to make sure the mother doesn't get any bright ideas to stop us," Patricia said.

"True... after all, she managed to ward off greater numbers than you'd expect from one Mobian..." Bulk hummed.

"…indeed…" Patricia hummed. "…though I'd wait until nighttime when the patrol isn't quite as heavy."

"Right," Bulk hummed. "...this may be quite interesting."

"For the woman who supposedly stopped my uncle in his tracks, she should be," Patricia remarked.

Meanwhile, Cyrene was drinking something that would help her with her condition, but she didn't enjoy it very much. _"Bleh…_" she moaned.

Husk sat on a chair not too far from her; simply looking down at the ground. _"...hm..."_

"…_what's on your mind?"_ Cyrene asked.

_"...I was... thinking..."_ Husk hummed. _"...about... my host..."_

"…_why is that?"_ Cyrene wondered.

_"...after I was dragged out of him... and he was purified..."_ Husk mused. _"...he grew timid... afraid, even..." _As he spoke, he glanced back at Cyrene. _"...not just afraid of females... but afraid of becoming different... becoming like me..."_

"…_yeah?"_ Cyrene said.

Husk nodded.

_"...but... even with that fear..."_ he murmured. _"...he... tried stopping me... knowing that he couldn't beat me... he tried stopping me..."_

"…_why do you think that is?" _Cyrene asked curiously, since Husk would know Jack's behavior better than her.

_"...I... don't know..."_ Husk hummed. _"...it... goes against what I would have expected... two girls nearby... me charging at her... us intending to take him away... by all means... he should have been paralyzed with fear..."_

He rubbed his head; a confused look striking him. _"...so... why did he try and stop me...?"_

"_Who knows…_?" Cyrene said with a shrug. "_Maybe he's not entirely a little coward…_"

_"...there's... resolve..." _Husk hummed. _"...resolve... to go up against the worst odds..."_ He rubbed his head a little. _"...if he has... that kind of resolve... then... what does that mean for me...?"_

"…_y'know, that's not a bad question…_" Cyrene murmured, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

_"...he has fears... but enough resolve to toss them aside for a while..."_ Husk murmured. _"...but... I feel nothing... not anger... not sadness... not fear... if I can't feel that... do I not have a resolve...?"_

"…_Personally, I think you're digging too psychologically into this," _Cyrene moaned, _"…but why would you need to feel emotions anyway? They would really only get in your way."_

_"...I guess... I'm just curious..." Husk hummed. "...I mean... everyone else here... seems capable of emotions... all except for me..." He rubbed his neck again. "...not to mention the groups we're facing... they're emotional... but they seem to grow stronger because of it... like my host and his resolve..."_

"_I wouldn't let it get to you, though,"_ Cyrene advised.

Husk looked up at Cyrene. _"...if you say so..."_ he hummed. _"...but... what about you...? What does emotions... do to you...?"_

"_I'm not really sure to be honest; I can't remember much before I was Corrupted,"_ Cyrene answered, laying back and propping up her legs.

Husk hummed, as he stood up and approached her. _"...nothing at all...?"_

"_Not nothing at all…I just remember some guy…and maybe a few others I might've known…_" Cyrene said.

_"...so... it's vague..."_ Husk hummed, as he looked up at the ceiling. _"...curious... I remember everything, but have no emotions... and you remembered little, but have emotions..."_

"_Yeah, pretty weird how that works,_" Cyrene spoke.

Then suddenly…tears came out of her eyes. Husk blinked, and reached a finger to wipe away some of the tears. _"...you're... crying..."_

"…_I am…?"_ Cyrene was quite surprised at that, touching her eyes.

_"...are you... sad...?" _Husk hummed curiously.

"…_I'm not sure…"_ Cyrene murmured.

_"...do you... want to be... comforted...?"_ Husk uttered.

"…_I…just don't know…_" Cyrene replied. _"I don't even know where that came from…"_

Husk looked at her with a tilted head. _"...you... cried after we talked about remembering... did you... remember something... sad...?"_

"…_maybe…I did…"_ Cyrene murmured.

Slowly, Husk actually hugged her. _"...don't... be sad..."_

Cyrene was surprised at that. _"…huh…?"_

_"...I don't... want you... to feel sad..."_ Husk murmured.

"…_you…don't…?" Cyrene murmured._ _Husk nodded slowly. __Cyrene looked at him a while longer…_

…_then she stared off into blank space. Soon afterward, more tears came out of her eyes._ _Husk remained silent, but simply hugged her gently. Cyrene made no noise, but continued to cry like a sad, lifeless doll. Making no noise of his own, Husk gently stroked her back, to comfort her._

"…_please…" squeaked a voice from Cyrene so silently that only Husk could hear her._

_"...what...?"_Husk whispered back to her.

"…_please…take me out of here..."_ Cyrene whispered out.

Husk looked at her in mild surprise. _"...okay..."_ he uttered. _"...where... do you want to go...?"_

"…_anywhere…that's…away from here…"_ she uttered.

Then suddenly, she shook her head, wiping her eyes. _"…what happened…? I blacked out for a moment."_

Husk looked at her in confusion. _"...you... wanted to... leave the base..."_

"…_I did…?" _Cyrene asked in the same confusion.

Husk nodded. _"...you were... crying, too..."_

"…_huh…" _Cyrene murmured.

_"...were you... sad...?"_ Husk hummed, as he looked at Cyrene in concern.

"…_I…don't know,"_ Cyrene muttered. _"…I have no idea why I would've acted that way._"

_"...really..." _Husk hummed, as he set a hand on her cheek, as if he were examining her. _"...then... what do you feel now...?"_

"…_nothing really…except confused at what's going on,_" Cyrene replied.

Husk hummed at that. _"...well... if you need help with anything... let me know..."_ he said.

Cyrene looked at him with a curious look. _"Why are you acting like that?"_

Husk looked back at her. _"...what do you mean...?"_

"…_why do you act like you…care?_" Cyrene asked.

Husk blinked, as he tilted his head. _"...I'm... not... acting..."_ he uttered slowly; as if trying to piece together what was going on.

"…_well, why do you care?"_ Cyrene asked, changing the question a bit.

He rubbed his head. _"...because... I..."_ He stopped, as he narrowed his eyes. _"...hm... I'm... not sure..."_

"…_you think it's something else you got from that kid?_" Cyrene asked curiously.

_"...maybe..." _Husk murmured, as he looked at Cyrene. _"...you... don't like it...?"_

"…_it's just strange is all,"_ Cyrene replied. _"I'm not used to something Corrupted actually caring. Everyone else here could care less whatever happened to you…_"

_"...so... do you... like that I... care...?"_ Husk hummed.

Cyrene really thought about that one. She wasn't sure about it…but the more she thought about it, the more she started to realize something. _"…yeah…I think…I do like it…_" she whispered.

Husk blinked at that. _"...how much... do you like it...?"_

"…_I don't know…_" Cyrene murmured.

_"...hm..." _Husk hummed, as he found himself looking into Cyrene's eyes.

Cyrene looked back at his eyes with a clueless look.

_"...you feel... soft..."_ Husk hummed, as he rubbed his thumb against Cyrene's cheek. Cyrene just stared at him in amazement while he stroked her cheek.

_"...I... don't know why, but... I can't look away..."_ Husk mused still.

"…_I…don't know either…"_ Cyrene murmured.

"_You two need to stop goofing off and get back to work._"

Cyrene looked over, seeing Mercy walk into the room with folded arms. Husk slowly looked back at Mercy. _"...Cyrene... needs rest..." _he uttered somewhat firmly. Cyrene looked surprisingly at Husk.

Mercy simply raised her eyebrow. _"You verify with the boss on that?"_ she asked.

Husk nodded. _"...Bulk said... to give her a check-up... she needs rest before... we go back to work..."_

Mercy eyed the two of them for a long time. Husk kept his gaze fixated right on her for just as long.

"…_whatever…"_ Mercy grunted, turning and leaving.

Husk let out a brief sigh, before he looked back at Cyrene. _"...are you alright...?"_

Cyrene looked at him. _"…why…did you do that…?"_

He blinked. _"...I... didn't want her to... boss you around..."_

"…_I see…"_ She responded.

_"...did I... step out of line...?"_ Husk hummed, as he set a hand on Cyrene's.

"_..no, you didn't,"_ Cyrene answered, looking at their hands.

Husk looked down at them as well. _"...so... you're... glad... that I did that...?"_

Cyrene closed her eyes. _"…yeah…I guess I am._"

Husk hummed.

"...oh, you're still here."

Quickly, Husk looked towards the door, where he saw that Bulk had stepped in.

"_Oh, hello Master,_" Cyrene spoke.

"...Cyrene." Bulk gave her a nod, before he looked at Husk. "...mind leaving?"

Husk blinked, before he slowly looked back at Cyrene. Cyrene walked up to Bulk. _"What do you wish, Master?"_ she asked him.

"...nothing much... just a way to get you better for your next mission." Bulk chuckled; giving her a lecherous grin.

Husk blinked as he saw that grin.

Cyrene purred a little at that, _"I see, Master…_"

…and yet, she looked back at Husk. Husk looked back at her with a blank look.

"...what?" Bulk grunted as he looked at Husk as well.

"…_it's nothing, Master…"_ Cyrene replied, looking back at Bulk.

"...good. Then let's not waste any time." Bulk sneered, as he grabbed Cyrene in a lustful kiss.

* * *

><p><em><strong>And there's not much, but there's some stuff you guys can skip if you're uncomfortable reading it.<strong>_

* * *

><p>The instant he did that, however, Husk's eyes widened considerably, though he made no sound.<p>

Cyrene kissed back, though she wondered if Husk was going to leave or not. Husk remained standing there; watching this with wide eyes.

Bulk didn't seem to care, however, as he began removing Cyrene's clothes whilst kissing her more intensely and greedily. Cyrene gasped a little bit at that, growing excited…and yet, it bothered her that Husk was still standing there, just watching this. It's not that she wanted him to leave either… it was just a strange feeling of anxiety she was experiencing. As he tossed her clothes aside, Bulk kept kissing her so fiercely; using his hands to roughly caress her.

Husk, still standing there and watching this, remained silent... though slowly, his hands started to clench into fists.

Cyrene didn't seem to notice Husk do that, gasping and moaning a little at what Bulk was doing to her. Bulk began roughly squeezing her breasts as he slid his tongue within Cyrene's mouth.

Though his expression remained the same, slowly, Husk actually grit his teeth.

Cyrene moaned at both his gropes and his tongue in her mouth, though she started to feel a little…helpless… and not in the good way. Still, Bulk kept handling her roughly; showing no sign of stopping.

Slowly, Husk's gaze lowered to the floor; his body beginning to tremble as something was building up within him; something he was unfamiliar with...

Cyrene yelped a little and moaned while Bulk continued to play with her like this out of delight, and then she winced a little. She still felt uneasy for some strange reason… Bulk didn't seem to care one bit, as he kept handling her like this...

...until all of a sudden, Cyrene was yanked straight out of his grip by Husk, who shot a glare at the crocodile, "...the fuck?" Bulk grunted as he glared back at the replica.

Cyrene looked back at Husk in shock. "_H-Husk?"_

"...the fuck do you think you're pulling, you worthless shell?" Bulk hissed; his tone dripping with pure hatred.

_"...leave her alone..."_ Husk uttered; his tone taking a very dark sound to it, as his soulless eyes glared daggers at the crocodile.

Cyrene was utterly shocked at what Husk was doing, and she looked back and forth frantically between him and Bulk, wondering what was going to happen.

"...who the fuck do you think you are?" Bulk roared. "She's _mine!_"

_"...no... she's not..." _Husk retorted; his gaze remaining the same as always.

Cyrene gawked at Husk when he said that. Bulk snarled. "...you're not getting away with this..." he grunted, before he stomped out.

Husk's expression lightened, as he looked back at Cyrene. _"...are you... okay...?"_

Cyrene just stared at him. Husk blinked. _"...what's wrong...?"_

"…_I…never thought you'd stand up to him like that…_" Cyrene uttered.

_"...I... didn't want you... to be bossed around..."_ Husk reasoned.

"…_I see…_" Was Cyrene's response again, but this time, she nuzzled up to him. She wasn't sure why, but she did. Husk simply held her in return.

"…_he's… gonna find a way to make you pay..."_ she whispered, burying her face in his shoulder out of insecurity.

_"...as long... as you're safe..."_ Husk murmured. _"...then... I don't care..."_

Somehow, those words sounded so good to her. She felt her body warm up all over while he held her, remembering that she was still naked.

"…_we…should go somewhere else…_" she whispered into his ear.

_"...okay..." _Holding a hand out, Husk summoned a dark portal, and took Cyrene with him into it.

Cyrene felt strange when he took her away into a dark void, but she was still nuzzled up to him warmly, feeling her body heat up all over.

_"...where... do you want to go...?"_ Husk asked her as the portal closed behind them. _"...unless... this is fine...?"_

"…_this is fine…_" Cyrene spoke, closing her eyes to nestle her face on his shoulder.

Husk looked down at her. _"...okay..."_

"…_it's funny…"_ Cyrene said. _"…I was the one that said emotions would only get in the way earlier…_"

Husk blinked. _"...I... don't get it... how is it funny...?"_

"…_It's just…ironic..."_ Cyrene corrected.

_"...is it... ironic... because you're getting... emotional...?" _Husk hummed.

"…_yes…_" Cyrene answered.

Husk remained silent, but gently moved Cyrene's head away from his shoulder, just so he could look into her eyes. Cyrene looked back into his eyes, feeling very strange indeed.

…she felt… more at peace.

Husk tilted his head lightly, and gently set a hand on Cyrene's cheek. Cyrene blinked a little, staring at him in a daze. Husk found himself inching closer to her; though why, he didn't really understand. Cyrene inched closer to him too; also unaware of what was really going on. Husk found himself setting his other hand on her other cheek as he inched closer to Cyrene. Cyrene breathed a little, growing close enough to actually place her lips on his. Holding her dearly, Husk closed his eyes as their lips met.

* * *

><p>Jill slouched back on the couch, taking a breather. It was getting pretty late, and she figured she could shove off to bed, but she wasn't entirely tired yet.<p>

And at that point, someone knocked at her door.

"…Come in…" Jill called out, since she was too out of breath to go open the door.

The door opened, and with heavy steps, Brawn entered the apartment. "**...hello.**" he hummed. Tasha followed after him, nodding to Jill.

"Oh, hi guys," Jill said, straightening up a bit.

"**...Condit... I need to ask questions.**" Brawn hummed, as he rubbed his neck.

"…you do?" Jill wondered.

Brawn nodded. "**...we... find out heavy things... things I think you know more about..."**

Jill sat up with concern. She wasn't getting a very good vibe here, and looking at Tasha, she could tell that she was uneasy. "…about what?" Jill asked suspiciously, looking back at Brawn.

Brawn looked back at her, before closing his eyes.

"**...what can you tell me... about Novagod?"**

Jill's eyes widened sharply at that.

Then she was up on her feet, grabbing Brawn's collar, dragging him down to eye-level with her while she glared at him. "How did you find out about him?

"J-Jill, please!" Tasha uttered, grabbing Jill. "You must calm yourself!"

Brawn simply looked at her with a neutral expression, before looking at Tasha with a slight nod. Tasha managed to pull Jill away, and Jill glared at her. "How did he find out about him, Tasha?" she growled.

At first, Tasha was intimidated, but then she toughened up, "Because he was involved with my ancestors that were trapped on the island in the beginning."

Jill grew surprised at that. "…what…?"

Tasha looked away. "…I know…it was hard for me to believe too…"

"**...Novagod... cause much suffering for Tasha and her people.**" Brawn murmured. "**Horrible person... make Tasha cry.**" His expression grew dark. "**...he made more than her cry... didn't he?**"

Jill looked at Brawn for a very long time with a hard look.

Finally, she turned around. "…yeah…he did much more than that…"

"**...I know it hard to think about...**" Brawn murmured, as he looked down at the floor. "**...but... he do so much damage... hurt so many... no one knew... it not fair..."**

"…you say that…" Jill uttered. "…but…but you just have no idea…Brawn…"

"**...that why... I want to know more.**" Brawn murmured. "**I know I not know what you went through... but that no one but you deal with monster like that... it just not right.**"

Jill looked down at the ground.

"…yeah…I was alone in the beginning…but…someone else eventually helped me."

Brawn hummed. "**...who?**"

Jill was wondering if she should say or not, but she took a deep breath and decided. She looked back at Brawn. "…Metal Sonic."

Brawn's eyes widened considerably. "**...Metal... Sonic...?**" he uttered out of complete surprise. "**...he... help you?**"

"…Deity Novagod was the main reason he vanished from the public," Jill told him.

Brawn hummed in intrigue, as he sat down. "**...what Metal Sonic do to Novagod?**"

"…Metal Sonic sealed him away, and fought him for 5 long years to keep him away from the rest of the world…." Jill answered.

Brawn gawked at this. "**...five years... then... everyone on Safe Haven knows this?**"

"…mostly everyone, yeah," Jill said, turning away again. Just talking about this was making her depressed and missing Metal.

Brawn nodded. "**...but... Novagod... gone now... right?**"

"…he is…" Jill mumbled, "…but there are still others that want to take his place."

"**...like... who?**"

Jill was about to open her mouth, but then her eyes widened. She suddenly sensed something very, very ominous in the room with them…

…a feeling that was making her nervous.

Brawn noticed that... and in that instant, he looked behind Jill. Tasha gawked behind Jill, stepping behind Brawn timidly.

Jill slowly turned around.

"…go ahead Condit…finish your sentence…" Said a voice, belonging to a figure that was sitting on her couch.

Quickly, Brawn rose to his feet. "**...Patricia Novagod...!**"

Yes, indeed it was Patricia Novagod, and she ignored Brawn, looking straight at Jill. Jill stared back in absolute shock.

"…well…?" Patricia urged.

"…you…" Jill uttered.

Quickly, Brawn pulled Jill behind him with Tasha, as he glared at the bat. "**...how you escape prison?**" he growled defensively.

"And why should I tell you?" Patricia hummed. "Besides, I'm not here for revenge on the military. I decided to see a…shall we say, family friend?" and she looked at Jill.

Jill knew how she got out; Metal told her. Jill grit her teeth. "…what do you want with me?"

"…just to see if you're as powerful as everyone seems to say," Patricia responded.

"**...you have no business here.**" Brawn uttered firmly. "**Stand down, or I use force to subdue you. Either way, you go back to your cell back at HQ.**"

"…Brawn, don't…" Jill warned him. "…she isn't the same Patricia you know anymore."

"**...duty calls, Condit.**" Brawn grunted. "**I am Lieutenant Brawn of GUN... we no let criminals roam free.**" Then, he cracked his knuckles loudly. "**Prepare to be locked up again.**"

Patricia simply gave him a dry look, while Jill stepped back to protect Tasha in case anything happened. In that instant, without warning, Brawn shot a powerful punch directly at Patricia's gut. Patricia was too quick for Brawn, reappearing behind him and kicking him hard into the wall. Grunting from the impact, Brawn growled as he swung around to try and strike Patricia. Patricia, again, was too fast, and struck him back to knock him into another wall.

Letting out another pained grunt, Brawn glared back at her. "**Stay still!**" And he swung his fist at her once more. This time, Patricia did stay still, but she grabbed his fist and immediately stopped him in place. Brawn pushed against Patricia's fist to no avail; grunting as his expression grew more and more vicious.

Patricia chuckled, "And you're one of the best the military has to offer…you're all so pathetic."

Brawn snarled.

"...oh, really? I could say the same about your pretentious ass."

Before Patricia would have the chance to react, a large glob of mucus suddenly shot at her from the side; rocketing with enough force to forcibly pin her against the wall. Patricia was actually taken by surprise at that, looking at who pinned her down with the mucus.

"...Patricia Novagod... arrested and incarcerated by GUN forces, charged with multiple accounts of arson, robberies, murder, torture, kidnapping and various assorted crimes... now free as a jay-bird." a figure leaning against the doorway sneered; an unamused look on his face as he folded his arms.

"...take it from a bastard like me; scum like you don't deserve that kind of freedom." Trash scoffed.

Patricia only gave him another dry look, and even Jill gave him that same dry look.

"...really? I know I'm not exactly popular around Safe Haven, but I was expecting more than just dry stares." Trash huffed.

"**...why you here, Trash?**" Brawn grunted.

"I noticed you and the Chieftain going to visit Condit." Trash began explaining. "I figured it had to be something important, so I decided to overhear the conversation... but then Novagod shows up. Duty calls, like you said, Brawn."

Jill glowered at him, and then looked away. She was angry that Trash overheard what she mustered up the courage to tell Brawn. Now Trash is going to have an excuse again to call her out.

"…you realize that this won't hold me down, right?" Patricia hummed, not in the slightest worried that she was pinned down.

"...well, _obviously._" Trash scoffed. "If you could block a punch from Brawn, that should be a given..."

Then, he smirked. "...but you're not actually able to block him right now, are you?"

Immediately upon hearing that, Brawn suddenly rushed up to Patricia, and punched her directly in the face... and then he punched her again. And again, and again and over and over; his face contorting with fury as his punches hammered against the bat.

Patricia simply took the hits, and Jill shook her head. "You guys…that's not the smartest idea."

"Oh, relax." Trash huffed. "If Brawn can deal with Callous, he can deal with this broad." Then, he folded his arms. "Be sure not to kill her; it would be best if we managed to bring her to the Captain, so we can get some information regarding the HQ out of her."

Brawn, however, was only focused on pummeling blow after vicious blow against the bat.

"…you just don't understand…" Jill sighed, taking Tasha and stepping back a little from Patricia and Brawn.

"...what is it that I'm not understanding?" Trash scoffed.

"…she's not the same as you remember her to be," Jill said.

At that moment, Patricia flashed an angry glare at Brawn, and a powerful force of Corruption shot him backward into the wall again.

Trash shot a shocked look back at Brawn, who slumped to the floor with a grunt of agony. "...shit!" Quickly, he stepped in front of Jill and Tasha; glaring at Patricia. "...goddamn it, Condit, get out of here! And take the Chieftain with ya!"

"…I'm not leaving, Trash," Jill said. "She came here for me."

Patricia glared at the mucus pinning her to the wall, and slowly, it started to sizzle away with black goo.

Trash narrowed his eyes. "...goddamn it..."

Patricia gave Trash an evil smirk. "…just try and put me back in that puny little prison…"

Trash narrowed his eyes. "...Brawn!"

Quickly, Brawn rose from where he had been knocked down, before he rushed right at Patricia. Patricia raised her claws, which had grown and now were emitting with Corruption, just so she could slash Brawn across his face. Tasha gasped at that.

The moment she did that, however, Brawn quickly grabbed her wrists, and glared at her. "**...Trash!**"

The very instant he called out, Trash ran up behind Patricia and grabbed the sides of her head; a burning sensation suddenly resonating along her. "Eat this!" he grunted.

Patricia grit her teeth and growled at the pain, but it wasn't excruciating for her.

"…what do we do…?" Tasha whispered to Jill in fear.

"…just stay behind me Tasha…" Jill whispered back to her.

Patricia let out a roar, which released an aura of Corruption that was enough to knock both of them off of her.

Even as the two of them were knocked against the wall, both of them forced themselves on their feet; glaring at Patricia. "**...we... not... falter...**" Brawn uttered.

"...even... in... death...!" Trash hissed, as he clutched to his chest.

Patricia chuckled, "Oh, believe me…you both will endure a fate much worse than death…" and she decided to walk toward Trash, holding up her hand coated with Corrupted energy. "…I'm gonna corrupt you both to be little goonies in my little army…"

Then she ran at Trash, about to shoot her hand at him.

Then someone stopped her by grabbing said hand and halting her.

That was Jill.

Trash blinked. "...Condit...?"

Brawn looked at Jill with wide eyes as well.

"…I see you're finally stepping up to the plate, Condit," Patricia hummed. The Corruption flared up around her wrist to try and break free from Jill….only to find she was still holding on. "…hm…?"

"…it doesn't hurt me like it used to," Jill responded. Then she hurled Patricia across the room against the wall.

Trash gawked, and Brawn merely looked at Jill in awe.

Patricia got back up, cracking her neck. "…let's do this."

When she shot at Jill to punch her, Jill blocked, and Patricia started throwing punches at a fast pace; Jill blocking every single one.

Trash looked from the battle to Brawn with wide eyes. "...the fuck...?"

Brawn merely looked back at him. "**...let Condit handle it... we no match for her.**"

Trash grit his teeth upon hearing that, as he glared back at the fight.

Jill finally got a chance for offense, and though Patricia blocked most of her punches, she actually managed to hit Patricia a few times; Jill's punches noticeably more painful than Brawn's. Trash couldn't help but gawk at that. _...the fuck's going on? Brawn could damage Callous... but he couldn't damage Novagod... and suddenly Condit can damage her? What's up with that?_

Patricia eventually jumped back. "…not bothering to give your all, huh?" she mused.

"…I don't want to damage my house, after all," Jill reasoned.

"…you're peculiar indeed…" she hummed. Then she smirked. "…just like your darling little girl."

Jill glared at her, but tried not to let what she said get to her.

Trash blinked at that. "...what... are you talking about?"

Everyone ignored Trash's question while they continued to watch Patricia.

"…okay…I guess I have a good idea how strong you'd be…" Patricia said. Then she chuckled. "Just be sure not to die so fast the next time we meet."

And with that, she sank below the ground, disappearing from the room. Trash looked down at where Patricia sank down into in disbelief.

"**...Condit.**" At that point, Brawn looked back at Jill. "**Are you alright?**"

"I'm fine," Jill asked. "It's you I should be asking the question though."

"...why do you say that, Condit?" Trash uttered. "Of course he's alright... you've had worse, right, big guy?"

Brawn nodded slightly. "**...just... a scratch...**"

"…that may be just a scratch now…" Jill murmured. "…but it can get worse later."

"**...worse...**" Brawn murmured.

"...okay, would someone enlighten me here?" At that point, Trash walked around to stand by Brawn. "What was Patricia Novagod doing here to begin with? Why did she come here for you, Condit? Do you know something about why she's outside of her cell? About what happened to the HQ? Answer me!" he growled.

"**...Trash...**" Brawn grunted, as he glanced at the toad.

"First thing's first," Jill said, placing a hand on Brawn's scratch.

And suddenly, there was a white glow around her hand. Trash looked at that with a surprised look, as did Brawn. Black smoke fumed out from the scratches while they closed back up in the white glow, and when Jill pulled her hand away, the scratch was completely gone from Brawn's face. Brawn looked down at where the scratch used to be with a blink.

"...wha... what was that...?" Trash uttered. "How did you..."

"…I healed him…" Jill answered.

"...healed... him?" Trash uttered. "...how... the hell is that possible...?"

Jill didn't look at him, since she was getting impatient with him. "…because I have powers, that's why Trash…" she spoke.

"...what powers?" Trash uttered. "Look, there's a lot of things you're not telling me! Just what the hell's going on, Condit?" he said; his expression growing into a mixture of confusion and impatience.

"…Trash, there would just be so much to explain," Jill sighed.

"...but... _but..._" Trash uttered.

"**...Trash. Long story.**" Brawn grunted. "**Take too long.**"

Trash opened his mouth to speak, but what Brawn said made him just fall silent.

Jill was now reminded of all the things that made her depressed again. Her daughter being hunted down, Metal still out there with all her friends, looking for her, and being stuck in this house, not allowed to leave. She turned away from all of them with a serious and depressed look.

"…Jill…" Tasha murmured.

Brawn looked at her in concern.

"...Brawn." Trash murmured, as he glanced aside. "...we... should give a report to the Captain."

"…at least take Tasha home first…" Jill requested, walking toward one of the walls that people have been slammed against, since it knocked some wall decorations off.

"…what about you?" Tasha asked.

"…I'll clean up the mess…" Jill murmured.

Brawn looked at Jill in slight disdain, before he glanced at Trash, who was looking aside.

"...Condit." Trash suddenly spoke.

"…what?" she responded.

Trash closed his eyes, "...when I make the report... if you want it, I'll refrain from mentioning anything about you to the Captain... like you fighting off Novagod, and healing Brawn."

Though Jill was actually quite surprised that Trash suggested that, she didn't turn around to look at him.

"…I would appreciate that," she finally answered.

"...right." Trash hummed. "...consider it... thanks... for saving my ass." With that, he turned to walk out of the apartment, "C'mon, Brawn."

Brawn nodded, before he looked at Tasha. "**...we go home now.**"

Tasha looked at him, and then at Jill. "…I'll see you tomorrow, Jill…" she said.

"…yeah…" Jill responded.

Nodding, Brawn held a hand out to lead Tasha out. Tasha took his hand, taking one last look at Jill before the two of them left the room as well, and disappeared out the front door.

Once they left, Jill just pressed her head against the wall. Now there was no way she was going to sleep tonight.

* * *

><p>As morning began to dawn, Hex simply sat by herself and smoked on her pipe while watching the rising sun. She had volunteered for scouting during the night, but mainly because she knew that the majority of the group would not be comfortable around her whatsoever... especially Stella...<p>

"A smoker, hm?" Hummed the voice of a figure that sat next to her.

Hex glanced at the one sitting next to her. "...it's not nicotine. It's an herbal incense." she hummed. "A habit I developed years ago..."

"Interesting…" The one next to her was Violet, and she had one of her pistols out, cleaning it.

"...indeed. It calms the nerves, and supposedly does wonders for your skin..." Hex mused, as she simply observed her pipe. "...were I inclined, I might have offered to share, but... this is the only pipe I own. It's been with me for many years..."

"Don't worry about sharing," Violet replied, looking through the barrel of her gun to inspect it.

Hex shrugged. "More for me, then." she quipped, and took another drag from the pipe.

"…so I see you have some history with everyone here," Violet said.

"...and what a history it is." Hex murmured, as she breathed out a plume of smoke. "An old shame of mine..."

"Is it now?" Violet hummed.

Hex nodded. "...not something that I'd find pleasant these days... I was a fool back then..." Then, she closed her eyes. "...might still be a bit of a fool these days..."

"Why do you say that?" She asked.

"...well... after I moved away, I tried shying away from my previous lifestyle; tried to grow less naughty and more nice to atone for what I did... and, well... being nice was what led to me getting Corrupted again..."

"…I see," Violet responded.

Hex simply sighed. "...but there I go; turning the conversation into something sour. Did you want to talk about anything else?"

"Nothing really comes to mind," Violet replied. "But I actually was pretty curious what the tension was all about between all of you. Why does it seem the worst for Stella in particular though?"

"...remember what I said about my past history with them being an old shame?" Hex murmured, as she looked back at the sun. "...I did some things that I'm not proud of in the least... Stella, in particular, would probably be more conscious about what I did..."

"Ah…I see…" Violet hummed. "…guess that would explain the nightmares that Lock tells me about."

"...oh, dear... five years, and she's still traumatized." Hex sighed. "Well, doesn't that just make me feel peachy." she droned sarcastically.

"Guess I don't make you feel any better by telling you about it, do I?" Violet asked, finishing cleaning her pistol and returning it inside her coat.

"You think?" Hex hummed, as she looked down at the ground. "...the poor girl would probably never forgive me... honestly, I can't say that I don't understand why. I'd probably never forgive myself, if it were me..."

"That's reasonable," Violet replied.

"...hm." Hex hummed dryly.

Violet looked out, and she saw a collection of storm clouds in the far, far distance. "…looks like a storm's coming on," she pointed out.

"...might be good for us to seek some cover today." Hex mused. "If any of us caught a cold..."

"…yeah, that's what I was thinking," Violet said. "…personally…I'm wondering how that kid is holding up on her own for so long."

"...true..." Hex hummed. "...if nothing else... the girl's a real trooper."

"…Metal must be a proud father, if he wasn't so exhausted and drained from searching for her," Violet said.

"...yeah..." Hex hummed, as she glanced aside. "...must be great... to be a parent..."

"…first few years, it's hard," Violet told her. "…works for some people, doesn't for others…and there are those that wouldn't be able to even if they wanted to…" she looked at Hex this time. "…and I suppose you're one of them, aren't you?"

Hex nodded solemnly, as she set a hand on her stomach. "...because of my foolishness... I'm…infertile..." she murmured.

"…my condolences," Violet said.

"...appreciated, but... won't do me any good now." Hex murmured. "I lost it well over ten years ago... and, well... here I am, paying for being such a fool..."

"Well, we're all paying for stupid decisions we make in the past," Violet replied. "…I've been to jail a couple of times because of some mistakes I've made."

Hex looked back at her, "...no kidding?"

"Yeah," Violet answered. "I wasn't really the best role model for my boy…and his father would get angry at me for the things I did sometimes, but we lived in a rough neighborhood."

"...struggled to make the ends meet, huh?" Hex assumed.

"Yeah, I had to," Violet replied. "My husband couldn't make any work because his guns would only be stolen, so I had to take up bounty hunting to earn enough to support my family…there was even one time I killed a man in this group of thugs to save a little rattlesnake girl."

Hex perked upon hearing that. "...rattlesnake... girl?"

"It was around Christmas time, and she was making grocery errands for her parents, while also thinking of a Christmas gift for them," Violet explained. "Happened to get caught up with a group of thugs that was housed up in an abandoned pub, and they were threatening to kill her just because she knew they were there."

Hex hummed. "...did you... ever catch her name?" she inquired.

"No, either that and if I did, I don't remember," Violet hummed. "…but every now and then I wonder about how she's doing nowadays."

Hex hummed at that, as she looked back at the horizon.

"…but I guess I didn't do too badly of a mother…" Violet murmured. "He's more of a successful bounty hunter than I was, and I never thought he'd actually find anyone interested in him…"

Hex shot a look back at Violet again. "...is that right?"

"…Oh, I thought it was kinda obvious enough that everyone knew," Violet hummed, "him and Stella are…well, you know."

"...oh," Hex hummed, as she glanced away from Violet. "...I see..."

Violet was silent then, looking at the clouds rolling closer. "…if we're lucky, the storm will pass over by the afternoon and we'll be able to start moving again."

"...right..." Hex hummed.

Later, the storm finally hit, and everyone was sitting in shade or their tents. Obviously, Stella made sure to be in a different tent than Hex, and seeing how they had three tents, it wasn't too difficult. Lock found himself simply watching the rain pour down with a slow hum, as he sat close-by Stella. He had remained close to her ever since Hex had first shown up, and with the rain coming down like this, he wasn't exactly inclined to keep away from her.

Hex found herself sharing a tent mainly with Proxy and Omega, which she found understandable; after all, they were machines. Wiper was resting in this tent as well; his hardened nature making him less of a target for any nonsense... not that Hex had intended to indulge in that sort of thing, to begin with.

Metal simply kept his arms folded whilst watching the weather outside with a look of concern. They certainly weren't getting any closer to Joy... either they had to have seriously diverted from their path, Joy must have forsaken sleep in favor of pushing onward, or a combination of both. Either way, his worry for her safety kept growing.

Rudy decided that he was going to take a nap, and Charmy too for that matter. Both of them were worn out from the traveling and were just trying to catch up on some sleep; Charmy more so, because of his old age. Violet was with them, watching them, but mostly glancing out at the rain, herself.

"…I think I'll go take a breather," Boomer muttered, while she was with the group.

"Don't forget something to keep yourself dry," Violet hummed.

"Right…" Boomer took a tarp and wrapped it around herself, stepping outside and walking off in the rain.

Glancing outside, Newt happened to notice Boomer walking off; as he had been in a separate tent, he hadn't heard Boomer actually say that she was heading out. With a light hum, he took a tarp as well and wrapped it around him, before walking out as well. "I won't be long, y'know." he said to Lock, as he walked off.

"...hm." Lock replied bluntly.

Boomer didn't notice Newt follow her off, seeing as she was lost in thought. She was just…irritated at the amount of tension around all of them. Personally, she would drop whatever issues she had only to focus on the main objective, which was to find Joy. She could understand why Metal felt so miserable, because, well, Joy was out there by herself; something that also bothered Boomer a little. She didn't blame Metal at all for what he felt, and had no problem with it because Metal kept his mood in considerable control.

The drama between Stella and Hex though just irked her… because Stella made such a big deal about it. Boomer had been through that night on Safe Haven where the corrupted were unleashed, so she knew that Hex would reform and mean it. Sure, she comes here corrupted again, but that wasn't her fault this time, and it seems like she has pretty good control over it this time. Stella was stuck up in the Space Colony ARK for all that time, and she hasn't experienced the things that have happened.

Boomer just felt like Stella was making a fuss to get attention, and because her and Lock are together, it didn't look like that bounty hunter was going to do anything about it.

As Newt followed Boomer, his thoughts happened to wander as well... but to other things, like how the other groups were doing. Mercy having attacked them earlier, and the group of Corrupted taking Jack... he simply couldn't shake the feeling that all three groups that were following Joy were currently being targeted, and were in just as much danger, if not more, than Joy.

Boomer finally found a good place to stop under a tree, just looking out at the area they were stuck at for the time being. Newt stopped not too far from her; covering under a tree as well, as he looked down at the area as well.

While Boomer looked around, she happened to glance in Newt's direction and notice him. "Oh! Newt? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, uh..." Newt hummed, as he rubbed his neck. "...just takin' a walk, when I spotted you, y'know..."

"…uh-huh," Boomer responded, looking back out at the scenery.

"...a lot of things have been goin' on, y'know..." Newt hummed, as he looked at the scenery as well. "...it's gotten pretty complicated, too..."

"…yeah, I'll say…" Boomer muttered with a sigh.

With a hum, Newt looked up at the sky. "...I heard Violet say somethin' about how the storm hopefully shouldn't be lastin' too long..." he hummed, as if just to make conversation.

"Yeah…I think she said that it's only gonna last until the afternoon," Boomer said with a nod.

"...couple of hours waitin' in the rain..." Newt hummed, as he glanced at Boomer.

"…admittedly, it's a nice chance to cool down from everything that's happened," Boomer replied. "And personally, I like the rain."

"...yeah, rain's not too bad." Newt hummed.

Boomer just stared at the rain. "…Jill told me once that she felt like the earth was purifying itself every time it rained. I guess I could kinda agree with her on that."

Newt hummed. "...that's... one way of lookin' at it, I guess." he mused thoughtfully.

"…man…it just sucks…" Boomer sighed. "…everything that's happened…"

Newt nodded. "...yeah... sucks big time..."

Boomer said nothing after that, but she leaned against the tree. Newt approached her, and set a hand on her shoulder whilst looking down at her. Boomer looked up at him.

"...things... will get better, y'know?" he hummed; trying to sound optimistic as he smiled a tad.

"…you think so?" Boomer asked. "…things…have just been hard…"

"...I know, but..." Newt hummed. "...even if we've all been through hard times... we'll be able to pull through, y'know..."

"…right…" Boomer replied, looking up at him. Though logically, she was only going to wait and see if it would happen, hearing Newt say that managed to make her feel better.

Smiling just a tad, Newt set a hand gently on her cheek. Boomer smiled a tad at that, closing her eyes and touching the hand on her cheek. Closing his eyes as he felt her hand touch his, he gently stroked his thumb across her cheek.

"…when was the last time we even got a moment alone like this?" Boomer murmured.

"...I can't remember, y'know..." Newt hummed.

"…things…really _have_ been crazy…" Boomer muttered.

"...yeah..." Newt slowly nodded.

Boomer opened the tarp a little so that she could nestle up against Newt. Newt simply held her closely.

"…I just hope everyone else is managing…" Boomer whispered in his shoulder.

"...yeah... so do I, y'know..." Newt nodded.

Boomer looked up at Newt then. He looked back at her in turn. Boomer just stared up at Newt. In turn, Newt stared back at her; his hand still on her cheek. Boomer nuzzled up to his hand a little, still looking up at him. Smiling just a tad, Newt slowly leaned in closer to Boomer. Boomer smiled back, leaning toward him as well. As he leaned in closer, Newt gently stroked her cheek with a thumb. Boomer enjoyed the feeling, closing her eyes while she, too, leaned in closer. Closing his eyes too, Newt eventually leaned in close enough for their lips to meet gently. Boomer touched Newt on his chest softly while they kissed. Breathing lightly, Newt kept gently stroking her cheek. Boomer breathed as well, touching Newt's chin too while they kissed. Newt held her closely as he kissed her more. Boomer hummed in delight.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Well, some characters haven't really had their moments, so, why not?<em>**


	34. Chapter 33

"...got any more grub?"

"Take a look for yourself."

Seated around a campfire were a cow and a cheetah; both of them female, and both of them not really seeming like friendly people. The cow was munching away at some food, while the cheetah simply watched the fire burn in place.

There was a third, small figure too, but the cow and the cheetah weren't aware of this little one just yet. Wandering around just in the distance, the little one noticed the campsite curiously.

"...so, Berta, you got the map ready?"

"Of course." With a grunt, the cow handed the cheetah a map, which the cheetah began looking through. "Hm... know where we are, Trish?"

"Not far from the mountains." the cheetah replied.

The little figure grew hopeful when she heard the two say that. She could probably figure out where she was exactly if she walked up and asked these two for directions.

But again…she hesitated…she wasn't sure if she could ask just anyone for directions. She never knew what could happen if they got involved too…

"...feh..." Berta scoffed, as she tossed aside the remnants of the food she had been eating. "What now?"

"I dunno; we'll find out where we're going when we get our real bearings straight..." Trish replied, as she scanned the map closely.

The little figure swallowed her fears, and slowly stepped toward the two. "…um…excuse me…" she muttered shyly.

Both of them looked at her. "What do you..." Trish uttered, when her eyes widened. "...wait... you're..."

The one that walked up to them was Joy, and for a moment, she looked up at them in wondering. Did they recognize her? And then she grew worried, because maybe they saw the missing posters of her. "…um…" she murmured.

"...you're... Condit's kid... right?" Trish uttered.

"...Condit? You mean from Safe Haven?" Berta huffed. "You can't be serious."

"...I... think it is her." Trish noted, as she rubbed her neck.

Joy looked at them longer, and then looked at the ground. "…yeah…" she muttered.

"...what are you doing off Safe Haven?" Trish uttered. "And out on your own, to boot?"

Joy looked back up at them. "…you know my Mama…right?"

"...well, know her..." Berta huffed, "...met her 'round five years ago, when you were just a baby."

Okay, so they didn't just know her from missing posters. Joy looked at the ground, wondering if she should tell them or not, but started somewhere. "…some really bad things happened…and I can't see my Mama right now…"

"...bad things, huh... sorry to hear it," Trish hummed, as she rubbed her head.

"What, did Spiel go berserk on the island, or something?" Berta scoffed.

Joy looked up at Berta. "…Spiel is dead."

Both Berta and Trish gawked at that. "...what?" Berta uttered.

"…Spiel has been gone for two years now; Krieg too…" Joy told them.

"...Krieg?" Berta blinked.

"...so... what else has happened since we left Safe Haven?" Trish uttered.

"…lots of things happened…" Joy said. "…but I wanted to know if you guys could help me get somewhere by helping me know where I'm at right now…"

"...well..." Trish hummed, as she held out the map and pointed at one spot. "...we're here, if I'm not mistaken."

Joy stepped over and took a look at the map. Then she pulled out the folded directions that Ivory wrote and looked back and forth between them and the map to figure out just where she was.

"...what's that?" Berta hummed, as she looked at Joy.

"…directions that Ivory wrote," Joy replied. "…I have to go see somebody…"

"...Ivory wrote them?" Berta hummed.

"...Joy, who are you looking to meet?" Trish inquired.

"…I don't know…" Joy muttered. "…Ivory never got the chance to tell me who it was…"

"...here, let me see the instructions..." Trish hummed, as she held a hand out to Joy.

Joy handed them over to her curiously. Taking them, Trish began reading through them. "...hm..."

Meanwhile, Joy looked up at Berta. "…so you were at Safe Haven when I was a baby too?" she asked.

Berta nodded.

"…what was it like for you back then?" Joy asked.

"...eh, Standard," Berta hummed with a shrug.

Joy hummed, and then she looked around a bit. Joy couldn't help but feel like she was being watched for some reason…'course, she always felt that way ever since she went on the run.

And Malice…she had been _waaaaaaaay_ too quiet.

"...from the looks of it, you're headed right for the mountains." Trish hummed. "There's a small town by the base of it... and... I think I know who you're looking for."

Joy looked back at Trish in astonishment. "You do?"

"Yeah... him and his gang live in that town." Trish hummed. "It's only around two days away from here. Me and Berta could show you the way."

"...what?" Berta huffed.

"…who is it?" Joy asked.

"...Cowpoke." Trish replied.

Joy blinked, certainly finding the name familiar, but she didn't exactly know who it was.

Then she sensed something really bad behind her…and she spun around. When she saw a figure that was approaching them, her eyes widened.

Then she saw who it was and her eyes widened in horror. "…no…"

Seeing that figure, Berta and Trish blinked.

"...seems like they weren't expecting us, huh?" a male voice hummed next to the female figure.

"_No…I guess not…_"

Blazing orange eyes looked at the three of them, revealing the female figure to be the corrupted Ivory. Seeing her form instilled fear and despair into Joy, realizing that Ivory had been taken and turned into that…

"...Ivory?" Berta grunted, as she got on her feet. "What happened to you? And who the hell is that?" she said; pointing towards the male standing next to her.

That figure happened to be Pierce, who simply glanced at Ivory with a dull look. "...so, you gonna take her, or should I?" he inquired.

"...wait, take her?" Quickly, Trish got on her feet. "What're you talking about?"

"…_Let me deal with them,_" Ivory said. Opening her hands, black smoke granted her staff to her. Then when she swung it, a slash of Corruption shot at them.

Joy sprung in front of Berta and Trish, raising her arms. A shield of Purity appeared and protected the three of them from that slash wave that blew up against the shield. "Leave them alone! They don't have to get hurt because they're not involved!" she yelped out.

Berta and Trish quickly reeled back from that; baffled by that display of power from Joy.

"...tough one, isn't she...?" Pierce hummed, as he quickly drew out his sword. "...tell me if you need backup, Ivory."

"_Well, Patricia wants her dead or alive, so I'm going to need back up either way to snuff out this little brat,"_ Ivory hummed.

Joy shuddered at that, but stood her ground. Then she looked at Trish and Berta. "You have to get out of here!" she begged.

"What, leave you alone with them?" Berta grunted, as she rose to her feet. "Are you out of your mind?"

"...no way in hell are we gonna leave a small girl alone with... that kind of force." Trish grunted, as she got to her feet as well. "...Ivory! What the hell happened to you?"

Pierce simply looked at the two of them, whilst keeping a hand on his sword.

"…_you take on the two of them,_" Ivory told him, ignoring Trish's question. _"I'll take the girl._"

"...you think that's smart? I mean, it's not like the two of them can do anything against us to begin with." Pierce noted. "We should both focus on the girl."

"...are you saying that I'm weak?" Berta growled, as she cracked her neck. "Go on; lemme hear you say it again!"

Narrowing her eyes, Trish glanced towards Joy for a brief second, before looking back at Ivory and Pierce.

"…_I'm not sure why…but deep down, I have the feeling that they will entertain you for a bit,_" Ivory hummed. Then she shot forward and started to beat down on Joy's shield.

She yelped out in pain, trying to hold it up against her attacks but struggling.

"...feh... likely story." Pierce hummed, as his gaze fell towards Berta, who was growling at him. "...listen, I won't think less of you if you want to run away. Go on; I won't tell."

"...bastard!" All of a sudden, Berta rushed right past Joy and Ivory, to deliver a powerful punch directly against Pierce's gut; snarling as she glared down at the poodle who reeled back from that hit.

"...nh... doesn't even hurt." he sighed, as if lamenting that fact. "What a shame..."

Gritting her teeth, Trish suddenly looked back towards the woods, and broke into a run towards them.

Joy saw her running to some relief, concentrating on holding up the shield against Ivory. She just couldn't believe that Ivory had been turned into this…and Joy felt a growing determination. Ivory helped her out, so now she was going to help Ivory back.

She wanted to purify Ivory.

Ivory, though, decided that Trish wasn't going to leave, and she moved away from Joy's shield to jump in Trish's way. _"Just where do you think you're going?_" she hummed.

"Absolutely nowhere!" Without stopping, Trish barged her way directly past Ivory, before picking something up that had been hidden in the brush; namely, a bow and a quiver of arrows. Without skipping a beat, she had spun around and fired a volley of three arrows right at Pierce.

However, the poodle swiftly cut apart the arrows that headed his way, before catching a punch that Berta threw at him; narrowing his eyes. "...I'm not even trying." he groaned.

"Goddamn bastard!" Berta roared, as she hammered punch after punch against the poodle; who managed to avoid or block each of them without batting an eyelid.

Ivory was going to attack Trish, but Joy jumped in the way with another shield. "Ivory! You gotta fight it!" Joy wailed.

Now this confused Ivory. _"Fight what?_"

"You gotta fight the control of the Corruption!" Joy begged.

Ivory just blinked. Then she shot forward and slammed the staff through the shield, shattering it. Joy was thrown backward by that, crying out in pain.

Both Pierce and Berta glanced back towards the fight when they heard Joy cry out.

"JOY!" Quickly, Trish aimed an arrow directly at Ivory; snarling as she pulled the string further back. "Damn it, Ivory, don't make me shoot ya!" she growled.

"_What's stopping you? Go right ahead,_" Ivory hummed.

Then a huge blast of Purity shot her backward, and she stopped herself with her feet, seeing Joy crawl to her feet. _"You're trying my patience, girl._"

"...goddamn..." Trish uttered, as she pulled back on the string. "...what's gotten into you? Why are you acting like this?" Growling, she stepped closer to Joy. "What about Brute and Mia? Where the hell are they? Do they know what happened to ya?"

"...I don't think that'll help." Pierce mused, as he closed his eyes. "She's been Corrupted to a greater extent than the likes of me... if you're trying to bring her back to her senses, not much'll help." As he said this, he ducked underneath a punch Berta threw at him.

Joy took that into consideration, looking back at Ivory. She wondered if she would still be able to purify her successfully... Meanwhile, Ivory raised her staff, and three more appeared in the air around her, shooting at Trish. Narrowing her eyes, Trish dove away from the staves shooting at her, before she fired off a pair of arrows directly at Ivory. Ivory did flips away from the arrows, swinging her staff to create a slash wave of Corruption to shoot at Trish.

Leaping into the air to avoid the incoming slash wave, Trish kept firing arrows at Ivory with impeccable speed and timing. _No way is this power gonna outdo that entire year of training!_

Ivory shot the staffs at Trish, avoiding each arrow easily. Trish kept avoiding the staffs as best she could, before she began firing arrows not directly where Ivory was standing, but where she assumed that Ivory would dodge to in order to avoid the arrows. Ivory started to block these arrows without changing her pace, whacking them away with Corruption. She was about to send another attack Trish's way too.

Then she was grabbed from behind. Trish's eyes widened when that happened.

Noticing that, Pierce narrowed his eyes, but he quickly had to dodge another punch thrown by Berta. Ivory looked behind her. Joy had a hold of Ivory from behind.

Then her hands started to glow with a white light, and Ivory felt strange…

…but mostly, she felt pain. She grunted with a wince. _"What are you doing?"_

"Ivory! Please! You have to fight it!" Joy begged, almost at the point of crying.

Pierce narrowed his eyes. Pushing Berta aside, he rushed directly at Joy to try and cut her away from Ivory; but an arrow fired from Trish forced him to stop. "Tsch..."

Ivory was about to pluck her off, but rapid images flashed through her mind, and Ivory gave out another pained grunt, holding her head. Joy clutched to her, with the glow growing stronger around her hands.

"...what is she doing?" Pierce uttered, as he narrowed his eyes.

"_I…I could ask…the same…question!_" Ivory roared, falling back to slam Joy to the ground.

Now Joy let out another scream of pain, releasing Ivory weakly.

"...shit!" Quickly, Trish ran towards Ivory, but Pierce stood in her way. "Move!"

"Can't let you do that." Pierce grunted, as he held his sword at the ready...

...but in that instant, Berta ran towards Ivory, and managed to pin her down, "You're not going anywhere!" she growled.

Ivory growled back at her, holding her hand to her face to shot a ball of flaming Corruption at her. "Gah!" Quickly, Berta managed to reel back just before the ball could hit her, before she aimed a kick right at Ivory's chin. "Bitch! You almost blew my head off!"

"_Thank you, Captain Obvious,_" Ivory grumbled.

Joy started to get back up, whimpering from when Ivory slammed her down on the ground.

"...Joy, are you okay?" Trish uttered in concern.

At this point, Pierce turned away from Trish and walked towards Joy. "...tell me something... what did you try to do?" he inquired.

Joy looked back at Pierce in slight fear, but she stood her ground. "…I tried to purify her…and I'm still gonna try…"

Ivory looked at her curiously, halting her struggling with Berta. "...purify her..." Pierce hummed. "...you mean to say that you can reverse what Corruption does?"

Joy nodded.

_You know…that's probably not the best information to give out to your enemy like that…_ said a voice in Joy's head that she hadn't heard in a long time.

"...I see..." Pierce hummed, as he held out his sword.

"Don't you hurt her!" Trish called out, as she aimed her bow at Pierce, but he remained calm.

"...you're young... inexperienced... but determined." Pierce mused, as he tilted his head. "...I wonder if your resolve is strong enough to aid you."

"…I'm…not entirely inexperienced…" Joy remarked.

"...oh?" Pierce hummed.

Joy nodded, holding out her hands. Suddenly, a magnificent beam of Purity shot for the poodle. Dodging to the side, Pierce swung his sword to create a swift wave of Corruption that parried the beam long enough for him to avoid it. "...interesting... perhaps you'll prove a challenge, young one."

Joy breathed a little, trying to stay calm because she was scared.

Berta seemed to be preoccupied with the impending battle between Joy and Piece, and so Ivory was able to knock her off with another blast of Corruption from around herself. "Gah!" Berta cried out as she fell away, as she glared at Ivory. "...cheater!"

Pierce simply grasped his sword carefully, and kept his eyes fixated on Joy. "...don't disappoint me, now..."

Joy shuddered, especially when Ivory got to her feet and joined by Pierce with her staff. She swallowed her fears, though, and shot a few waves of Purity at the two of them. Ivory hopped away from them. Pierce, however, deflected the blasts with his sword, but he remained still; simply watching Joy rather than charging towards her.

Joy knew she'd have to run to them if she wanted to try and get to Ivory again, so she started running for Ivory while she kept shooting those beams to keep them away. Ivory sent some of the staffs to go after Joy, but she raised a shield to block them while she kept running. Closing his eyes, Pierce began eventually slashing his sword rapidly to send waves of Corruption rocketing towards the small ewe. Joy used the shields to block those too, running as fast as her little legs could carry her. Finally, she was able to leap for Ivory with glowing hands, but Ivory stepped aside and thrust the staff in her hand right into Joy's back.

Joy screamed out in agony, especially when she hit the ground.

"JOY!" Trish called out desperately.

"Tsch... cowards!" Berta roared.

With a grunt, Pierce simply held his sword close by Joy's head. "...surely this isn't everything you've got, is it?" he hummed.

Even from being knocked down, Joy shakily tried to get back up. Ivory was going to slam her back down…

…but then, she froze. Looking down at Joy, she didn't see the kid…she saw an infant; an infant kicking and pounding its tiny hands on the ground while wailing "no" over and over again. It was the very thing that saved her once from a horrible beat down by a large titan of a pig she knew once.

…this kid granted her mercy once…even as a baby, she did it…

Pierce glanced at Ivory as he edged his sword closer to Joy. "...something wrong, Ivory?"

Ivory blinked, and looked at Pierce in confusion. "_…I_-!" and then she was tackled by Joy. Joy successfully pressed glowing hands against Ivory and caused her pain yet again, with more images flashing in her mind.

Seeing this, Pierce hissed. "Son of a..." Quickly, he ran up to Joy to try and kick her away from Ivory. Joy clung to Ivory so she wasn't kicked off, but she still uttered out a pained whimper at being kicked like that.

"Joy!" Trish called out, as she aimed her bow at Pierce.

"...let go!" Pierce grunted, as he kicked more at her. _...goddamn it... I'm kicking a small kid... this is really beneath me..._

"No!" Joy screamed, still clutching to Ivory who was more or less motionless at this point while the images kept flashing in her mind.

"...just let go of her!" Gritting his teeth, Pierce resorted to prying her away from Ivory.

That got Joy away from her, struggling with Pierce. "No! Don't!" she pleaded.

Meanwhile, Ivory rolled over, hunched over and breathing. She didn't know what was going on with her…but the flames around her started to die down, and the orange glow around her eyes started to fade. She was losing power…

…and deep inside of her…she wanted out of this Corrupted body…

"...holy shit..." Berta uttered.

"...you're telling me." Trish hummed.

"Kkh... sorry!" Pierce grunted, before he tossed Joy away from Ivory; drawing his sword in case she would try to run towards her again.

Joy fell to the ground and weakly got back up again. "Please! Don't do this!" she uttered.

Pierce simply looked at her, and held his sword tightly. "...it's not like I want to, kid... it's just my job." he sighed, before he swung his sword to send another wave of Corruption at Joy.

Joy put up a shield, which kept her from getting hit, but it shattered the shield and threw her backward some more in pain.

"Bastard!" Quickly, Trish fired an arrow at Pierce, but he deflected it with his sword.

With a mere scoff, Pierce glanced back at Ivory, whilst still standing in a defensive position. "Are you alright, Ivory?"

Ivory didn't look back at him, trying to get to her feet but struggling. "…I..I…" she tried to say something but she wasn't sure what was really going on. "…I…I'm trapped…"

Pierce blinked. "...trapped?"

"…get this…stuff…out of me…" Ivory uttered, clutching her chest painfully. "…it's tearing me apart inside…"

"...what are you talking about?" Pierce uttered, as he gripped his sword tighter. "What did she do to you?"

Ivory coughed, but didn't share anything on that aspect.

Since Pierce was looking back at Ivory, Joy started to run again, hoping to get past Pierce. If she could just try one more time, she knew that she could get Ivory back.

However, Pierce saw her coming. "You're mine!" All of a sudden, he slashed the sword against the ground, which created a wave of Corruption that split the ground open where Joy was running. Joy was just barely able to hop aside, tumbling back onto the ground again.

She got back up with a determined look. "You're not gonna take Ivory away again!"

Ivory turned and looked at Joy.

That look…she remembered seeing that look on someone else's face…one that looked just like hers, but much older…

That kind of look that was given to Berta, defying her, refusing to give in to her aggressive dominance.

"...guh!" Quickly, Pierce ran towards Joy to swing his sword at her; however, using the blunt edge rather than the sharp edge. Joy was struck away because she simply wasn't quick enough to jump away, but when she got back up, she still had that determined glare, trying to run past Pierce.

However, Pierce seemed just as determined to keep her at bay; creating another shockwave of Corruption to knock Joy aside with. Joy cried out, hitting the ground.

_Man, this is too boring…I'd offer to pop out, but it wouldn't be any fun fighting this guy_, Malice grumbled in Joy's head.

Pierce narrowed his eyes, and gripped the sword tightly; awaiting Joy's next move.

Only the next move didn't come from Joy. It came from behind Pierce with a whack of a staff, which happened to be Ivory. "ARGH!" Stumbling, Pierce glared back at Ivory. "What the hell?"

It was clear that Ivory was having some kind of battle with herself, stumbling around and clutching her head. "I can't control myself!" she uttered. "I don't know what's going on!"

Gritting his teeth, Pierce glanced back at Joy. "What the hell's going on?"

Joy tried to get back up on her feet, but she was struggling even more. "...answer me!" Pierce called, as he gripped the sword tightly whilst glaring at Joy still.

"…I don't want you to take Ivory away…" Joy uttered, with a few tears pouring out of her eyes to the ground.

"...taking her away..." Pierce grunted, as he narrowed his eyes further. "...that's not the answer I wanted! What's happening to her right now?"

"…she's having a fight with the Corruption inside her," Joy answered.

Pierce blinked upon hearing that explanation. "...she's... fighting the Corruption...?"

"…yeah…" Joy answered. Blinking, Pierce looked back at Ivory.

Ivory was hitting the trees a few times, drifting back and forth around the area. Eventually, she came around to Joy, looking down at her with a maddened look. "YOU DID THIS TO ME!" she screamed, kicking Joy, which made her yelp out.

"JOY!" Trish called out again.

This time, however, Pierce quickly got in Ivory's way and glared at her. "Ivory, snap out of it! You're losing control!"

Ivory grabbed Piece by his collar. "You stay OUT OF THIS!" and hurled him away into a tree.

"GAH!" Pierce cried out, as he heaved for breath; that blow knocked the wind right out of him.

Ivory picked Joy up by her collar too, holding her up in the air. "STOP THIS! WHATEVER'S GOING ON, I WANT IT TO STOP!" She screamed in her madness.

Joy was only too happy to comply with that, placing her hand on Ivory's arm with a glow, but Joy was so weak she wasn't sure if she could even pull it off. Pierce pushed himself to his feet as he watched this, while Trish and Berta could only gawk at this as well. Ivory screamed out, fighting herself to keep Joy there, and resisting the urge to throw down the kid again.

"...Ivory..." Pierce grunted, as he clutched to his sword.

Finally, Ivory just couldn't take it anymore, and she threw Joy onto the ground, making her whimper out even more in agony…

…but that was fine, because what needed to be done was done. Black smoke sizzled out of Ivory and she started to revert to normal while she tried to just breathe.

Everyone's eyes widened at that sight; Pierce's especially. "...she's... purified..." he uttered.

Ivory released Joy then, and she collapsed next to her on the ground weakly. Grunting, Pierce slowly approached them, but stopped when Berta and Trish ran for them first.

"…Damn it…" Ivory uttered. "…I did this to you Joy…"

Joy didn't respond, because she was in too much pain.

"...Joy... please, say something!" Trish uttered, as she lightly shook Joy.

Pierce simply watched this with wide eyes.

Joy whimpered out when Trish shook her.

"Don't do that you numbskull…" Ivory grumbled, trying to get back up. "You'll just hurt her more…"

"...ah... sorry..." Trish uttered. "...I'm just... worried..."

"...so... you're safe, now?" Berta hummed, as she looked at Ivory.

"…yeah…" Ivory answered. "…it was one hell of a nightmare…" and then she looked at Pierce.

Pierce simply looked back at her. "...so... you're purified, now..."

Berta and Trish quickly glared at him.

"Yeah," Ivory answered, keeping her wary eye on him.

"...I see..." Pierce hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...then by that logic... our partnership has come to an end."

"…looks like it," Ivory remarked.

"...hm." Pierce hummed, as he examined his sword...

...and then proceeded to just stab it into the ground, before he approached Ivory bare-handed.

Trish and Berta narrowed their eyes at that sight. Ivory watched him, standing her ground in front of Joy protectively.

Pierce stopped in front of her... and then he extended his hand to shake. "...it's been a pleasure working with you, even if it was briefly."

Ivory looked at his hand, and then him. Eventually, she took the hand to shake. "…yeah…"

Pierce simply nodded, and when the shake was over with, he turned to walk away.

"...wait... that's it?" Berta uttered in a baffled tone.

"Yeah. I see no reason to keep this up." Pierce shrugged, as he picked his sword up again. "...I bet the guys back at the base are gonna kill me for letting Ivory get purified... so I dunno if it's worth going back there."

"Well, good luck then," Ivory hummed.

"...same to you," Pierce hummed. With that, he opened up a dark portal, before venturing within it.

Ivory felt weak and collapsed again. "...oh, geez..." Trish sighed, as she knelt down by Ivory. "...Berta, you should keep an eye on these. I need to go hunting for food again..."

"...right; with two more mouths to feed..." Berta huffed, as she rubbed her neck. "...how did we get roped into this, again?"

"Don't be smart about it, okay?" Trish sighed, as she looked down at Ivory and Joy.

"Don't worry about us, Trish," Ivory uttered. "When I can walk, I'm going to personally take Joy to Cowpoke…he's gotta know everything that's been happening here…"

"...hey, you expect us to let you two walk on your own after all that?" Trish grunted. "Fat chance; we're coming with you."

"I may not know what's going on..." Berta huffed, as she folded her arms. "...but I'm sure as hell not gonna let this just slide by."

"…but frankly, I'm not sure this is something you guys want to get involved in," Ivory replied. "It's huge…I mean, _really_ huge. Condit's part of the whole thing too…in fact, she and Joy here are just about in the center of the whole thing…"

"...so, what, you expect us to just sit back and do nothing?" Berta grunted. "Get real. Do you think anyone from Safe Haven would agree to that?"

"Guess not…but here's the thing; Safe Haven's under military lockdown from GUN," Ivory said.

"...I heard about it on the news." Trish mused. "And that was right before that giant dark void swallowed the GUN headquarters..."

"...come to think of it... that darkness was kinda similar to what you guys were using." Berta hummed. "You know something about what's going on over there, Ivory?"

"…that dark energy's called Corruption…" Ivory replied. "…it's a dark power that Condit tangled with, as well as Metal Sonic supposedly."

"...Metal Sonic?" Trish uttered.

"No kidding?" Berta hummed. "Even that guy? Did he have something to do with what happened at the HQ?"

"From what Joy told me, he tried to stop that," Ivory said. "He's actually a good guy in all of this; has been for a few years now."

"No way." Trish and Berta uttered in unison.

"...but... if you were under the influence of Corruption..." Trish uttered as she suddenly realized something. "...then... you know the ones that are responsible, right?"

Ivory looked away with a growl. "…yeah, I do…" she murmured.

"...just who's in charge?" Trish uttered. "And... did they... do anything to ya?"

"Well, they must have, if she were under that stuff's influence, to begin with." Berta grunted.

"I can tell you that it wasn't the most pleasant way of being taken over by that dark power…" Ivory said. "…one of 'em's Patricia Novagod, and the other…I think the guy's name is Bulk…he's the one that turned me into what you saw…" and she shuddered in disgust at that memory.

"...geez..." Trish uttered with a shudder; faint memories of being trapped in Hex's dungeon coming to mind.

"...but they didn't make you do anything else, did they?" Berta hummed. "I mean, hunting after small girls is bad enough, but..."

"…wait…" Ivory dug back in some dark memories. "…shit…I helped corrupt this guy…not in the best way either…"

"...seriously?" Trish uttered.

"...I bet it wasn't that poodle we just fought." Berta noted with a huff.

"No…not him…" Ivory muttered. "…this guy…he's almost as old as me but he was mentally like a little kid…and we traumatized him to Corrupt him, as they called it."

"...traumatized... how?" Trish uttered, as she narrowed her eyes.

"…not when Joy's around," Ivory said, looking down at Joy. "...poor girl's been through enough."

"...right..." Berta grunted, as she sat down. "...right now, the both of you should rest up."

Ivory collapsed to the ground with a sigh. "…you won't hear me say this often…but I'm glad to see you two…"

"...we're just glad that you're okay." Trish hummed. "Now get some rest, you hear?"

"…right…" huffed Ivory.

* * *

><p>Cal felt himself coming back to reality, shifting a little with a moan. He still felt the aftermath of the pain he experienced through a headache.<p>

"...Cal?" he heard a female voice utter beside him.

Cal slowly opened his eyes with a few blinks, looking up where he heard the voice. There, he saw Natal, who seemed relieved to see him awake. "Oh, you're awake! I was worried, Cal..."

"…are…you okay, Natal?" Cal asked.

"...I'm fine." she replied, as she set a hand on his forehead. "I could ask you the same, though..."

"…someone…was playing with my mind…" Cal uttered.

Natal narrowed her eyes, and glanced to the side. "...just like... what happened at the inn with me..." she murmured.

Cal's brows furrowed. "…wait…what happened to you?"

Natal rubbed her arm with a small frown. "...Patricia... she tried making my Corruption spiral out of control, by making it influence my hunger... I managed to snap out of it, but..."

Cal widened his eyes at that…and then he grit his teeth, clenching his fists. If Patricia messed with her, then Cal had a pretty good idea who messed with him.

Natal looked back at him. "...do you think you'll be okay, Cal...?"

"…I hope so…" Cal mumbled. "…but now I'm not gonna be sure what I see, if he decides to keep messing with me…"

"...hm..." Natal hummed. "...well... Patricia hasn't been toying with me ever since we left the inn... it's possible that they're only going to try that kind of trick once..."

Cal sighed at that. He wasn't too sure of that, but he mind as well calm down about it. "…where's everyone else…?" he asked.

"...outside." Natal hummed, as she glanced to the side; letting Cal notice that they actually were inside of a tent. "I told them that something happened while we were on patrol, and... well, they've set up heavy guard around the camp. They left me to watch over you..."

Cal sighed again, looking away from her in guilt. "…I'm sorry Natal…"

Natal looked back at him, and set her hand on his chest. "...you don't have to, Cal..."

"…but…I couldn've hurt you without knowing it…" Cal uttered.

"...please... I know you would never mean to hurt me..." To comfort him, Natal gently hugged him. Cal hugged back tightly. Gently rubbing his back whilst hugging him, Natal closed her eyes.

"…even then…I just…had no idea what I was doing…" Cal uttered.

"...ssh... it's okay..." Natal whispered.

Cal held Natal even closer. Natal kept stroking his back comfortingly, as she glanced at him. Cal looked bitter for what happened, but he was slowly being comforted by Natal. Happy that he was at least being comforted, Natal closed her eyes.

* * *

><p>Back with Charon's group, they were traveling for the day. While everyone was either on Charon's back, or traveling through the air like Striker, Ani and Demi…<p>

…jet fuel from Arsenic's feet was carrying her through the air like a rocket, shooting back and forth every now and then, doing a few loops.

"…she's…interesting…" muttered Milo while he watched her.

"...no kidding." Kiri hummed, as she just watched the rat fly around in fascination.

"...I wonder if Cyrene's gonna come back for her," Diablo murmured.

"...possibly... if she's been following us..." Charon grunted.

"…and…she joined the group and decided she was gonna help Jack out, without anything in return," Oblivion said. "…I may not be used to something like that but…do you think we can trust her?"

"Well, I know that she won't mean any harm to us," Milo remarked.

"...not to mention, she sounded genuine..." Demi mused, as he flew closer to the group seated on Charon.

Vanessa was quietly listening to the conversation while she glanced at Jack to see how he was doing. He didn't seem to pay any heed to the conversation the others were having, as his gaze remained on Arsenic flying around. His expression remained neutral, but he seemed fascinated by her flying like that.

"…I wonder what her story is," Milo murmured.

"...do you think we should ask her?" Charon hummed.

"…I guess?" Milo replied.

"...but... what if she gets offended because of it?" Kiri wondered.

"…I don't know," Oblivion said. "…but I guess we won't know until we ask…"

"...hm..." Charon hummed, as he looked ahead of them. "...can anyone see a place we could take a break?"

"…Over there!" Ani pointed out while she hovered just above Charon.

Charon glanced down at where she pointed, and hummed. "...let's land there, then." And he slowly began descending.

While the others descended with him, Arsenic still stayed in the air, doing loops. Jack looked up at her. "Hey, Arsenic; we're landing!" he called.

"I know!" she called back.

"...aren't you gonna land, too?" Jack called again.

"Yeah, I'll land soon," she called back.

"...okay..." Jack hummed, as he glanced back towards the ground; which Charon was rapidly approaching. Striker and Ani landed on the ground before him. The moment Charon landed by them, he allowed the others to disembark, while he looked around to scan the environment

It was a meadow, though some of the greenery was dried out a bit, with some red soil around the area. They were still on the mountain, though a different part of it.

"...hm..." Charon hummed. "...we'll set up camp here."

"...I can go and get some firewood." Jack said as he raised his hand.

"Are you sure, Jack?" Demi hummed. "We shouldn't go out on our own, you know..."

"Yeah, he's right. You should take someone with you," Milo suggested. Then he looked up. "…what's she doing?"

Arsenic was just falling through the air now, towards them.

"...she's... not flying." Kiri noted.

Jack looked up at her with slightly wide eyes. Arsenic only kept falling through the air.

"…is…she okay?" Oblivion uttered a bit worriedly.

"...uh..." Demi looked up at her in concern.

Jack's eyes widened more as he watched Arsenic fall like that still.

Milo squint his eyes to take a closer look…and his eyes widened too. "Guys, she's passed out!"

"Are you serious?" Charon uttered.

Jack let out a quick gasp upon hearing that.

"Why would she pass out like that all of a sudden?" Ani uttered.

"...she must have deprived herself of oxygen from doing all those loops!" Demi uttered.

"Charon, you gotta try and catch her!" Oblivion uttered.

"Right!" Quickly, Charon spread his wings, and took to the air. However, only after he had flown up towards Arsenic did everyone suddenly realize something; namely, that Jack had gotten back on Charon in the instant he took off.

Vanessa was surprised at that. "…Jack…?"

As Charon flew up towards Arsenic, he grit his teeth. Damn... at the angle she's falling, I won't be able to grab her before...

However, his train of thought was interrupted when he saw Jack climbing up on his shoulder. "Jack?"

"Just keep flying!" Jack uttered, as he got ready to jump.

Arsenic was heading down faster and faster.

As Charon flew up higher, he was eventually starting to slow down; losing speed as a result of the steep incline. "...guh... I can't keep this up for long..."

"...now!" Quickly, Jack leaped right off Charon's shoulder, and held his arms out; ready to catch Arsenic before she'd fall out of his reach. He was very close to missing her, but thankfully, he caught her.

Jack quickly closed his eyes as he held Arsenic closely, as he began descending with her in his grasp.

As he turned around in the air, Charon quickly managed to get underneath Jack to safely grab him and Arsenic, before he began descending towards the group. Most of the group became relieved that they caught her, while others stared in awe; particularly Vanessa.

The moment Charon landed by the group, he set down Jack, who in turn, set down Arsenic. "...she's safe..." he murmured, as he wiped his brow.

The group gathered around them.

"Should we wake her up?" Striker asked.

"...I don't know..." Jack hummed, as he simply looked at her. "...would it be safe for her?"

Before anything could say anything though, Arsenic breathed a little bit, and opened her eyes with a few blinks, sitting up and rubbing her head.

"She's awake!" Kiri gasped.

Jack knelt down so he could look at her better. "What happened?" he uttered.

"…I can't say I have the best of health…" Arsenic murmured. "…went a little too high, got a little lightheaded…you know…"

"...but... that was dangerous..." Jack uttered, as he looked up at the sky. "If someone hadn't gone after you... you could've..."

"…I usually wake up before I hit the ground and land just fine," Arsenic said with a shrug.

"But it's still pretty dangerous!" Striker protested.

"Yeah; you could have gotten hurt, or worse!" Demi pointed out.

"...you made us really worried, you know..." Jack murmured, as he glanced to the side.

"…sorry I made you guys worry," Arsenic sighed, standing up and stretching a bit.

"You don't sound very sorry to me," Milo pointed out.

"Well, I usually don't worry about anything," Arsenic said, walking past the group.

"...sounds very irresponsible, if you ask me..." Charon grunted.

"...well..." Kiri quickly said, as she looked around her. "...who should go with Jack to get firewood?"

"Firewood?" Arsenic turned around and looked at the group. "Decided to set up camp, huh?"

"Yeah," Oblivion said with a nod.

"…well then," Arsenic said, folding her arms. "I can go with Jack then."

Jack blinked at that, and looked back at Arsenic.

"...are you sure? You just woke up from being unconscious..." Demi noted.

"Eh, I can walk it off," Arsenic said, turning around and walking off. "C'mon Jack." Blinking at that, Jack slowly began following her.

The group just watched the two of them leave, and then they all looked at each other.

"...she's... really unique..." Kiri hummed, as she glanced at the ground with a hum.

Ani smirked. "You know, I kinda like her."

"But…she seems pretty careless," Milo added.

"...reckless, too..." Charon hummed.

"…what if she hurts herself?" Oblivion wondered.

"...I suppose we'll be around to see to it that she doesn't..." Demi hummed.

"…well, guess we better set up camp," Striker said, changing the subject.

With Arsenic and Jack, she made sure to keep distant from him to allow him to be comfortable while they looked for firewood. As Jack looked around for some good trees to gather firewood from, his thoughts went back to the conversation the others had while they were flying; about Arsenic's story. This made him think, until...

"...Arsenic?" Jack hummed. "Um... if you don't mind me asking..."

"…yeah?" Arsenic responded, waiting for him to go on.

"...how... did you get your powers?" he eventually asked, as he looked at her. Arsenic looked back at him. Seeing her look back at him, Jack glanced to the side. _...she probably doesn't wanna answer me..._

"I was born with 'em, believe it or not," Arsenic answered.

Jack blinked at that, as he looked back at Arsenic. "...really?"

"Yeah," Arsenic replied.

"...so... you grew up with your powers?" Jack uttered. "Was it hard doing that?"

"…for a while, but then I learned more and more how to control them and it wasn't so hard," Arsenic answered.

"...I see..." Jack hummed, as he rubbed his neck a tad.

"…had to run away from my family though," Arsenic replied.

Jack's eyes widened. "...you had to run away from your family?" he uttered.

"Yeah," Arsenic replied. "I was a danger to people. Over the course of my life, I've caused lots of fallouts; some of them actually killed people." She turned away, hauling a log to the pile. "They were better off if I left."

Jack glanced to the side with a thoughtful look. "...do you... think they miss you, Arsenic?"

"Don't know to be honest," Arsenic said. "Parents weren't really the best either, but they did what they could to raise me. Everyone else in town kept hounding on them to be better parents, and to control their 'freak' of a child…and once I took off, I would think that they'd leave 'em alone now…"

"…they're all better off without me anyway," Arsenic added, bringing another log of wood to the pile.

Jack looked at her with a sad look. "...don't say things like that, Arsenic..."

"Why not? It's true," Arsenic said, looking back at him.

"...but..." Jack uttered, as he glanced to the side. "...it... doesn't sound right..."

"I guess it doesn't sound right to you, but I'm used to it," Arsenic said.

Jack simply hummed. "...Arsenic... how long have you been on your own?"

"Since I was 9 years old," Arsenic said. "And if you're wondering, I'm 23 now."

Jack gawked at that. "...23? That's just a year younger than me!" he uttered, as he quickly counted. "...and... you've been all alone... for 14 years?"

"Yep," Arsenic answered, "Spent all that free time working on my powers. That's why I can control them so well."

"...but... you... must've been so lonely..." Jack uttered.

"…I guess sometimes…but I survived," Arsenic said with a shrug, going to pick up another log to put onto the pile.

Jack hummed, as he picked out a log to carry to the pile as well. "...you're tough... I don't think I could've lasted more than a week all alone... maybe not even that..."

"Well, it's not for everybody," Arsenic said. "…anyhow, I think that's enough wood. Let's take a break," and she looked up at Jack. "I think we could try that exercise of holding your hand again, if that's okay with you?"

For a brief moment, Jack tensed up a bit, before he gave Arsenic a small nod. "...okay..." he said.

Arsenic nodded back, noticing he was tense. She held out her hand, waiting for him. Looking warily at her hand, Jack slowly extended his hand towards it. Arsenic remained still, allowing him to go the pace he needed. While it took him less time to take hold of her hand than before, Arsenic could tell that doing something like this was straining for him, as he grit his teeth and closed his eyes. Arsenic was careful when she wrapped her fingers over his hand to hold it, watching him. Jack simply kept his eyes closed; holding her hand tightly.

"…by the way Jack," Arsenic said. "…thank you for catching me."

Jack slowly nodded. "...don't... mention it."

"…but in your case, it took a lot of guts," Arsenic said. "…it was really brave of you."

"...um... thanks..." Jack uttered, as he still held her hand firmly.

Arsenic silenced again, watching him while he held her hand. This time, he held her hand for quite a while, but his grip was tightening; he was simply too tense to even think of relaxing.

"…see if you can try and relax," advised Arsenic. "…what kind of things make you feel relaxed?"

"...um..." Jack uttered, as he still kept his eyes closed. "...I, uh... that is..." The question seemed to take his mind off the hand, as he relaxed a tad; but he still seemed fairly confused.

"I want to help you be able to relax while you do this, so that's why I asked," Arsenic said.

"...I... I know, but..." Jack began, as he seemed thoughtful whilst pondering about this. "...I... can't decide..."

"What do you mean?" Arsenic hummed.

"...well... when I think about it..." Jack murmured, as he slowly opened his eyes a tad. "...I have... a lot of things that I think help me relax... but I don't know what to focus on... it's just making me confused..."

"Why don't you go ahead and tell me some of them and we can decide which one to focus on?" Arsenic suggested.

"...okay..." Jack nodded, as he closed his eyes. "...um... my friends, I guess... but... no, when I think too much about it... I start thinking about all the bad things... same if I think of other friends... or mom... or..." He seemed troubled as he just couldn't help but overanalyze what he assumed would be relaxing thoughts.

"…maybe we don't focus on people, and instead, we focus on things," Arsenic hummed.

"...things..." Jack uttered, as he hummed. "...oh! I... think I got something..."

"What is it?" Arsenic asked curiously.

Slowly, Jack dug into the pockets of his pants, pulling out two objects; namely his harmonica and pendant. "...these... I've had them ever since I left home..."

"…I didn't know you could play the harmonica," Arsenic said with interest.

"I've practiced ever since I was little." Jack said, as a small smile grew on him. "The harmonica actually has a built-in microphone; so when I turn it on and play on it, I can create loud sound waves."

"That's interesting…" Arsenic said. "…so those things will help you relax?"

"...I think so..." Jack nodded, as he held his hand up so he could just manage to open his pendant. "...then there's this... it's one thing I value more than anything else..."

"I'm guessing that's a pendant of your mom and dad?" Arsenic assumed.

"...no; just me and mom," Jack explained. "...just having it with me... makes me remember how we lived back home... before I left to see the world..."

As he explained, he seemed to grow a lot calmer; his grip relaxing quite a tad.

"…when did you leave home?" Arsenic asked.

"...mh... how long ago was it...?" Jack hummed, as he rubbed his neck. "...seven years ago, I'd say..."

"…so you were just about 17 or 18 then," Arsenic assumed.

"17, yeah..." Jack nodded, as he had a slightly nostalgic smile on him; his grip on Arsenic's hand relaxed.

Arsenic could see that he was much more relaxed, and it was good. "What kind of things did you do back then?" she asked.

"...when I lived back home, or when I went off to explore?" he asked.

"Well, both really," Arsenic said. "I'm pretty curious…"

"...well... when I lived at home, I just spent time with my mom, really." Jack hummed. "We did all sorts of things together; we went on trips, she told me stories, I practiced playing the harmonica..." As he spoke, he smiled wider. "...when I left for home, I was on my own for a little while... but then I met Striker and Milo. We quickly became friends, and before we set sail to explore the different islands, we basically just messed around and got to know each other..."

"That must have been fun," Arsenic said.

"Yeah... it was a lot of fun..." Jack mused.

It looked like he had relaxed quite a bit, but Arsenic didn't say anything about it. He remained silent, as if he only focused on life before him, Striker and Milo had entered Mobius; to the point where he didn't even seem to notice that he was holding Arsenic's hand still. Arsenic wondered if they could step it up at this point, but she didn't want to disturb Jack just yet.

"...how... am I doing?" Jack eventually uttered, without opening his eyes; almost as if he had forgotten that he was still holding her hand.

"..you're doing good," Arsenic said. "…maybe we can go a bit farther here…"

"...a bit farther...?" Jack hummed; his tone mildly unsure, but not to the point where he seemed to be dreading it. "...okay. What constitutes "a bit farther", Arsenic?"

"You hold both my hands this time," Arsenic said. "And between our hands we can hold the pendant and the harmonica so you can still relax a bit."

"...okay..." Whatever doubt Jack held seemed to be dashed when he heard mention of his harmonica and pendant, as he held out that hand for Arsenic to take hold of. Arsenic was careful putting her hand on his and holding it, with the pendant and the harmonica kept between the hands. Jack shuddered just a bit, but feeling the familiar build of both his harmonica and pendant, he quickly relaxed, even if he was just a bit tenser now than before.

"…how are you doing?" she asked.

"...good..." Jack responded. "...if I keep my mind on the harmonica and pendant... it's... not too bad..."

"That's good…" Arsenic said.

A few moments of silence went by...

"...um... Arsenic?" Jack eventually uttered. "I'm curious... after holding both hands... could you tell me what I should expect?"

"…well, let's see…" Arsenic hummed. "…the next step I think would be a hug, but I'm still wondering if we still need a step before that."

"...right..." Jack nodded, as he kept his eyes closed, "...and... after the hug?"

"Not sure," Arsenic replied. "I'd have to think about it."

"...right..." Jack nodded, as he hummed. "...um... thanks... for helping me out..."

"…you're welcome," Arsenic replied.

Another few moments of silence passed by...

"...hm..." Jack's eyes slowly opened, as he simply looked down at his and Arsenic's hands.

"…what is it?" Arsenic asked.

"...your hands..." Jack hummed, as he slowly looked back at Arsenic. "...they're... soft..."

"…they are, huh?" Arsenic mused.

"...yeah..." Jack nodded, as he looked back down at their hands again. "...soft, and... gentle..."

"…hm…" Arsenic smiled a little, closing her eyes. "…that's a first for me…someone telling me that."

Jack looked back at her. "...really...?"

"…yeah…everyone usually called me bad names," Arsenic replied.

…eventually, she pulled her hands away. "I think that's good enough for now. We should take the wood to camp."

Nodding, Jack picked up some of the wood, but he looked back at Arsenic. "...I don't see why people would call you bad names. I mean, your powers may be scary, but... you're a nice person, Arsenic."

"…you think so?" Arsenic replied with interest, picking up some wood.

"...yeah." Jack nodded, as he gave Arsenic a smile. "...I mean... you're nice enough to help me out. I don't think too many would be that quick to want to help me out, if they heard about what had happened to me..."

"…yeah…" Arsenic hummed, smiling a bit.

Smiling, Jack picked up a bit more wood. "...hey... maybe one of these days... we could just sit and... talk together?" he suggested.

"Yeah," Arsenic said. "In fact, we could look at the stars. I can tell you about some constellations that I learned about, and the stories about 'em."

"Really?" Jack seemed to like the sound of that idea. "I'd like that a lot, Arsenic."

"That's cool; maybe we'll do that," Arsenic hummed. "Now c'mon, let's get this wood to camp," and she started walking off.

"Okay." With that, Jack followed Arsenic; smiling rather brightly.

* * *

><p>The campfire was bright that night, with most of the group sitting around it. Arsenic and Jack were split away from the group though to look at the stars at a good, open area, leaving the others back at camp.<p>

"…did you see that large smile Jack had on his face?" Oblivion asked. "I'm not sure what Arsenic is doing to help him…but it looks like it's working really well…"

"...he seemed a lot less awkward around us, too..." Kiri hummed with a light smile.

"...it's good to at least see him smile again." Charon mused.

"…yeah…it is," Vanessa said with a relieved smile of her own. Jack actually seemed pretty cheerful today, which lightened everyone else's day up, and suddenly, things seemed like the way they had been before…though it was still strange that a complete stranger like Arsenic so suddenly decided to help Jack out, it touched her heart to see Jack actually healing from the experience…

"...it's a curious sight..." Demi hummed, as he couldn't help but glance towards where Jack and Arsenic were star-gazing together. "...a welcome sight, but curious still..."

Oblivion chuckled. "Admittedly, it's a little cute."

"Bleh," Ani stuck out her tongue at that.

"Oh, what're you going on about?" Vanessa pointed out.

Kiri simply giggled.

"What do you mean?" Ani uttered.

Vanessa smirked. "Oh don't act like we don't know what's going on between you and Striker."

"Hey!" Ani protested, while she and Striker turned beat red.

"What?" Demi hummed with the briefest of chuckles. Milo, though, was snickering quite a bit.

Ani pouted and looked away from them.

Meanwhile, Arsenic was pointing at the sky. "And that's Aquarius," she said. "That one's supposed to look like a guy pouring water in most cultures, because the Sun enters Aquarius in early winter, and that's when it starts the raining season in most places on the world."

Then she sat back. "And those are all the constellations I know so far…"

"...wow... you know a lot, Arsenic." Jack said with a smile. "I only knew the Pole Star by heart, because it's always pointing north."

"Yeah, that's something good to know by heart, especially when you've been traveling around a lot," Arsenic said with a nod.

"...I actually made it a point to memorize the Pole Star before leaving home." Jack hummed. "Just so I'd know where I was going, if I ever got lost."

Arsenic laid back on the ground with her hands folded behind her head. "It's also really nice to be out in the middle of nowhere when you look at the stars. That way, no lights from a town or anything block out any of the stars.

"...yeah... and it's the best when it's not cloudy." Jack nodded, as he lied down as well. "That way, you can see all of the stars..."

"…so…I hear that Ani doesn't like the full moon," Arsenic mentioned. "How come?"

"Oh..." Jack hummed. "...well... um..." He glanced back at Arsenic then. "...would you believe that Ani's a bit of a werewolf?"

Arsenic looked at Jack in surprise. "Really? I never met a real werewolf before…"

"She inherited it from her dad." Jack said. "Both of them grow really feral if the moonlight hit them..."

"Wow…I'm always learning new things about you guys," Arsenic mused.

Jack smiled a bit at that. "Guess we're all pretty interesting, huh?" he mused.

"Yeah," Arsenic chuckled, looking back out at the sky with her arms stretched out.

Jack stretched his arms out as well. "...did you learn about the stars while you were on your own?"

"Yeah…." Arsenic replied with a small shrug. "Had to figure out something to do with myself other than practicing my powers…"

"...but... you don't know all of the constellations, do you?" Jack assumed, as he glanced at Arsenic.

"No," Arsenic replied, still looking up at the sky. "I think there's way more that I don't know about…I mean, look at how many stars there are out there…"

"...right..." Jack hummed, as he looked back up at the sky as well. "...maybe we could learn the rest of them together?"

"Well, someone would have to tell you about them; it's not like you could figure them out," Arsenic said. "The only reason I know the ones I do is because sometimes, I overhear people talk about them."

"Right..." Jack hummed. "...well... the Professor might have a few books about constellations. We could visit him and ask to borrow it." he hummed.

"Who's the Professor?" Arsenic asked, looking at him.

"Oh, that's what we call Professor Tails." Jack said with a smile.

"As in Miles 'Tails' Prower?" Arsenic raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You guys know him?"

"Yeah. He helped us build the Clubhouse back at the Mystic Ruins." Jack said with a smile.

Arsenic smiled a little. "Man…that's pretty cool," she said, looking back up at the sky. "You're lucky."

Jack glanced back at her. "You think so?"

"Yeah…" Arsenic answered.

Jack couldn't help but smile, as he gazed back up at the stars. "...thanks..."

Arsenic looked up at the sky silently for a bit longer.

"...ooh!" Jack suddenly uttered, as he pointed up at the sky. "Do you think you could catch a glimpse of your zodiac up there in the sky?"

"Mine isn't up there at this time of year," Arsenic answered bluntly.

"...it isn't?" Jack hummed, as he looked back at Arsenic. "...what is your zodiac, then?"

"Scorpio," she answered.

"Oooh..." Jack nodded. "I'm a Leo."

Arsenic chuckled a bit. "…that's funny…you're a lion with a Leo sign…"

Jack smiled a bit. "I think it's kinda funny, too."

"…even your name is kinda fitting – Leoniel," Aresnic hummed.

Jack lost his smile upon hearing that name, as he glanced to the side. "...yeah..."

Arsenic noticed that his smile fell. "…I'm guessing you don't like your last name?"

"...it's just... a reputation the name has..." Jack murmured. "...the Leoniels are... well... not very nice people..."

"They're not, huh?" Arsenic said.

"No..." Jack murmured. "...I only know me, my mom and my uncle... but if my uncle's any indication... the rest of them aren't people I'd wanna hang out with..."

"Not the best uncle then?" Arsenic assumed. "What's he like then? I'm curious…"

"...he's mean, and really tough, and very confident..." Jack hummed. "...and... he's dead."

"Dead? How'd he die?" Arsenic asked with interest.

"...he was killed 22 years ago..." Jack hummed. "...then brought back 7 years ago... then died again later the same year... and now he's a ghost."

Arsenic blinked and raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah..." Jack nodded. "...sounds unreal, right?"

"…a little bit, yeah," Arsenic answered.

"...yeah, it was hard to believe back then..." Jack murmured. "...still kinda hard to believe, looking back at it..."

"…now…you say he's a ghost," Arsenic said. "…does that imply that you actually see his ghost?"

"...he's pretty much invisible..." Jack hummed. "...at least I can't see him... I think Milo would know more about him than me..."

"…I see…" Arsenic hummed. "…well, I don't think all ghosts are invisible."

Jack blinked, as he looked at Arsenic. "...really?"

"I've been around, and I've seen some haunted places," Arsenic said. "…I've seen dark shadow people, things move on their own, and I've heard strange noises. Ghosts are always there…but I always figured that if they were strong enough, they could make themselves seen to others."

"...oooh... like seven years ago..." Jack hummed as his thoughts wandered. "...you think some ghosts choose to stay invisible?"

"…I guess some can choose to stay invisible, or they just aren't strong enough in their energy to be seen for some reason," Arsenic answered. "…it also depends if you're just able to see them or not…some are really psychic that way, but others only get a glimpse of a shadow…it's all really technical I guess…"

"...hm... I don't really understand it..." Jack mused.

"…I guess I don't either," Arsenic hummed. "I just know that I've seen a few haunted houses in my time…"

"...I can't really say the same..." Jack hummed, as he looked at Arsenic. "...maybe we could visit one sometime? Just for fun?"

"…I can't say that seeing a haunted house is 'fun'…" Arsenic muttered, "…and not just houses, but huge warehouses and buildings with lots of halls, like one or two hospitals or hotels."

Then she chuckled, "Well, one of them was a mansion, and that one was actually a fun one, but that was the only fun one. The others are just…creepy."

Jack hummed at that. "...why were you visiting haunted places like that, anyway?"

"Well, I was pretty sure nobody wanted me around with my kind of powers, so I took shelter in abandoned places every now and then," Arsenic answered, "so I became pretty familiar with the paranormal."

"...ooh..." Jack hummed, as he nodded. "...so you've really been completely all alone for this long, huh...?"

"…yeah, pretty much," Arsenic responded.

With a small smile, Jack slowly stretched his arm towards Arsenic; holding his hand out. "...I'm glad that we met, Arsenic." he said.

Arsenic looked back at him, and slowly took his hand. "Yeah…same here," she said. "…I guess I could really go as far as saying you're the first real friend I've had."

Jack smiled brightly at that, as he held her hand in return. "I know we've only known each other for a short while... but you're a great friend already, Arsenic."

"You think so?" Arsenic hummed curiously.

"Mhm." Jack hummed, as he nodded a tad. "I mean... thanks to you, I think my fear's starting to wear off a bit."

"…I can see that," Arsenic said with a small smile, looking at their hands.

Jack looked at their hands as well. "...if we keep this up... I won't be afraid anymore..." he said with a smile.

"Yeah, that'll be good," Arsenic replied…

…then eventually, she pulled her hand away and sat up. "It's getting late. We should probably head back down to camp and get some sleep."

Jack yawned a bit. "...yeah..." Nodding, he rose up as he looked at Arsenic with a small smile. "...race you to the camp?"

"Nah, I'm kinda tired," Arsenic replied. "But you go ahead and I'll follow."

"...okay." With a nod, Jack went on ahead; closing his eyes with a smile as he walked.

Arsenic followed, getting thoughtful. It was just yesterday she met him and his group and she decided she was going to help him out. There was no reason not to be charitable like that, and to be honest, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the guy for the phobia he developed. Surprisingly, he seemed to be recovering quickly from it, and even getting attached to her.

This…made her a little uncomfortable.

She wasn't sure if it was because she was just used to being alone and wanted a little space, or if she was afraid that she would get attached back and then have her heart broken. Arsenic wasn't stupid, or childish, because she had to mature at a very young age. Naturally, she kept up a guard against others to keep them from getting close. It was the basic instinct for her survival.

So she didn't show it in front of Jack, but she was just a bit uncomfortable about this.

* * *

><p><em>"...getting cold feet?"<em>

Arsenic awoke with a few sluggish blinks, and sat up. She thought she heard something, and she looked around the camp. Everyone was there, and they were all sleeping soundly, so it wasn't any of them that had talked. Plus, it had been a voice she didn't recognize.

She grunted. "Great…I talk about the paranormal and I end up drawing them towards me…" she stood up, dusting herself off.

_"...irony. Gotta love it."_

Arsenic looked around with another grunt. "…guess I'll just go for a little walk then…" she muttered to herself, turning to walk off.

Whatever voice had spoken remained silent for now.

Arsenic kept looking around a bit to see if the voice would act up again. "Well, you have my attention. Kick a rock or something to show me you're still here," she hummed out loud.

No sound was made...

...until the sound of a twig snapping came from the woods behind her. Arsenic spun around very quickly to take a look.

In the instant she turned around, someone stood directly in front of her; smirking wickedly. "Hey."

Arsenic blinked. "…Jack?"

Indeed; standing in front of her was Jack, but he seemed nothing like the lion she had been talking to hours before. He just kept smirking as he chuckled.

Arsenic just looked back at him. "…nah, you don't seem like the Jack I know…" she muttered.

"Oh, look at you; you're using your head." he chuckled. "Good for you."

Arsenic folded her arms. "Decided to be condescending too; fun," she said with sarcasm. "So, who are you?"

He simply smirked, as he folded his arms. "I'll give you a hint. I'm 'mean, really tough, very confident, and dead'. Ring a bell?"

"Ah," Arsenic hummed. "Dead ghostly uncle; Got it."

"Bingo." he chuckled, "Name's Johnny Leoniel."

"And what brings somebody like you to me?" Arsenic wondered. "I'm not really all that interesting…"

"Oh, but you are." Johnny chuckled. "The way you're helping my nephew out is quite commendable."

"True, but I think 'mean ol' uncle Johnny' doesn't seem like the kind of guy that really cares about his nephew all that much," Arsenic responded.

"Maybe not," Johnny shrugged, "But what about you? I'm beginning to wonder if you actually care about my nephew or not."

"What's to say I do and what's to say I don't?" Arsenic mused. "I started out feeling sorry for him and seeing that there shouldn't really be any reason I couldn't help him. Besides, he's got that kind of charm not a lot of folks I've met have."

"But you got no obligation to stay." Johnny mused. "Besides, I know your type; the loner who can't handle someone growing attached to them... reminds me a bit of when I was younger."

"Whatever…" Arsenic grunted. "I really didn't join the group to hear an old ghost's stories of his hay day, that's for sure."

"No, you joined the group because you felt sorry for the poor lion who can't handle staying around girls." Johnny hummed. "Tell me; what are you planning on doing if you actually help him get rid of his phobia? Run off on your own, perhaps?"

Arsenic shrugged. "Who knows? This whole ordeal with them chasing down a girl is interesting though…they didn't tell me much, but enough to intrigue me. Guess I empathize a little with that girl."

"Hm; first time hearing that from a lone wolf," Johnny hummed. "...well, lone rat, in this case."

"Well, they're all the first few that actually didn't push me away for my powers," Arsenic said. "So either I've realized how lonely I've been all these years, or I could be secretly plotting all of their demises little by little. Either that, or maybe just run like you said. Even I don't really know what I'm going to do."

Johnny chuckled at that. "You know, I kinda like you. You're pretty laid-back and direct, with a sharp tongue to boot." Then, he glanced to the side. "...if only you knew who liked you even more..."

"…I'm guessing Jack's getting a little crush on me, isn't he?" Arsenic asked.

"And he's not even aware of it." Johnny chuckled. "All because of his phobia... it'll be quite a sight to see how he'll act around you when you've cured him of that phobia, won't it?"

"Yeah, it will…" Arsenic hummed. "…depending on how fast I happen to cure that phobia."

"At this rate, it could take less than a week, maybe." Johnny chuckled. "With the progress you're making, it wouldn't surprise me."

Arsenic shrugged. "Who knows how I'll feel about it? I know for sure now that I'm not the most comfortable one…and besides, he doesn't really seem mature enough to get that kind of concept, really…"

"...don't be too sure of that. His friend, Striker? He's probably just as mature as he is, and he's already making progress with Ani." Johnny chuckled.

"…that's true; those two have been making eyes at each other," Arsenic hummed. "…but he's still so much like a little kid. I'm not anything like that, as I'm sure you've noticed."

"Well, of course." Johnny chuckled, "But if he does realize that he's crushing on you, what then? Plan to turn him down?"

Arsenic shrugged and turned her back to him. "…I'm not even sure what I think of it to be honest. I've never had anyone crush on me before, much less really bother to stay around me for longer than he has…"

"...makes you uncomfortable, doesn't it?" Johnny mused.

"...yeah…it does," Arsenic answered with a hum.

Johnny chuckled, "Figures. Lone wolves really don't know how to deal with someone being attached to them."

"…they either learn to cope with it or run away from it…" Arsenic muttered. "…if you ask me, both sound like stupid choices."

"Yeah, they do." Johnny hummed.

"…well, I'll stick around longer yet. Maybe I'll eventually figure out what I want to do," Arsenic said. "…after all, they seem to have trouble with these guys building this dark army or whatever they are, and I was able to push some of them back. Can't say I'd be so lucky the next time though…"

"Probably not," Johnny hummed. "Take it from me; that dark force is really cheap."

"…anything you'd be able to tell me about it? They really haven't told me much, other than that it's a really dark power," Arsenic said, turning back around to him.

Johnny hummed. "...it's called Corruption." he began. "It's not just a dark power; it's pretty much pure evil. It can infect other people who come in contact with the stuff, twist the environment itself to its whims, and can bring the dead back to life as grotesque mockeries of life."

"…I see…" Arsenic hummed. "…go on."

"You want more?" Johnny chuckled. "Well... the power itself spawned from the monster you may recall from stories as Dark Gaia. It happened to infect a certain vampire well over 60 years ago, who formed and perfected Corruption. Bastard even used it to kill Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna."

Arsenic raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Really now?"

"Yup. No one figured it out until around seven years ago, when the guy thought of harassing someone else and her daughter... who ended up getting help from Metal Sonic to seal the bat away."

"…huh…" Arsenic hummed with interest, folding her arms.

"He was sealed inside of Metal Sonic's body for about five years, before he managed to break out two years ago... but by that point, the girl had a daughter who was strong enough to actually cleanse his soul, before I personally dragged the bastard to hell."

"...and though it's a long stretch, I'm guessing it's the daughter of that girl we're trying to look for?" Arsenic hummed.

"Oh, how right you are..." Johnny hummed.

"Hm, don't know why they didn't explain that much; it would've been easier in the long run," Arsenic said. Then she shrugged. "Guess they didn't trust me enough."

"Maybe they figured that you didn't need to know all the details." Johnny hummed. "They're like that, the goody two-shoes..."

"…so, what's the story about the daughter here?" Arsenic wondered.

"...well... did I mention the fact that her mother happens to have a dark counterpart that the bat created via Corruption?" Johnny hummed.

"No, you didn't mention that," Arsenic responded.

"...well... me and her... as in, me before I died again... had a thing." Johnny hummed. "And as it turns out... a small part of her actually went into the daughter, to give her a counterpart of her own..."

"…go on," Arsenic said.

"...this counterpart... she's not one to mess with." Johnny murmured. "She's mad about how things have turned out, and tried killing Metal Sonic and her mother... she escaped, and now we're all chasing after her... but of course, she had to go and spark the flame of that army of Corruption... so indirectly, she's responsible for Jack's phobia being formed to begin with."

"…I see…" Arsenic said with a nod. "Though I'm pretty sure nobody really sees it that way, do they?"

"'course not; they're probably blaming the army and the girls who Corrupted him to begin with." Johnny hummed, as he folded his arms. "...but... if she hadn't Corrupted the army leaders to begin with..."

"…which means even if they do find the girl, it's still not going to solve any problems…" Arsenic hummed.

"Right," Johnny nodded. "And the sad thing is that the only ones who are capable of actually handling that army, without being restricted by a blockade back on Safe Haven, happen to be the daughter and Metal Sonic. Considering that we're up against an army... we're at a disadvantage."

"…so…getting involved in all of this might not be the best idea then?" Arsenic wondered.

"...sad to say, but the instant you were saved by Jack, you'd already gotten involved." Johnny noted. "I have a feeling that those Corrupted bastards won't skip a beat in trying to recruit you the second you decide to abandon the group... and I saw you fighting against Husk. If he can get past your explosions, you're shit outta luck."

"…right…Jack said something about the guy being able to copy abilities," Arsenic nodded. "It doesn't make problems for me, but anyone else he decides to use those powers on is in for pretty nasty surprises then, aren't they?"

"True." Johnny nodded. "I mean, the guy's copied the powers of people who can channel electricity, wield psychokinesis, read minds, channel pure heat and others. If he gets the power to just become a walking nuke? We're all fucked."

"…guess that really doesn't leave me with very many options to begin with," Arsenic hummed.

"That's how the cookie crumbles." Johnny shrugged. "Besides, maybe wandering around with the group could be an opportunity to use your power for something halfway-decent?"

"Probably," Arsenic answered. "At least I spent enough of my life so that I knew how to use my powers really well. If I made a fuck up with my powers, it really could mean life or death for me."

"I figured." Johnny noted. "Don't think I forgot the stunt you pulled to ward off Husk and Cyrene. If you slipped up, we'd be in deep shit."

"Right…" Arsenic hummed. "…though eventually they'll figure out it was a hoax and try and come back."

"Well, by then you all should be prepared." Johnny mused. "Unless instead of just the two, they decide to send out an entire army... but I doubt that they'll be bullheaded enough to even consider that option."

"They probably wouldn't want to put all of themselves in one area; would be too stupid of a move," Arsenic said. "…who're the leaders of this so-called 'army' anyway?"

"...one of them's a descendant of the bat I told you about; called Patricia Novagod." Johnny hummed. "The other one's this guy called Bulk... haven't seen him up-close, but he seems to be the real guy in charge."

"…I see," Arsenic replied.

"...frankly, I'm just wondering what they're ultimately planning." Johnny mused. "I mean, with the rate the army is growing... I'm surprised that they haven't tried launching full-scale attacks yet."

"They're probably still biding their time for something; who knows what…" Arsenic assumed.

Johnny simply hummed at that.

"…well, at least it was helpful that you shed some light on what's going on," Arsenic hummed.

"Yeah, yeah..." Johnny hummed. "Just make sure not to get in over your head; you never know what those guys might think of doing. They usually always hit below the waist... right where it hurts the most."

"Gotcha," Arsenic answered. "Any other curious questions you happen to have for me?"

"...I dunno..." Johnny hummed, as he shrugged. "Anything you feel like sharing?"

"Nothing real important," Arsenic replied, turning to walk away.

"...nothing to share about where you used to stay, perchance?" Johnny hummed, as he followed her.

"Just a small town with nothing to do, and everybody knew each other," Arsenic said. "I left there so nobody could complain about me anymore; simple as that."

"No one even waved you goodbye, huh?" Johnny hummed.

"Well, my parents did at least, which was understandable," Arsenic remarked. "They were trying the best they could, but I think it was just better that I took off on my own to see what I could make out of myself."

"...and there's not a lot you've done with yourself thus far, right?" Johnny hummed. "Ever think of visiting them, just to see how they're doing?"

Arsenic shrugged. "I thought about it every now and then, but I was more motivated to practice my powers with nobody around."

"...but you've mastered your powers now, right? What's stopping you from going to visit them now?" Johnny wondered.

"Well, let's see; what happened to the conversation we had just seconds ago?" Arsenic mused.

Johnny hummed. "...hm... touché." he noted. "...well, aside from that, what stopped you before you met us, but after you had mastered your powers?"

"…I guess at that point, I didn't really want to go back," Arsenic replied. "I just wanted to move forward instead of looking back."

"...and you're sure that you'll never look back, then?" Johnny hummed curiously.

"…well, I'm sure if something came up, then maybe I would consider it, depending on the circumstances," Arsenic answered. "It's not like I forbade myself to go back…it's just I don't have any real motivation to have to go back."

"...even in spite of what we just talked about?" Johnny hummed.

"Well, those things considered, maybe," Arsenic replied. "Nothing seems to be going on with them right now though, so I'm not worried about it. I'll think about it when I need to."

"Right..." Johnny hummed.

"…guess I won't be sleeping again," Arsenic replied.

"...sorry 'bout that," Johnny hummed with a light chuckle.

"No, don't worry about it; I'm an insomniac so I hardly get any sleep on a regular basis," Arsenic replied. "Little does everyone know, but I have a few health problems in exchange for my pretty dangerous powers."

"...oh?" Johnny hummed curiously upon hearing that. "Like what?"

"Well, there was that stunt earlier today when I passed out," Arsenic hummed. "…I actually have a weak heart."

"...ooh..." Johnny hummed. "...anything else?"

"…one of my knees is bad," Arsenic replied. "An accident when I was a kid."

"...doesn't look like it." Johnny hummed. "What else?"

"…some brain damage from a birth defect, but I'm not really sure what that does or what it means for me," Arsenic replied. "But that's all my problems with my health so far."

"...I see." Johnny hummed.

"…I shouldn't be walking so much with my knee, but I deal with it, and who knows how many times I could be ready to have a heart attack, but so far, I'm still kicking," Arsenic hummed. "…to be honest, I try and fight against those problems; see if I can still get stronger even with them."

"...that's good." Johnny mused, "Allows you to test your limits."

"Most everybody calls it reckless, and they're probably right…but it's not like I'm afraid to die," Arsenic said.

"...most people are. Some aren't." Johnny shrugged.

Arsenic fell silent then.

"...you wonder how the others will react if you tell them that you have all those conditions?" Johnny inquired.

"Yeah…I can assume they'll be worried if I try anything over my limit, I'm sure," Arsenic replied. "…I guess it's Jack's reaction I'm really wondering about."

"...true..." Johnny hummed.

"…he sure tends to get emotional, doesn't he?" Arsenic said.

"Well, with all the crap going on lately..." Johnny hummed with a shrug.

"I guess that's logical…" Arsenic replied, and then she grew silent again. "…call it dumb, but I guess I admire how he can still be like a little kid, like he's never left childhood. I lucked out on mine, after all…"

"...weird, hearing someone actually admire that." Johnny mused.

"Yeah I'm sure…but still…" Arsenic murmured.

"...guess that's just how he was raised." Johnny shrugged.

"I'm assuming his mother raised him that way because of the family?" Arsenic said.

"I guess; she fled to the Nameless Zone right after he was born, from what I can tell. I don't really know how she raised him, to be honest..."

"…wonder how she was able to do that," Arsenic wondered.

"...why don't you ask her?" Johnny suggested.

"…eh, why not?" Arsenic hummed.

Then suddenly, she stopped walking. She winced a little, holding her chest.

Seeing that, Johnny looked at her in concern. "...heart trouble?"

"…just a little bit," Arsenic answered. "…I get these pains every now and then…it usually just means I gotta stop moving my body to keep my blood from pumping so hard."

Then she smirked in amusement, "Didn't think you cared though."

Johnny shrugged. "I don't. But I think the others would care... Jack especially."

"…true…" Arsenic replied. Then she found a nearby rock and sat against it. "Well, maybe I should try and at least get some sleep…"

"...see you in the morning, then." Johnny hummed, as he walked off. "Try not wandering off, you hear?"

"…I don't plan to," Arsenic answered while she closed her eyes. "…not too far, anyway…"

Johnny glanced back at Arsenic with a silent hum; waiting for her to fall asleep. Eventually, the rat's head fell forward limply, breathing steadily as she began to snooze. Johnny smirked. _Finally... being serious for that long was starting to drag. _With that, he carefully made his way back to Arsenic, and lay down incredibly close to her...

...and like that, he hopped out of Jack's body; letting the lion remain in slumber. _"Sweet dreams..." _he chuckled, as he floated away from the two of them. Arsenic's head rolled a bit, ending up against Jack's shoulder while she slept.

* * *

><p>That evening, at the Corrupted GUN HQ…<p>

"...ngh...?" Grunting, Bulk gripped his head as his eyes narrowed. "...tsch... we lost one..."

Patricia was nearby him, and she glanced over. "…you say something?"

"...we lost Ivory." Bulk grunted.

"…did we now?" Patricia asked.

"Yeah... I can't sense her Corruption anymore." Bulk grunted.

"…hm, losing Ivory sure is a loss," Patricia hummed. "I wonder if we're gonna start losing more…"

"...hopefully not; finding people strong enough to impart Corruption on to do operations like that is a chore..." Bulk grunted.

"How would you know? You're not the one doing most of the work," Patricia pointed out.

"...giving me lip, are you?" Bulk grunted, as he shot a glare at Patricia.

"And what if I am?" Patricia shot back, glancing dryly at him.

"...feh..." Grunting, Bulk glanced aside. "...I'm not in the mood for backtalk... first that goddamn shell talks back to me, and now we lose Ivory..."

"Shell? You mean Husk?" Patricia mused. "What happened?"

"...wouldn't you know it, he's grown protective of Cyrene." Bulk grunted. "To the point where he stopped me from... disciplining her after failing to capture that nuclear rat."

"Huh; how ironic that an empty shell like him is starting to stand up to you," Patricia mused even more.

"...well, not for long." Bulk grunted. "I'm not going to let some corrupt leftovers give me any attitude..."

"And just what'll be your 'genius' plan this time?" Patricia asked with a bit of sarcasm.

Bulk glanced back at her. "...you." he responded. "He's nothing but a mindless puppet, so you can go ahead and turn him into your personal puppet. It's not like Cyrene or Mercy have bothered using him at all..."

"…that's true," Patricia hummed.

"...use whatever methods it takes; just make sure that he doesn't talk back to me." Bulk grunted, as he headed off down the hall. "...I'll go check if Mercy's finished with her scouting mission..."

"…sure…" Patricia groaned, walking off the other direction. She still hated taking orders from him, but seeing how things were falling apart a little under his command, she might find an opportunity to take over again.

Anyhow, she walked around the base to look for Cyrene and Husk. It took a bit of searching before she found them; Husk staying closely by Cyrene's side, as usual.

"There you two ar. You're both a bitch to find here," Patricia spoke out.

Cyrene spun around in surprise._ "Patricia?"_

Husk glanced towards her as well. _"...Patricia..."_

"Now, Cyrene, why don't you go back and keep an eye on that group again, would you?" Patricia suggested. "You're well enough now to go back, right?"

"…_yeah, but…_" Cyrene looked suspiciously at Patricia. "_What about Husk?_"

"I've got a special assignment for him," Patricia said. "And besides…I think it's a good idea to have you out of base for now since Bulk isn't in the best of moods, wouldn't you say?"

Cyrene blinked, and looked at Husk. Husk simply looked back at Cyrene with a nod. Cyrene nodded back, and she opened up a portal to leave the room.

With that, Patricia walked up to Husk. "I heard you had a little…disagreement with Bulk."

Husk looked back at Patricia, _"...he... would've hurt her... saying that he owns her..."_

Patricia hummed at that. "…bet that made you mad, didn't it?"

_"...yes..."_ Husk murmured. _"...or... at least... I think so..."_

"…you think about getting back at him for trying to hurt her?" Patricia hummed again, walking around him.

Husk blinked, as he looked at Patricia. _"...what are you... getting at...?"_

"Oh, I'm just curious what motives you might have, is all," Patricia said.

Husk glanced at the floor. _"...I... would just want him... to leave Cyrene alone..."_

"But see…that's the thing," Patricia said, stopping. "…Bulk's not going to leave Cyrene alone. He's gonna wait until she's all by herself, and he's gonna whip her _hard._"

Husk perked at that. _"...he... wouldn't dare..."_

"Like you said; Bulk believes that he owns her. Therefore, he believes he can do whatever the hell he wants with her, so yes; he _would_ dare," Patricia answered. "He'd whip her and punish her over and over…and she'll enjoy her hardcore abuse from him in the end."

Husk's eyes narrowed, as he shot a look at Patricia. _"...you lie..."_

"No, I'm not lying; that's Bulk for you," Patricia responded, folding her arms.

Husk quickly walked up to Patricia and glared at her. _"...he won't... hurt Cyrene... I'll stay by her... as long as it's needed..."_

"So just what will you do to make sure of that?" Patricia asked.

_"...anything..."_ Husk snarled.

"Anything?" Patricia hummed, stepping closer to him. Husk nodded.

"That's very vague, isn't it?" Patricia hummed, slowly pinning him against the wall.

Husk simply looked back at her. _"...what... do you want with me...?" _he spoke.

"Well…you said you would do anything to protect Cyrene," Patricia mentioned, and she started to kiss Husk's neck.

Husk closed his eyes. _"...so... you... want me..."_ he assumed.

"Well, I want to control you," Patricia spoke. "The upside is that I can help you protect Cyrene if that's what you desire…but you'd have to listen to what I'd say…" and she kept kissing his neck.

_"...nh... are you... strong enough...?"_ Husk uttered, as he let a small gasp escape his lips.

"Yes, I'm strong enough," she hummed, slowly stroking his chest

* * *

><p><em><strong>Long story short, she's not. Skipping Censored stuff...<strong>  
><em>

* * *

><p>When he glanced down at her, that was when the climax ended for her, and she looked up at him with a wide eyed stare, breathless. The climax came to a halt for him just a few moments later, and he breathed heavily. <em>"...how... was it...?"<em>

"…it was…spectacular…" Patricia huffed. Then she grunted. "…well, it's obvious I'm not gonna be the boss of you here…"

_"...no..."_ Husk hummed, as he kept gazing at her. _"...but... we still... both want the same... right...?"_

As he spoke, Patricia would notice that the dark aura and the dark void were intertwining; almost as if it was focusing its power directly into him.

"…right…" Patricia responded. "…so then…how about a deal instead…?"

_"...a deal..." _Husk hummed. _"...state... your terms..."_

"We work together against Bulk," Patricia murmured. "…you get to have Cyrene safe and sound, and I get things rolling the way they need to be rolling… though we'll have to be wise to keep Bulk from getting suspicious."

_"...of course..."_ Husk nodded. _"...however... I have... an additional term..."_

"…and what's that?" Patricia asked.

_"...you're not... like Cyrene..." _Husk began. _"...with you... I don't need... to hold back..."_ Then, he leant closer to Patricia. _"...if I help you... you have to... let me show you... my true strength..."_

"…be your little bitch, huh?" Patricia hummed. "…well, what else is different?"

_"...what is different...?" _Husk blinked a bit at that, as if he tried interpreting the remark as a question.

"…never mind," Patricia muttered. "…anyway, I agree to your terms, but right now, I've got that assignment for you."

_"...what assignment...?"_ Husk hummed.

"Well, you guys were having trouble with this nuclear rat…" Patricia started, getting out from underneath him to get dressed. "Why not track down her past and see just what you can do? If you find whatever town she could've come from, do the same with it as the other towns and corrupt everyone in it for the army. Word should spread, and I think it'll lure her by herself to you."

Husk hummed, as he nodded. _"...sounds... like a plan..."_

"You get on that ASAP, and I'll have Cyrene busy with work so Bulk has no excuse to take his frustration out on her," Patricia said. Then she grumbled and looked away. "If anything, he could just use me instead…the bastard…"

_"...why... let him use you...?"_ Husk tilted his head at that, as he approached Patricia.

"Well, Mercy is always busy for sure, and we lost Ivory. If I'm going to keep Cyrene busy too, just who else is going to satisfy those needs of his?" Patricia groaned.

_"...but... would you be satisfied...?"_ Husk hummed, as he stopped in front of Patricia.

"To be honest, I don't care much for that stuff," Patricia said. "I care more about power and being able to beat down any enemy in my way. Bulk is the more sadistic one who's more into that stuff."

_"...and yet... until now, he was... basically in charge here..."_ Husk noted.

Patricia glared at him. "Okay, I get the point. Just go do your mission and maybe we can get a soldier to replace Ivory."

_"...maybe... you could do that..."_ Husk hummed, as he opened a dark portal. _"...if you do... then he can't... have his way with you..."_ And with that, he walked through the portal; letting it close behind him.

"…get a soldier to replace her…" Patricia thought curiously. "…come to think of it…I haven't seen Pierce. Better track him down…" and she disappeared in her own portal.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Frankly, I'm getting more and more excited to see what happens the further I write this ^_^<em>**


	35. Chapter 34

As the morning sun cracked through the woods, Jack slowly blinked, and let out a small yawn. Smacking his lips as he opened his eyes, he grew curious. _...this... isn't where I fell asleep yesterday..._ Humming, he glanced to the side...

…and there was Arsenic, with her head on his shoulder, still asleep. It took him a few moments to process this...

...but in a flash, he had quickly gotten up and backed away from Arsenic; his eyes widened in surprise. Because of this, Arsenic fell to the ground.

"…ow…" she uttered after a little bit.

"...oh!" Jack sputtered, as he quickly glanced around; worried that the two of them were all on their own like that. "Uh- what- ah- what's-" he kept sputtering, as he tried processing how this scenario could have happened.

"…Oh…I get how this is…" Arsenic grumbled, pushing herself back up. "…I was chatting with your uncle last night, Jack, and I think he placed you next to me for fun."

Jack blinked at that. "...uh... you... talked to him...?" he uttered.

"Yeah," Arsenic replied, sitting back on the rock and looking at Jack. "He explained to me some details about what's all been going on that you guys didn't tell me about, like what Corruption is and just what's been really going on."

Jack kept blinking. "...really...?"

"Yep…" Arsenic answered.

Then she hissed and gripped her chest again. _Crap…again? _she thought.

Jack's eyes widened, as he knelt down to look at Arsenic better. "...oh, no... did you get hurt from falling off my shoulder?" he uttered.

"…no Jack…I didn't get hurt from that…" Arsenic sighed, knowing she'd have to tell him. "…I've had this condition for as long as I can remember."

Jack looked at her. "...condition...?"

Arsenic looked away from him. "…I already told you guys that I didn't have the best of health…" she said. "…I have a weak heart…and I get chest pains every now and then…"

Jack gasped at that. "...isn't that really bad?" he uttered. "Shouldn't you get that checked in a hospital?"

Arsenic shrugged. "…don't have the money to pay for that kind of thing…"

"...but... but that's not fair!" Jack uttered. "If you have heart problems... you could die!" he said, as if this was something revolutionary he had just thought of. "I don't want you to die, Arsenic!"

"…I know…" Arsenic hummed. "…but it's something I'll have to live with."

"...nh..." Jack hissed, as he looked down at the ground.

Arsenic looked at him. "…don't worry so much about me, okay?" she said.

"...only on one condition..." Jack murmured.

"Oh? And what's that?" Arsenic asked.

At that point, Jack held up his pinkie and looked at Arsenic with a serious look. "Promise me that you won't die!"

Arsenic just looked back at him. She knew that she couldn't possibly make any promises on that. However, his expression remained adamant, as he still kept his hand out to her; pinkie stretched out, naturally. Arsenic sighed when she looked at the pinkie, and then looked back at Jack. She knew Jack wouldn't take no for an answer.

So she raised her own pinkie and curled it around his. "I promise."

Jack nodded. "Right. And to make it fair, I promise not to die either." he said with another nod.

Arsenic found that amusing, and couldn't help but smile. "Okay then."

Jack smiled back. "See? Now we won't have to worry!"

"Right…" Arsenic said, getting up to her feet. "…c'mon, let's head back to the group."

"Mhm." Jack nodded, as he rose up to his feet.

Arsenic walked ahead, looking back to see if Jack would follow. Smiling back at her, Jack did indeed follow. Arsenic looked back ahead with another sigh. She couldn't believe that she promised Jack she wouldn't die…because she'd have no control over that. Jack, however, seemed much more at ease now that they had made that promise, and just kept smiling as they kept walking back to the group.

When they got to the group, they saw that everyone was walking up. Milo looked over. "Oh, hi guys. Where were you?"

"Just a little distance away," Arsenic answered.

"...this early?" Charon blinked at that.

Jack simply nodded in response.

"…well, we're just about to reach a town here, so we can get some more supplies again," Oblivion said.

"Which is good; we're starting to run low." Demi noted.

"...so are we going there right now?" Jack assumed, as he tilted his head.

"Yeah, and we're hoping there's a doctor there were we can get Vanessa's arms checked out to see if they're not broken anymore," Striker added.

"...ooh!" Jack uttered out with a growing smile. "Maybe we could have them check up on Arsenic and her condition!"

Arsenic glared at Jack in disbelief that he blurted out like that. Then she looked at the group, who all had fallen silent to look at her.

"…condition?" Vanessa hummed curiously.

Arsenic sighed.

"...what... condition?" Demi uttered.

Jack blinked, as he glanced at Arsenic. "...oh... was that supposed to be a secret?"

"…not necessarily Jack, but…I wanted to be able to tell them when I had to…" Arsenic sighed again. "…look, so what if my heart's not the best? I haven't died yet, have I?"

"...wait, you have a heart condition?" Kiri uttered.

"…just chest pains, nothing else…" Arsenic groaned.

Milo gawked. "…um…that's not a good thing at all…"

Arsenic glared at him. "Let's just go already…"

"...hrm..." Charon hummed at that, as he knelt down to let those who couldn't fly onto his back.

The group all looked at each other, but eventually started to climb onto Charon's back. Arsenic didn't bother to wait for them and she took off into the air on her own. Jack looked up at her with a guilty look, before he climbed aboard Charon, who spread his wings out the moment everyone was on his back.

"…what's the matter Jack?" Diablo asked.

Jack rubbed his neck a bit. "...I... think I hurt her feelings a bit..." he murmured.

"...oh, don't say that." Kiri shot in, as she looked at Jack. "You just meant good, we know it."

"Yeah, don't feel bad Jack," Oblivion said.

"...still..." Jack uttered, as he glanced down.

"...look, I'm sure that you can apologize to her if you still feel bad about it when we get to town." Demi said encouragingly, as he began taking to the air. "Just don't let it get to you, alright?"

"…and I think it'll give Arsenic a chance to cool off, too," Milo added, looking at Arsenic who was a distance away.

Jack simply nodded a bit.

With that, Charon began ascending into the air; flying ahead.

* * *

><p>Eventually, they reached the town that they said was nearby, and they all took care of the things they needed to do. Vanessa's arms weren't quite healed yet, so the doctor gave her some proper casts onto her arms. Arsenic stayed away from everyone though, so the doctor didn't get the chance to examine her at all by the time they all regrouped again.<p>

…all except Arsenic.

"...where is she?" Demi sighed, as he glanced around him with a hum.

Jack looked around as well, with a worried look on his face.

Thankfully, Arsenic eventually showed up, munching on an apple.

"Where were you?" Striker asked her.

"…buyin' an apple; what else?" Arsenic replied.

"...you made us worry..." Kiri murmured as she hid behind Diablo.

"…especially when there are more rumors going around that another town's been corrupted…" Oblivion murmured uneasily.

"…huh, so they're corrupting towns for their army, huh?" Arsenic mused.

Everyone looked at her.

"…how did you know?" Ani asked.

"…because ol' Uncle Johnny told me," Arsenic replied.

"…ah…so you know more of the details about this whole thing…" Milo mumbled.

"Yep," Arsenic said. Jack rubbed his neck a slight tad as he glanced at the ground.

"…yeah, they've been doing this to towns," Diablo muttered. "…this time, it seems to be a town called Riverton, or something like that."

Arsenic's response to that was of utter shock…she stared wide eyed at Diablo, struggling to gulp down what chunk of apple she had in her mouth while she dropped the apple itself to the ground.

Kiri perked up a bit as she looked at Arsenic. "...hn?"

"...what's... wrong, Arsenic?" Demi inquired, as he tilted his head.

Jack looked up at her with a curious look.

"…you said that right…right…?" Arsenic uttered, finally gulping down the last pit of apple she had. "…that town…that's the town you really mean, right…?"

Diablo grew uneasy around her. "Yeah, I've heard it quite a bit."

Arsenic grabbed him. "You have to absolutely be positive about that! You have to be sure!"

Kiri held Diablo a bit tighter as she looked up at Arsenic. "...what's so special about that town...?" she inquired meekly.

Arsenic let him go, grabbing her chest because her rush of emotion caused it to hurt. It made her let Diablo go, and she turned away from the group. The things Johnny and her talked about came to her mind, and she grit her teeth.

"…that was the town I came from…" she croaked.

Jack gasped, and quickly ran in front of Arsenic to look at her. "...no way..." he uttered.

Arsenic looked at Jack with a dark look, making no response, but that look was the only answer she needed. Jack actually backed a bit away when that look was directed at him.

After that, Arsenic turned another direction and walked away from the group.

"Arsenic! Where are you going?" Oblivion called out worriedly.

"I need to be alone…" she replied.

"...Arsenic..." Jack uttered as he watched her leave with a sad look on him.

Part of Arsenic wanted to rip Johnny's throat out for opening his mouth like that and having something like that happen. She's experienced that many times, saying something only for it to come true… not that it really has any effect on the world, but she's always had that kind of luck…

"...nh..." Even though Arsenic had said that she wanted to be alone, Jack felt responsible for her being this upset... so he began hurrying right after her.

Arsenic stopped after a while outside of town near a tree, pounding her fist onto it and holding her chest. She was trying to calm herself down right now, since she had no idea she would get so emotional like this. She needed to calm down and try and think clearly about this. Jack eventually caught up to her, but he stopped himself from saying a single word as he saw how emotional Arsenic had gotten. So all he could do at the moment was just to stand there and look at her in concern.

"…it's not a coincidence…" she spoke out after a while.

Jack blinked at that. "...what...?"

"…nothing happens at all…when I'm on my own…things only happen to me and nothing else…" Arsenic murmured. "…but then I join your group…and your uncle said that now those Corrupted goons are interested in me, I won't be able to leave even if I wanted to…"

"…so…the fact that my town got corrupted…it couldn't have been a coincidence…"

Jack's eyes widened, and he approached Arsenic. "...you're... saying that they corrupted Riverton... just to get you to go there...?" he uttered.

"…yeah…that's exactly what I'm saying…" Arsenic muttered, still not turning around to him.

"...that's... just horrible..." Jack uttered.

"…yeah…it's like your uncle said…they'll hit you below the belt where it hurts…" she muttered.

Jack looked away from Arsenic with a small frown. "...it's... not fair..." he murmured.

Arsenic was silent for a long time. So was Jack, as he closed his eyes.

"…I'm going."

Jack looked back at Arsenic in shock at that.

"…it's so obviously a stupid trap…" Arsenic muttered. "…but…I just gotta know…if that rumor's true or not…"

"...Arsenic..." Jack uttered, as he looked at her with wide eyes. Arsenic looked back at Jack, only trying to hide the hurt look she had.

Jack bit his own lip for a short while, before suddenly, he took hold of one of Arsenic's hands. "...then we can come with you."

Arsenic looked at their hands, and pulled hers away. "…no…" she uttered, looking away from him. "…you guys have to find that girl…something like this shouldn't have to keep you from doing that…"

"...but... we can't let you go alone, Arsenic!" Jack uttered. "If it really is a trap, like you say... who knows what's waiting for you there? How many of them are waiting for you?"

"…they wouldn't waste their resources to send an army; just one or two people I could probably handle," Arsenic replied. "…and if I brought any of you guys to town, well…just look at your mom, Jack."

Jack grit his teeth at that, and took hold of Arsenic's hand again. "No! I'm not letting you go alone, Arsenic!"

Arsenic just looked at him.

"...I can't say that I know what you're going to expect... and I know that you're really strong and everything..." Jack began, as he just kept looking right at Arsenic. "...but... those guys cheat! And when they cheat, they cheat really well! They're not going to just kill you if they get you... they're gonna Corrupt you, and turn you against us!"

As he spoke, he eventually looked down at the ground, away from her. "...I just... don't want you to go through what I did..."

"…so…you want to come with me…huh?" Arsenic hummed.

Jack looked up at her. "...I'm not gonna let you go alone." he said firmly.

"…even if…they could take you again?" Arsenic said. "…that's a big possibility you know…"

For a split second, Arsenic could see Jack's entire body tense up, and a glimmer of fear went through his eyes. However, he quickly gave her a nod. "...I know. But... I'm still not letting you go alone."

Arsenic looked at the ground. "…well…it's the best way you can make sure that we'll both keep our promises," she said with a little muse.

"...yeah..." Jack said with a slight smile. "...none of us are gonna die, right?"

"…right…" Arsenic replied, but she really didn't mean that.

"...alright..." Jack hummed, as he folded his arms behind his back. "...so... when do we leave?"

"...after we tell your friends what's going on…" Arsenic said.

Jack nodded a bit. "...sure..."

So, the two of them went back, and told their decision to the group. Naturally, they were shocked, and even questioned if they should really go or not.

"...look…" Arsenic muttered. "…I KNOW it's a trap…so I guess it's not the best idea for me to go alone…and if worse comes to worst… then I'll make sure that Jack gets out of it unharmed…"

Kiri looked up at Jack with a worried look. "...Jack... you're sure, right...?" she uttered.

Jack simply gave her a brief nod.

"…and you guys…you don't have to wait for us…" Arsenic said. "…the search for that girl is pretty important, so…we shouldn't have to hold things up…"

"…even then, we'll wait…"

Arsenic looked up in shock at Vanessa. Vanessa looked back at her. "You're talking about doing a fairly risky thing, but it's to see if your town is really gone or not; to see if your family is okay…I can understand a risk like that…but you're talking my boy with you, and I'm going to wait because if you guys don't come back by tomorrow, I'm marching myself down there to get you back."

Jack looked at her. "...mom..."

"…that's understandable…" Arsenic replied. "…at the speed me and him could fly, I should be able to find it later today, close to the evening…so, technically, we could be back before tomorrow, unless things get out of hand."

"...you two just make sure to be careful, then." Demi noted.

"Alright; we will." Jack nodded.

Arsenic nodded, and looked at Jack. "…grab onto me, and we'll take off." And her look was serious. "This will be more than holding hands Jack. You'll have to actually hold onto me. Would you be okay with that?"

Jack looked at her in silence for a few moments... and he nodded. "...yeah." Slowly, he approached Arsenic. "...I'll... handle it."

Arsenic nodded. "…right…take the time you need."

Taking a deep breath, Jack slowly stopped right in front of Arsenic. He knew that he had to muster a lot of courage to immediately go from just holding both of her hands to actually holding her entire body. Closing his eyes, he slowly tried wrapping his arms around her; trembling slightly the closer he got to her. Arsenic remained perfectly still throughout this. Closing his eyes, Jack eventually managed to hold tightly onto Arsenic. "...okay! Ready when you are!" he uttered.

Arsenic grabbed to him then. "Hold tight!" she warned, immediately taking off into the air. Jack grit his teeth as he clutched to Arsenic; his eyes remaining firmly shut.

The two of them were flying through the air away from the town. Arsenic looked up at him. "…remember…think about your harmonica and your pendant to help yourself relax…"

"...nh... right..." Jack nodded slightly, though his grip didn't seem to relax. "...but... what if I relax too much? Would I accidentally let go and fall?"

"…don't worry…I've got you and I'll make sure you won't fall," Arsenic assured him.

Nodding, Jack breathed out a bit, trying to relax.

"...it's... strange, flying like this..." he mused after a while.

"…yeah?" Arsenic hummed.

"...yeah..." Jack nodded. "...I'm just used to sitting on Charon's back when we're in flight... not holding someone so closely..."

"…guess I could understand that," Arsenic answered.

"...even though it's strange..." Jack eventually said, as he slowly opened his eyes. "...and... even if it's... a bit scary..." Then, he closed them again. "...I... think I could like this..."

Arsenic let out a small chuckle at that. "…glad to hear that…" Jack also let out a small chuckle.

* * *

><p>When sunset came along, they were still flying through the air…and then Arsenic saw smoke rising up. Her heart skipped a beat. "…there it is…" she uttered.<p>

Jack's eyes opened up, as he glanced towards the smoke with a worried look. "...oh..." he uttered.

Arsenic sped up a bit to get there and land. Letting go of Jack, she looked around.

All of the buildings in town were in ruins, with smoke rising from them. The road paved with tiles was broken here and there with large craters. Jack looked around him with a concerned look.

"…it's…just like those haunted places I've been to…" Arsenic uttered. "…totally empty…and ominous…and the damage, it's…" Arsenic didn't know how to put it in words.

Her hometown was destroyed, and there didn't seem to be a single living soul around.

Wandering towards one of the homes, Jack peered within it from the broken-down door. The inside was dark, charred and, like the rest of the town, was empty. "...it's... awful..." he uttered.

"…m…my parents…"

And Arsenic took off running down the road. "...Arsenic!" Jack quickly ran after her in concern. Arsenic didn't bother slowing down or looking back at Jack; she just had to know what happened to her parents, and if their house was in the same state as the others.

…then she had to slow down because of her knee, stopping and holding it with a hiss.

"Arsenic!" Jack quickly caught up to her and looked at her in concern. "Did you sprain your knee?" he uttered in worry.

"…just another health condition I've had since I was little Jack," she answered with a grunt.

"...oh..." Jack uttered, as he glanced ahead of them. "...you probably shouldn't run, then... you could damage your leg even more..."

"…do you think…you could support me then?" She uttered. "I just…I just gotta see if my parents are…" and she couldn't finish the sentence.

Jack looked back at Arsenic. "...okay... grab on, then..." Nodding, Jack took hold of her; waiting for her to grab on to him so he could help her down the street.

Arsenic wrapped an arm around his shoulder, and put a hand on his chest to steady herself, "…okay…"

Though tensing just a tad, Jack began walking down the street; making sure to keep an arm around Arsenic as he looked ahead. Arsenic limped after him with his help, but she was the one that led the way for Jack to get to where she needed to.

Eventually, she reached the house she was aiming for… it was just like all the other houses in that it was in ruins, and just like Jack saw in another house, this one was charred up on the inside.

This sight made Arsenic silent as she slowly limped inside. Jack remained just outside, as he watched Arsenic enter the house.

Arsenic looked through her house, remembering every detail of it from her own childhood, but absolutely appalled to see it so destroyed like this. Jack peered inside as well a bit; glancing around with a sad look on him, to see someone's home in such a decimated state.

Arsenic heard the sound of glass cracking, and she looked down at a picture frame that she had stepped on. She stared down at it, and eventually, she picked it up. It was her parents on the photo, with her as a little girl…

…and she stared at that picture…

"...Arsenic...?" Jack uttered after a short while.

Arsenic didn't respond right away; still staring at the picture.

Then, she turned her head around to look at Jack.

She had a look full of hate and anger, but her eyes were watering up. She was ready to cry, but she stubbornly held back. She was just so hurt to see a sight like this, when she thought she never had to come back here… especially to see all of this.

Jack's eyes widened ever so lightly, but he slowly stepped into the house. "...Arsenic..."

Arsenic tossed away the picture frame and turned away from him. Stopping right next to her, Jack looked down at Arsenic; remaining silent, but having a look of sympathy on him. Arsenic didn't move for a long time…

…eventually, she clutched to her chest. She felt the usual chest pain, but it was just so much for painful this time. Her heart ached for what could've been her last moments for her parents. She suddenly realized that she could've protected them, if only she had been here…

Seeing this, Jack closed his eyes...

...and without any sort of hesitation, gently wrapped his arms around Arsenic; just as a way to comfort her in her time of grief. Arsenic didn't expect Jack to do that, but right now…she strangely felt like she really needed that. Still, it didn't change the massive pain she felt.

"…I…I never should've left…" she uttered.

Jack simply held her comfortingly, as he looked down at her.

"…I…I…"

And for the first time, Jack actually started to see her cry; her shoulder's shuddering weakly. Seeing that, Jack looked at her sadly. "...Arsenic..."

Arsenic covered her face, hating herself for acting like this and being so vulnerable, but she couldn't stop.

"...don't... hold it in..." Jack whispered, as he closed his eyes. "...it's okay to cry..."

"…no…it's not okay to cry…" Arsenic uttered, and yet she was still crying. Jack was silent, as he closed his eyes.

"...I... thought you wouldn't hold all that inside you..." he eventually spoke, "...that you'd let it out..."

Arsenic remembered when they first met, and when Jack had fallen apart… she would've said 'touché' on that, but she felt so miserable right now.

So she let it all out, sobbing in his chest. Jack simply held her to comfort her; closing his eyes. Arsenic even clutched to him while she cried. Jack had to bite his own lip to keep himself from crying too; he figured that now that she needed it, he had to remain strong...

Arsenic never felt so weak like this before, and she hated herself more and more for it, but even when she felt so horrible like this, just having Jack there with her helped make it not so unbearable. Jack simply held her still; wanting to help comfort her so much more, even in spite of the grief she now had to suffer through.

Arsenic eventually stopped crying, feeling like she got enough of it out to pull herself back together, but she still didn't move. Jack didn't move either, but he still looked down at Arsenic. Arsenic felt warm, and didn't really want to pull away from him, which baffled her a little…

"…we need to get out of here…" she finally said, though.

Jack nodded slightly. "...right..."

Arsenic pulled away from his arms, but for a moment, she looked up at him. Jack simply looked down at her as well.

Eventually, Arsenic took his hand. "…let's go…"

Jack gave her a nod. "...okay..."

Arsenic couldn't help but think how amusing it was that Jack was the one to give her the emotional support this time, whereas she had always been the support for Jack with his phobia. Given the circumstances, Arsenic couldn't really be surprised….but she still felt angry for looking so weak like that. Plus, she really didn't want to stay in this place anymore…

…so she turned to leave with Jack.

Then she stopped when she looked up at the doorway with wide eyes. When Jack looked back at the doorway, he, too, was astounded.

There, gazing at them with that familiar, soulless gaze, was Husk.

Arsenic just looked back at Husk with a bit of hate, but she kept calm. "…so, they sent you, huh?" she muttered.

Husk nodded.

"...then... did you do this?" Jack uttered, as he stepped back a bit.

Husk simply gazed directly at Jack, before he looked back at Arsenic. _"...I thought... that you would come... alone..."_

"…we weren't that stupid," Arsenic muttered.

_"...initially... you were..." _Husk mused, as he glanced back at Jack. _"...he's... an anomaly... not needed..."_

In that instant, he looked back at Arsenic, just as dark hands grabbed her from the shadows, and hurled her directly outside.

"ARSENIC!" Jack cried out, as he prepared to rush out after her; however, the very instant he did that, Husk waved his hand to create a dark shade in front of the lion.

This dark shade ended up looking exactly like Cyrene, but it was in a much, much darker shade; making it very evident that it was only just a copy. The Cyrene copy drew her sword and pointed it at Jack with a menacing, murderous look.

Jack instantly came to a stop, as he looked at this figure with widened eyes. While it was obvious that it was little more than a copy, his deep-seated fear of her was beginning to show, as he backed a bit away from the dark shade. "...n-no..."

_"...deal with him..."_ Husk uttered, as he slowly looked at the Cyrene-shade. _"...exploit his fear..."_

The Cyrene-shade smirked then, sauntering toward Jack…

…then an explosion blasted the two of them away from Jack, destroying part of the house that was still standing. Jack's eyes widened at that.

As he recovered, Husk rose and looked towards the one who caused the explosion._ "...futile..." _he uttered.

Arsenic was remaining in the air with the jet fuel shooting from her feet, glaring down at them. "…I'm not letting you take us…" she spoke bitterly.

Husk simply hummed. _"...we'll see..." _he spoke, as he raised his arm to point directly at Arsenic; _"...take care of the host_..." he added with a minor glance at the Cyrene-shade.

Hearing that, Jack's eyes widened, as he began backing away again. The Cyrene-shade smirked at Jack and slowly approached him.

Arsenic shot at Husk what looked like a fire bolt, but on impact, it made another explosion. The explosion struck home directly, and engulfed Husk in a fiery blaze...

_"...missed me..."_

However, stepping out from one of the ruined houses, Husk looked up at Arsenic with a dull look, before he shot his arm forward to send an arc of dark electricity coursing right for the rat.

As this went on, Jack found himself backing more and more away from the approaching shade; his heart beating rapidly as memories of the actual Cyrene began popping up in his mind. The Cyrene-shade backed him up into a wall, pinning him there with an evil grin.

Meanwhile, Arsenic flew out of the way of the lightning bolt, throwing another fire bolt at Husk. Husk leaped to the side just in time for the fire bolt to engulf the house in a fiery explosion...

...when all of a sudden, a different house was shot right at Arsenic from behind; a light-blue aura covering it.

As that went on, Jack began panicking considerably. "No! Get away!" Out of desperation, he kicked at the shade to get her away from him. The shade pinned his wrists against the wall, with an aura of Corruption emitting from her.

Then it expanded, engulfing the entire house in an orb of black void.

Arsenic saw this and growled. Then she saw the house coming and she dropped down in the air to avoid getting hit by it.

"Fine, you wanna play that way?" she growled. In her hand, she summoned up a ball of…something. It was oozing with green smoke and it looked hazardous…

…and so she shot it all the way into the woods outside of town.

_"...what are you planning...?"_ Husk hummed, as he quickly folded his arms...

...and he was coated in a blazing aura, which he used to propel himself straight up towards Arsenic to ram into her.

"Oh, nothing; nothing at all," Arsenic replied with sarcasm. "I'm too stupid to be planning anything against you!"

And right when he would ram her, she blocked him off with another explosion. Husk crashed against the ground from being struck by that explosion, as he gazed up at Arsenic...

...when all of a sudden a different Husk, appearing as a dark shade like the copy of Cyrene, leaped out from the shadows of a different house to slam his fist against the rat's back. Arsenic saw this coming, and she, herself, exploded before the copy could make impact, and Arsenic disappeared within the explosion.

The very second she did that, however, the original Husk shot another arc of electricity directly at where she had been. The lightning shot through with no other indication that it would've hit her. She simply wasn't there.

Husk blinked, as he stepped back a tad. _"...find her..."_

As it landed, the copy instantly shot within one of the houses; presumably to look for where Arsenic had vanished to. Arsenic wasn't in the house, though. In fact, she wouldn't be in any of the houses.

She pieced back together at the foot of the woods at the edge of town, looking in the woods. "…c'mon…" she muttered.

…and soon, she saw a faint movement in the woods. She felt relieved. "…it's working…"

As the copy returned, Husk narrowed his eyes. _"...did she escape...?" _he mused, as he folded his arms. _"...well... we have... the host... he will suffice... as bait..."_

Turning towards the dark barrier that had formed itself around where Jack had been imprisoned, Husk slowly began stepping towards it.

"Hey!" as voice called out suddenly, "I'm not finished with you yet!"

Perking up at that, Husk glanced towards where the voice came from.

Towering over him was a very large human-like monster. It's arms and legs were made with many intertwined vines with thorns, and here and there were flowers on it with strange colors and the whole monster was puffing out green smoke all around it. There were large Venus fly-trap plants for hands to make it like giant claws and it roared at Husk.

Arsenic was standing on its head, looking down at him. Husk looked up at the monster with that dull, soulless look in his eyes. _"...interesting..."_

Vines shot out from the giant plant monster to whip at Husk. Very quickly, Husk leapt away from the vines, and crossed his arms. _"...bring it on..."_

Meanwhile, within the barrier...

"...n-no! Get away!" Still being pinned by the shade, Jack kept kicking desperately at it; squirming and showing definite signs of fear. Jack wasn't very successful knocking the shade away, and eventually, it was the one that kicked Jack really hard to stun him and keep him from moving. Jack doubled over, and wheezed for air; as the kick had knocked the wind right out of him.

The shade went right up to his ear then. _"…where's your friend to save you now…?_" she hummed.

Jack's eyes widened, and he grit his teeth. "...leave me alone..." he uttered weakly.

"_Why should I?_" The Cyrene-shade taunted. _"You can't do anything to me…you're just a weakling who depends on her to protect you…have you even thought about the possibility that she probably doesn't really like you?"_

Jack squirmed a bit. "...no... that's not true... I..." he uttered.

"…_she could just be waiting for the right moment to run away…_" the Cyrene-shade hummed. _"…like…maybe she ran away now…leaving you behind with your old, Corrupted self…_"

"...she wouldn't!" Jack protested. "She wouldn't do something so mean!"

"_Oh yeah?_" The Cyrene-shade chuckled, nibbling at his ear. _"Tell me then…has she ever really told you what she thought of you?_"

Jack gasped, as he squirmed a bit. "...nh... n-no..." he uttered.

"…_she knows that none of you trust her, and she doesn't trust you either…_" the shade continued. _"…for all you know…she could be setting you up just to hurt you again…_"

Jack's eyes widened again. "...you're lying! Arsenic's helping me! She would never try to hurt me!" he protested.

"_But did you ever ask just why she was willing to help you?_" the shade asked.

Jack fell silent.

"…_see? You can't be positive about these things unless you know for sure…_" the shade continued, with her hand slowly stroking his chest.

Gritting, Jack tried using his knee to knock the shade's hand away. "Get away from me!"

And the Cyrene-shade kneed him in the stomach again in response, to stun him again. Jack coughed for air again, as his head lowered. "...j-just... leave me alone..." he uttered.

"…_oh, I'm not the one you have to worry about…_" the Cyrene-shade hummed again. _"…she's going to be the one that leaves you alone…because she never cared about you; she never cared about anyone but herself…and guess what? Because your Corrupted copy took out her hometown and her family…she probably really hates you now…"_

Jack's eyes widened. "...n-no..." he uttered; a small whimper squeezing out of his throat.

"…_yeah…and she's gonna leave you and your group of friends behind…and never associate herself with anyone again…she'll hate the world and you for what happened…and most of all, she'll hate herself…_"

"...n-no..." Jack's voice began cracking, and a few tears began squeezing from his eyes.

"…_she'll hate herself…because she wasn't able to protect them when she could've…and she won't forgive you for allowing it to happen…"_

"...no..." Jack sobbed, as he closed his eyes tightly shut; feebly attempting to keep himself from crying.

"…_yes…_" the shade hissed with delight in his ear._ "…and so…she'll just run away like she always has…and never forget what you've done to her…"_

Jack grit his teeth at that...

"...NOOOO!" With an anguished roar, Jack threw his head back, before he shot forward with his gaze locked onto a single target; the shade's shoulder, which he bit fiercely into.

The Cyrene-shade screamed out in pain, not expecting that at all. In fact, she jumped away from Jack to get away from him out of her surprise.

Breathing heavily, Jack slowly rose to his feet, as his gaze remained lowered. "...I won't... I won't let it happen..." he hissed, as he suddenly gave the shade a fierce, tear-filled glare. "...I won't... let Arsenic hate everything!"

Outside of the void, Arsenic was managing to keep Husk and his copy busy with the giant plant monster, but she knew it wasn't going to last long. Thankfully, she was able to break away somehow from the battle to the well in down. She opened her hand for a gooey mass of dark blue muck to appear. "This oughtta help some," she murmured, dropping the mass down the well to splash into the waters below.

In the meantime, Husk and his copy were using heavy fire-based attacks to attack the massive plant monster; leaping away from it and relentlessly showering it in flames.

"…c'mon c'mon c'mon!" Arsenic muttered impatiently, looking back and forth between the battle and the well.

Soon, the muck started to rise out of the well, and start to overflow. Arsenic took off into the air so she wasn't whisked up in it. While the copy was focused on the plant monster, Husk suddenly perked, as he glanced towards where Arsenic had just been... and blinked at the sight he saw.

"Try using fire against THIS GUY!" Arsenic called out.

The mass of muck that started to grow more and more suddenly rose to be taller…and eventually form into a bulky humanoid shape, with the muck dripping off of its body everywhere. It opened up its large mouth and howled, splattering the dark blue muck all over the ground. Husk took care to step away from the muck, as he looked up at this massive creature.

In that instant, though, Husk's copy turned to shoot fire directly at the muck monster. The fire, unlike on the plant monster, it had little to no effect against the muck monster, and it hacked up some muck from its mouth to shoot at the copy. The muck struck the copy, and it hissed loudly as it thrashed about to try and get the muck off itself.

Husk looked from the copy to the monstrosity; his eyes narrowing as he stepped back further. The plant monster looked at the muck monster, and the muck monster stepped toward Husk.

With him busy, Arsenic flew towards the black void at her house. "I gotta get him out of there!"

In that instant, however, a second copy suddenly shot from one of the other houses, and tackled Arsenic to get her away from the void.

In the meantime, Husk looked up at the massive monsters with a narrowed gaze, and kept backing away from them. The much monster shot more muck at Husk, and the plant monster whipped more of its vines at the same time. Narrowing his eyes, Husk shot up into the air.

Crying out loud, Jack rushed right at the shade and delivered a fierce punch directly against her gut. The shade, this time, was prepared, and blocked him, throwing a punch at his face. Jack grabbed the punch in response, and twisted his arm violently with hers still in his grip. The shade cried out in pain at that, and tried to twist around with a kick. Jack took the kick to his gut; staggering back a bit, though still glaring at the shade. The shade smirked back, drawing her sword.

"…_Husk can read her mind, you know…he has Sage's powers…_" the shade said, slowly approaching him.

"...I know." Jack uttered, as he held his chest whilst glaring at the Cyrene-shade. "I was there."

The Cyrene-shade shot forward with her sword at him. However, Jack simply stepped away from the sword, before he kicked at her wrist to make her let go of the sword. The shade dropped the sword with a hiss, glaring at him. _"…he could read her mind and tell you just what she thinks…_" she continued.

"...knowing those Corrupted guys, they'd lie to get under my skin." Jack retorted, as he glared back at the shade.

"_So you think we're lying, huh?"_ the shade hummed. _"Well then, tell us…what do you think Arsenic thinks? Huh?"_

"I dunno." Jack retorted. "I don't like prying into personal things like that." One could tell that ever since he broke away from the shade, he seemed to be growing more confident and less timid.

"_Then what do you think of her, huh?_" the Cyrene-shade hissed, walking around him while holding her wrist.

"...I think she's... nice." Jack began, as he kept his gaze on the shade. "She may be a bit direct about things, but... she's honest, and understanding."

"_Now, now, surely there must be more…personal opinions about her,_" the shade taunted him again.

"...what do you mean?" Jack uttered.

"…_I'm just a copy of him, so I can read your mind too…_" the Cyrene-shade said, looking back at him. _"…I know deep down…you have more thoughts about her than you let on._"

Jack blinked upon hearing that. "...I... do?"

"…_you're not aware of it, but it's there…_" the Cyrene-shade hummed. "_…like…for instance…what would you think if Arsenic didn't keep that promise…about dying?"_

Jack's eyes widened, as he looked down. "...I... I'd be... really sad..." he uttered as he thought about the question. "...like... incredibly sad..."

"…_and sure, you could argue that you'd feel that way for any of your friends if they died…_" the shade went on. _"…but Arsenic, no…she seems to just have that kind of special feel….and if she died…you would be downright devastated…_"

Eyes widening, Jack slowly nodded. "...y-yeah..."

"…_but you know…I think you would be just that miserable…if she turned around and left you…_" the Cyrene-shade chuckled.

Jack reeled a bit upon hearing that. "She wouldn't-!" he uttered, when he realized how he reacted upon hearing that idea.

The shade smirked at that, and chuckled, "_…see?"_

Jack held his head in confusion, as he looked back at the shade. "...I don't get it... why am I feeling like this...?"

"…_you know those kinds of feelings everyone seems to keep talking about?"_ the shade pointed out, _"Like with your friends Striker and Ani…?"_

Jack blinked, as he looked at the shade with wide eyes. "...those... kinds of...?" he uttered, as he slowly tried putting the pieces together in his head.

The shade nodded. Eventually, Jack's eyes widened considerably. The way he had been close to Arsenic ever since she had saved him from Husk and Cyrene... what they had been talking about... the promises... it all hit him at once.

"...I... I'm in... l... lo..." Jack uttered slowly; still trying to process this completely unfamiliar feeling and the ramifications it had.

The shade smirked again, and slowly started to approach him while he was distracted trying to process this.

Jack shut his eyes as he clutched his head. "...no way..." The revelation of this, coupled with his phobia... it was creating mixed feelings throughout his entire body; utterly locking him in place as he literally had no idea what to feel about it.

"...I'm... in _love...?_" he finally uttered in a baffled tone.

"…_well, she probably doesn't feel the same way about you anyway…"_ the shade hummed. Jack looked back at the shade for that remark.

"_And you're still afraid of girls, so there's probably no possibility of it ever happening,"_ the shade laughed, and then she went to kick him. Jack was too distracted to even think of repelling the kick, so he ended up taking it and doubling over onto the ground. Then the shade gave a drop-kick to knock him onto the ground. Again, Jack didn't avoid it, so he was sent slamming into the ground.

The Cyrene-shade then pinned him to the ground with her foot. _"…guess it really is a shame that you found out those feelings for nothing…_" she chuckled.

Jack slowly looked up at her.

"…_and just how would you react if you told her you had those feelings, and she rejected you?_" the shade asked.

"...I... I don't... know..." Jack uttered.

"…_well, either way, you won't even get the chance to tell her…_" the shade chuckled, kneeling down to pin him with her body. Jack's eyes widened considerably.

"_Because the next time you'll see her, is when you are going to take her in for us…"_

Back outside, Arsenic was trying to get away from the copy of Husk while watching the fight with the large monsters. Things weren't going so well…

...as Husk fired constantly upon the two monsters with a barrage of attacks; shooting fire upon the plant monster, and electricity within the muck monster. The plant monster was almost all burnt away, screeching out, and the much monster tried to fight back but the lightning was having a huge effect against it.

_"...commendable..."_ Husk hummed, as he focused all fire upon the monsters. _"...but futile..."_

Arsenic grit her teeth, and tried to shoot at the copy. She was running out of ideas. The copy was blown back, but it quickly gazed back at Arsenic. Arsenic raised her hand again, but when something started to happen in the corner of her eye, she turned.

The monsters both looked like they had been defeated…and yet…the muck monster started to engulf the plant monster. Husk stopped, as he watched this in intrigue.

The plant monster got more and more absorbed into the muck monster, until it was fully consumed by it.

…soon, the muck monster started to grow thorns all over its body that stuck out from the goo, and even the Venus fly-traps stuck out from its hands, while making a combination of a howl and a screech.

Arsenic's eyes widened. "They're combining!" and she didn't even expect them to do that.

Narrowing his eyes, Husk shot out electricity at the mutant. In the area that he shot the electricity at, the muck shriveled away and hit the plant instead, which actually had some time to grow back and regenerate, and when the electricity hit the plant, it didn't have that much of an effect.

Vines, wads of muck and even the fly-traps shot for Husk then. Leaping away, Husk took to sending a stream of fire directly at the creature. The muck replaced itself again and blocked away the fire, leaving the beast intact.

"…it got more intelligence somehow…" Arsenic mused. "…hmph…" and she turned to the distracted copy to shoot more explosions at it. The copy couldn't react in time before it was consumed by explosions.

Narrowing his eyes, Husk turned his attention towards Arsenic, and shot towards her. Arsenic was prepared to deal with him…

…and then the creature stomped its foot on Husk. Arsenic gave a look of shock at that. Utter silence. It seemed like Husk had been crushed by the monster with no effort at all.

Arsenic just gawked at the creature that gave out a triumphant cry...

...then she looked down at the ground suspiciously. "...that was too easy..."

A few moments of precious silence, and then...

_"...indeed..."_

All of a sudden, from out of nowhere, a massive, dark beam shot directly at the creature's back. The creature gave out a pained cry, and Arsenic looked behind the creature. In the instant she did that, however, a pair of dark beams shot out directly at the creature's sides.

_"...since you came to this town... you already lost..."_

In that instant, an impossibly large amount of beams began firing out at the creature, coming from every single building in the town... as hundreds of Husk copies emerged to fire beam after beam of pure Corruption upon the creature. Arsenic looked quickly at all of the copies and saw that little by little, the creature was being destroyed. And all while the copies were destroying the monster, the voice she heard was practically right behind her.

_"...surrender... to Corruption..."_

Arsenic was frozen for a moment…actually feeling a chill from that one… and she slowly turned around. There, directly behind her with his arms folded, gazing directly into her eyes with his cold, unfeeling, soulless eyes, was Husk. Arsenic stared back, frozen again. With that, Husk glanced back at the monster... or, well, what was left of it as the copies were literally firing Corruption beams upon it at the exact same time.

More and more of the monster was destroyed, and soon, there wasn't anything left of it at all, fuming away in dark purple smoke from the Corruption. As it was gone, all of the copies quickly looked back at Husk and Arsenic.

_"...you have... one last chance..."_ Husk hummed, as his gaze returned to Arsenic. _"...surrender... and we go peacefully... resist... and we show no mercy..."_

Arsenic actually felt a bit of fear there, but she was determined and stubborn enough that she wouldn't let it show. She was more concerned what Husk had done to her town, and how she wouldn't let him get away with it.

"No way," She growled. "I'm not giving myself up like that…"

_"...so be it..."_ Husk hummed, before he snapped his fingers...

...and the copies all ran towards Arsenic, in a mad charge to take her down first. She raised her hands, and released an explosion…

Back in the void, the Cyrene-shade licked Jack's neck. Jack struggled, but being pinned down, he couldn't get her off him. "...nh... stop..."

"_But what's the matter…?"_ the shade hummed. _"…don't you enjoy it?"_

"...nh... that's..." Jack uttered; even if his body found it pleasing, his mind was adamantly keeping him from showing it; attempting to repress the memories of what happened back when the actual Cyrene had kidnapped him.

The Cyrene-shade then took her thigh and started to rub it between his legs lustfully, kissing his neck. Jack let out a small gasp, as he squirm a bit more underneath her.

"_Oh, don't act like you don't enjoy it…_" the shade chuckled.

"...I don't..." Jack uttered, as he clenched his eyes shut. "...this is wrong..."

"_Really now?"_ the shade mused. Then she leaned down and whispered in his ear, _"…well…what if…that wasn't the case with Arsenic…hm?"_

Jack's eyes shot wide open at that. "...wha...?"

"…_if you love her…eventually, you'll get to a point where you'll enjoy touching her…"_ the shade whispered. _"…and even do those naughty things with her…_"

Jack's eyes widened. "...seriously...?"

"…_it may not be today, or tomorrow…but you'll yearn to touch her bare body and feel her, kiss her body all over…all those things…"_ Cyrene chuckled.

Then she started kissing his chest. "A-_ahn..._" What the shade had told him distracted Jack, which made him let out a small moan.

"…_just think…instead of me, it could be her…"_ the shade kept on, kissing down to his abdomen. _"…she may look like a guy, but without all those clothes, you'll see her curves and want to stroke her body with your hands…"_

"Mm... nh..." Jack squirmed a little less now, as he began gasping and moaning lightly from her kisses.

"…_would you want her to kiss you like this?" _the Cyrene-shade asked him, kissing down around his waist.

"...ah... I..." Jack uttered; the conflicting emotions bubbling within him making him delirious, and unable to come up with a proper answer.

"…_or, maybe, she wouldn't be kissing you…maybe you'd be pinning her delicate body down to kiss all over her body…_" the shade kept at it, still kissing around his waist.

"Nh..." Jack squirmed; the way she was describing it made him visualize it, and that only added to the overwhelming emotions that was practically crippling him.

"…_and she'd make small noises…noises that sound good to you; noises that make you want her even more…_" the shade whispered.

Jack clenched his eyes shut; he didn't want to listen, but he was just too confused to not hear what she told him.

"…_you really want to know what love is, Jackie Boy?_" the shade taunted, unbuttoning his pants. _"…it's when you take the woman you want…and you fuck her brains out…you make her yours, and no one else would have her…"_

At that point, Jack opened his eyes once more. What she said... it didn't fit with what he suddenly recalled. "...what... did you say love was...?" he uttered, as he slowly looked back at the shade.

"…_love…is sex. Hot, steaming sex…_" the Cyrene-shade said, kissing where the button used to be.

Slowly, Jack clenched his fists. "...that's... really what you think love is...?"

"_Yes…_" the shade hissed in delight.

"...why?" Jack's tone suddenly grew firm; not an ounce of doubt, confusion or pain visible on him as he glared at the shade. "Why do you think that's what love is?"

The shade looked at him. "_Because,_" she answered,_ "That's all love ever is. That lot about it all feelings and caring? That's all bull…in the end, it's always about the sex._"

"...you're wrong." Jack said with a growl.

"_Oh, am I?"_ The Cyrene-shade hummed. _"Then tell me…what do you think love is?_"

"...I don't think... I _know_." Jack uttered, as he glared more aggressively at the shade. "Love is a bond... a powerful bond that keeps people together through thick and thin. It's all about keeping that bond knit with the ones you truly care about... _that's_ what love is."

As he spoke, old memories were flooding into his mind; of his friends, the bonds they had made throughout all these years... his mother... even if he felt a different kind of love for Arsenic, he realized that throughout his entire life, love had been a major part of it.

The shade hissed back at him, seeing his memories. _"…so that's what you think, hm?_"

"...that's what I _know_." Jack retorted.

"_What do you know, boy? You've been sheltered your whole life to have the mind of a child,_" she hissed. _"You couldn't possibly understand how naïve you are about what love really is."_

Jack snarled. "And what? A Corrupted shade knows more about love than me?" he retorted. "Then tell me what love really is, then!"

"_Love is discipline!"_ the Cyrene-shade snarled back. _"It's being whipped to obey! And your body is used to give pleasure to others, and sacrifice your own needs!"_

"No, it's not!" All of a sudden, Jack kicked the shade away from him, as he rose to his feet; buttoning his pants. "Try again! What is love?" he yelled at her.

The shade was shocked that Jack kicked her away, and she rose to her own feet, looking at Jack. "...ANSWER ME!" Jack suddenly roared, though he didn't move from where he stood.

That jolted the shade.

"…_love is…"_ the shade was baffled at Jack's sudden strength. Then it glared at him. _"Love is a false concept!"_

"And why is that?" Jack snarled, as he stomped towards her.

"…_because…nobody believes in that bonding shit…_"

"I do!" Jack retorted. "And so do my friends! And their friends! And my mom! We all believe in it!" Then, he stopped right in front of the shade. "...except for you... because you've never _been_ loved!"

The shade gawked at him for that one in shock.

"...I'm right, aren't I?" Jack noted. "That's why you keep acting so naughty... because you don't know anything about real love!"

"_Of course I do!"_ the shade snapped back. _"Love supposedly is a wonderful feeling, and the only wonderful feeling you get is when you hit a climax in sex. Therefore, love is sex!"_

"NO, IT'S NOT!" With that, Jack suddenly smacked the shade right across the face.

The Cyrene-shade was shocked again…and then glared at Jack with a furious look, lunging at him with a roar. Stepping away from her, Jack dug into his pocket as he glared at her. "Yeah... if two people really love each other, they may enjoy being together like that... but that doesn't mean that love _is_ sex! I was _forced_ into it, and guess what? It was the most traumatic thing to ever happen to me!"

Narrowing his eyes, he brought something up to his mouth as he glared at the shade. "...in a sense... I guess I pity you. You, and all those other Corrupted people who don't get what love is..."

The Cyrene-shade glared at him, screeched and lunched at him again with claws.

"...but pity... doesn't mean that I'll go easy on you." Jack uttered...

...and with that, he put his harmonica to his lips.

In that very instant, an immense noise erupted from the instrument, and rocketed right towards the incoming shade; trapping her within the violent sound waves that Jack was creating. The shade was halted and she cried out in agony at the sound waves.

Around them, the void started to crack with white light, due to the sound waves.

Jack closed his eyes as he played on his harmonica; letting out his fears and frustrations into this one melody, which he focused entirely on the shade who had harassed him so much within this void. The more the shade screamed, the more pain she felt, and even she started to crack with white light, similar to the void around her. As if he poured his very soul into this melody, Jack let a few tears fall from his eyes as he kept playing so vividly on the harmonica.

Finally, the shade couldn't take it anymore, and with one last screech, she shattered.

So did the barrier around her, and Jack was placed back in the charred up ruins of the house again. As he stopped playing, he opened his eyes, as his gaze quickly rose to the outside of the house.

Arsenic…was doing really bad. Ever since the copies ganged up on her, she's struggled to fight back. She had many bloody cuts and bruises on her… so she had been trying to keep herself alive for the most part, constantly trying to get away from the clones.

…she had a free moment finally, jumping away from the copies, and that was when she noticed Jack. A look of sweet relief swept over her weary face when she saw him. "Jack!"

Jack couldn't help but look relieved at seeing her as well... but his look of relief was soon swapped with one of utter horror. "...ARSENIC! BEHIND YOU!"

In that instant, the actual Husk had shot up directly behind her, and pulled back a fist imbued with incredible power. _"...fall..."_ With that cold remark, he slammed that fist directly into Arsenic's back. She wasn't quick enough to see it coming, and when it hit, Arsenic made a choked grunt at that with wide, pained eyes.

She was frozen in the air for a moment, and then the jet fuel in her feet gave out, causing her to fall through the air. Jack's eyes widened considerably at that, and a sudden gasp made him quite literally unable to call out for Arsenic as Husk quickly shot down towards her and proceeded to slam her against the ground brutally.

Arsenic choked even more on her pain when she hit the ground, and coughed up blood from that strike down. Jack's eyes widened, as he could only stumble towards the scene; though the copies all surrounded Husk and Arsenic at this point.

_"...you lose..."_ Husk hummed. _"...all your hatred... all thoughts of vengeance... for naught..."_

Arsenic couldn't respond because she couldn't breathe. She was in so much pain…and she felt that impending doom that this was it. Her head turned on its side hopelessly.

…_guess…I shouldn't have made that promise…after all…_ she thought.

"...STOP!" Jack suddenly called out, as he ran towards the group, but came to a halt as the copies turned their focus on him.

_"...well... the host returns..."_ Husk mused, as his gaze fell on Jack. _"...and my... the host has... matured..."_

Arsenic couldn't see Jack with the copies around, and she just laid there.

…_just run…you idiot…_ she thought. _…save yourself…_

_"...she wants him to run..."_ Husk hummed, as he closed his eyes. _"...yet... he will not falter... he will not flee... his heart is set..."_

Arsenic shut her eyes at that. _…I'm not worth it Jack…just go…_

_"...not worth it, she says..." _Husk hummed. _"...but his heart is set... his eyes have been opened..."_

"...Arsenic!" Jack called out. "I... I'm going to save you! No matter what!"

As he called that out, the copies slowly began advancing towards him.

Arsenic let out another cough of blood, and finally, she was able to breath, letting out a pained cry with tears streaming down her face. _"JUST GET OUT OF HERE!"_ she wailed in agony.

Jack's eyes widened at that. "...Arsenic?"

Husk looked down at her in intrigue.

She was trying to breathe, and sob at the same time through her pain. "I'm not worth something as stupid as risking your life like this! I'm just a pathetic excuse of a rat who couldn't even save her own family, because I was so hurt by the way everyone always treated me and them and I ran away from them! I'm just a big, fat coward Jack, and you're somebody who still has a lot of family to lose! Just save yourself!"

_"...enough..."_ With no warning at all, Husk slammed his fist down on Arsenic, in an attempt to silence her. Arsenic let out a yelp, and coughed up more blood.

Jack's eyes widened when he heard her being struck, all while the copies kept marching towards him.

_"...whining is useless..."_ Husk grunted. _"...you'll both be captured... and used against your friends..."_

"...don't count on it..."

Husk perked up again, as he glanced at Jack, whose face was hidden from view, while he held his harmonica close to his mouth. Arsenic fell limp against the ground, unable to breathe again while blood slowly streamed from her mouth.

…_Jack…_ was that single thought in her mind.

_"...get him..."_

In that instant, the entire mass of copies lunged at Jack to pin him down... but before they could reach him, Jack suddenly glared at them all...

...and he roared.

It was a loud, majestic roar; fueled by nothing short of pure emotion, and could be heard on its own from all across town... however, this roar was special, made possible by one added element.

Jack's harmonica, which still had its microphone set to on.

The resulting sound wave was unlike anything Jack had ever played on his instrument before; literally causing the earth around him to shatter, and stop the copies in their pursuit of him. Even Husk had to clench at his ears and shriek in pain from the utter power this roar possessed. Arsenic could do nothing to defend herself from this, suffering in her ears from the sound while she lay limp on the ground.

As Jack kept roaring, the surrounding area started to tremble from the power of this roar, and one by one, the copies began bursting into dark smoke from the intensity of the sound wave. Gritting his teeth, Husk opened a gateway of his own to swiftly fall into; leaving Arsenic behind with the disintegrating copies. Arsenic shut her eyes, and managed to lift her hands to cover her ears so she didn't have to suffer anymore, going into a fetal position. Shrieking, the copies were soon completely eradicated, which left nothing but Jack, Arsenic, and the ruined town.

The moment he stopped roaring, Jack coughed a bit for air, before his gaze fell on Arsenic. Quickly, he stumbled towards her; dropping to his knees right by her side as he looked down at her. Arsenic coughed up more blood, weakly looking up at Jack with her hands pulled away from her ears.

"...Arsenic..." Jack uttered, as he set a hand on her.

Finally, Arsenic was able to breathe again. "…Jack…you…" and then she coughed again.

"...don't strain yourself..." Jack uttered, as he smiled a small tad. "...you're safe, Arsenic."

More tears dripped from her eyes when she shut them, just as more blood dripped from her lip. Jack tried wiping some of the blood off her. "...we're going to get out of here... we're going to be fine..." he uttered in an attempt to comfort her.

"…you…didn't have to do that…for me…" Arsenic uttered.

"...I had to." Jack uttered. "Our promise, remember? I wasn't going to break it..."

"…but…I was never even sure if I could keep mine…" Arsenic uttered. "…even when we made the promise…"

"...I see..." Jack hummed in response. "...but now... I want both of us to keep our promise... together..."

Arsenic looked up at Jack in anguish. "…don't you get it…? I never cared whatever happened to me…It didn't matter how much pain I put my body through…I just pushed my body outside of my limit because I wasn't afraid to die; I didn't have anything to lose…when Husk took my town, I lost something that was actually still important to me, and now…now…"

"...Arsenic..." Jack uttered, as he slowly and gently took hold of her hand.

"…now…you…you make me afraid to die now…" she uttered. "…you're…you treated me like a decent person…when no one else did…besides my parents…and now I'm afraid to die now…because…you'll be all I have left…"

Jack's eyes widened. "...Arsenic..."

Arsenic turned over her head and cried weakly, coughing just a little here and there. Eventually, Jack managed to cradle her in his arms; closing his eyes as he held her gently. "...Arsenic... I... I don't really know what to say..."

Arsenic trembled in his hands with ache, shutting her eyes to try and keep from crying but the tears kept coming anyway.

"...I've... never really been in this kind of situation before..." Jack continued, as he still held her so softly. "...especially... since I just realized something... something I didn't think was possible for me anymore..."

Arsenic had a pretty good feeling what it was, listening and letting Jack go on. "...it's..." What the shade had said, about Arsenic possibly rejecting him... in spite of that possible fear, Jack continued. "...I... I don't really know how to say this, but... I... really, really, really, really, _really..._ like you, Arsenic." Jack closed his eyes after saying that. "...I like you... more than just as a friend..."

Arsenic managed to wipe her eyes a little bit. "…and that's…what you just realized…?"

"...yeah... fighting that shade put a lot of things into perspective..." Jack nodded. His eyes remained closed. "...I... I get it, if you... don't like me the way I like you..."

"…what about…your fear…?" Arsenic asked. She could feel herself getting dizzy, and her vision darkening, which wasn't a good thing.

"...my fear..." Jack uttered, as he closed his eyes. "...well... I did say that fighting the shade put things into perspective... it let me look my fears dead-on..."

Then, he smiled at Arsenic. "...I think... my fear's gone now, Arsenic."

"…that's…good…" Arsenic said, actually smiling this time. She could feel herself fading more and more from reality. "…and…about…those feelings of yours…don't worry too much about it…" she uttered. "…in fact…I…"

Jack looked at her with widening eyes. "...yes...?"

"…I could tell that you felt that way…even when you didn't know it…" Arsenic muttered. "…and to be honest…it gave me time to realize that…" she coughed a little at that. "…I might've felt…the same way…"

A small, almost inaudible gasp escaped Jack's lips. "...really...?"

"…yeah…" Arsenic shut her eyes at this point. "…and…Jack…all you need to do…is walk the opposite way of that North Star…that's how you'll get back to the town where your friends are…waiting at…"

Then she fell limp in his arms, conking out. Gasping again, Jack quickly set a hand on her chest to feel her heart beat; sighing in relief when he found that it did. "...Arsenic..." he uttered, as he closed his eyes and allowed some tears to fall from his eyes. "...don't worry... I'll make sure to keep our promise..." With that, he picked up Arsenic, and looked up at the sky to see the North Star. "...we're going to get back..." With that said, he turned the opposite direction of that star, and began walking; his gaze fixated on the horizon beyond.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Seeing Jack grow up like this is so...adorable XD<strong>_


	36. Chapter 35

A rainstorm hit this particular town that the four of them walked into, but they reached the destination they were hoping for.

"…Okay…so…he's gotta be somewhere in town…" Ivory huffed.

"...yeah; he lives here, right?" Trish hummed. "I mean... yeah, I never really kept in touch with anyone but Berta after the year ended, but... this has got to be where he's at."

"...unless he moved." Berta grunted, as she rubbed her neck.

Joy didn't say anything on the matter; she ached from all the travelling they had to do, and she was getting soaked in the rain, despite what Trish and Berta gave her to keep warm and dry. Ivory noticed the sorry and tired state that Joy was in, and she picked her up so that she wouldn't have to walk anymore. "C'mon, let's go ask around town," Ivory said, walking on. "I'm pretty sure people would know each other here."

"...right... seems small enough for it to sound plausible..." Berta grunted.

So they entered town, and they started talking to people. Most people knew Cowpoke, but not where he lived.

Ivory got tired of carrying Joy and set her down, with her to follow her. Ivory then ended up talking to someone else, and Joy looked around the area they were at.

Then her eyes fell on someone.

They were sitting out in front of a large bar in the rain with a large cowboy hat and a trench coat to keep themselves dry, and they had a bottle of something that they drank, with hiccups every now and then.

The person Ivory inquired Cowpoke about pointed at the said man, and Ivory turned around. Blinking, Trish and Berta looked towards that man as well.

"…so you're telling me…that drunk bum…is Cowpoke?" Ivory asked the one she was talking to, and they nodded.

Joy decided to walk on up to this man called Cowpoke. It wasn't until she stopped right by his feet when he looked up at her…and he gave a startled jump with wide eyes. Joy could see this man was a bloodhound, though he looked rugged, and looked like he hadn't seen a shower in a while. Joy just stared back at him while he gawked at her.

"...geez, what the hell happened to him?" Berta uttered, as he looked at him.

"Must've hit some hard times..." Trish observed.

Slowly, Cowpoke got up, a bit woozily since he seemed drunk, but he managed to rise to his knees so he could kneel down to Joy and look at her. Joy didn't move one bit, finding him vaguely familiar.

"…Joy…sweetheart…is that you?" he finally uttered with a hoarse voice.

Though Joy seemed surprised that the man knew her name, she nodded. Both Trish and Berta looked at him warily.

Cowpoke set down his bottle, which was an alcoholic drink, and he touched her shoulders. "…by god…you grew…you went from a little tiny munchkin to a…regular munchkin…"

"…Ivory said that you knew my Mama when I was a baby…" Joy said.

Cowpoke got a sad look, and he nodded. Then he hiccupped, but he covered his mouth so Joy didn't have to smell his bad breath.

Next thing Joy knew, she started to hear Cowpoke break into tears and sob. "Goddamn I miss that woman…I had no idea all of this was gonna happen to her…"

Joy just watched him in astonishment…and started to feel uncomfortable about this.

Just then, Ivory yanked Cowpoke to his feet, and slapped him across the face. "Get ahold of yourself," she snapped at him. "This isn't the Cowpoke I knew back in Safe Haven."

Cowpoke gave Ivory a startled look, but now he was much more coherent and sober after he had been slapped. He blinked a few times at her.

"...man, you must've hit the dumps really bad, Cowpoke." Trish noted, as she and Berta walked over to Cowpoke as well.

Cowpoke looked over at them. "…Trish? …Berta?"

"Been a while, hasn't it?" Berta hummed.

"…uh, yeah," Cowpoke answered. "…what have you guys been up to?"

"…didn't you have a boy to look after Cowpoke? Where is he?" Ivory grunted.

"…he's uh…with my buddies at the moment…" Cowpoke muttered.

Ivory glared at him. "…and how often to you get your ass wasted like this?"

Cowpoke was the one to glare at her. "Now wait a minute; are you accusing me of abandoning my son?"

Ivory then smirked. "There we go. That's the Cowpoke I know."

Cowpoke yanked himself away from her, and then looked down at Joy. "…what about her?" he asked. "What's going on Ivory? Why isn't she with her mother?"

Joy looked away uncomfortably, and Ivory sighed. "…it's complicated Cowpoke. It's really best that we try and explain it to you when we get to your house."

"…my house, right," Cowpoke answered, wobbling a little bit.

"...here, let me." Trish hummed, as she took Cowpoke's arm and hung it around her shoulder. "And after we explain what's going on, you should rest up."

"…right…" And Cowpoke walked with them, leading them through town.

Eventually, they got to a big house toward the edge of town, and he stumbled his way up there, opening the door. "…guys…we got visitors…" he called in.

Another bloodhound, who was much, much younger that Cowpoke but looked alike to him, ran around the corner in excitement. "Dad! You're home!" he exclaimed.

Then he stopped when he saw who else was in the door with him. "…Oh! Ivory, Trish, Berta! I haven't seen you guys in a long time!"

"Hi Mud-Pie," Ivory hummed. "You've certainly grown since I last saw you."

"You sure have." Trish hummed with a chuckle. "How's Smokey, Rott and Merde doing?"

"They're doing really good," Mud-Pie answered. "But I'm just glad my dad came home!"

Ivory looked over at Cowpoke suspiciously and he looked away.

Mud-Pie then looked over and noticed Joy. He stared at her. "…hey…I remember you…"

Joy looked back at him. "...hm?" Berta glanced from Mud-Pie to Joy with a raised eyebrow.

"…you're that baby, aren't you?" Mud-Pie asked.

Joy nodded. "Yeah."

"…wow, you're not a baby anymore," Mud-Pie said in surprise. "…and you look really hurt. Did something happen?"

"Listen, Mud-Pie, can you go tell the guys we got people that are gonna stay over here?" Cowpoke asked.

"Sure Dad!" and he ran out of the room.

Joy looked uncomfortable being here right now, and Ivory noticed it. "Don't worry too much about it Joy; we'll get things figured out, okay?"

Joy nodded in response, walking into the house with the others.

Cowpoke made a sad frown. "…damn it, I can't look at a face like that."

"Oh, grow a pair, will you?" Ivory groaned.

Cowpoke glared at her then. Trish and Berta just glanced at them with a silent hum.

"…So what's going on?" Cowpoke asked.

"We're gonna gather your buddies and your son up after Joy's gone to sleep before we explain anything," Ivory replied. "And from what I remember, Sage actually showed you Condit's past, so it'll be a lost easier to explain it to you."

"…right…" Cowpoke muttered, pulling away from Trish to walk into the house.

They all walked into the living room where a doberman, a pit bull, and a giant pug were sitting.

"...welcome back." the pitbull hummed as he looked at Cowpoke.

"And you've got some guests, too." the doberman hummed as he looked at the three women. "Ivory, Trish and Berta... haven't seen you in years."

"Likewise, Rott." Trish hummed with a nod to him, before she looked at the pug and the pitbull. "Nice to see you again, Smokey, Merde."

The pug, Smokey, nodded with a grunt. Then when Joy walked into the room, he looked down. "…it's the Condit's girl…"

"...what's she doing here?" the pitbull, Merde hummed curiously.

"Long story." Berta grunted.

"…Mud-Pie, do you think you could find a place for Joy to sleep?" Cowpoke asked, sitting down with a sigh.

"Sure dad," Mud-Pie said. "…c'mon Joy; you can sleep in one of our guest beds."

"…okay," Joy said, and Mud-Pie led her off out of the living room.

When they had left, Trish and Berta found some vacant seats to sit down on. "...so... where to start..." Trish hummed, as she glanced up at the ceiling.

"…okay…so Cowpoke knows the story behind Condit…but I don't know if the rest of you know," Ivory said.

"Don't worry…he told us…" Smokey replied.

"…yeah…a little after we saw the news about Metal Sonic's capture by GUN, I eventually had to tell 'em…" Cowpoke muttered.

Berta grunted, as she folded her arms. "...well, I don't know about it."

"Why not?" Merde inquired.

"Well, we were never as close to Condit as you were, Cowpoke." Trish hummed.

"…right…" Cowpoke muttered. "…well, to put it simply, Jill was involved with Miles 'Tails' Prower, Shadow the Hedgehog, Captain Charmy the Bee…and even Metal Sonic himself…"

Berta gawked at that. "...you're kidding." she uttered.

"…nope, I'm not kidding," Cowpoke replied. "The reason she got involved with them was because of a monster called Deity Novagod. He's a vampire that created a power called Corruption; a dark power that rip people apart from the inside and bring out the worst in them, as well as bring back the dead, create illusions, all that… When Jill got away from him, she was…a mess. Miles 'Tails' Prower took her in to nurse her back to health, and ever since, she had been with them… until Metal Sonic appeared to the public, that is."

"And the government was wrong about Shadow stopping Metal Sonic," Cowpoke added. "…Shadow had died in the battle with him. It was Jill who stopped him in his tracks back then."

Trish gawked. "...really?" she uttered.

Cowpoke nodded. "…she and her friends battled with Metal Sonic…and then a certain little troublemaker called Callous came into play and that's when things started going awry. You see, Callous is a chunk of Jill's soul that Deity ripped out to create out of Corruption; an alter-ego of her. She worked for Metal Sonic a bit, but then he knew that she was too much to handle, even for him."

"…then Deity Novagod came back…and Metal knew that he had to get rid of these new enemies," Cowpoke added. "…so he made a truce with Jill; the only one that could fight them."

"...huh..." Berta uttered.

"...wait, hold on... Callous?" Trish uttered. "I... think I remember that name. Didn't you say that name when Jill saved you from Hex five years ago?"

"…yeah, about that…" Cowpoke muttered. "…Metal Sonic was training Jill for a battle with her on a wager that if she lost, she'd have to give the chunk of her soul back, and vice versa. Callous decided to use a voodoo doll on Metal Sonic to nearly destroy him, as leverage to make Jill forfeit the battle. What you don't know is that Jill and Metal have bonded during the training…and through that, Jill actually started to change Metal Sonic, as well as grow fond of him."

"…so when Callous tried to make her quit, Jill stabbed herself to sacrifice herself for Metal, which also killed off Callous because of the soul they shared."

"...so, wait... both of them died?" Berta uttered.

"Yeah…" Cowpoke answered. "…but yet, she's alive, because you both know we saw her at Safe Haven those few years ago."

"…that's because Metal Sonic actually brought her back to life, and in doing that, Callous joined back with Jill," he continued, answering whatever questions the would've had on that. "The side effect was, though, that Callous' consciousness still resides in her…so that explains why she acts different when her eyes turn red. That's Callous taking over her."

"...oh..." Trish hummed, as she nodded a bit.

"…they took the battle to Deity then, and some guy from King's and the group's past. The guy's name was Johnny, and though he was killed in King's time, he was brought back to life by GUN, and then Corrupted by Callous. Anyhow, her death didn't bode well with this Johnny guy, so while it seemed like he killed Deity, Deity was only feeding on his hate and his energy to grow powerful enough for one final battle…one that Jill and Metal Sonic beat him at…"

"…but Deity pulled a dick move and stole her voice before he died."

"...so... that's why she's a mute..." Trish murmured.

"…Deity didn't stop there; his soul continued to rage against them, even after he had died," Cowpoke said. "…there's a thing you can do with Corruption, and I guess Unity… is that they can absorb souls. At first, Jill tried to absorb Deity's soul. Metal Sonic didn't want that…not after she sacrificed herself for his sake. So he pushed her out of the way and he absorbed Deity's soul, sealing the vampire away inside of him instead."

"...so... Metal Sonic actually decided to do something heroic to save Condit?" Berta uttered in disbelief. "...sheesh... must've been one hell of a bond they grew during training..."

"Yeah…and he held himself away from the public. That's why no one ever heard from him again," Cowpoke said. "…all that, along with losing Joy's father to some damn robbers…it messed up Jill really bad…"

Cowpoke grew solemnly sad and looked at the ground. "…that's why she came to Safe Haven…to recover from all that history and trauma."

"...well..." Berta uttered, as she rubbed her neck. "...shit... now I feel bad for bullying her back then..."

"Now's the time I get to explaining what happened," Ivory began. "Cowpoke, a few years after our year at Safe Haven, Metal Sonic showed up at Safe Haven."

Cowpoke shot a shocked look at her. In fact, just about everyone looked at Ivory in shock at that.

"Because she ran away from what happened to her lover and Joy's father, none of her old friends knew where she was," Ivory said. "So Metal Sonic got curious and came to Safe Haven, to find her and a 3 year old Joy. He felt guilty about what happened to Joy's father, and even though he still had that vampire sealed inside of him, he stuck around for their sake. King and his group had all been part of Jill's history too, so they were fine with it. Metal got to meet jerks like Raider and Hex and Spiel and whatnot…"

"…really?" Rott uttered. "What was that like?"

"Well, Joy was explaining all this to me, so I really don't think she knew what happened there," Ivory said. "…her mother disappeared for a few days, and though Metal told her that it was just a mission she was going on, Joy could tell that he was…really worried."

"...really...?" Merde hummed.

"...huh..." Trish rubbed her head upon hearing that.

Ivory sighed then, and looked at Cowpoke. "…Cowpoke, I don't know how to break it to you on this one…"

"…what?" He asked.

"…Well, Condit came back from her disappearance, and she and Metal…" she rubbed her neck. "…how am I gonna put this…?"

Berta narrowed her eyes as she quickly began fitting the pieces together. ...you can't be serious, Ivory...

Cowpoke's eyes widened, suddenly putting the pieces together too; "…wait a minute…"

Ivory sighed and looked at Cowpoke. "…yeah…they…got together…y'know…"

"...what." Trish uttered with wide eyes and a flat tone. "...how... the hell... does that work?" she added.

"…what do you mean?" Ivory asked.

"...what do you mean, 'what do you mean'?" Trish sputtered. "Ivory, Metal Sonic is a robot. You tell me how that works on any kind of level!"

"…oh!" Ivory blurted. "Guys, haven't you seen the news? He isn't a robot anymore!"

Both Trish and Berta gawked at that. "...what."

"...yeah, it was hard to believe when we first saw it, too." Rott noted.

"…Metal Sonic has the ability to copy powers…naturally, he copied Corruption, Unity, and another power called Purity," Cowpoke uttered, though he was still trying to handle the news he had been given earlier. "…when…Jill died…those powers reacted to his grief…and it transformed him. Those powers react to the emotions of the user, and Metal's grief and guilt for her death was strong enough that it turned all of him to living, breathing flesh."

"…though from what we saw on the news, he has a mechanical leg and a mechanical eye," Ivory added.

"...so, what exactly made him into a half-Mobian, half-robot again?" Berta inquired; "If he was supposed to have become fully Mobian, then what happened there?"

"…that I'm not sure about," Ivory muttered. "…I'm guessing that Deity was more damaging on him than most people would think…"

"...hm..." Trish hummed, as she rubbed her head a bit in wonder.

"…I remember how that happened…" Cowpoke suddenly uttered. "…Ivory, you were right about Deity being damaging…when he absorbed Deity's soul into him, it opened up a lot of wounds on him…and even reverted some of him back to his mechanical state…though I guess it seems like only his leg and his eye remained mechanical…"

"...really, now?" Berta hummed.

"…yeah…" Cowpoke muttered, looking away.

Ivory frowned. She wondered if Cowpoke had still been waiting for Jill all these years, so that's why she wasn't sure about the news. "…but anyway…because of that, Deity was able to somehow go from Metal's body into Condit's body without any of them knowing…and Condit's powers started reacting to it."

"...negatively, I'm guessing." Trish hummed.

"Yeah," Ivory said. "Strange things were going on at Safe Haven, so King decided to have a tournament to help the soldiers relax a bit, though it didn't sound like the tournament itself was relaxing. Metal went up against Spiel and got brutalized…and just when Condit went up against Spiel, her powers came out. Believe it or not, she was a match for him."

Cowpoke didn't seem surprised with what he saw in Jill's past, but the others…

"...she could match Spiel?" Berta uttered in disbelief.

"…Yeah, I honestly wish I could've seen it myself…" Ivory hummed. "…but before we could see who'd win that battle, that's when the real hell started…"

Everyone fell silent; waiting for Ivory to continue.

"A fire broke out in the jungle, and that interrupted the tournament. Meanwhile…Diablo was a crazy fucker back then because of what this creature called Meta did to him; so was Kiri, and the two of them kidnapped Joy during that craziness. See, they wanted to draw out Callous from Jill, and when Metal, banged up as he was, tried to save Joy, they captured him too."

Cowpoke grew angry, clenching his fists.

"…but when they lured Jill to them, it isn't Callous they drew out," Ivory spoke. "It was Deity Novagod."

"...damn..." Trish uttered.

"Callous forced Deity into Diablo, and from there, Kiri, Raider and Hex got Corrupted," Ivory said. "And this huge outbreak of Corruption happened all over the island. Condit used her powers to create a barrier around the island to make sure none of it got to the outside world."

"...sheesh... heavy..." Berta hummed.

"…now, here's another surprising part, guys," Ivory hummed. "Condit and Metal Sonic have all these powers…but then there's Joy. She's Condit's daughter…so what do you think that means?"

Cowpoke looked back at Ivory. "…you mean…she has her mother's power…?"

"…that little girl…she was a really strong little girl back then," Ivory said. "…when Will's group got Corrupted, she was able to bring them back…"

Cowpoke's eyes widened at that.

"...seriously?" Merde and Rott could only gape when Ivory brought that factoid up.

"Yeah; in fact, each of the Corrupted they faced,; Hex, Raider and Kiri… all of them got brought back from those dark powers by Joy," Ivory said.

Then she looked away. "…even…me…"

"…Ivory? You got Corrupted?" Cowpoke stood up at this point.

Ivory growled. "…it's from the recent events that have been happening, but I'll get there when I get there…" She looked back at him. "Sit down, Cowpoke, and let me explain the rest of the story."

Cowpoke sat back down, but he watched Ivory while she continued. "The last one was Diablo… but at the same time, Spiel was planning to overthrow King and take over Safe Haven to make into his own domain of soldiers. Though his plan wasn't the best timed, because Diablo got to Spiel, and Deity decided that Spiel would be more of a worthy host…so he jumped bodies and tried to take over him."

"...shit... if he could take over someone like Spiel..." Berta grunted.

"…he didn't take over Spiel though…" Ivory said. "…Spiel repressed Deity and gained his powers…and he was then the most unstoppable soldier on that island."

"…no way…" Cowpoke uttered.

"...so, hold on..." Trish uttered. "...this unstoppable being who created Corruption and caused all this bullshit in Condit's life... you're telling me that Spiel was stronger than him?"

"Spiel's will was strong enough to repress Deity's control, with the benefits of his power," Ivory said.

"...holy shit..." Trish uttered. "...I mean... I knew that Spiel was strong, but this sounds absolutely ridiculous."

"Yeah…" Ivory said. "…well, Krieg got in the way of one of his attacks for Condit's sake, which is what killed him. Spiel got angry on a rampage, and did something that everyone else thought he did."

"…they all thought that he killed Joy."

Utter silence was their response to her.

"…technically, she didn't…I don't know how this works, but her soul was yanked out before she was hit," Ivory muttered. "…you see…the soul of her dead father was there, with her."

"...really?" Trish uttered.

Ivory nodded. "He told her that they needed to fight Deity inside to stop Spiel…and that's just what they did. Little Joy faced big bad Deity…and she beat him."

Cowpoke stood up again. "…you've got to be joking…"

Ivory shook her head. "I'm not joking…that's how powerful Joy was, and is."

"...holy shit..." Trish uttered again, as she rubbed her head.

"...so... what exactly happened to Spiel, then?" Berta eventually inquired.

"…Deity possessing him apparently sped up an illness that he happened to have…" Ivory said. "…and when Joy's soul returned to her body…Spiel died."

"...damn..." Berta uttered. "...he was that strong, all while being sick to boot? He never seemed sick to me..."

"None of us really knew about it…" Ivory muttered, "…but in the end, Joy used the legendary Seven Chaos Emeralds that Metal brought and she purified the entire island from Corruption. From there, Raider didn't remember being a bad guy, Hex left the island to think twice about the life she's lived, and Kiri ended up going with some of Condit's friends to Mystic ruins."

"…Diablo, though…he ended up in confinement because he was an absolute nightmare after Deity had possessed him."

"...hm..." Merde folded his arms upon hearing that.

"…to be possessed by a monster like that…I wouldn't be surprised," Cowpoke muttered.

"…okay…now we're gonna go into the details of what's been happening recently…and I'm gonna tell ya that it isn't pretty," Ivory muttered.

"...considering the story so far, I'm not surprised." Berta grunted.

Ivory sighed.

"…inside Joy…there's a dark entity…"

Trish blinked at that. "...you mean... like her own version of Callous?" she assumed.

"…yeah…" Ivory said. "…in fact, from what Joy told me, this entity told her that Callous and that guy Johnny are its parents…"

"…how does that work?" Cowpoke uttered.

"I don't know!" Ivory yelled back. "Joy told me everything that happened on Safe Haven but when it came to what's going on now, she didn't want to share very much!"

That sat Cowpoke back down in his chair.

"All I know is, because this entity is just as powerful as her, and able to use Corruption, she ran away from her friends and family afraid that it was going to hurt them, so Joy has been travelling all over the place just to figure out how to fight this thing," Ivory finished.

"...geez... and she's still had no luck, then?" Rott murmured. "Poor girl..."

"…I did my best to help her out, before that…bastard…showed up and corrupted me…" Ivory uttered with a shiver.

"…who?" Cowpoke asked.

"…he calls himself…Bulk…" Ivory muttered, holding her head, trying to remember. "…because of that outbreak of Corruption at that base…more and more are getting corrupted…Deity Novagod apparently had a niece; Patricia Novagod…and a few others…they're trying to build an army full of corrupted."

"...right..." Berta grunted. "...Ivory and this poodle showed up when Joy stumbled upon me and Trish. Joy managed to overpower and purify her before things could get out of hand..."

"…yeah…" Ivory muttered. "…King's entire group is trying to look for her…Metal's looking for her…but Condit? If I remember correctly, she's still at Safe Haven because it's shut down and supervised by the GUN military."

"...right... with the blockade, and everything..." Trish nodded.

"…So…Cowpoke…" Ivory looked at him. "…I came to you, because out of all of us, you really know Condit and her history the most…we need to know what to do here, because I can't help Joy any more than I already have…"

Cowpoke grew thoughtful, looking away from them. Trish and Berta looked back at him as well.

"…I'll have to think about it," Cowpoke said.

"…right…I can understand that…" Ivory hummed.

"…meanwhile…you guys make yourselves at home; you've had a lot going on…" Cowpoke muttered.

"...thanks." Trish hummed. "We appreciate it."

"…and what about you; gonna be able to process all this?" Ivory wondered, folding her arms.

"…just give me a bit…" Cowpoke muttered, walking out of the room.

The other three dogs watched him leave.

Smokey shook his head. "…Since we saw the news report, Cowpoke gets drunk…a lot…"

"...not a pretty sight at all." Merde commented.

"...yeah, I'll bet..." Berta grunted.

"…that doesn't seem like the best for his son…" Ivory muttered.

"...no..." Rott sighed. "...well... it's not like he neglects him because of the news; far from it."

"Then what the hell does he do all day?" Ivory sighed. "I only saw him this down after that incident he had with Hex back at Safe Haven…"

Both Rott and Merde fell silent, as they glanced at Smokey to elaborate. Trish and Berta glanced at the pug with raised eyebrows.

"…during the night…he gets drunk…" Smokey muttered. "…during the day, he sulks…unless he spends time with Mud-Pie…but after that, he has him stay here while he wanders around…that's not like him…"

"...geez... hard times for 'im, huh?" Berta assumed. "Wonder if he'll pull himself out of that habit..."

"…he'd better," Ivory muttered. "…but with all that being said and done…I'm gonna rest so that I can keep watch over the night."

Smokey looked at her strangely. "…why?"

"…because…while her friends and family are looking for her, she's also being chased by those corrupted maniacs…" Ivory muttered, sitting down on the couch and laying down on it. "…we need someone to make sure no one tries to sneak out with her…"

"...right. We should all be wary of our surroundings from here on out..." Trish nodded.

* * *

><p>The walk away from the ruined Riverton had been a thankfully uneventful one, which, considering their current situation, suited Jack perfectly. No one to hound them, no one to ask any complicated question, no Corrupted soldiers trying to ambush them while Arsenic was still injured...<p>

...still, wandering through the night, with quite a few hours spent just walking away from the town, was starting to take its toll on Jack; especially as he had to carry Arsenic all the way through the empty plains, and were now wandering through a forest.

As they came to a clearing by a flowing river, Jack eventually just had to sit down and take a breather; gently placing the unconscious Arsenic by his side, before he lay down on the grass to look up at the starry sky.

…then suddenly, he heard a faint pained grunt.

Jack perked upon hearing that, as he quickly sat up and looked down at Arsenic with wide eyes. "...Arsenic?"

Arsenic was holding her chest, and for the most part, it looked like she was just starting to wake up. Jack looked down at her with a growing smile; thankful that she was awakening.

Arsenic eventually blinked her eyes open. "...Jack...? Are you there...?"

Jack nodded, and set a hand on her. "I'm here, Arsenic... I'm right here." he said.

When Arsenic saw him, she sat back against the tree and relaxed a bit. "...where are we?"

"...south of where we started." Jack explained, as he looked around him. "It was getting late, so... I decided that we should take a break for the night..."

"...right..." Arsenic muttered. She cringed a little because she was still in a lot of pain, but despite that, she reached into the pocket of her sweatshirt and pulled out a rag. It looked like it had been in use a lot.

"...could you...soak this in that river water?" Arsenic asked; "so I can clean my blood off of me?"

Jack nodded a few times, as he gently took the rag from her, before he soaked it in the water. "...you've used this a lot, huh?" he assumed, as he glanced back at Arsenic.

"Yeah," she muttered.

Nodding, Jack wrung out the excess water from the rag, before he handed it back to her. "...here you go..."

"Thanks..." Arsenic said, taking the rag. Starting with her mouth, she proceeded to wipe off the dried blood on her body. She winced every now and then in her pain, but she didn't complain.

Looking at her as she cleaned the blood off her, Jack tilted his head. "...did you... ever get this hurt when you were alone?" he inquired.

"Not this badly...but...yeah," Arsenic answered.

"...I see..." Jack hummed, as he looked at Arsenic a bit sadly. "...it... must be hard..." he assumed.

Arsenic looked down at the ground away from him. "…once again…back then…it really didn't matter what happened to me…"

Jack remained silent, as he tilted his head a touch.

"…I must've looked like an idiot…" Arsenic mumbled.

"...no, you didn't." Jack uttered in a confused tone; wondering why she referred to herself as an idiot.

Arsenic didn't say anything else, but Jack could see that she was still depressed over what happened. Feeling bad for her, Jack scooted a bit closer to her, and set a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"…what do you think he did to them…Jack…?" Arsenic mumbled. "…are they zombies now…? Did he kill them…?"

Jack glanced away from her. "...the entire town was empty..." he murmured. "...I think... he took them back to their place... to Corrupt them..."

"…so…I don't have to assume they're totally gone…" Arsenic muttered. "…but…I can't really hope for the best right now either…"

"...probably not..." Jack murmured, as he sighed. "...worst case... they send them after us..."

"…they wouldn't waste a resource like them on us…they'd send him again…or that cat…or whatever stronger force they've gone…" Arsenic muttered. "…they need all the cannon fodder they can get…"

"...but... for what?" Jack sighed, as he rubbed his neck.

Arsenic sighed. "…they need useless numbers to take the damage so that the higher ups can still carry on without a care….that's what I mean by cannon fodder."

"...I know that, but... why are they building up so much cannon fodder?" Jack explained. "What are they building up for? To attack something? In that case, what are they gonna attack?"

"…they're probably gonna attack a force that is still capable of stopping them," Arsenic said. "…I don't think the GUN military is what they're aiming for, either…they haven't made huge attacks on everything yet, so something is holding them back…"

Jack sighed. "...and the really sad thing is that... we can't really do too much about their forces..."

"…nope…" Arsenic muttered. "…the only ones that can really do anything about that is the girl you're looking for, her mother…and Metal Sonic…"

Jack nodded a bit solemnly at that. Arsenic sighed after that, and just remained silent again.

"...Arsenic." Jack eventually uttered, whilst still looking away from her.

"…yeah?" Arsenic responded, though she didn't look at him either.

"...what you said... back in town..." Jack began a bit awkwardly, as he rubbed his neck. He seemed unsure on how to proceed, as if he feared that what he said could be taken the wrong way.

Arsenic looked back at him. "…what about it…?"

"...well..." Finally, Jack closed his eyes and tensed a bit; fearing the possible retaliation. "...did you... mean it?"

Arsenic looked at the ground when he said that.

"…yeah, I meant it," she finally answered, closing her eyes.

Jack looked back at her. "...really...?" he uttered.

Arsenic nodded. "…I thought I was gonna die right there…and…guess it was all that emotion finally crashing down on me from stuff I tried to hold back… so deep down, I meant what I said…"

"…but I felt like I had chosen to say it in the lousiest and pathetic of ways…" she muttered.

"...Arsenic..." Jack uttered, as he looked at her sadly. "...you don't have to beat yourself up so much..."

Arsenic just looked up at him in depression, not saying anything. Jack gently set his other hand on her other shoulder, as he looked into her eyes. "...you don't have to feel bad because you got emotional... no one's going to judge you because of it."

Arsenic looked back at him.

"...so please... don't beat yourself up over it..." Jack uttered, but the more he looked directly at Arsenic, the more he found that he couldn't look away from her.

Arsenic also couldn't pull her eyes away, nodding. "…okay…I'll try not to…" and she closed her eyes then. "…but I can't promise anything…"

"...as long as you try... that's good enough..." Jack hummed, as he still looked at her...

...and he began feeling a thumping in his chest; causing him to blush ever so lightly. Arsenic slowly opened her eyes back up, looking at him and noticing his blush. She could only guess what he was feeling right now while he stared at her…

…and quite honestly…she actually did feel her own heart quicken a bit and an unfamiliar warmth started up inside of her. It felt…soothing for her…

As his body warmed up in turn, Jack's blush grew a bit brighter, unbeknownst to him as he just gazed back at Arsenic. It was unfamiliar, and he didn't really know what to do in this kind of situation... but the feeling itself actually felt pleasant to him. While Arsenic had never really experienced this for herself, she knew where it could go…but she wanted to wait to see what Jack would do.

Vague memories came back to Jack, to when he had stumbled upon Ani and Striker while he was Corrupted. The two of them seemed to know what they were doing... but he wasn't entirely sure if he could handle doing something like that, even if the phobia was gone.

Still... there was this small, inner voice in the back of his head that urged him not to back off.

Gulping silently, Jack inched a bit closer to Arsenic; blushing brighter the closer he got. Arsenic watched him, remaining still like she had done so many times before…but even she had to admit at this point, her heart was beating faster.

Jack's breath and heart rate grew faster as it slowly dawned on him what he was about to do, but that didn't stop him from advancing. "...Arsenic..."

"…Jack…" she muttered back. Watching him, Arsenic didn't think Jack was so childish anymore… she realized him as someone else who really cared about her when countless didn't. It started to amaze her more and more the closer he got, wondering if he still had the guts to do this. His heart beating even faster than before, Jack closed his eyes as he subconsciously decided one thing... he would at least try.

With that, he finally managed to gently press his lips against Arsenic's. When Arsenic felt his lips, that's when she really was shocked, but she didn't move so she wouldn't spook him. The rush of emotions and feelings welling up in him was a lot for Jack to take, all through this seemingly simple action; making his heart beat even faster and his blush grow brighter... but he remained gentle; allowing these feelings to simply flow without doing anything to startle Arsenic. Arsenic felt weaker and weaker, realizing just how much she could feel in this; feelings she thought she could never feel.

Throughout this, Jack felt the need to just... hold her closely. Slowly, he moved his hands so that they wrapped around her, as he held her ever so gently and closely; the things he felt building up rapidly. Feeling him hold her, Arsenic warmed up a bit more. She wasn't really able to move because she was still so weak, but she actually felt strangely…comfortable. Jack felt a certain comfort in holding her as well, as he gently stroked her back with one of his hands. Arsenic let out a sigh of content…slowly starting to enjoy this. Jack seemed to be enjoying it as well; made more apparent as, on his end at least, the meeting of lips grew more heartfelt, whilst still remaining so very gentle.

Arsenic weakly put her hands on his chest while he continued. Just the feeling of her fingers against his chest sent chills down Jack's spine; especially as she could feel how quickly his heart was beating. Arsenic, while she shouldn't be surprised, was amazed to feel his heart. Out of curiosity, he moved one of his hands gently towards her chest; wanting to feel her heart as well. Hers was beating fairly quickly but it was faint compared to his that just pounded out of his chest.

He found that it was a strange contrast, but he knew that she was weakened, so that would explain the difference. Eventually, he moved his lips away from hers, so he could look at her with a slightly dazed look; the emotions he felt running higher than ever before. Arsenic looked at him with the same kind of look, feeling feverishly warm.

"...Arsenic..." Jack breathed; setting a hand ever so gently on her cheek. "...that felt... incredible..."

"…yeah…it did…" Arsenic agreed, breathing a little as well.

As he looked at her, he felt his heart racing further, and he grew warmer once again. "...um... c-can I... do it again...?" he asked in a slightly flustered tone.

Arsenic closed her eyes. "…yeah…you can…"

"...okay... thanks..." Nodding, Jack slowly moved in to set his lips against hers now; closing his eyes as he relished the wonderful feeling. Arsenic started to relax and really get into it, pretty much growing unaware of anything else but them. Jack, too, seemed to forget their surroundings completely, as he gently held Arsenic even closer.

Arsenic started to feel something build up she never imagined would…

…all the loneliness she had felt in her life.

She either had denied it all this time, or just never really realized how miserably lonely she had been, and now that she was here with Jack like this…she became more aware of it. It sent a surge of many different emotions in her so suddenly, like what happened hours ago. She felt an overwhelming emotional pain that she tried to keep a grip on, and a growing need for Jack's company. She clutched to him, just a little bit. Feeling her clutch to him nonetheless, Jack felt himself holding her closer; almost as if he felt even a tiny bit of what Arsenic felt right now.

Arsenic felt her heart ache, and soon, she didn't seem very relaxed anymore. She shuddered, and she felt her chest hurt again like it usually did. She held to her chest in agony. Feeling that, Jack opened his eyes and broke away again; looking at Arsenic in worry. "...Arsenic..." he whispered.

Arsenic pressed her face into Jack's chest so he wouldn't see the hurt look on her face again. Jack looked down at her. "...what's the matter...?" he uttered, as he still held her close.

"…I've never…felt so much jumbled emotions before…" she muffled in his chest. "…but I…I guess I was…really lonely after all…"

"...Arsenic..." Jack uttered, as he tilted his head ever so slightly.

Arsenic looked back up at Jack with that hurt look. "...you don't... have to feel lonely anymore..." Jack said, as he gently stroked her cheek with a finger. "...you're not alone anymore..."

Arsenic closed her eyes to feel the strokes on her cheek, actually calming down a bit and not feeling so much pain… Closing his eyes as well, Jack just stroked her cheek as if to comfort her now that she needed it. Arsenic pressed her forehead against his, just getting lost in the moment. In turn, Jack gently set his other hand on her other cheek; wanting to just be close to her.

"…I…never thought I'd have a moment like this…with anyone…" Arsenic whispered.

"...same here..." Jack whispered back to her.

"…you've…really grown up a bit…Jack…" Arsenic whispered.

"...you... really think so...?" Jack whispered back.

"…yeah…" Arsenic answered.

Jack breathed a bit at hearing that, as he inched a bit closer to Arsenic. "...thank you..."

Arsenic actually inched a bit closer as well, growing feverishly warm again. As his body grew warm once more, Jack set his lips against hers once more. Arsenic breathed at his kiss, touching his warm chest. Making sure to be gentle as he kissed her, Jack kept gently stroking her cheeks; shivering at her touching his chest. Arsenic even forgot about how much pain her body was in while they kissed.

As he kissed her, Jack's thoughts wandered. He found that, given that he had lived at least seven years in utter fear of this concept thanks to Milo, and even how he had pretty much been raised to be as innocent as a child... he was taking this fairly well. He didn't really know why that was, either; by all means, this should be foreign to him, and a small part of him wondered why he wasn't crept out by the implications this had...

...but while he was together with Arsenic like this, thoughts like that didn't really seem to matter.

Arsenic's own take on her experience didn't really take away from the moment. She found it curious, though, that after all this time of being tough, and alone, and indifferent to everything around her…she had eventually given in to the emotions she felt deep down inside of her that she ignored for so long. She was also with someone who had been totally sheltered from the outside world of reality, and had been traumatized… not the first person she'd imagine being here, holding her, kissing her…

She was right… Jack had grown a bit more mature… and it was just astonishing how he seemed to handle this so well… Arsenic couldn't help but be impressed on a personal level.

She was getting more lost into his touch and his lips, entranced by them, so she didn't do very much thinking after that. Jack, too, seemed to just forget thinking about it as he held and kissed her so gently, as he grew lost in just how overwhelmingly good it felt. Arsenic actually reached up and touched his cheeks while she kissed him back. Jack found her touch pleasant, as he kept stroking her cheeks so gently amidst their kiss. Arsenic started to stroke Jack's mane softly. He couldn't help but sigh pleasantly at her touch, as he held her closer. Arsenic kissed him dearly in the meantime.

The more he kissed her, though, the more Jack began thinking back to what the shade had taunted him with; how he'd enjoy touching her... and he found, just from stroking her cheeks, that he did enjoy it...

...but the shade was thinking from a skewed viewpoint. If both he and Arsenic felt the same way for each other, they didn't have to do just that...

...but... now that he thought about it, the thought was stuck in the back of his mind...

It didn't keep him from kissing her dearly in return, though. Arsenic managed to wrap her arms around him and touch his back. A tingling feeling shot down Jack's spine as he felt her fingers touch his back, as he held her closer still. Just the thought of her touching his bare back... it sent more of those thoughts through his head... Arsenic's hands stroked Jack's back, and even stroked the back of his shoulders a little bit. Just the feelings that came to him from her touch was pleasant enough, but Jack's thoughts had wandered to the extent that he wanted to touch her bare back as well...

...but he wasn't entirely sure if that would be right of him; especially with her being this wounded. Speaking of which, Arsenic's arms got weak enough that she couldn't hold him anymore, so she pressed them against his chest again. He still enjoyed the feeling of her fingers touching him, as he kissed her slightly deeper. Arsenic breathed when he kissed a little deeper, feeling weaker and weaker again. Slowly, Jack wrapped his arms around her as he kissed her tenderly; making sure to hold her close. Arsenic appreciated and enjoyed it, breathing even more with her heart quickening again.

Jack slowly stroked her back as best he could with her clothes in the way, as his own heart was beating rapidly once more. Arsenic sighed and breathed at that, growing even warmer. Growing warmer with her, Jack began stroking the back of her shoulders as well. Arsenic couldn't at all explain what she was feeling right now, but she was starting to enjoy it more and more. Jack moved a hand to hold the back of her head, and kissed her just a bit deeper still. Arsenic breathed a little more, feeling his chest a little. Jack breathed a bit too from her touch, as he began gently stroking the back of her head. When he stroked the back of her head, he accidentally pushed off her hat from her head to the ground, but Arsenic didn't even acknowledge it while she slowly stroked his chest. Jack shivered more at her touch; feeling content with holding and touching her this way...

...and yet, even if it were just a small part, the thoughts of what the shade had said were still nagging him... Arsenic had no idea what he was going through, and she, herself, was too lost in the moment to really notice, so her strokes went from his chest to his neck. Breathing as he felt her touch him more, Jack slowly began moving the hand stroking her back a bit downwards. Arsenic noticed this and breathed a little more. Though a bit hesitant, Jack eventually slid his hand within her clothes, just to feel and stroke her bare back. Arsenic breathed a little more in a little surprise, though she paid attention to what Jack was going to do. While his thoughts didn't go towards actually undressing her, Jack kept gently stroking his fingers across her back; just enjoying the feeling of her body. Arsenic enjoyed it too, and while Jack felt her back, he could feel that Arsenic actually had a fairly curved body that had been hidden underneath the clothes she wore.

It surprised him ever so slightly, as he kept stroking her and kissing her like this. He grew curious to actually see her body, but those thoughts were pushed back; above all else, he didn't want to do something that Arsenic wouldn't like. Eventually, Arsenic started to wince, and though she enjoyed Jack feeling her back, she was starting to feel the pain all over her body again. Noticing that, Jack slowly pulled away from the kiss to look at her in concern. "...are you okay...?" he asked; worried that he might be hurting her.

"…yeah…I'm okay…" Arsenic replied. "…I just…still hurt is all…"

Nodding slowly, Jack set his hand on her cheek again. "...do you... think we should continue...?" he inquired out of concern. "...if you think we should stop, then..."

"…I don't know is the thing…" Arsenic answered.

"...I see..." Jack nodded.

Arsenic closed her eyes again. "…why did you…stick your hand there?"

Jack blinked, as he glanced to the side. "...I... think that... I wanted to feel your back... like you felt mine..." he answered.

"…I see," Arsenic hummed.

"...um..." Jack closed his own eyes. "...should I... not have done that...?"

"…no, it's fine," Arsenic said, opening her eyes and looking at Jack. "…I just didn't expect you to do that."

He looked back at her. "...so... it's not a bad thing that I did that?"

"…no, it's not," Arsenic said with a nod.

Jack couldn't help but smile just a bit upon hearing that. Arsenic actually smiled a little back at him. Seeing her smile, Jack smiled more. "...you're smiling." he said; glad that she seemed to be getting better.

"…yeah, I guess I am," Arsenic murmured.

Jack tilted his head just a tad. "Seeing you smile... it's really nice."

"…is it?" Arsenic asked.

"Mhm," Jack nodded.

"…well…I'm glad you think so," Arsenic hummed.

Jack nodded again, before he looked up at the sky. "...wonder what the others would think... if they saw us like that..."

"…I don't know…" Arsenic murmured. "…though I'm sure we'll find that out eventually…"

"...yeah..." Jack hummed, before he let out a small yawn. "...nh... tired..."

"…yeah…me too…" Arsenic murmured.

Then suddenly, she felt a couple drops that fell from the sky. "…hm?"

Jack glanced up at the sky as he felt drops landing on his head. "...rain?"

Soon, more and more drops started to fall.

"…we should find a dry spot to stay at," Arsenic muttered.

"...yeah..." Jack nodded. Gently picking up both Arsenic and her hat, Jack looked around to see where the nearest dry spot would be in this clearing. Arsenic was actually a bit surprised that Jack picked her up, but she didn't say anything.

Eventually, Jack headed for a nearby collection of trees; noting that the rain wasn't getting to the base of those trees, which left a dry spot for him to gently set Arsenic down on.

"…thanks," Arsenic said.

"...you're welcome..." Jack said with a light yawn, as he slowly lay down next to Arsenic.

Arsenic looked out at the area they were at, feeling her own eyelids grow heavy. Then it started to get a bit colder as the rain carried on, and she shivered a little. Noticing that, Jack gently wrapped his arms around her to hold her closely. Feeling his body heat, Arsenic didn't shiver anymore, and her head rested on his shoulder. Slowly closing his eyes, Jack found himself gently stroking her back as he grew drowsier. "...g'night... Arsenic..." he whispered.

"…g'night…Jack…" Arsenic mumbled, falling asleep herself.

With that, Jack fell asleep as well; though not before two more words escaped his lips subconsciously...

"...love you..."

* * *

><p>That morning, the group couldn't wait any longer. Vanessa memorized the direction that Jack and Arsenic had taken off to yesterday, and so she was walking down the direction they went, with the rest of the group deciding to follow her. She was getting worried again since they hadn't been back yet, so naturally, she was walking as fast as she could. Those who could fly, like Ani, Striker, Demi, and Charon were up in the skies, circling around to take a better look around in case they could spot Jack or Arsenic before Vanessa could, while the rest of the group followed her on foot.<p>

As they wandered, Kiri remained close to Diablo as she looked around. "...hn..." she sighed; a bit dismayed that there still didn't seem to be any sign of either of them.

Just then, Ani looked off in one direction, and she blinked. "…hm…?" She took a closer look with a squint of her eyes. She saw a group of figures moving through the forest near Vanessa's area…

…then she sensed some familiar energies from them, and she broke out into a smile. "Guys! Guys! Look!" she pointed out in the direction the figures were.

"Did you find them?" Oblivion called up to her.

"No, but I see some of our friends!" Ani exclaimed.

"Who is it?" Kiri called as well.

Demi glanced in that direction as well, and hummed. "...well, I'll be damned..."

The ones in the air came back down for a landing by the rest, and watched as the group of figures headed toward them. At first, they didn't notice.

But the one in the front of the group turned out to be Hunter, and when he glanced forward, he saw them. "Hey, look at that!" he uttered, seeing Charon's group waving at them.

"Dad!" Ani ran to him and threw her arms around him.

"...well... I didn't see this coming..." Queen hummed with a bemused smile.

"Seems like they're alright..." Charon mused, as the two groups finally met together.

"Guys!" King laughed at seeing the other group. "Oh, it's good to see all of you!"

"Yeah, same here," Oblivion said with a smile.

"Nice to see you again Demi," Crystal laughed a little.

Demi chuckled a bit as well. "Good to see you guys, too."

"Kekeke! It's great to see you all again!" Ripper laughed.

"It really is..." Kiri hummed.

Basically, the two groups spent the first few minutes greeting each other with happy smiles and relief, nice to see that each group was doing okay. They even hugged every now and then with a few laughs.

Then Cal took another look at Charon's group. "…wait a minute…where's Jack…?"

Milo sighed. "…we're looking for him…and Arsenic too."

All of King's group stared at him.

"…who's Arsenic?" Dax asked him.

"...someone we met a few days ago." Demi explained.

Sage hummed, as she nodded a few times. "...I see..."

"What'd you figure out, Sage?" Fargus inquired.

"Oh, I'll let you figure it out for yourself." Sage hummed with a small shrug.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Toki asked.

"Later." Sage hummed, as she glanced towards where Charon's group had been searching; which, coincidentally, lead back through the forest. "You haven't checked the woods yet, right?"

"We were just about to, actually," Milo said. "Why? Do you sense them in that direction, Sage?"

"Yup," Sage nodded. "They seem to be asleep; I guess they must've taken shelter in the woods."

Vanessa sounded very relieved to hear that with a sigh. Still, she couldn't help but start off in a run in the direction Sage pointed out.

"Vanessa!" Diablo called out, but that didn't stop the lioness.

Cal hummed. "Better follow her then."

"Right." Natal nodded. "We should hurry."

The whole group all decided to hurry after Vanessa, and Vanessa at least made sure they could follow her, instead of taking off so quickly so that they couldn't see her anymore. They traveled for a bit; Vanessa using her sense of hearing and smell to try and track down her boy.

Thankfully, she found him finally with a few huffs. She stopped, staring at him and Arsenic, seeing his arms around her with her head on his shoulder against that tree. Vanessa could only assume that they took shelter here from the rain that happened last night…

…but seeing Jack huddled up to Arsenic like that was very surprising for Vanessa, and for the rest of the now giant group when they made it to Vanessa and saw Jack and Arsenic.

Kiri peeked out to look at the two. "...huh..."

"...so... that's Arsenic, huh?" Miser mused as she looked at the rat. "...but... why is Jack..."

Sage couldn't help but conceal a bemused smile, as she quickly found out what had happened the night before.

"…I don't know…" Oblivion mumbled. "…as far as we were concerned, Jack was terribly afraid of girls…he wouldn't let one near him like this…"

"…maybe…something really huge happened back in her town?" Diablo assumed. "…I mean…Arsenic looks pretty banged up…"

"...so, they were in her hometown?" King hummed. "Why's that?"

"...rumors had it that... it was taken by Corruption." Demi replied.

"...oooh..." King uttered in slight realization.

"…Arsenic knew it was a trap to lure her in, but she still wanted to go, and Jack just didn't want her to go alone," Striker muttered, and Snap's holographic head looked at Jack and Arsenic a bit sadly.

"…why would they lure her into a trap?" Cal asked.

"She's got these powers over chemicals and stuff," Diablo muttered. "Basically, she could make explosions at the bat of an eye. It was strong enough to keep those Corrupted away from her when they tried to "recruit" her a few days ago."

Nage shuddered. "Geez... if they got that kinda power on their side..." she murmured.

"...well, whatever happened there, it must've been brutal for them to look like that." Queen noted. "We probably shouldn't wake them up yet."

"…yeah…we'll hang around until they do wake up," Hunter agreed. Then he looked at Sage. "Maybe you could tell us how things happened for them yesterday then?" he asked Sage.

"...well, it's lengthy, but I'll summarize." Sage hummed, as she folded her arms. "Seems like the town was attacked by Husk; he was the one who ambushed the two of them in the town. He originally came just for Arsenic, so with Jack there, he had to keep him from fighting alongside her."

"So, they fought a whole bunch?" Fargus hummed.

"Yep," Sage nodded. "While Jack was trapped in a dark void, Arsenic had to throw everything she had at Husk... but it seems like he just overpowered her in the end."

"…Damn…" Cal muttered, looking back over at Jack and Arsenic. "…now I'm really hoping that he didn't try and copy her power…"

"...he didn't get the chance, actually." Sage hummed. "Jack stopped him."

Natal blinked, and looked back at Sage. "...Jack stopped him?" she uttered.

Again, Sage nodded. "He managed to break out from that dark prison he was trapped in, and when Arsenic was just overpowered, he blew Husk away before he could either copy Arsenic power or take her away."

"…seriously?" Hunter uttered.

"…we're…not that surprised, actually," Milo murmured. "Jack's been showing more and more that he can really fight…and…that he's actually very strong."

"…guess it really does run in the family…huh…?" Crystal mused.

"...seems like it." Demi hummed.

"...even more than that," Sage mused, as she folded his arms. "...his phobia... is gone."

"How?" Ani asked her.

"I'm guessing his fight in that black void had something to do with it," Milo assumed.

"Right; he got a chance to face his fears head-on." Sage nodded.

"...and he came out on top..." Miser hummed.

Vanessa smiled at that. "…that's good…that's really good…"

"...so..." Kiri uttered. "...does this mean that... Jack won't have to be awkward around us anymore?"

"…looks like it," Diablo answered her, rubbing her head.

"…thank goodness…" Oblivion said with a smile.

"...alright; I suggest we settle down until they wake up." King hummed. "I think after everything that's happened, we could all deserve a break."

"Right," everyone's response was.

So they all got relaxed a distance away, chatting away. They were just far enough away that they wouldn't disturb Jack and Arsenic.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Wow, you would not believe how hard it is to keep track of all these characters!<em>**


	37. Chapter 36

Jack slowly began coming to, as his eyes flickered just a bit. "...nh..." he uttered, as he slowly opened his eyes. Him waking up woke up Arsenic, and she mumbled a little bit. Then she winced, feeling the pain in her body again.

Blinking, Jack slowly glanced towards her. "...g'mornin', Arsenic..." he uttered with a light yawn.

"…good…morning…" Arsenic muttered.

"...sleep well...?" Jack uttered.

"…for the most part…" Arsenic replied, rubbing her eyes with a yawn.

"...same..." Jack yawned in return, as he slowly sat up. "...mh... rain's stopped..."

"…yeah…" Arsenic responded.

In the distance, they heard some laughter, which made her open her eyes. "…what was that?"

Jack blinked. "...sounds like... laughter." he uttered, as he glanced in the direction of where it came from.

"…is there a camp nearby or something…?" Arsenic muttered warily.

"...I'll... go and check it out." Jack uttered, as he slowly rose to his feet.

"…be careful…" Arsenic whispered to him.

"Right." Jack nodded, as he began slowly walking towards where the laughter came from.

Arsenic just sat back against the tree, and looked down at the ground. She thought about what happened last night between them, and wondered about it. She was really vulnerable last night, and Jack just made everything better…but looking at it now, she still felt a little foolish.

Not that she lied to Jack about how she felt…she really did like him a lot, and last night was…very special for her… but she didn't have very much control over herself. Then she closed her eyes and hummed, figuring that the loneliness that caught up to her after all these years was what made her act that way…

Jack's thoughts, however, were simply on what lied ahead; in case someone they didn't know were close-by, or possibly the enemy. He had to be cautious about it, as he snuck closer towards the laughter.

"Seriously though; why didn't anyone tell me King was gonna be a dad?" exclaimed a voice that Jack heard.

Jack's eyes shot wide open, as he perked up a bit.

"Ah- you don't have to announce it like that!" another voice sputtered: this one being male.

"Well... things happen, you know." a female voice mused with a small chuckle. "We've been busy, so... well..."

"And besides, it's not like there came a time where we could mention it," spoke another male voice.

"Still... this is pretty big news." a different male voice mused. "So, do you know if it's a boy or girl yet?"

"Oh! Oh! He got a letter from her saying that!" the first voice squealed. "Go on King; tell them!"

"Ah- right, right, okay!" the first male voice uttered. "Uh... Tasha told me that she took ultrasound earlier, and... it's a boy."

"A boy?" a younger, female voice uttered. "Wow..."

Jack's eyes widened considerably. The voices... he recognized them. And the news... "...it's really a boy?" At this point, he stepped out, and much to his surprise, there were not only Charon's gang, but King's gang as well.

They all noticed him with surprise. Then they all smiled.

"Yeah, it is! Isn't it cool?" Ani laughed.

"Well, it's nice to see you're awake, Jack," Milo said.

"...it's... really nice to see you all, too!" Jack uttered. "When did you all meet?"

"Just now," Sage chuckled. "We found you and Arsenic sleeping, so we decided not to disturb you for the moment."

"Speaking of; where is she?" Oblivion asked.

"Over here…"

Everyone saw Arsenic limp over beside Jack, putting her hat back on. Jack glanced at Arsenic in concern. "Are you sure you should be walking, Arsenic?" he inquired.

"…don't really know, but don't really give it that much thought…" Arsenic hummed.

"Well, don't hurt yourself any more, okay?" Diablo muttered. "Sage told us what happened with your town…"

"…did she now…?" Arsenic hummed again curiously.

"Mhm." Sage nodded, as she prodded a finger against her own head. "Mind reader."

"…I see…so Husk copied you for those powers…" Arsenic muttered.

"...right. He copied a lot of other powers... but thankfully not yours." Sage remarked.

"...well, you two don't need to stay over there. C'mon, have a seat!" Fargus called to them.

Glancing at Arsenic with a small smile, Jack nodded. "...alright; let's take a seat."

Arsenic nodded at that, and followed Jack to sit near the large group. "…haven't met these guys before…" Arsenic muttered, looking at King's group.

"Well, I guess we can introduce them." Jack said with a smile. "There's King, Hunter, Sage, Queen, Ripper, Miser, Cal, Natal, Crystal, Dax, and... uh..." He stopped when he glanced at the others. "...huh..."

"...let me." Fargus chuckled at that. "My name's Fargus, and that's Toki and Nage."

"...oooh." Jack nodded.

"…I see," Arsenic replied. "…and you already know who I am…so there's the introductions for ya…"

"Right." Nage nodded, as she folded her arms behind her head. "So, how're you liking the group so far?" she asked out of curiosity.

Arsenic simply looked around at everybody.

"…there's a lot of people here…"

"...well, yeah; that's kind of a given." Nage noted. "Is it uncomfortable?"

"…can't tell yet…" Arsenic murmured. "…though I can tell you guys I've been alone almost all my life, so it's definitely something new…"

"...well, you've got good people to keep you company with." Sage mused with a light chuckle. "You needn't worry, Arsenic."

"…I'll take your word for it then…" Arsenic said.

Sage couldn't help but chuckle. After all, she had seen what Arsenic and Jack felt for each other, but she chose not to tell the others about it, just to keep the two from getting too embarrassed... besides, it would be funnier to see the others realize it for themselves.

"…but you two really are alright, right?" Vanessa asked. She knew Arsenic was tough, and Jack didn't seem to have a scratch on him, but she wanted to make sure.

Jack gave her a small nod. "We're both fine, mom." he said with a smile. "...well... Arsenic's still hurt, but aside from that..."

Vanessa nodded, and looked at Arsenic. "…I'm sorry to hear about your town."

Arsenic looked at the ground, not really wanting to be reminded of that. "…you don't have to apologize for it," she mumbled. "…it just gives me even more reason to join you guys…you know…"

"...we're glad that you're here, at least." Kiri shot in.

"…so…why exactly did you join us in the first place?" Cal asked curiously, folding his arms.

"…I ran into Jack when Husk and this cat attacked me…" Arsenic muttered. "…managed to save the two of us, and I noticed he had gotten a phobia from them…so…I guess I decided to help him try and get over his phobia. Since I had been targeted by them, I actually really didn't have much choice to leave…"

"...I see..." Natal hummed, as she adjusted her glasses a touch.

"…but now it seems like Jack doesn't have that phobia anymore," Vanessa said, smiling at Jack, "Right?"

Jack smiled at her, "Right."

"Well then I'm gonna try something to see if it's true!" Ani exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "C'mere Jack!" And she grabbed him in a hug.

"Ah- hey!" Laughing, Jack proceeded to immediately hug her right back. "Not so sudden!"

Ani laughed too. "It's true!"

"He really is cured!" Kiri uttered.

Vanessa smiled at that. She really was relieved to see Jack was cured from his phobia, and she looked at Arsenic, who wasn't looking at anything but the ground. Sage glanced in her direction as well, while Jack began finally conversing properly with his friends for the first time since the incident.

Though they were friendly to her, unlike the many who called her names and spat in her direction, Arsenic still didn't quite feel like she fit in.

Sage hummed at that. It seemed curious, for a loner like her not to feel like she belonged... "...say, Arsenic." she eventually inquired. "What interests do you have?"

"…not enough to make me an interesting person…" Arsenic murmured.

"Oh, don't say that; I'm sure there's something that makes you interesting." Sage chuckled. "Don't be shy, now."

Arsenic looked back up at her, and then looked down at the ground again. "…well…I like the stars in the sky…but I think that's just about it…"

"Well, that's interesting in its own right." Sage mused. "What about the stars do you like, then?"

"…well…some of the stars can tell stories…or help you know where you are…and the different constellations all have stories of their own…" Arsenic mumbled.

"...which are your favorites, then?" Sage hummed. "The stories of the constellations, I mean."

"…there's this one…of Corona Borealis…" Arsenic muttered, "…or Ariadne's Crown."

"Oh, really?" Sage hummed. "Care to tell?"

"…in Greek Mythology…" Arsenic started, "…Minos, the second king of Crete, had a great labyrinth built to confine a ferocious Minotaur. The maze was so complex and confusing that even the designer, Daedalis, was almost unable to find his way back to the entrance."

"Each year, King Minos exacted, as part of his tribute from Athens, twelve of the most handsome or beautiful young people to be placed in the labyrinth as food for the monster. In the third group to be selected was Theseus, King of Athens. Minos' daughter, Ariadne, fell in love with Theseus and offered to help him if he would take her away with him when he escaped. He agreed, and she gave him a ball of magical thread to unwind while he was in the labyrinth so that when he killed the Minotaur he could follow the thread and find his way out again. Theseus attacked and killed the terrible monster and then followed the magical thread and was able to find his way out of the labyrinth. Theseus sailed away from

Crete taking Ariadne with him and went to the island of Naxos where he deserted Ariadne and sailed to his home."

"Ariadne had nowhere to go and was extremely sad when Bacchus, the god of wine and parties, came to her aid. Bacchus had fallen in love with the beautiful Ariadne and treated her with great tenderness. He had a crown made for her with one each of the seven most beautiful jewels to be found mounted in it. Some stories say that there were seven diamonds. When Ariadne died, Zeus placed her crown in the sky and changed the jewels to seven stars, which can still be seen today as the constellation Corona Borealis, Ariadne's Crown," Arsenic finished.

Sage chuckled, as she glanced past Arsenic...

...to see Jack, who had overheard Arsenic telling that story, "...wow..." he uttered.

Arsenic looked back at Jack.

"That's actually a pretty cool story," Striker said.

"Mhm." Jack nodded. "Do you have another one? I'd like to hear more of those stories..."

"…you guys know the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, right?" Arsenic hummed.

"Yeah," Ani answered.

"...According to more Greek Mythology, they were supposed to be bears," Arsenic continued.

"Really?" Jack uttered in fascinated awe.

"...I think I read a bit about it at the Professor's..." Kiri hummed. "...they're also known as Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, right? I just recalled that Ursa means bear..."

"Yeah," Arsenic answered. "Zeus had many human girlfriends, but his favorite was the beautiful nymph Callisto. His secret visits to earth to meet with her only added to Hera's jealousy and determination to get revenge against these women."

"One day, when Zeus was walking through the forest with Callisto, he saw his wife Hera coming. Unable to hide Callisto in time, he turned her into a large brown bear. When Hera arrived, she saw only Zeus walking by himself through the forest. She looked around, searching for someone with Zeus, but saw only an old brown bear. She still did not trust Zeus and insisted that he return to Mount Olympus. Zeus did not want to go because he wanted to change his girlfriend Callisto back into her human form before leaving, but Hera insisted, so Zeus went with Hera, leaving Callisto as a large brown bear."

"Unknown to Zeus, Arcas, Callisto's son who was a great hunter, was out in the woods hunting that day. As chance would have it, he saw this great big brown bear. He put an arrow to his bow, took careful aim, and shot that great bear through the heart. Right before his startled eyes, Arcas watched the bear as it died, changing back into the form of his mother Callisto with an arrow through her heart. Arcas wept loudly for his mother and what he had done to her. When he realized that it was Zeus that had changed her into the bear, he grew even angrier. Zeus, fearing that Hera might hear the cries, went down to earth to try to appease Arcas."

"In order to hide what he had done, Zeus changed Callisto back into a bear and placed her form, as a constellation, into the northern sky as the Big Dipper. He then changed Arcas into the small bear which would be the Little Dipper. As Arcas was being placed into the sky, he turned to look at his mother Callisto. That is why the Little Dipper is curved toward the Big Dipper, so that Arcas can watch over his mother Callisto for all eternity."

"...wow..." Kiri hummed.

"You really like the stories behind the constellations, don't you?" Toki mused.

"…I didn't have anything else better to do other than train myself to use my powers…" Arsenic said with a shrug.

"Well, they're really good stories." Jack noted with a smile.

"Seriously," Nage nodded. "They'd work great as bedtime stories."

"…well…I only know one more…and that's the one on my sign, Scorpio…" Arsenic murmured.

"Oooh, do tell!" Jack said with a growing smile.

"…it was a famous scorpion, commanded by the Greek goddess of the hunt, Artimus, to sting Orion, the mighty hunter, and it caused him to die," Arsenic said. "…that was the punishment Orion received because he killed so many animals for no reason, except to try and impress Artimus. Scorpio was placed in the sky on the opposite end of Orion so there wouldn't be any more conflict, but it was also to remind that it's okay to kill animals to feed yourself and survive, but it was never okay to kill for the sport."

"Oooh..." Jack hummed in awe.

"Like I said, it sounds very interesting." Sage chuckled.

Arsenic didn't say anything. She just looked back down at the ground. Jack blinked. "...is something the matter?" he inquired.

"…but that's exactly what those Corrupted are doing right now…" Arsenic muttered, clenching her hands. "…killing for sport…as well as making that army of theirs…"

Jack fell silent, as he glanced aside.

"...trust me... they're not getting away with it." King suddenly hummed, as he folded his arms.

Arsenic looked up at King for that.

"...just take it from me... we've dealt with this sort of crap before." King grunted. "And even when things really seemed hopeless... we still managed to pull through. And we're gonna do the same now..."

"…so that's the advice you give, hm…?" Arsenic muttered.

"Well, this is the same guy that runs a whole warrior nation," Hunter said.

"Yep; straight to the point, as always," Sage mused.

"...I can't tell if you're being sincere or taking a jab at me." King noted dryly.

"It's probably best that way." Sage chuckled with a light shrug.

"…their numbers kept spreading, though," Arsenic muttered. "…and only two or three can really stop these kind of forces…even if you guys do find the girl, what then?"

King blinked. "...well... when we find her, we take her back to Safe Haven, I'd reckon. We have to resolve that whole thing about the blockade, and from there we'd form a strategy to take out the Corrupted... right?"

"…but what if that dark entity inside of her doesn't want to cooperate?" Arsenic hummed.

King opened his mouth to answer, but he closed it when he found himself unable to answer it right away.

"...we'll have to deal with that when we find her." Natal shot in. "Right now, all we really know about her is that she has it in for Metal. Falling back on the worst-case scenario won't really do us any good."

"But keeping an open mind about it helps you think realistically about this," Arsenic answered. "I'm not being a pessimist. I'm just considering the things that could happen here."

"Right." Natal nodded. "I understand that; I'm not a trained spy for nothing. But... well, in this kind of situation, looking at things in a positive light does help to keep spirits high." she reasoned.

"…guess I am kinda killing the mood, aren't I?" Arsenic asked.

"...well... kinda..." Natal noted. "...but hey, it's understandable; you look at things one way, and we look at it a different way. We can all handle that, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose…" Arsenic mused.

Then she gave a pained grunt, holding her chest again. _Again…? Really…?_

Miser blinked at that. "...what's wrong, Arsenic?"

"…I'm just not the healthiest person around…" she muttered in response.

Cal did a quick scan with his eyes, coming up with something with widened eyes. "…Arsenic…you do realize that you have a lot of problems with your respiratory system; especially your heart…right?"

Arsenic looked away from him.

"...really?" Ripper uttered. "Sounds... really bad, kekeke..."

"…well, I haven't had a heart attack yet…" Arsenic mumbled.

"No…but with things the way they are, you could have one in your early 30s," Cal muttered.

Hearing him say that, Jack looked at Arsenic with widened eyes.

"...maybe it would be best if you went to the hospital?" Queen noted. "How long have you carried these health problems with you, anyway?"

"…all my life…" Arsenic muttered.

"…yeah, you should see a hospital about that," Cal muttered. "…get a transplant for a new heart."

"…don't have the kind of money for that," Arsenic shrugged.

"...well, doing nothing would be even worse," Fargus noted with a hum.

Jack couldn't help but glance from Arsenic to the others with a growing look of concern.

"…but I don't really have a choice in the matter…" Arsenic muttered.

"...have you at least visited a hospital to let someone else know about your condition, then?" Natal inquired.

"…the doctor from my town…" Arsenic muttered. "…but as far as I'm concerned, he's not there anymore."

"...so no one else, then?" Natal sighed. "Look, we could swing by a hospital really quickly; it'd be better in the long run, right?"

"…it would…but that would just keep you guys from your search for that girl…" Arsenic mumbled.

"...but... your health could-" Miser shot in, but she was suddenly interrupted.

"Could we... not talk about that stuff?" Jack uttered, as he clutched to his chest whilst glancing aside. "...it's uncomfortable..."

Everyone glanced at him.

"…sorry…" Cal answered.

Jack didn't respond, as he simply glanced back at Arsenic. Arsenic's eyes were closed in thought. Knowing that Jack was nervous about her health actually made her a tad nervous too…this was surprising. Observing their thoughts, Sage let out a silent hum; especially since Jack's thoughts were conflicting between keeping on looking for Joy and actually getting Arsenic some proper aid.

Arsenic eventually looked back at Jack. "…don't worry so much Jack…I'll still be okay for now…"

Jack nodded slightly. "...okay... just don't overdo it..."

Everyone stared at the two of them for that, and Arsenic eventually noticed it. "…what?" she asked aloud.

"…nothing," Hunter answered.

"...okay..." Jack blinked, as he rubbed his neck a tad.

"…I think that we should start heading out now," Toki threw in, changing the subject.

"...right; we've probably rested up enough for now." King hummed.

"We'll be traveling in a bigger group, so it looks like I'm getting more passengers..." Charon mused with a low hum. "...oh, well; those who'll climb aboard, do so."

"...right." Nodding, Jack stood up, and walked over to Arsenic. "...up you go..." And with that, he picked her up again. "You alright?"

"…um…yeah…" Arsenic answered, not at all expecting Jack to pick her up. In fact, she actually blushed a little at that. Jack smiled a touch, walking over to Charon to climb on his back; making sure to keep a steady grip on Arsenic while he settled down on the dragon's back.

Vanessa watched that to some amazement…and even eventually chuckled to herself while she, too, climbed onto Charon's back.

Kiri didn't seem to get it, as she glanced at Diablo. "...what do you think, big brother?" she inquired quietly as she walked towards Charon. "About Jack and Arsenic?"

"…I think they seem like good friends," Diablo answered, and then he helped her climb onto Charon.

* * *

><p>A sight not a lot of GUN soldiers would expect to see would be the Admiral rushing out of the HQ, and storming through the woods with a narrowed expression. <em>Finally, a breakthrough... and if she wants Condit, then...<em>

It took him little time to actually reach Jill's malt shop, as he quickly hurried up the stairs, and knocked firmly on the apartment door. The door opened, and a surprised Jill greeted the Admiral. "Oh, Admiral!"

"I wish I could talk, but someone else wants to talk to you." the Admiral spoke, as he quickly handed Jill his phone. "She's expecting you, so don't keep her waiting..."

Jill looked at the phone strangely, and took it. "Hello?" she spoke into the phone.

"...it's been a while, Condit."

Jill recognized that voice; "Commander."

"I trust that Adam has told you about the Sergeant... sadly, I must inform you that there's still no change in his condition. He's stable, but he remains comatose."

"…right…my condolences…" Jill hoped that the Sergeant had been better, partly so that she wouldn't be in the house anymore, but she didn't want to show it.

"Appreciated. Now... there's a reason why I called especially for you, and I'm sure you're wondering about that..."

"Yes," Jill replied. "Go ahead."

"Alright... I already know about the ringleaders of the Corrupted forces; Patricia Novagod and Barrage "Bulk" Waters, two of the more dangerous criminals we've apprehended in recent years. Right now, though... well... can you tell me anything more about their current forces, Condit?"

Jill looked down at the ground for this one; considering she faced Patricia two nights ago. "…they've been going around various towns, corrupting townsfolk for their forces…and they've even taken a few well-trained warriors to be their…generals…"

"...aaah... that explains the reports regarding the towns being engulfed..."

"…Patricia and Bulk have even gone as far as Corrupting a couple of former soldiers from Safe Haven," Jill muttered, thinking of Ivory when she said this.

"...oh, dear... can you give me any names, Condit? Maybe some intel on what these Corrupted soldiers are capable of?"

"…one is named Ivory…" Jill muttered. "…I don't know her full name, but she is a capable warrior in strength and weapons, particularly a spear."

"I see... anyone else?"

"…a treasure hunter named Cyrene Margarita Xirgu," Jill answered.

"...her, huh? I've heard of her; supposedly was a partner in crime of Patricia's back in the day..."

"…yeah…though it seems like she was dragged into it unwillingly like the others…" Jill muttered. "…another one I've been told about was a rival bounty hunter of Lock the Sniper; a woman named Mercy."

"...oh, not her... we've had to deal with her a few times. She's not an easy woman to handle..."

Jill pinched her brows. "…yeah, her too…" and then she frowned sadly. "…and…one of my friends had been Corrupted too…"

"...oh... I'm sorry..."

"…I appreciate it…" Jill responded. "…and…actually, they've been able to purify him, but the Corruption inside of him was so strong, it was able to form by itself…"

"...seems like they must have been quite thorough with Corrupting him, if that's the case... I'd dread to see something similar happen again."

"…same here…" Jill said. "…and Commander? This friend of mine…he's the nephew of Johnny Leoniel."

Silence.

"...that kind of connection, huh..."

Jill nodded. "Yes…so…he's very dangerous, this copy of his roaming around with them…last I remember being told, he was able to copy abilities."

"Copy abilities... I don't suppose he ran into King's group, then?"

Jill bit her lip. "…well…"

"I was being rhetorical. King's group would be a magnet for someone who can copy abilities, so if you knew about it, then he obviously must have encountered them."

"…right…" Jill answered. "…I was told that he had copied King's and Sage's power that they knew of…"

"...distressing..."

"…that's all the forces I know about so far…" Jill replied.

"...well, you've been a good help; this intel will make things easier for us. Oh, by the way... how many ways are you aware of that can keep those Corrupted at bay, Condit?"

Jill looked down. "…that I'm capable of, quite a few ways Commander…but I'm not sure what others without my powers can do against them…though I've heard that your experimental weapons have made some impact."

"Glad to hear that they've been acknowledged. Honestly, it was a gamble that succeeded... however, the next time you talk with your informant, I'd like you to toss a suggestion to mind... something about using certain powers with certain gems, hm?"

"…I see," she answered. "…I'll make the suggestion then."

"Excellent. Hang in there, Condit; we'll contact you when the Sergeant recovers. Trust me; he will." With that, she hung up.

Jill then handed the phone back to the Admiral.

"...straight to the point, that woman." the Admiral mused with a smile, as he pocketed the cellphone.

"Yeah," Jill said with a nod. "…I just hope they can get through this, with their growing forces…"

"...you have faith in them, right, Condit?" the Admiral hummed.

"…I do…" Jill nodded again. "…but I don't trust the Corrupted forces…they play as dirty as they possibly can…"

"...true..." the Admiral nodded.

Jill looked down at the ground then.

"...is something the matter?" the Admiral hummed.

"…just nervous about how things are going," Jill answered.

The Admiral nodded with a light hum. "...right..."

Jill nodded back. "Anyway, thank you for that."

The Admiral nodded. "Well, then, until later." he said, as he turned to leave, when someone else brushed against him.

"Good morning, Jill." The one coming in past him was Sonia, and gave Jill a nod.

"Oh, hi Sonia," Jill greeted her.

The Admiral gave them a nod, before he walked down the stairs to leave the two of them on their own.

"...you're hanging in there, right?" Sonia hummed, as she closed the door behind her.

Jill nodded. "Yeah, for the most part…"

"...any news on how the other groups are doing?" Sonia hummed.

"…they're following a steady trail on her…" Jill replied, and then she looked away from Sonia. "…she's…heading for Cowpoke's."

"...Cowpoke's...?" Sonia hummed.

Jill nodded silently.

"...your thoughts on that?" Sonia hummed, as she took a seat.

"…well…I have no idea how he'd be able to handle all that," Jill said. "…I mean…I haven't really…talked to him after he left…"

"...none of us have..." Sonia hummed.

"…so…he has no idea everything that's happened here all these years…" Jill muttered.

"...yeah..." Sonia nodded with a light sigh. "...I can't imagine how he'd react to all this..."

Jill fell silent again. "...you can't either, huh?" Sonia assumed.

"…no…and…to be honest…I'm nervous about it…"

"...how so?" Sonia hummed, as she looked at Jill in concern. "Wanna talk about it?"

"…Sonia…what if…he was waiting for me…this whole time…?" Jill uttered.

"...oh..." Sonia hummed, as she glanced downwards. "...I've... never really thought of that..."

Jill fell silent again. Sonia looked back at her.

"…I…feel really guilty," Jill eventually said.

"...really?" Sonia hummed.

"…yeah…" Jill muttered. "…I didn't bother calling him or anything…I actually even forgot about him."

"...well... things got really hectic around here, though..." Sonia noted.

"…yeah, I know, but…there was still plenty of time in the years before…" Jill muttered, looking back at Sonia.

"...well..." Sonia hummed, as she rubbed her own neck. "...don't you think Cowpoke would have tried getting in touch again?"

"….yeah, that's true…" Jill murmured. "…but then…why didn't he?"

"...good question..." Sonia hummed.

Jill looked out the window. "…and things are getting tense."

"Yeah..." Sonia nodded, as she glanced outside. "...things may be quieting a bit down here... but it feels more like the calm before the storm..."

"…yeah…and I don't like that at all…" Jill muttered.

Sonia sighed. "...at least the others seem to keep their spirits high..."

"…yeah, that's true," Jill replied. "…and at least things here on Safe Haven aren't that bad right now…" She looked at Sonia again. "…how is the rebellion?"

"...they've actually been kinda quiet lately." Sonia noted. "They've been preparing some things..."

Jill tilted her head at that. "…really?"

"Yup." Sonia nodded. "Very top secret; they haven't really told me much about it..."

"…huh…" Jill murmured. "…okay then."

* * *

><p>Stumbling into the headquarters, Husk held his head with a light groan. <em>"...strong... unexpected..." <em>he murmured.

Patricia walked by then, and spotted Husk. She was about to ask how it went, but taking a glance at him, she could assume what happened. "…didn't get her, huh?" she muttered.

Husk shook his head. _"...the host... was with her... proved too powerful..." _he murmured.

"…what? Really?" Patricia actually raised her eyebrows at that.

_"...he overcame his fear... and repelled me... before I could even copy... her power..." _Husk murmured.

"…hm…" Patricia frowned at that.

Having said that, Husk turned to look at Patricia, _"...what about you...? Have you found... a way to keep... him away from Cyrene...?"_

"Yeah, actually," Patricia said. "I had some trouble with Pierce…so I managed to get Bulk after him to try and get him this time."

_"...will that be enough...?"_ Husk hummed, as he glanced away with a hum. _"...Cyrene..."_ he sighed.

Patricia grunted at that. "…don't make such a big deal out of it…she's fine…" Then she folded her arms. "Mercy's informed me that they're getting closer and closer to where Joy currently is…"

_"...then... you can deal with her soon...?"_ Husk hummed, as he glanced back at Patricia.

"I would assume so," Patricia hummed. "Then again, there's no telling if that brat got stronger…"

"_That's not the only thing you have to worry about. Two of the groups searching for her actually met up with each other earlier this morning."_

A dark void appeared, and in walked Cyrene.

Husk glanced at Cyrene. _"...King's group... and the host's group..."_

Cyrene nodded at that.

"…hm…so basically…there's a chance that all three groups will get there at the same time…" Patricia muttered. "…wonderful…so we have all of them to deal with now…" she added with heavy sarcasm.

_"...is there any... problems, though...?"_ Husk hummed, as he tilted his head. _"...only Joy... and Metal Sonic... can stop us..."_

"…well, let's think about this for a minute…" Patricia muttered. "…they've got that nuclear rat that still has somewhat of a chance against us, they've got those Leoniel's that still pack a punch, though I'm still sure that the mother's arms are still broken…that giant dragon doesn't look too good to me, then there's my nephew with that beast inside of him and a variety of them still have somewhat decent powers. Even if only two of them really have the chance to stop us, they still outweigh us just a little by numbers…"

_"...then... we could overwhelm them..."_ Husk hummed.

"We could…" Patricia spoke. "…but even then, it makes things harder than it needs to be, having the groups there. I think we really should've tried locking the kid up in the base in the first place."

Cyrene gave Patricia a dry look. _"Then the kid would've just broken out and made a huge mess of everything…"_

Patricia glared at her.

_"...she has a point..."_ Husk noted.

"...Well then, what do you two suggest?" Patricia asked.

_"...perhaps..."_ Husk hummed, as he looked at Patricia. _"...if we know... where Joy is... then why not... strike against her... before the groups... can reach her...?"_

"...Yeah," Patricia murmured rubbing her chin. "...Maybe when Bulk gets back from looking for Pierce, he and I might go after her...in fact, I should have you two and Mercy try and keep the groups occupied."

_"...sounds... like a plan..."_ Husk hummed, as he folded his arms. _"...until he gets back... what then...?"_

"I don't know," Patricia said, "but you two have time to kill." and with that, she walked away.

Humming, Husk glanced back at Cyrene. Cyrene looked back at Husk. _"…what's going on?"_

_"...what... do you mean...?"_ Husk hummed.

"…_there's something going on between you and Patricia…" _Cyrene murmured.

Husk simply hummed, as he approached Cyrene. _"...does it... worry you...?"_ he inquired.

"…_not really…it just makes me wonder…"_ Cyrene responded. _"…I mean…Patricia's been purposely keeping me away from the base for some reason…"_

Husk hummed, but he didn't say anything.

"…_I'm just wondering what's going on…" _Cyrene murmured, looking at Husk.

_"...what... do you think of... Bulk...?" _Husk hummed, as he tilted his head._ "...honestly..."_

Cyrene looked a little puzzled at that, but then she looked away thoughtfully. Husk looked at her with the same kind of look.

"…_deep down…I'm not sure why, but…" _Cyrene eventually looked back at him. _"…I…don't like him. I…I really don't."_

Husk nodded. _"...neither do I... nor does Patricia..."_

Cyrene looked at him for a long time. _"…are you…trying to keep me away from Bulk?"_

Husk looked back at her just as long, before nodding to confirm her suspicions. Cyrene blinked at that. _"…really?"_

_"...yes..." _Husk nodded. _"...I... don't like... how he treats you..."_

Cyrene looked at Husk in more surprise, and then looked down at the ground. Husk approached her; standing directly in front of her as he looked down at her. _"...is there... something wrong...?" _he inquired.

"…_no, nothing's wrong," _Cyrene answered, looking back up at him. _"I'm just…amazed."_

_"...really...?" _Husk hummed, as he kept looking down at her.

"…_yeah…" _Cyrene answered.

Husk moved a hand to place it on Cyrene's cheek. _"...how... are you amazed...?"_

"…_I didn't think…you'd do that for me…" _Cyrene whispered.

_"...I would do... anything for you..."_ Husk whispered back, as he slowly leaned closer to Cyrene.

"…_you would…?" _Cyrene whispered again, leaning closer to him as well.

_"...yes..." _Husk nodded; mere inches away from Cyrene now. Cyrene breathed a little bit, being so close to Husk.

_"...please..."_ Husk whispered; breathing with her. _"...tell me... what you want me... to do..."_

Cyrene went up to his ear and whispered, _"…I want you to take me to the darkness…and touch me…"_

_"...yes..." _With a small nod, Husk opened up a portal to the dark void, which he pulled Cyrene ever so gently into.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Just the build-up chapter before a major one :)<em>**


	38. Chapter 37

Cowpoke was walking around his house today…and according to his friends he didn't seem to be sulking as much; just thoughtful. He was still trying to process all that information that he received last night from Ivory… and he never imagined it could come to something like this.

He's just wondering…how exactly could he help? Sure, he knows Jill better than the others, but that didn't make him qualified to know what to do in this situation.

He was still trying to get over the fact that Jill had moved on too…and to Metal Sonic of all people. Guess a lot happened in a few years for her…

…served him right for just waiting on her than trying to call her back.

All these years, he was only worried that she might not have been ready for another relationship, and that's why he kept himself from trying to reach her. He was a strong guy, and he was able to wait for her…but it seemed like she had totally forgotten about him.

…that made him mad. Deep down, it hurt him, and angered him…it made him feel like he hadn't been that important to her.

Then he stopped by a door that was slightly ajar, hearing voices. He stopped, listening in.

"…I miss my Mama…and my Daddy…"

That was Joy's voice in the other room.

"…yeah…if I were far away from them, I'm sure I'd miss my parents too," and that was Mud-pie talking. "…Joy, why did you run away from them?"

"…I didn't want them to get hurt…" Joy mumbled, sounding nervous.

"…we know there's something inside of you…" Smokey's voice threw in. "…Ivory told us about it."

Cowpoke glanced through the crack in the door to see Joy's shocked face. Her, Mud-Pie, and his buddies were just sitting there in the living room. Cowpoke could only assume that Ivory, Trish and Berta were keeping an eye outside for…those forces that would follow her here.

"...look, we know that you're going through a lot because of what's inside you..." Rott began, as he rubbed his neck a tad awkwardly. "...but regardless, we'd like to help any way we can."

"...right." Merde shot in. "Wouldn't feel right, to let you be afraid all on your own."

Joy looked at the ground. "…but…it's just that…I don't know when she's gonna hurt someone…and I try to keep her from controlling me…but…"

Cowpoke looked away from the door in guilt. Here he was, fixated on how angry he was at her mother, and here was this girl that was experiencing the exact same thing as what she did.

"...have you... ever thought of fighting back?" Rott suggested.

"…yeah…" Joy muttered. "…but…I'm…kinda scared of her…" then she looked up at them. "…but she hasn't talked to me a lot…she hasn't tried to do anything yet…and that makes me more scared."

"...maybe... she's waiting for you to expect that she's not going to do anything?" Rott hummed.

"…I know what my Mama went through," Joy said. "…and nobody ever stopped doing anything bad…like Deity…so I know that Malice is still gonna do bad stuff no matter what…I won't ever think that she won't do anything if I know that…"

"…smart girl…" Smokey remarked.

Cowpoke looked back at Joy with a sad look. She was five years old now…and she could make that kind of logic. Now he really wished he knew what he could do for her.

"…so…you're just gonna keep running away until you can fight Malice all by yourself?" Mud-Pie asked.

Joy looked at him nervously, and then at the ground, nodding.

"But Joy…what if that takes you forever until you can fight Malice?" Mud-Pie asked, getting a shocked look from Joy.

And Cowpoke was shocked at that too. He suddenly had a haunting thought about that.

…what if…it took Joy as long as it took Jill?

"...he's got a point." Merde noted. "You can't just run forever..."

Joy looked down at the ground again, and to Cowpoke's heartache, she looked like she was ready to cry again. "…but I don't know what to do…" she uttered. "…it won't be like my Mama where Callous won't do bad things anymore…even if I fight Malice, she'll come back…she'll always be there…"

"...sheesh... I hate saying this, but..." Rott sighed. "...just from what I gather, the only one who can put a stop to Malice... would be you, Joy..."

Joy's lip trembled, and she covered her face to try not to cry.

"…aw…don't cry Joy…" Mud-Pie uttered, coming over and hugging her. Rott glanced aside awkwardly, whilst Merde simply sighed.

Just then, Cowpoke's head rose up with a sudden epiphany hitting him. "…Ray."

Her grandfather, Ray Condit. He's had even more experience than Cowpoke would, and probably would be a more likely person to know what to do in this situation. He remembered when he was at Safe Haven when he'd talk to the old man about Jill when he was over during Christmastime that one year…

…it would be a stretch…and Cowpoke knew that if Ray found out everything that happened to Joy, it would make a grandfather very upset…but he _had_ to know something that could be done about all this.

Joy managed to stop crying at this time, wiping her eyes.

"...there, there... we'll think of something..." Rott uttered a bit awkwardly.

Cowpoke finally decided to walk in then. "I've got something…"

All of them looked up at him, and Joy gave him a pretty hopeful look. "Dad?" Mud-Pie muttered curiously.

Cowpoke knelt down to Joy. "…do you remember your grandpa, Joy?"

Joy blinked, and looked aside thoughtfully, trying to dig into her memories. She sort of remembered him…but she was really little when she saw him. "…sorta…" she answered, looking back at Cowpoke.

"…maybe…he might know what to do about this…" Cowpoke muttered. "…I…I really do care about you, and your Mama, Joy, and I really wanna help…but I also can't really do anything to help you…"

The others remained silent for the moment.

"…so…would you be okay…if you had gone to your grandpa for help?" Cowpoke asked her.

Joy looked back at Cowpoke on this. Everyone looked from Cowpoke to Joy.

Joy eventually nodded. "Yeah…"

"...alright." With a hum, Merde glanced at Cowpoke. "If she's leaving, someone should accompany her; someone who might know where the village is."

Cowpoke looked back at Merde on that, and then looked back at Joy. He wished he could be the one to lead her, but he had Mud-Pie to take care of… and he wasn't a very good father recently, so he couldn't abandon him.

…but he knew where the village was, thanks to Ray telling him years ago. "I can write down where your village is, and give it to Ivory," Cowpoke said. "…I'm sure Ivory can go with you to make sure you get there…"

Joy nodded again, in silence.

"...alright! Guess we've gotten that all sorted out!" Rott hummed with a smile. "So, is anyone here hungry?"

"I am!" Mud-Pie exclaimed out.

Cowpoke looked at Joy again. "…yeah, you should eat something before you leave…bet you're starving."

Joy felt her stomach growl, and she nodded with a bit of a smile.

"...right. Smokey, let's prepare some food." Merde hummed, as he began heading out.

Smokey nodded with a grunt, following him.

* * *

><p>All of them were tired…but the kept on trudging forward. Charmy was just looking at everybody in the group to see how they were doing, since while he was tired, he could still go a bit farther. Rudy's energy seemed to last him, but he wasn't cheerful like he usually was, since the group's morale was pretty low. Boomer was just walking as she normally did, set on getting what needed to be done, which Charmy knew was pretty typical of her. Stella stayed close to Lock, and naturally, she made no eye contact whatsoever with Hex, while Violet actually walked next to Hex; not at all intimidated by her Corrupted appearance. Hex, herself, was simply glancing around her with a small, inaudible hum, as if scouting the area around them. Lock, naturally, kept quiet as he remained by Stella's side. Newt wandered closely by Boomer as he usually did, whilst Wiper, Proxy and Omega were spread around the group, almost as if they were guarding the rest of the group. Metal was all the way in the front as usual; a determined gaze on him as he knew that they wouldn't be too far away from Joy now.<p>

Rudy looked at everyone, and then back at Charmy. "Captain…when do you think we'll get there?" he asked.

"We'll get there when we get there Rudy; stop asking," Boomer grumbled.

"Now, now, Boomer, no need for that," Charmy hummed. "He was just curious is all…"

"...right. We've been wandering for a while, now..." Wiper mused, as he folded his arms.

"It's gotta be natural to be curious, y'know." Newt hummed with a nod of his own.

Rudy sighed with a few more hops. "…Boomer…how come you always tell me to stop talking in all kinds of different ways?"

Boomer looked back at him. "Because, Rudy, you really do talk a lot. Sometimes it's best just to have some silence..."

Rudy glared at her. "…but I'm just as much an adult as any of you guys. I have a right to start a conversation if I feel like the silence is too awkward…and if you ask me, there's just been so much tension in the air these last few days!"

"I think it's reasonable though; we could be very close to finding Joy this time," Violet responded to him.

"Well…yeah…I know that, and I wanna really find Joy as much as everybody else…" Rudy murmured. "…but everybody in the group is always angry at somebody else, or upset, or anything! I'm talking about how everyone is always scattered and stays away from each other. Why can't we be together talking like Charon's group or King's group? They always get to be around this campfire chatting and relaxing…"

"…makes me kinda just wish I was traveling with them instead, because all our group ever does is just sit in silence…" Rudy grumbled.

Narrowing her eyes a touch, Hex glanced to the side with a small frown; figuring that she was probably the cause of some of the tension in the group.

"...well... I understand that you're frustrated about it, Rudy..." Proxy hummed, as he closed his eyes with a hum. "...but I think the reason no one else is relaxing or talking is... probably the same reason. Frustration."

"Frustration about what though?" Rudy asked. "Can't we all just talk about it?"

Then Violet halted. "Everyone get down. We're not alone."

"Whuh?" That startled Rudy.

With a hiss, Hex quickly glared ahead of her. "Someone using Corruption is right next to us."

"...just our luck." Metal grunted, as he clenched his hands together. "...we don't have time for this..."

"...even so, we're being targeted." Lock hummed, as he drew his rifle. "We'll have to prepare."

Just then, a shot was fired at the group, and they suddenly scattered.

With a grunt, Lock quickly took out a few empty cartridges, and tossed them towards Metal. "It's Mercy. Load them with Purity."

Grabbing them, Metal focused Purity energy into the cartridges; narrowing his eyes as he kept himself on the move.

Hex, however, stood her ground, as she scanned the area where she presumed the shot came from. _...the next shot should be coming right about..._

From the brush all around them, though, dark figures popped out and rushed at them.

"Agh!" Boomer blasted one away with her gun, only to find it regenerate. "She got an army with her again!" Boomer screamed.

And just as Hex was watching, another shot came for her from another direction.

A dark tentacle suddenly shot out of the ground before Hex; snaring the shot before it could strike the octopus. "...tsch... coward." she hummed, as she glanced towards Metal.

He had just finished filling up one of Lock's cartridges, before he tossed it back towards the wolf. "Everyone who can't use Purity or Corruption, take cover!" he called out.

As he grabbed the cartridge, Lock quickly snapped it into his rifle, before he began firing blasts of Purity at the dark figures rushing at them.

In the meantime, Hex quickly turned her attention to where the bullet had been fired from. _...she's changing her positions... trying to catch us off-guard._

Rudy dove for cover with Charmy, making sure he was safe.

"…hrm…" Charmy rubbed his chin. "…they really could've attacked anytime, and yet they choose now to attack us."

"…so…are you saying they might be trying to keep us from something Captain?" Rudy asked.

Charmy smiled, rubbing his head. "You're certainly learning, aren't you Rudy?"

Rudy's eyes widened a bit. "Then we gotta slip by somehow! Maybe Joy's nearby!"

Skidding to a halt by the two, Wiper nodded. "...we need to keep them distracted, if we're to have any of us slip by them." he noted.

"Right…but how?" Rudy wondered.

Just then, another shot fired from nowhere at the group on the field. But again, a tentacle shot out from the ground to grab the shot. "You'll have to try harder than that!" Hex called out, as she folded her arms; glancing around her with a mild frown.

"_Alright then."_

Suddenly, a tall figure was right behind Hex, and tried to whack her with a large sniper rifle.

Except another tentacle lashed out to grip the rifle, and Hex glanced behind her with a smirk. "Gotcha." With that coy remark, another tentacle suddenly shot to slam directly into the figure's gut.

That figure let out a pained grunt, stepping back. Indeed, it was Mercy, glaring at Hex with flaring purple eyes. Hex simply smirked back at her. "How about you come back in two years, amateur? That's about how long you'll need to even _hope _to match me," she sneered.

Mercy growled at her, but ended up jumping into hiding again, sending more dark figures to attack the groups.

Noticing that, Hex quickly swiped her arm out, and a large tentacle shot out to swipe at the figures; knocking them far back into the woods. "They won't die from that. Lock, Metal! Either blast them or Purify them, while I keep them from getting to us!"

"...sounds like the best plan we got." Proxy hummed.

_**"Do we have alternatives?"**_ Omega noted dryly.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, both Charon's group and King's group were flying through the air. To make sure that Charon wasn't carrying too many people, Sage had opted to carry a few others with her; glancing back at the dragon every so often to look at the ones actually riding on his back. All of the usual from Charon's group was on his back, along with Toki, Fargus and Nage, while Sage carried the rest and Hunter flew himself nearby Ani, and Cal was flying by jetpack.<p>

"...it shouldn't be long, now..." Queen hummed, as she folded her arms.

"Yeah... if we can get to her, then..." Miser shot in with a light smile; remaining optimistic as they approached their goal.

"…then maybe we can finally figure out what to do…" Milo hummed, sitting at the front on Charon.

"...and hopefully, do something about the chaos caused during this period..." Charon mused.

Jack remained silent, as he simply gazed ahead of them; as if scouting to see if there was anything on the horizon. Arsenic was still sitting there in his arms, not doing very much, but wondering just what was going to happen if they got there, and if they were able to find the girl they were looking for. Whilst Fargus tinkered with some gadgetry, Nage was inspecting her chain to see if it were damaged at all. Kiri still huddled herself close to Diablo as she watched the horizon with a semi-neutral look.

Vanessa was keeping a close eye on their surroundings, keeping her ears and nose open and alert. As for the fliers, Demi also aided in scouting the area; using the fact that Blood could sense anomalies like Corrupted to his advantage.

Striker, Ani, Hunter and Cal were also keeping a close eye to make sure nothing could ambush them. Basically, everyone was keeping an eye out, or paying attention to where they were flying; all except Arsenic who just sat in Jack's arms silently.

Jack eventually glanced at Arsenic. "..what's wrong?" he inquired.

"…nothing's wrong…I'm just thinking…" Arsenic answered, still not looking at him.

Jack tilted his head. "...about what?"

"…things that have happened…and just what could be ahead…" Arsenic mumbled.

"...right..." Jack hummed with a nod.

Cal's head then perked up. "We've got company!"

Sage narrowed her eyes. "Lots of it!"

Growling, Charon glanced around. "From where?"

"Everywhere!" Hunter shouted.

"…SCATTER!" Vanessa screamed.

Just then, beams of Corruption shot out at them from all directions. Roaring, Charon began evading the beams, whilst Sage reinforced a psychic barrier around the group she carried.

"Blast!" Fargus grunted. "We can't evade them for long!"

"Then we gotta fight 'em off!" Roaring, King shot a couple lightning bolts to repel some of the Corruption beams.

"Man, they really decided to bring an army with them, didn't they?" Ani uttered, flying around the attacks.

"Something tells me we might be getting really close to where Joy is then!" Milo shouted over the chaos.

"In which case..." Demi uttered as he flew around the beams. "...this is just a distraction!"

"Do that so we can't get to Joy, right?" Kiri yelled.

"Right!" Diablo answered to her, "But how can any of us get past it?"

Arsenic glanced out, seeing the enemies. A lot of them were creatures that could fly through the air, some of them being aviary Mobians that had been corrupted…

…but she saw two particular Corrupted soldiers riding on the backs of two of the creatures. One of them, as she could quickly notice, was Husk; gazing lifelessly at the ones riding on Charon. The other one, of course, was Cyrene, with a confident, evil grin on her face.

Noticing them, Jack narrowed his eyes a bit. "...them...they're in charge…"

"...had to be them, huh?" Charon sighed.

"…let's split up and separate the army," Vanessa suggested. "Maybe we can find an opening for some of us to slip through and get ahead to where Joy could be."

"...might be tough." Fargus commented. "Most of us can't fly."

"Then the ones that can will have to be our best bet," Vanessa answered.

Ani soared nearby. "I can take some with me and Striker and Demi and we can sneak by when we get our opening."

"...okay; sounds like a plan," Nage nodded. "Who should you take with you?"

"…Milo and Jack," Ani muttered. "We always gotta stick together, right?"

"Yeah." Jack nodded, before he looked at Vanessa. "Mom, do you think you could keep an eye on Arsenic while I'm gone?"

"…no, I'm coming too," Arsenic said, naturally, getting some shocked looks.

"But you're hurt," Oblivion uttered.

Jack looked down at Arsenic for that. "...are you sure...?"

"…then in that case, I'm coming too," Vanessa hummed.

"...you need some protection, too." Miser shot in. "I'll come with you."

"...if you say so, Miser." Sage hummed. "Will that be everyone?"

"Yeah, it looks like it," Ani spoke. "I think that's all I'll be able to carry anyway; I can only hold up my own defenses so long!" And then more attacks came, forcing them to scatter again.

As they scattered, Sage managed to launch Miser onto Charon's back. "Whenever you're ready, Ani!" the rhinoceros called.

"Alright!" Ani hollered. She picked up Miser, Jack and Arsenic, Milo, and Vanessa with her telekinesis, and all the others set out to make a distraction for the forces, while the group she carried, along with Striker and Demi sank below the trees.

* * *

><p>"…sending her to her granpa, huh…?" muttered Ivory. "…probably the best thing then…"<p>

"…so you'll be taking her there, then…?" Cowpoke asked.

"…already this far into it; mind as well see the whole thing through," Ivory muttered.

"...we'll come along." Trish hummed. "No way are we gonna back out this far into the game."

"She's got that right." Berta nodded.

Cowpoke nodded. "…you should leave now…before any trouble starts…"

"Right, you all take care of yourself, okay?" Ivory said.

Cowpoke's friends nodded.

"...well, let's hurry. The day's still young, so if we get a move on, we might get ahead before it gets dark." Trish shot in.

"Right; I'll go get Joy then," Ivory said, walking off down the hall.

"We'll wait outside." Berta hummed, as she and Trish headed out.

Cowpoke watched them leave, and eventually, he sat down with a weary sigh.

"...don't look so down, Cowpoke," Rott noted with a light sigh, as he sat down as well; looking at his friend with a concerned look.

"…this is a lot to take in…" Cowpoke muttered.

"...well, we have to accept it," Merde noted with a shrug; "Sooner or later."

"…but I…I just don't know why…she never bothered to…" And Cowpoke sighed again. With a hum, Merde set a hand on his shoulder supportively.

"…she had a lot going on Dad," Mud-Pie said.

Rott and Merde glanced at Mud-Pie with curious looks when he said that.

"…maybe…she just sorta…you know…couldn't," Mud-Pie said with a shrug.

Cowpoke looked up at him with another sigh. He knew that Mud-Pie was only trying to encourage him and cheer him up, but he was still young yet, so he didn't know just how complicated all of this was. At any rate, he rubbed Mud-Pie's head. "Yeah, probably," he hummed.

"...hm..." Humming, Rott glanced out of a nearby window with a hum. "...in any case... they won't be bothered with harsh weather on the way..." he mused.

"Right…" Cowpoke said.

Then he got a harsh feeling of his hair standing on end; a sudden rush of anxiety hitting him.

"Boo."

Cowpoke actually jumped, standing in front of Mud-Pie while he looked at who was standing there. Quickly, both Rott and Merde shot startled looks at where that voice came from. Smokey stomped down in front of them, glaring.

Patricia was standing there, just looking back at them with a tilt of her head. "Didn't think boys like you could be jumped like that."

"...Patricia Novagod." Merde grunted.

"...shit... and at the worst moment, too..." Rott hissed.

Cowpoke growled, while Patricia approached them. Smokey was in front of the group, snarling at her.

"Sure, that's gonna make me back off," Patricia snorted in sarcasm. With a wave of her hand, a slash of Corruption knocked away Smokey against the wall of the house.

"Smokey!" Mud-Pie yelped, and he was going to run to him but Cowpoke grabbed him and kept him in place. With a slight gulp, Merde stepped in front of Cowpoke and Mud-Pie; as if to shield them against Patricia.

"...gnh..." With an intimidated gulp, Rott glanced from where Smokey had been launched, back to the Corrupted bat. "...strong..."

Cowpoke glared back at Patricia; he was scared too, but he didn't want to admit it. "What are you messing with us for then?"

"To have a little fun," Patricia said back in a snarky way.

Merde huffed at that. "...then go to a brothel." he uttered; his tone shaky, but his gaze unwavering.

"Tough words for a guy in your situation," Patricia chuckled, raising her hands to gather amounts of Corruption.

In that instant, however, something shot right in-between Patricia and the group; spreading tons of debris and a thick blanket of dust across the entire living room.

"THE HELL WAS THAT?" Rott sputtered; especially after the one who had been launched had just barely missed him.

There were groans of pain, and a body on the group weakly tried to push itself off of the ground. It turned out to be Ivory. "…God…damn it…"

Cowpoke started to grow more worried when he saw that. "…oh no…"

"...Ivory..." Rott sputtered.

Instantly, Merde shot a glare at Patricia. "...who else is with you?"

"Take a wild guess; I dare you," Patricia hummed.

Cowpoke immediately tried to run where the explosion came from, but Patricia was able to knock him backward with the force of Corruption.

"Dad!" Mud-Pie screamed, running to his father. This was the perfect moment for Patricia to grab him by the head and lift him up off of the ground, making him yelp again.

Cowpoke gasped, jumping back up to his feet.

"You're all gonna stay put, or he's gonna get what's coming," Patricia warned, gripping his head firmly while he squirmed helplessly.

Everyone remained frozen in place, but all eyes were glaring directly at Patricia.

"...coward..." Merde spat, as he clenched his hands.

"…now…we all can talk about this, I'm sure," Patricia chuckled.

"…there's nothing to talk about…" Smokey grumbled, getting up on his feet.

"…you're right…there really isn't," Patricia said. "But this is the consequence for deciding to help that little girl; who, might I remind you, is entirely defenseless right now."

"...kkh..." Rott grunted, as he shot a look back at Ivory.

"...you're not getting away with this." Merde growled. "Your kind never does."

"There's a first for everything then, isn't there?" Patricia chuckled. "You all stay here all nice and comfy, and I'll just take this little rascal with me to make sure you don't get out of line."

Cowpoke jumped forward at that. "YOU'RE NOT TAKING AWAY MY SON!" and he tried to lunge at Cowpoke.

But Patricia knocked him in the gut hard with a kick, knocking him against another wall and knocking the wind out of him.

"Dad!" Mud-Pie wailed, on the brink of tears.

"COWPOKE!" Quickly, both Rott and Merde rushed to Cowpoke's side; checking to see if he was still conscious.

"Now then; behave yourselves," Patricia chuckled, walking off into the hallway with Mud-Pie in her grip, still trying to struggle.

* * *

><p>Outside, Joy was running through the crowds of panicked townsfolk that were trying to run away from the danger brewing behind her. Said danger was a massive crocodile who was charging after her with a sadistic laugh; knocking aside anyone who was in his way. Joy was massively frightened for her life, trying all she could to just get away from his sights.<p>

"No escape!" With a cackle, Bulk actually slammed his hand directly against the road ahead of him; causing a tremendous fissure to rocket towards Joy.

It propelled Joy into the air in hopes to jump out of the way, screaming with fright. The instant she was airborne, however, Bulk shot towards her like a torpedo; extending his hand to grab her while she was still unable to evade him.

"Let me go!" Joy whined, trying to struggle and kick him away in his grip.

"Of course..." With a rotten chuckle, Bulk proceeded to slam Joy against the ground underneath them; pinning her down. "...after I kill ya, of course."

Joy winced, shivering in fear and pain at being pinned like that.

"Now hold still..." Chuckling, Bulk held his other hand directly above Joy; Corruption amassing within it. "It won't hurt... for long."

Joy shuddered at this.

…then…something built up inside of her. She couldn't describe it, but it was this determination to live…to keep herself alive. She knew she couldn't die…

She screamed out, and a massive force of Purity shot out of her body. With a hellish shriek, Bulk had to get away from Joy as the Purity nearly blinded him; causing him to fire the accumulated Corruption harmlessly into the air.

Thus, his fire was able to be seen flying up into the air and exploding.

"Look!" Ani gasped when she saw it.

"...a battle is brewing..." Miser uttered. "...we need to get there faster."

Meanwhile, on ground, the shot had also been seen by two figures that were rushing through the trees.

Rudy gawked at that, hopping as fast as he possibly could; which, for the kangaroo, was amazingly fast. "Metal! Look!" he uttered, pointing up at it.

Metal's eyes narrowed as he saw that blast. "...that's not good..." he uttered, as he looked straight ahead. "We can't dwindle!"

"Right!" Rudy exclaimed, hopping even faster. "In fact, we'll both be even faster if we race each other there! C'mon!"

"...we don't have time for races!" And the instant Metal said that, he actually shot forward in flight; easily overtaking Rudy in terms of speed.

"Whoa!" Rudy huffed in shock.

* * *

><p>Back in town, Joy was slowly getting back up to catch her breath, looking back at Bulk. Burns were scattered across his body, but a fierce glare was still directed at Joy as he snarled. "...you little brat..." he grunted.<p>

Joy gasped and turned to start running again. This time, though, Bulk didn't pursue her, as he instead began gathering dangerous amounts of Corruption within his mouth; his gaze directed right at the small ewe running ahead of him. Joy saw this, which made her run even faster. But it wasn't fast enough, as Bulk managed to fire off a tremendous beam of Corruption aimed right at Joy. Joy screamed out in pain as it struck her in the back. Figuring that she would be halted for the moment, Bulk began running towards her once more.

…_you could let me fight him. I'm strong enough, since clearly you're not, _spoke a voice in Joy's head.

…_no…I'm not letting you out…you make bad things happen!_ And Joy quickly tried to get back up to run, but weakly.

At this point, however, Bulk had caught up to her, and quickly blocked her escape route with walls of Corruption. "End of the line."

Joy breathed hard and frantic, looking back at Bulk in fear. Cracking his knuckles, Bulk glared down at her. "...any last words?"

Joy was frozen on the spot there, staring at him.

_Last chance…_ said the voice in her head.

As Corruption built up around the crocodile, he raised his fist whilst preparing to finish Joy off.

Joy clutched to her head and shut her eyes in desperation. _…no…no, no, no, I don't want to let you take over me now!_

With a manical grin, Bulk eventually threw his fist directly at Joy.

Joy looked right back up at Bulk with flashing icy blue eyes, and actually caught the fist.

Seeing that, Bulk grunted. "...figures... Malice," With a grunt, he threw his other fist down at her.

Malice caught it too, with a devious grin. "…oh…you have no idea how much power I've been building up to this moment…"

Bulk grunted, before actually smirking. "...I guess I'll just have to claim that power after I kill you, then."

Malice clamped her fingers down on Bulk's fist, laughing. "Fat chance!"

Slowly, the barriers of Corruption actually started to crack, and an aura that appeared around Malice started to get more demonic and more powerful. Grunting, Bulk focused his own Corruption into an aura in order to match the power that was building up so ferociously within Malice. Malice was just getting more and more powerful though. In fact, she was able to start pushing Bulk backward while the barriers got more and more cracks.

Bulk grit his teeth considerably. "...brat...!" With a snarl, he stomped his foot against the ground to root himself down; in a bid to try and keep Malice from pushing him away.

Malice just kept pushing, laughing even more. That was when the barriers of Corruption finally shattered. As Bulk grit his teeth, he began gathering Corruption within his mouth once more; this time deciding to build up a dangerous amount in order to at least intimidate the upstart child that was openly mocking him. That didn't intimidate Malice at all. Instead of just laughing, she was actually able to lift Bulk off of the ground, and slam him down onto the ground again, hard. Bulk felt the wind being knocked out of him, and as a result, the energy he had been accumulating instead was sent directly within himself; something that cancelled the attack.

Malice released him and collected black Corruption around her nails which she stabbed into Bulk's chest.

Bulk jolted as he was stabbed... however, he didn't cry out in pain; something which seemed to even surprise him. "...hn?"

Malice just looked down at him. "…you're not strong enough…not at all…" and she smirked. "…not even as strong as that vampire was, and he was still _weak…_"

Bulk's eyes widened considerably, and he found the strength to suddenly jab his own nails into Malice; Corruption surging through them. "...you shut your trap, brat... I won't be outdone by some ancient fossil!" he snarled.

"You'll be outdone by some kid then, I take it?" Malice mused, not at all fazed by what Bulk did to her.

"...shut up!" With a snarl, Bulk's grip tightened, as he focused on one thing; trying to absorb the Corruption lingering within Malice.

Malice's eyes glowed. **"…no…you shut up.**"

Bulk wasn't able to absorb very much of Malice's Corruption. Actually, Bulk suddenly wasn't absorbing any anymore…and she was the one that started to absorb Bulk's Corruption. Bulk let out a brief yelp, as if the air itself was leaving his throat and lungs, before he desperately tried kicking the young ewe away from him.

He was able to kick her away, with black goo on her finger nails from where she had stabbed him. Chuckling, she licked the black goo on her fingertips. "You have no real emotional drive for this stuff…it's just too plain, too simple in the evil…there's your delight in the pain of others, but that's all there is. No delicious anguish, or need for revenge, other than the GUN Commander that is, and no anger or hate…none strong enough. You've got nothing."

"...the hell do you know about that...?" Bulk snarled, as he slowly got on his feet; glaring at Malice.

"I can taste it…" Malice answered, "And all I know is that I could just eat you up…**right now.**" Her eyes glowed right then.

From behind her, giant, grotesque creatures of blackness crawled, slithered and stomped out and approached Bulk.

Perking at that, Bulk glared behind him, and snarled. "...oh, hell no... I'm not ending up as some fucking annoying brat's _snack!_"

As he growled this, his eyes glowed as well, a gaseous cloud of Corruption began swirling around Bulk; twisting around as some manner of barrier around the crocodile, and rapidly building up power.

Malice just laughed at this. "You're only just prolonging the inevitable! There's no way I could possibly let a weakling like you keep your powers at this point!" and she sent the monsters upon him.

Bulk's eyes narrowed considerably. _"...I... am not... __**WEAK!**__"_

In that instant, the gaseous Corruption suddenly solidified, as an impossible amount of black spikes suddenly erupted from that cloud of darkness; impaling just about every creature surrounding him in increasingly brutal ways.

Malice just kept grinning, not baffled by any of this, and then she simply looked up.

Heavy projectiles from the sky were suddenly raining down toward Bulk; projectiles that were coated with a pale blue aura, as well as a beam from a cannon. Quickly perking up, Bulk formed a barrier of Corruption that soaked up these attacks, as he glared at whoever sent those flying at him.

"I figured you guys were causing trouble in town!" Striker growled, as a flying group of figures headed toward them.

Seeing that, Bulk snarled. "...more annoyances..." he hissed, as he glanced towards Malice... but to his surprise, she was gone; "...damn!"

Arsenic just snapped her fingers then, and there was an explosion that blasted away Bulk quite a ways.

Grunting, Bulk glared up at the group again. "...I thought Cyrene and Husk were keeping you brats busy!"

"You thought wrong, you bully!" Jack called down to Bulk with a frown.

"...Ani, launch me." Miser quickly whispered to Ani; her gaze narrowed as she glared at the crocodile.

"Right…" Ani whispered back, and when the group landed on the ground, she shot Miser at Bulk with her telekinesis.

Roaring, Miser actually threw a clothesline strike against Bulk's neck; knocking him back considerably as she got on her feet. "...bastard." she spat. "That one's for what you did to Cal and Natal."

Spitting up black blood, Bulk glared at the immortal rhinoceros. "...cheeky bitch..." he hissed.

"Demi and Milo; you guys better go try and find Joy," Vanessa suggested to them quietly. "We'll keep Bulk at bay."

"Right…" Milo answered back, looking at Demi.

Demi gave Milo a silent nod.

"...do you fuckers think that you can take me on?" Bulk snarled, as Corruption was amassing around him. "You have no idea who you're messing with..."

Then Vanessa simply kicked Bulk in the face.

"...good one, mom!" Jack called.

Growling, Bulk shot a sharp glare at Vanessa. "_**DON'T YOU MOCK ME!**_" Instantly, he slammed his hands against the ground to cause a powerful quake that shook throughout the entire street.

Most of them managed to keep their ground through the quakes.

"Let's go, Demi," Milo whispered, hurrying off. Demi quickly flew after Milo.

As Bulk shot a glare at the group, they all remained calm; even Jack, as he glanced at Arsenic still in his grip. "You're gonna be okay, right?" he inquired.

"…yeah, I'll be alright," Arsenic answered.

"...okay." Jack nodded, as he looked back at Bulk. "Then let's show this guy what we can do!"

"...don't make me laugh!" Roaring, Bulk shot out a series of dark tentacles directly at the group; however, before they could reach the others, Miser grabbed hold of those tentacles and held them firmly.

"That wasn't our intention!" Miser spat in return, before she actually ripped the tentacles out of Bulk; tossing them to the ground before returning a glare at the crocodile, whilst the writhing tentacles dissolved into black goo.

"Yeah…we're not gonna be intimidated anytime soon by anybody like you," Striker growled, pulling out his aluminum baseball bat. "We're gonna do what it takes to help out our friend."

"Really, all you guys ever really succeed in doing is pissing us off," Ani also snarled, with energy building up around her.

"...then how about I up the ante, and kill you goddamn pests?" Bulk snarled, as gaseous Corruption surrounded him.

"...we're not gonna let you do that." Jack growled, as he held Arsenic a bit protectively. "Not in a million years!"

"We've handled everything you dished out so fair; I don't see how it could be any different," Vanessa added, standing readily and watching Bulk carefully.

Roaring, Bulk then amassed the gaseous Corruption around him; creating an area around him that seemed to consist only of Corruption, which was rapidly expanding.

Seeing this, Miser frowned. "...seems like it possesses acidic properties... don't touch that stuff." she warned.

"Right," Vanessa replied, while they all stepped back carefully.

* * *

><p>In another part of town, Patricia still had Mud-Pie in her grip while she carried him away. "Wonder where that little brat could be…" she murmured.<p>

As she wandered, though, she'd suddenly feel a powerful energy source... rocketing right towards her.

She stopped, and decided to turn to see just what the energy source could be. It all happened in practically a flash. A painful sensation suddenly drove directly into her, as a powerful grip suddenly lashed around the hand she held onto Mud-Pie with. "...let... him... go." a stern, almost vicious voice hissed, as Patricia gazed straight into the part Mobian, part cybernetic eyes that seemed to bore into her very soul.

Patricia gagged a little bit, with her only reflex to actually let Mud-Pie go onto the ground, and he scrambled to distance himself away from them to gawk.

Standing protectively in front of Mud-Pie, the light-blue, part cybernetic hedgehog glared daggers at the vampire bat, as a pale-green blade was emitting a powerful glow within his hand. "...at a loss for words... Novagod?" Metal Sonic uttered in a cold, murderous tone.

Patricia couldn't answer, and she looked to see that he had this blade impaled into her, thus making her choke a little. Mud-Pie stared up at Metal in awe.

"Mud-Pie!"

He spun around, to find that his father was running out to him and grabbed him in a hug, followed by his friends and Ivory.

"…well…" Ivory hummed, when she saw Metal and Patricia.

Trish and Berta were quick to follow, and they, too, were fairly awed at seeing Metal Sonic actually squaring off against Patricia like that.

"...you all should back away." Metal spoke, as he still glared at Patricia. "Staying this close to either of us is a danger..." As he said that, he drove the Purity blade a bit further into Patricia.

Patricia grunted in pain, and in a building fury, an aura grew around her. Like Metal warned, the others backed away quickly, and she knocked Metal away in a powerful blast of Corruption.

Metal, however, came to a skidding halt rather than flying aside, as he returned a simple glance back at Patricia. "...my turn." Without hesitation, he shot his hand forward to unleash an elongated spear formed of liquid metal and Purity at the vampire bat.

Patricia maneuvered her way around it, sealing back up the wound that the stab had left on her.

"…damn…" Cowpoke muttered, watching this.

In that instant, Metal's eyes narrowed, before the spear actually curved around to shoot at Patricia from behind; aiming to pierce the exact spot that she had just regenerated. Patricia growled when it stabbed her, and she shot out some slash waves of Corruption at Metal in response. Narrowing his eyes, Metal actually sent out slash waves of Unity that not only shattered Patricia's waves, but actually continued directly towards her, as if nothing had stood in their way to begin with. Patricia tried her best to jump away from them and to retaliate, but she could tell that Metal's attacks had some power.

In hopped Rudy next to the group, grabbing Berta's arm. "C'mon! You guys'll just get in the way! We need to go find Joy while she's distracted!"

Grunting, Berta yanked her arm away from the smaller kangaroo. "Don't grab me, ya little twerp!" she yelled.

"Berta, sssh!" Trish hissed; worried that Berta's outburst could potentially catch Patricia's attention.

Speaking of, Metal kept up a relentless assault against Patricia; sending wave after wave of Unity against the bat for every swing of his arm. Patricia tried to keep up with him, just growling more and more.

"Look, Metal's really the only one that can fight her and keep her busy right now; it's best for us if we go find Joy before Malice decides to take this time to come out," Rudy whispered.

Cowpoke turned his head at him. "…Malice?" he questioned.

"…that's the name of the entity that's inside of her," Rudy answered.

"…I see…" Cowpoke muttered.

"…then let's go," And Ivory headed off with her spear.

Grunting, Berta motioned for Trish to follow her, as they hurried after Ivory.

As they began hurrying off, Metal kept sending the Unity waves rapidly at Patricia. "...you seem agitated." he mused.

"…seems like you're very determined to find the little shit, aren't you?" Patricia growled, still retaliating as much as she could.

Metal narrowed his eyes. "...do not speak of my daughter that way." With that, he suddenly began slashing his arms in such a fashion that waves of Unity and Purity were launched at irregular, random patterns that Patricia would have a hard time even avoiding. Patricia slipped and she kept getting pummeled and pummeled by the oncoming waves of attacks Metal threw at her.

Cowpoke just watched this, understanding a bit more just what Metal had become…and even a little surprised to hear him refer to Joy as "his daughter."

"...all the things you have done for all this time..." Metal growled, as he kept sending these attacks at Patricia. "...the lives you've ruined... the homes you've destroyed... all spurred from selfish desires..." As he spoke, he closed his eyes. "...I will make you pay for your crimes in full, Patricia Novagod. It will not be swift... it will not be pleasant... for you, it will be hell on earth."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Rudy, Ivory, Trish and Berta rushed through town.<p>

"By the way, I'm Rudy from Team Chaotix!" Rudy uttered while he hopped with them. "Our group got ambushed by Mercy and a whole army of Corrupted and Metal and I just managed to slip by, figuring they were just holding us up away from Joy!"

"...wonderful!" Berta grunted; barely understanding most of that.

"Joy was chased off by this giant crocodile earlier!" Trish quickly said to Rudy. "Hopefully she managed to evade him!"

"So far she's managed to avoid all of us!" Rudy replied.

"…yeah, she's unrealistically slippery for a kid," Ivory murmured.

"Must've been really handy for her... but it's sad to think of how frightened she must've been..." Trish murmured.

"Hey, can we save the mushy crap until _after_ we save Joy from these douchebags?" Berta grunted as she charged ahead of the group.

That's when the group nearly ran into another two figures that had been in a rush, but luckily, they all had stopped before running into each other.

Rudy recognized them. "Demi! Milo!"

"Oh, Rudy!" Milo sighed in relief to see him. He looked at Trish and Berta in confusion, not knowing who they were, but Ivory made him jump.

"…don't worry…I'm…not Corrupted anymore…" Ivory told him while looking aside, answering what his possible thoughts were.

"...I noticed." Demi noted; actually relieved to see Ivory in a form that wasn't Corrupted.

"...well, enough with the niceties." Trish murmured. "You two haven't seen Joy, have you?"

"Because…you know…Bulk is chasing her and all," Ivory added with a heavy grudging growl on the subject of Bulk.

"But our group just ran into Bulk!" Milo answered. "We didn't see Joy anywhere near him!"

"You guys showing up probably gave her the chance to run off then!" Rudy uttered. "We need to find her before she could get too far away from us!"

"...but then she could be anywhere!" Berta grunted. "Goddamn it, where the hell could she have gone!"

"...well..." Demi hummed... and his eyes widened. "...wait... Rudy, you're not here on your own, are you?"

"No; I came with Metal," Rudy answered.

"...with Metal..." Demi uttered, as he closed his eyes. "...then... if I'm not mistaken, there are two places that they would want to be... as far away from Metal as possible..."

And he looked at the others with a dawning expression on him. "...and... as close to Metal as possible..."

"...the hell are you talkin' about?" Berta uttered in confusion.

Milo and Rudy's eyes widened, looking at each other. "Malice…" they uttered simultaneously.

"…you don't think she's already taken over her, do you?" Ivory asked.

"...it's a possibility." Demi uttered. "A possibility that's all too real... if Malice finds out that Metal's here..."

"...some of us have to go back, then." Trish uttered. "Metal's busy with Patricia at the moment."

"…and at the rate he was fighting her, I don't think she has good chances," Rudy added.

"…our group is handling Bulk, but two of ours in our group had been crippled," Milo answered. "…I'm not sure if we should leave them hanging like that either."

"...great. Now what the hell do we do?" Berta grunted in frustration.

Milo looked at them. "Me and Demi so far have had a real chance against Malice and holding her back. Me and him will go find Metal and you guys go back up our group against Bulk."

Ivory looked back at him on that one. "…good. I could use a little opportunity for revenge."

"...just don't end up getting yourselves Corrupted." Demi noted, as he glanced at Milo. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>With Bulk, they've managed to stay together for the most part, and keep out of harm's way of Bulk, but he was getting angrier and angrier at the second.<p>

It didn't help that as his anger increased, so did the radius of that corrosive field of Corruption spreading out from him.

The one who remained the closest in order to chuck strewn-about objects at the crocodile was Miser; having to improvise in order to keep Bulk from just charging at the group. Ani was also helping her on that account with the thrown objects with her telekinesis. Striker aided in the air with Snap's cannon, shooting at where Bulk was to try and get him, and the others just stayed their distance and attacked when they could. Jack, as he still insisted on carrying Arsenic, had a bit of a hassle in both playing on his harmonica to damage the crocodile, and ensuring that he didn't drop Arsenic by accident. Vanessa, even still without her arms, was still able to move around and use her senses to keep farther ahead of Bulk's steps. Snarling, Bulk simply lashed wildly around him to knock aside the projectiles that the group launched at him repeatedly.

"…we have him surrounded, but not overwhelmed…" Arsenic mumbled.

"...yeah, he's really strong..." Jack uttered, as he tried keeping on his toes to try and find a weak spot he could exploit.

"…and he's getting stronger…" Arsenic muttered. "…if we can find a way to really beat these guys for good, we should do it here and now…"

"...but how...?" Jack uttered.

In that instant, Bulk suddenly lashed out towards the two of them; knocking Jack right off his feet, and sending him and Arsenic crashing into two separate walls. Arsenic was still wounded from the battle last night, and she groaned, trying to get back up off of the ground weakly.

However, Bulk got to her first; grabbing her by the head and holding her up with a snarl.

"Arsenic!" Seeing that, Jack sprung to his feet and charged for Bulk, only for the crocodile to brutally kick Jack away; causing him to crash into the same wall, only with a lot more force this time around. The others in the group stopped at that, except Vanessa who rushed to Jack to make sure he was okay, and Arsenic just glared at Bulk.

Bulk glared back at her, and slowly clenched his grip down on her. "...one fucking explosion or radioactive stunt outta you, and I'll snap your head clean off, bitch..."

"...don't you dare...!" Jack coughed, as he slowly got to his feet; clutching his chest where he had been kicked.

Miser shot Jack a brief look, before she glared back at Bulk.

Arsenic kept glaring back at Bulk. "And just what to you accomplish by this?" she uttered, feeling the pain from him clenching down on her head.

"...I'm gonna kill you upstart brats... and then I'll hunt down that little shit and kill her..." Bulk hissed. "...and then I'll kill every last person who's ever associated themselves with that bitch...!"

Miser's eyes narrowed. "...how about trying to kill an immortal?" And with that, she charged directly at Bulk, and skewered her horn directly into his chest; forcing him to let go of Arsenic. In that moment, Ani used her telekinesis to yank Arsenic back to a safer distance next to Jack.

With a snarl, Bulk proceeded to grab Miser. "Well, then I'll just Corrupt you!" he roared.

"...fat chance!" Before Bulk could even think to attack her, Miser began rapidly punching and kicking at the crocodile; yelling as he was actually forced backwards from her rapid blows. "I've evaded this stuff for seven years... do you honestly think that I would let it taint me now?"

The others in the group watched, and Ani and Striker kept close to wait and see if Miser needed any aid in beating up Bulk.

For the moment, she looked like she was handling herself quite well; mercilessly pummeling the crocodile away from her and the rest of the group.

"...kkh... cheeky bitch!" Roaring, Bulk suddenly formed a blade of Corruption which he swung directly at the rhino; however, with a swift motion of her hand, she caught the searing blade with only a slight wince. "...nh?"

Without hesitating, Miser actually yanked the blade out of Bulk's grip, before stabbing it straight through the crocodile; the Corrupted blade actually powerful enough to bypass his hardened scales.

"Yeah, go Miser!" Ani cheered when they saw that.

As the crocodile grunted in pain, he glared at Miser, who simply proceeded to kick him to the ground, where he glared at her. "...you've got moxie..."

"...comes with being immortal... and going up against slime like yourself." Miser retorted, as she stomped down on Bulk to keep him down.

"...man, Miser's really strong..." Jack couldn't help but utter in awe.

"Yeah, sometimes I forget how strong she is too," Striker admitted in agreement.

Eventually, Bulk managed to get back on his feet; glaring intensely at Miser with a hateful glare. "...kkh... someone like you on our side would..."

"Don't give me that." Miser scoffed. "There's nothing you can do to make me join you."

"We've all fought this stuff before, so any dirty tricks you try can't possibly be new to us," Ani growled.

There was a mild twitch in Bulk's eyelid upon hearing that. "...nothin' new... huh...?" he snarled viciously.

As he said that, the Corruption spreading out from him actually began to dissolve the earth beneath it; cracking open dark holes that sprouted out roots of pure Corruption; all of them surrounding Bulk ominously.

Seeing this, Jack blinked. "...what's he doing now?"

"Apparently something new," Arsenic hummed in disinterest.

"...don't you... _**MOCK ME!**_" Bulk suddenly roared, before the roots all shot into his body; seemingly impaling him... but the instant they did, however, his body darkened, and Corruption began practically pouring down his body; amassing rapidly around him in what initially seemed like a cocoon, but soon turned out to be a gooey shell, which rapidly grew into a body of Corruption for the crocodile, which loomed over the group.

Miser merely glared up at this figure without flinching. "...Arsenic... can you direct an explosion at it?"

"Sure thing," Arsenic answered, pointing her finger and releasing bolts of fire at it.

The bolts slammed onto the figure and caused powerful explosions... however, the figure didn't even flinch, as if nothing had struck it to begin with. Even the gaping holes left from the explosions was filling up rapidly with Corruption.

"...uh... that's not a good thing, is it?" Jack noted a touch worriedly.

"…everyone, back up a bit," Vanessa warned, and they did so.

"Now how do we fight this thing?" Striker muttered.

From the brush, Ivory was the first to come out, and see this. "…well shit," she muttered.

Trish and Berta came after her, and seeing this massive figure, the two of them could only gawk.

Slowly, the figure began lumbering towards them; extending its arm towards Miser as if to crush her beneath it. Narrowing her eyes, however, Miser quickly leapt away before the figure's arm could touch her; though the instant it came in contact with the ground, the earth hissed and sizzled as if pure, powerful acid was being poured onto that one spot; causing a darkened, crimson shade of Corruption to emit from the surrounding area.

"…_I afraid to say it, but we could really use Jill here right now…"_ Snap muttered timidly beside Striker.

"We'll be fine; we've been able to handle this ourselves before!" Ani insisted. "I don't always wanna depend on Jill for this!" She picked up some trees with her telekinesis and tried to see if she could clog up the flow of Corruption.

As she did that, however, the figure only absorbed the trees into its mass; slowly approaching the group little by little.

"...that... didn't work." Jack gulped.

Ivory looked at all of this for a long time, trying to figure out how to destroy it.

"...maybe sound!" Quickly, Jack pulled out his harmonica and played on it, which sent soundwaves flowing against the creature...

...but yet again, it didn't flinch; the gooey Corruption only wavered ever so slightly from the force of the soundwave.

"...kkh..." Miser gulped at that.

…_Bulk…I hate to admit it…but I need backup…_ spoke a voice in the creature's head.

The creature flinched; halting._ ...can't this wait? I'm busy trying to kill these-_

_-I've been pinned by the brat's fucking father!_ Interrupted the other voice. _You think you have it bad? This guy actually can kill us! And I'm facing him on my own you idiot while you let the brat run off!_

_...kkh..._ The creature reluctantly turned away from the group. _...you're gonna have to make up for this once we get back to base... _With that, the massive beast merely leapt, and it soared far over the buildings.

"...where's it going?" Jack uttered.

"…yeah, that was really strange," Striker uttered.

"A better question would be; should we follow it?" Ani spoke out.

"...you saw the damage it could do." Miser uttered. "And none of us could even damage it... I'd say our best bet would be to start looking for Joy. Regretable as it is... it seems that only Metal could stand against that thing..."

"Wait a minute…Milo and Demi went looking for Joy, and they suspected that Malice would target Metal," Ivory threw in. "That creature's got nowhere else to go but after Metal; maybe even to back up Patricia because Metal was handing her ass to her. I think we need to follow him."

"...so we need to haul ass _back_ again?" Berta groaned.

"Let's not waste any time!" Miser shot in, as she looked at the group. "Let's hurry!"

"Oh c'mon Berta; you can use the exercise," Ivory groaned, running off.

"Oh, sure, point out the obvious, why don'tcha?" And Berta stormed after her, same as the rest of the group.

* * *

><p>In the meantime, Metal was silent, yet persisted in his utterly devastating attack against Patricia; swinging his arms rapidly to form so many waves of Unity and Purity that no matter what, Patricia would be virtually unable to dodge the majority of them. Patricia took the blows without any means of defending herself, getting hit with wave after wave after wave.<p>

"Go get her!" Mud-Pie actually cheered Metal on at this point, while Cowpoke and his friends gawked.

Well, Cowpoke didn't so much gawk as he did watch, secretly blown away by the power he was witnessing but keeping a wary eye on Patricia to make sure she didn't pull any dirty tricks.

However, all of a sudden... Metal stopped. His gaze shifted over to Cowpoke and his gang... or rather, above them. "...MOVE!" Quickly, he lashed a tendril around all of the dogs to yank them towards him...

...and the second he did that, a massive slime creature formed out of Corruption that was taking a dark red shade to itself slammed down into the ground where they had once stood; towering over everyone present.

"AGH!" Mud-Pie yelped when he saw that gigantic creature.

"…this isn't good…" Smokey grunted.

"...no kidding..." Merde uttered.

Seeing this creature lumbering towards them, Metal narrowed his eyes, before glancing at Patricia. "...I can sense that it's Bulk. Did you have a hand in that?" he growled.

Patricia managed to stumble onto her feet, spitting out black blood from her mouth. "If you're good enough to beat the crap out of me, you can handle the two of us…or can you?"

Metal's eyes narrowed... and he suddenly fired a blast of Purity against the massive slime creature.

Surprisingly, however, even as Corruption sizzled from where the Purity blast struck the beast, it didn't seem to be hurting whatsoever, as it kept lumbering towards Metal.

Cowpoke grit his teeth at this. "…that thing's gonna destroy the whole city…and everyone with it…"

"and yet, it pales in comparison to _my _power."

Cowpoke gasped when he heard that voice and spun around.

The little girl he saw minutes ago was standing there with a wicked little smile on her face. That look on her face couldn't possibly belong to the sweet little girl he knew…could it?

Or…maybe…it was the other half of her…

Metal's eyes widened, and he looked back at the voice's owner. "...Malice...?"

All of a sudden, the creature lashed out at Metal; swinging its fist at him and knocking him a considerable distance away from the entire group.

Malice's grin grew, and she raised her hands cackling to through powerful shots of Corruption at Metal while he had been knocked away. Though weakened by the surprisingly powerful blow, Metal quickly raised a barrier of Purity to deflect the incoming blasts of Corruption.

With what almost sounded like a demonic growl, the creature began stomping towards Metal whilst he protected himself from Malice's onslaught.

Patricia saw what was going on, and decided on putting her input of attacks by launching balls of Corruption at Metal.

"…they're ganging up on him…" Cowpoke growled. "…and we can't help them…"

Shooting a desperate look back at those attacks, Metal reinforced a barrier from that angle as well; however, as he now needed to focus on two forces rather than just one, he was straining the durability of the shields.

It didn't exactly help that as the creature lumbered towards him, looming, it was gathering mass; growing as it raised its arm to prepare to crush Metal against the ground.

Malice cackled even more, stepping up her onslaught on Metal as we walked toward him, while Patricia actually kept her distance warily. The added pressure on Malice's side only made it tougher for Metal to keep the barriers up; even more so did it take away his focus on actual offense or evasion, rendering him stuck in a defensive position.

And that, the creature intended to take advantage of, as it stood directly over Metal with its arm raised; almost as if it glared down at the hedgehog.

…_no…no! Don't do it!_ Screamed a voice in Malice's head.

_They can't hear you,_ Malice chuckled in her thoughts. _No one can hear your pleas…your Daddy can't hear you…and soon, he'll never be able to hear you…_

Metal managed to look back up at the imposing beast towering over him; gritting his teeth...

...and then, the creature swung its massive arm down on Metal; shattering the earth it crushed beneath its mighty fist, and spreading a massive fallout zone of pure Corruption on quite a wide scale just from that one attack.

"No!" Cowpoke uttered out when he saw that, and Malice just laughed and laughed at that, ceasing her attacks. Patricia also stopped, but simply looked up at the massive creature with a glower, knowing she'd have to make up for this.

This was when Milo and Demi appeared to the scene, and when they saw the situation, they gawked. "Oh no!" Milo uttered.

Demi remained silent; just watching this with wide eyes. So did Rudy.

Eventually, the creature moved its hand away from the ground, revealing the utter wasteland it had created beneath its Corrupted hand... and in the center of it all lied Metal; barely conscious, thanks to the Purity barriers, but most definitely not in any shape to fight further.

That was when all the rest of them finally arrived to the scene, and they halted in horror.

"Metal!" Ani screamed, shooting through the air toward him.

Instantly, however, the creature swung back at Ani to knock her away from Metal.

"ANI!" Quickly, Demi shot towards Ani and caught her before she could crash into something; using his wings to brake before the velocity would have affected him as well.

Arsenic tried to shoot another barrage of explosions at the creature, and Striker fired Snap's cannon.

However, the blasts served only to lure the creature's attention to them, and it began stomping towards them.

With an enraged battle cry, Miser charged right for the beast, who swung its massive arm right at the rhino. Miser reacted quickly, and grabbed the arm tightly to halt the swing... but instantly, she had to let go as she let out a pained screech; the Corruption ooze actually burning her skin as she got in contact with it.

"Miser!" Jack called, as he saw that the beast raised its arm to crush Miser as well before she could retreat. Ani was quick enough to yank her away, thankfully, and pull her out of harm's way while Arsenic and Striker kept occupying the creature.

…_no…this has to stop…please, no more!_

_Once again, they can't hear you,_ Malice replied to the small, helpless voice of her other. _Your screams to stop aren't going to do anything._

As Miser was pulled away, however, the creature's attention fell back on Metal, who just barely managed to open his eyes at this point. As it still stood just by the hedgehog, it raised its foot up in the air; positioning it directly over Metal to crush him beneath its heel.

_...then…maybe I'll make them stop…_

_Really now?_ Malice mused. _I'd really like to see you try, you little snot…_

A powerful atmosphere appeared around the child, swirling around her with a delicate but ominous air. It wasn't evil, like what Malice usually tended to be…

…it was more desperate…more unstable… and yes, the instability was hers, but the despair was that of another's…another that was stealing more and more control over the body as well as the power…Malice was not able to do anything all of a sudden.

This surprised her…but it wasn't like this was bad. In fact, she couldn't help but smirk when this happened. Her other side had gotten so desperate, she resorted to this… to something that she had been so right about all along.

As Metal's eyes opened, it was as if he could sense this atmosphere. "...Joy..."

Without seeming to notice this build-up, the creature sent its foot careening right down to strike Metal dead.

It was instantaneously. The child vanished, and a magnificent blade sliced its way through the Corrupted creature's leg, preventing it from smashing Metal once again. The leg split itself perfectly; crashing against the ground surrounding Metal rather than actually striking him. While the creature didn't react in pain from this, it stepped back as sizzling Corruption emitted from its damaged leg, which was rapidly trying to regenerate.

Seeing that, Metal couldn't help but blink a touch.

There stood a woman. Long chocolate brown waves cascaded out from a large black pirate captain's hat, with glistening white feathers decorating the side of it. She wore a glorious overcoat that looked to have been made with rich fabrics.

The blade she carried…Metal instantly recognized it.

It was Jill's Holy blade, back when he had been training her, back before she used the Unified blade she now wielded.

Metal's eyes slowly widened as he looked at this figure. "...J...Joy...?"

The woman slowly looked down at him. Green eyes stared at him with a hint of sadness behind them, and while she most certainly looked like the little ewe…

…she just…looked so much like her mother.

Were he not so weakened, Metal would have tried to reach out to her; breathing a touch heavily. "...J...Joy..."

With another demonic roar, the creature swung its arm directly at the ewe this time. Joy saw this coming, and with a fierce roar, she spun and slashed out a powerful blast of Purity so large and so powerful that it not only sliced off its arm; it blew the creature away a few feet. As Corruption practically boiled off its body, the creature regrew its arm, before it began firing globs of Corruption with the same force as a turret cannon, right for the ewe. Joy zipped away after the gargantuan creature with her blade in hand, spinning and flash-stepping around the globs of Corruption that were fired at her.

"…oh my god…" Ani uttered with wide eyes, her hand over her mouth.

"...I don't believe it..." Demi uttered with even wider eyes.

With surprising agility for a beast of its size, the creature suddenly broke into a run towards Joy; wildly swinging its powerful arms at her.

Joy grew transparent, white feathered wings of majesty, rolling through the air away from the swipes of his arms. Then she let out another fierce roar, throwing her blade forward to shoot a massive beam of Purity aimed for his chest. The creature temporarily ceased all movement as a massive hole was blown through its chest; a massive chunk of Corruption burning away into nothingness. As the sizzling wound attempted to regenerate, the beast attempted to slam both its hands directly at Joy; with intent of crushing her between them.

Rather than fly out, Joy actually threw out her arms with another cry, and released a powerful outburst of Purity from her body that knocked away the hands with a heavy impact; blowing the arms out of their sockets. As the arms sizzled away as well, the beast, actually growing impatient, used the regenerating hole in its chest to its advantage, and shot out a massive, mouth-like protrusion that intended to devour Joy right then and there.

At first, it looked like Joy had been consumed there indeed, but Milo could see the growing power in the titan, and he knew she hadn't been done for. "…I wonder…" he uttered with a weak voice. "…if…this is how she beat Deity…"

Patricia looked at Milo at that remark. Then she looked back at the battle with gritting teeth.

There was a scream, and the Corruption was blasted away from Joy with Purity. Joy had been unharmed, and instead of a blade, she now wielded a bow; once again, the same bow that Jill once possessed long ago before. She pulled back on the bow string with a glowing, bright arrow of light that she fired right at the creature, shooting through the air with powerful force.

The force behind the bow was incredible; not just stopping the beast, not just wounding it, but literally vaporizing all the Corruption surrounding Bulk in a magnificent explosion of Purity. The blast sent a severely injured Bulk crashing into the ground next to Patricia; groaning weakly. Patricia looked at that, and then she looked up to see Joy descending down to the ground at a distance away from everyone.

Utter silence filled the air.

…that is…until one lone voice broke it.

"…I'm just…weak…"

Everyone just looked at Joy for that comment... everyone aside from Metal, who had closed his eyes at this point.

Tears started to stream down Joy's face.

"…I don't have any power…I never did…I can only do the things I can because of Malice…she's the reason I have this power…because it all comes from her."

"...Joy..." Miser uttered.

"…this form is enough proof that I have to rely on her to fight…and even then…I can't turn it around on her…I may have strong will…but I don't have anything to back it up on…" Joy kept uttering. "…it probably really was only because of her that I was able to beat Deity Novagod…"

"...Joy, that's..." Jack uttered weakly, though he didn't know what else to say to that.

Joy was silent then, and she felt the urge to just run now, and leave them behind…but she waited… she waited to hear what anyone could say in reply to her.

For a while, though, everyone was silent, as if they had no idea what to say to this... when...

"...Joy... don't... say things... like that..." spoke a weakened Metal.

Joy opened her eyes at that with more sorrowful tears, but she didn't look back at him.

In spite of his severe injuries, Metal was forcing every muscle in his body to work in order for him to climb up into a standing position; wavering weakly as his gaze was directed at the ground. "...Joy... I know... how you must... nh..." He winced from the pain he felt. "...feel... right now... sad... left in despair... scared..."

Joy still didn't look back.

"...if I... were in your place... I would... feel the same..." As he said that, Metal began weakly stumbling towards Joy; clutching his ribs as his gaze was still directed at the ground. "...how long... have you been alone... with only Malice... as your companion...? How long... have you endured... such hardships... almost all on your own...?"

Joy shut her eyes again, not wanting to think about that.

"...we've... been searching for you... for months, Joy..." Metal continued. "For months... you've managed to... take care of yourself... all alone..."

At this point, Metal stopped right behind Joy; his gaze still directed down at the ground. "...Joy... you _are_ strong... you may be... the strongest girl. I've ever known... to have to endure... more than even... your mother had to... at a far younger age..."

Joy clenched her fists in despair. She really wanted to just spin around and hug him…but she held back…

Everyone else just watched this in silence.

"...and... to have done it... all on your own..." Metal uttered, as he slowly looked up at Joy. "...but... you don't... have to be alone... anymore..."

At which point, whilst tears ran down his face, he gently wrapped his arms around Joy from behind; resting his head on her shoulder. "...so please... I beg you... as your father... let us help you, Joy..."

Joy tried to hold back even more sad tears with her head sinking. "…D-Daddy…"

"...Joy..." Metal whispered in return; gritting his teeth as more tears pushed their way out from his eyes.

Cowpoke swallowed hard when he watched this. He almost couldn't handle dealing with all of this…and truth be told, everyone else felt the same way; everyone except Patricia and Bulk. Speaking of, Bulk slowly managed to push himself to his knees, as he glared towards Metal and Joy in grudging silence.

Joy's head rose slowly with more tears rolling down. Maybe she was finally ready to stop running away and just let them help her… she had spent miserable months all alone, bouncing from place to place while being chased by so many, be it her friends and family or those that wanted her dead. Metal was strong, and so was everyone else. Maybe Malice wouldn't hurt them…maybe they could beat her, and they could all figure out how to make sure Malice couldn't hurt anyone again.

She just wanted things to go back to the way they used to…and she wanted to see her mother again.

She was going to open her mouth to admit defeat, but it got caught in her throat… and from there, it never left, while she choked on it.

Milo started to tremble in fear. He could see what was suddenly going to happen. "METAL!" he screamed. "GET AWAY FROM HER!"

But it was too late. Many small, sharp blades suddenly stabbed Metal's abdomen and sent him backward away from Joy.

Metal's eyes shot wide open, and he let out a choked gasp, whilst weakly looking back at the ewe.

"Wah, boohoo…all this drama for one little girl…"

The woman slowly turned her feet to spin her body around to everyone, glaring at them with those icy blue eyes. "I can't believe how butt hurt everyone's all getting because some little girl realizes the cold truth. God forbid anything should destroy that innocence and prevent her from being that naïve, cute little bugger."

Metal had to breathe heavily as he looked down at the blades now protruding from his body, before his gaze fell on the woman.

"...n-no..." Miser uttered with actual fear in her tone, especially as she had so suddenly incapacitated, even mortally wounded Metal.

"She was right you know," Malice chuckled. "All she really has going for her is that will of hers…but I think even at this point, that's broken."

"…no Malice…Joy's will isn't broken…"

Malice turned to Milo, who was glaring at her.

"If she's anything like Jill, and we all know she's just like her mother, she's not giving up that easily," Milo growled.

"...Milo's right!" Jack shot in. "She's not going to give up just because you keep bullying her!"

"Oh yeah?" Malice growled. "Then why don't you see if you can pound those words into me?"

Malice suddenly rushed at them, and she was about to strike down Milo, but then there was an explosion that blew her backward. When Malice landed on her feet, she glared over at Jack…

…or really, Arsenic in his arms.

"I've wanted to make you shut up for a while now," Arsenic said. "And yet…I'm still not entirely satisfied…"

Jack held Arsenic tightly to support her, as he still glared at Arsenic.

"...we're not going to let you off easily, Malice." Miser uttered as she slowly regained her composure. "You've done some horrible things... and you have to answer for them."

Malice smirked this time. "You really think you can take me on? All of you? You realize that Patricia and Bulk have the powers they do because of me also, right?"

Arsenic glared at Malice for that. Hearing her say that, it made Arsenic realize just who was really at fault for her village being taken…

"...well, we're sure as hell going to try." At that point, Jack handed Arsenic to Miser while he charged quickly for Malice.

Malice just pulled out the bow and pulled back on the bowstring. Instead of Purity, it was an arrow of Corruption, and it shot at Jack.

At first glance, it seemed like it was going to strike him directly; however, at the very last moment, Jack suddenly dodged and rushed forward, before he swiftly aimed a kick directly at Malice. Malice spun around that kick and swung the sword at him with a glow of Corruption around it. Swiftly, however, Jack merely grabbed the blade as it approached him; halting its advance quickly. "...now that's no way to act, ya snot-nosed brat." With that, he swiftly threw his fist at Malice's gut.

Malice stumbled back at that punch, glaring at him. "I see…it's you…" she muttered.

Seeing that, Metal blinked. "...Johnny...?"

"I'm surprised that you remember me." Johnny scoffed, as he cracked his knuckles. "Then again, last time we met, you had the unfair advantage of being in absolute control over the surroundings... no such luck here, I'm afraid."

"Even then, you're not gonna beat me," Malice answered, conjuring up a ball of Corruption to fling at Johnny.

And Johnny merely stepped away from it; letting it soar right past him. "...so why'd you go through all this effort, again? To kill Metal and Jill, and make me and Callous "all evil again", or some crap like that?" He rolled his eyes as he approached Malice again. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that this whole thing just spanned from a whiny brat wanting some attention. Kinda pathetic, when you look at it like that."

"For all you know, maybe I might want to get rid of you and her too," Malice said, pulling out another Corrupted arrow to shoot at Johnny.

Again, Johnny just moved away from the arrow as he kept advancing towards her. "Oh, so now you wanna kill us too. Whoop-de-fucking-doo." he droned quite dryly. "So let's say that you do all those things. Tell me; what are you going to do after that? Take over the world? Yeah, because a 5-year old dictator would really strike fear in people's hearts. Oh, or maybe you're gonna copy Novagod and what he tried doing! Great, because his plans weren't droll and outplayed in the slightest!"

"Look, I'm playing this by ear okay?" Malice growled. "All I know is that I was abandoned and I want revenge!" She shot some more balls of Corruption. "And look who's talking. I doubt you knew what to do after you would've gotten rid of Metal and Jill and Deity!"

"Oh, _here we go_ with the whining and the flimsy defenses!" Johnny groaned as he began dodging these blasts. "For your information, young lady, I knew _perfectly well_ what I was going to do, but that doesn't matter now since that was, oh, _seven years ago_. As for being abandoned? You seriously think that either you, me or Callous had _any_ control over how that all came about? Grow up and get over it! Revenge is a pointless thing to brood over, to begin with!"

"What about when Jill killed herself and took Callous away from you?" Malice sneered.

"One, still seven years ago; pointless to bring up," Johnny noted. "Two, I was a bit of a dumbass back then, which was why I was all into that revenge shtick. Three, if you think you can get under my skin like you did that one time, you need to learn some new tricks, kiddo."

Malice roared with anger, and threw her hands forward, shooting a large beam of Corruption at Johnny.

"…you know…this is starting to sound more like the dysfunctional family they are…" Arsenic murmured.

"...sad to say, but... you're kind of right about that..." Miser noted.

With a beam of that size, however, Johnny easily dodged to the side, before taking the gap in Malice's defense to throw a powerful kick directly at her face, before she could cancel out the beam to block him. Malice was knocked backward a little bit, and she clutched to her face in pain.

Cracking his neck a touch, Johnny looked down at her with a small frown. "...can't believe you even managed to piss me off... you're just pitiful, Malice."

"…then tell me…just what do _you_ think of Joy, huh?" Malice growled. "Everyone makes such a big goddamn deal about her…"

"...you know, I think a better question would be this." Johnny hummed, as he folded his arms. "What do _you_ think of Joy? As in, not in that "she-gets-more-attention-than-me" kinda crap, but how you _actually_ feel about her."

Malice just glared at him for a long time in silence.

"...well?" Johnny scoffed. "I asked you a question, so answer m-!"

And in that very instant, something suddenly shot out of the ground directly beneath Malice. It was a massive, dark root that had jabbed itself into her back. Malice choked when it stabbed into her back, and this shocked all the others watching this; especially Metal and Johnny, the latter who looked directly towards the prime suspect.

"...heh... bet'cha didn't see _that_ one coming, did'ya, you little bitch?" Bulk sneered with a vicious grin, as he had planted his hand onto the ground; leading a dark trail of Corruption all the way to Malice, where the root had ended up.

And if that weren't enough, as a reversal of what Bulk had done to himself earlier, the root began draining what seemed to be Corruption out of Malice at an incredibly rapid rate. Malice's eyes widened with a gasp, shuddering at the rapid loss of power. Bulk's smirk grew as the exact same power was being pumped directly into his body; while not causing any significant changes to his body, a dark aura swelled around him while he absorbed this energy for himself.

"…stop it!" Ivory yelled, running toward Bulk with her spear. However, Bulk simply fired a powerful blast of Corruption from his mouth directly at Ivory. Ivory jumped away from it. "Don't everybody stand there! He's sucking the power out of her!"

Ani picked up another tree and hurled it at Bulk, but Patricia was there to deflect the tree away from him. Quickly, Johnny and Demi shot towards Bulk with intent of attacking him; however, using his free arm, the crocodile unleashed a shockwave that blew them right back. "You think you can take on me? The only one who can actually damage us is incapacitated, for fuck's sake!" he laughed viciously.

Gritting, Metal clutched at his wound whilst trying to force himself into a standing position. Meanwhile, the woman had become a small ewe again, growing weaker and weaker the more Bulk sucked out of her.

"You're still a bad guy too, though!" Striker yelled back at Bulk, shooting Snap's cannon at him.

However, the blast, even as it struck him dead-on, did virtually no damage to the crocodile, who grinned at Striker. "...oh, you'll see just how bad I can get... as soon as I turn this ewe into a dried-up shell!"

Her eyes widening at that, Miser glared towards the ewe and the root stabbed into her back. Narrowing her eyes, she charged right for that. "Arsenic! Blow up the root!"

Arsenic, while being carried in her arms, shot a fire bolt for the root to blow it up and set the little ewe free. The explosion, however, hit against a Corrupted barrier around the girl.

"Not so fast!" Patricia growled, having been the one to put up the barrier.

Then someone grabbed her braid from behind her and hurled her up to slam her against the ground.

"That was for what you did to my son!" Cowpoke snarled at her, yanking on her braid.

"...Cowpoke!" Rott uttered in surprise.

As all that went on, Metal slowly looked towards Bulk, whose focus was now entirely on the ewe; everyone else around him seemed to be naught but a trifle. The hedgehog grit his teeth, as he clenched his hands together; the pain he felt starting to dull in comparison with the sheer hate he felt towards that one crocodile, for what he was doing...

"...you let my daughter GO!" In a powerful blast of Purity, Metal shot right towards Bulk and rammed into him; going at such a speed that Bulk could neither see it coming, nor hope to block against it as he was blown back a considerable distance; the root dissolving as nothing was supporting it anymore.

The little ewe fell to the ground weakly, collapsed on the ground. Metal, in turn, collapsed on the ground after that as well; his energy all but gone as he could hardly even breathe.

As he got on his feet, Bulk slowly glared down at Metal. "...you... _fucking... __**BASTARD!**_" With a ferocious roar, Bulk grabbed Metal and prepared to just pulverize him with a single punch...

...but the instant his fist came down, Demi caught his arm and yanked on it with enough force to toss the crocodile away from the hedgehog. The bat even hissed as he glared from the crocodile to his aunt; clenching his fist as he spread his wings out.

Patricia kicked Cowpoke away when she saw her nephew glaring at her. "Bring it!" she yelled, opening her palm for Corruption to build up there.

Demi hissed once more. _"...don't mind if we do!" _With that, he shot right towards Patricia; his fangs protruding from his mouth as he got ready to grab his aunt when he'd get close enough. Patricia shot what she had in her palm, jumping away from him to keep her distance. With the span of his wings, however, Demi easily caught up to her after avoiding her attack; clamping his hands painfully down on her shoulders, as he hissed at Patricia in a positively feral manner.

Patricia tried to twist around and through him down to the ground. The instant he would have been slammed into the ground, however, he firmly planted his feet against the ground, before tightening his grip on Patricia and swinging her over him so he'd slam her against the ground; pinning her. This actually knocked the wind out of her when she hit the ground. Before she could recover, Demi swiftly sank his teeth into her neck; flooding her with not just pain, but virtually every negative emotion he could think of in order to incapacitate her. Patricia screamed out in agony at all of this.

While that was going on, the others started going after Bulk. Arsenic started firing more explosions in Bulk's direction. While they knocked him back, Bulk's anger kept him charging at the group; but the likes of Johnny and Miser repeatedly kept him from reaching Metal, who was still lying on the ground by the site of the battle. Patricia was finally able to kick off Demi after a while, but only to be bombarded by Ivory and Vanessa.

This all just became a violent mess, with everyone fighting the two weak Corrupted warriors. All the while, Metal tried to shift his gaze towards the ewe; too weakened to do anything but move his line of sight from where he lied. She only lay there weakly, and it was hard to tell if she was even conscious or not. Honestly, Metal couldn't even tell if he were conscious at the moment. All he could think about was her safety. Wincing, he weakly stretched his arm towards her, but found that he lacked even the strength to lift his arm.

Slowly, she started to move her arm a little, and she managed to push herself off of the ground. Seeing that, Metal's eyes widened a light touch, and he simply looked at her. It was slow, but she eventually got back to her feet, looking at the battling going on with sorrowful green eyes. Joy stared at the mess that was going on, and only felt even guiltier about it all. Gritting his teeth a touch, Metal desperately wanted to get closer to Joy; to look her in the eyes, to tell her that everything would be okay, that he'd help her no matter what she needed help in, to hug her, to comfort her... but his body simply wouldn't obey him; leaving him unable to do anything but watch.

A few tears came from Joy's eyes, and when they fell on Metal, she could only stare in even more horror and guilt at the state he was in. Tears began dripping from Metal's eyes as well, as he could only look back at her. Joy was too hurt to look at this. She shut her eyes and turned away. A few of her tears actually plucked off of her face, floating in the air, and with that, she turned and started running away. Everyone else was so busy fighting that they didn't notice this, so Metal was the only one that saw her run off. Metal wanted to cry out to her; to ask her not to flee... but even talking was too much for him at this point; making him only able to watch his daughter run off with a tear-filled gaze.

The fighting kept going on and on and on until Patricia heard a voice in her head.

_We can't hold them up much longer Patricia,_ Mercy spoke. _What's taking you so damn long? Just nab the girl and go!_

_If you had done your job correctly, you wouldn't have let all of them slip through your distraction to stop us! The same goes for you two, Cyrene and Husk!_ Patricia growled.

_...well... did you... even try... to get... the girl...?_ Husk interjected.

Patricia pulled away from the crowd going after her to head for Joy…only to see her gone. "…aw shit!" Patricia shouted out loud. "The little brat bailed on us!"

This stopped all of the fighting immediately when they all heard Patricia say that.

"...you've gotta be fucking kiddin'..." Bulk snarled.

"…she's gone again…" Milo uttered.

…_fine then. Retreat; she ran off again, _Patricia commanded.

_Way to go,_ Mercy responded sarcastically.

_...and here I thought... you wouldn't screw up..._ Husk sighed.

With a snarl, Bulk formed a vortex of darkness he prepared to step into. "...Patricia. We're leaving." With that cold remark, he walked through it. Patricia ran and vanished into it too.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" Cowpoke yelled, hurrying after Patricia. Though, she had already disappeared in the void, and the void itself vanished away by the time he got to it, so he hit the ground instead.

"…damn it…" he growled.

Rudy frowned. "…aw man…"

Miser narrowed her eyes. "...cowards..." she spat, before her gaze slowly fell on Metal.

Milo looked at Metal too, and could see his spirits were pretty crushed right now. His was too, but not nearly as much as Metal's was right now. He looked at him in sympathy… and then he noticed Cowpoke walk up to Metal to look down at him. Metal barely managed to gaze back up at Cowpoke.

Cowpoke just stared at him for a long time in the state that he was. He had some conflicting emotions of his own going on, and he too, had been pretty affected by what Joy was going through…but seeing Metal Sonic in the flesh, and everything he tried to do to help Joy also had a hand in his conflicting emotions.

He didn't say anything, but Cowpoke knelt down and one by one, started to pull out the swords in his abdomen. Each one that came out disintegrated into nothing. For each sword he pulled out, Metal winced, but otherwise made no real noise. Finally, Cowpoke was able to pull all of them out, and even then, he just looked down at Metal in silence.

Striker looked sadly at this, but then something flickering in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he looked over. "Hey guys, look," he pointed out. Everyone, who was capable, gazed in the direction Striker pointed out.

The tears that had floated in the air became small balls of sparkling light just floating there softly…and they started to float toward them. Miser couldn't help but blink. "...what are they...?" she uttered in confusion.

"…I don't know…" Ani answered, just staring at them.

They each split up, and chose to approach three separate individuals.

One of them was Vanessa, and when the balls of light touched her, there was a faint glow around her. She felt strange… and once the glow was gone, she looked at herself. She didn't feel any pain anymore coming from her arms. Her fingers twitched, moving, and even then, she didn't feel pain. "…my arms…I don't feel any pain from them…"

Another they approached was Arsenic, and the same happened to her. When the balls of light touched her, there was a faint glow around her, and when the glow was gone, Arsenic felt…well, very rejuvenated. She could move herself without feeling any pain at all, and she was able to stand on her own away from Miser's arms. "…whoa…"

And the last one they approached was Metal. He too glowed when the balls of light touched him. What happened to him was a lot more visible, as the grievous wounds and cuts he had suffered during the battle were slowly being sealed, and he was actually able to draw breath. When the glow vanished, his wounds had all but vanished, and he slowly, but steadily managed to get on his feet; looking down at himself with wide eyes.

Demi could only gawk at all of this. "...they're... healed..."

Mud-Pie stared wide eyed. "…do you think…those came from Joy?"

Metal slowly looked back at where Joy had run off to. "...they did..." he spoke softly.

"…well…now what?" Arsenic asked.

"...we'll... just have to regroup." Metal murmured.

"…you guys should rest too…" Cowpoke said. "…today was intense…"

"...right..." Miser sighed, as she looked at the rest of the group. "...where do we rest, though? I'm not sure if it'd be wiser for us to camp outside of town, or find some hotel to rest in..."

"…just come to our house and camp in our yard…" Cowpoke muttered, walking away.

Nodding, Miser looked at the rest of the group. "...alright... shall we?"

"…yeah…" Vanessa said, walking.

* * *

><p><em><strong>This was certainly a tough one to write...<strong>_


	39. Chapter 38

"…_well that was a huge waste of time, wasn't it?"_ Mercy groaned, once she arrived at their HQ.

As Husk and Cyrene arrived at roughly the same time, the lion nodded a bit despondently. _"...hate to say it... but our efforts... were wasted..." _he sighed.

"…_Goddamn it…there's just too many of them,_" Cyrene growled. _"Even bringing some of our army wasn't able to keep them all in one place…_"

_"...not that... the others... did anything of value... when it came... to Joy..."_ Husk noted, as he folded his arms.

"…_yeah…some force they were,"_ Mercy growled.

_"...I think... I'll talk to Patricia... about it..."_ Husk hummed, as he glanced from Mercy to Cyrene. _"...hopefully... before Bulk... can tear her apart... for their failure..."_

"_I doubt that you'd get the chance, but go ahead if you're so bold," _Mercy grunted. _"I'm going to see if there's something I can blow some steam off with…_" and she walked off.

_"...hm..."_ With a light hum, Husk glanced at Cyrene. _"...do you... think that I should... talk to her...?"_

"…_I'm not really sure myself…"_ Cyrene answered.

_"...I... wouldn't want to do... anything that... brought you... discomfort..."_ Husk hummed.

"…_then we should probably just leave them alone and see what we can do to pass the time,_" Cyrene mumbled.

Meanwhile, Mercy was walking through the halls, when she finally encountered a weakened Bulk and Patricia stepping through a random void that opened in the wall. _"Finally got here, didn't you?_" Mercy hummed, folding her arms.

Bulk shot her a gaze that screamed "Don't test me", before looking away with a hiss. Patricia didn't pay much heed to Mercy, and she slumped against the wall.

"...almost had 'em..." Bulk snarled bitterly. "...if not Metal Sonic... then the goddamn ewe... and they both slipped past me..."

Mercy folded her arms. _"Something tells me this wasn't as well thought out as it seemed to be at first."_

"Tell us something we don't know," Patricia grumbled.

"...well, it almost worked, if it hadn't been for a few goddamn hiccups..." Bulk snarled, as he shot a glare directly at Patricia. "...hiccups courtesy of _you_, I might add."

"_Excuse_ me?" Patricia started with a growl, glaring at Bulk. "You went after the girl and she got away from you in the first place! I had to deal with her _father!_"

"Right... and tell me, _how_ many of those bastards did we end up killing?" Bulk snarled. "None. Not a single one. I was gonna kill _six _of them, and I could've killed a lot more... but no; you _had_ to get in trouble, and you _had_ to leave me to wound Metal Sonic, and you _had_ to just sit on your ass when I was doing the hard work. The fuck did you even do, aside from fighting Metal Sonic?!"

"Look, it wasn't like I was being lazy!" Patricia yelled back. "I actually tried to do something; I kidnapped that son of that guy so they wouldn't interfere!"

"_Yeah, but that got thwarted by Metal, and I have to say that he's right; you didn't do shit,_" Mercy answered.

"You stay out of this!" Patricia yelled at Mercy.

"No, you know what? She's got a point." Bulk grunted. "In fact, from what I saw, that very same father tossed you around, just as Metal got a second wind when I was _seconds_ away from sucking out Joy's energy completely. So not only did you accomplish _nothing,_ but you pretty much made a _mockery_ of yourself today."

Patricia grit her teeth and growled at him.

…then she just turned around and stomped away.

"_Where are you going?_" Mercy asked.

"I'm going to hunt for Pierce again, because Bulk wasn't able to find him last time!" Patricia yelled back.

Bulk simply scoffed. "...runnin' from the truth... fitting..." he murmured to himself, as he supported himself against the wall.

"…_hmph,_" Mercy grunted. _"Some leader she's shaping up to be."_

"Get real; she couldn't lead an anthill." Bulk growled, as he glanced back at Mercy. "Sounds like you're getting fed up with her... weird; I thought you'd be more loyal to her than that, considering that she corrupted you."

"_She may have Corrupted me, but you're the one that made me stronger,_" Mercy answered.

"True... but she's been busy lately..." Bulk noted, as he grit his teeth. "...taking away my way of gettin' relief... I don't like it one fuckin' bit..."

"…_taking away your way of relief?"_ Mercy hummed. _"And just what would that be?"_

"...well..." Bulk hummed, as he kept looking at Mercy. "...she's been avoiding me... and she's been sendin' Cyrene out of the base a lot these days..."

"…_I see…"_ Mercy rubbed her chin. _"…now that's suspicious."_

"...ever since that husk started getting close to Cyrene, too..." Bulk snarled.

"…_yeah, that's suspicious indeed," _Mercy replied._ "I think I can investigate that for you…"_

Bulk raised an eyebrow, as he looked back at Mercy. "...you would, huh?"

"_If it's anything disrupting our ultimate goal to dominate GUN and Safe Haven, then whatever's going on needs to be stopped,"_ Mercy answered. _"It's only a matter of what's going on."_

"...yeah, you're right." Bulk nodded, as he began approaching Mercy. "...but before you do... Patricia hasn't given you any orders, has she?"

"_No she hasn't,"_ Mercy said._ "…why?"_

"Oh, just wondering..." Bulk mused, as he stopped in front of her, "...wondering if you need some... relief, too."

"…_well…I did want to blow off some steam from earlier…"_ Mercy mumbled.

Bulk couldn't help but smirk at that. "...what a coincidence... same here."

Mercy just blinked at him, and took a step back. The instant she did that, Bulk suddenly grabbed her and pinned her against the wall; grinning wider now. "Going somewhere?"

Mercy tried to struggle a little with clenched teeth. Bulk chuckled at that.

* * *

><p>With a light yawn, Sonia glanced out the window to see the sun above the clouds. She figured that she could go and check up on Jill, to see if she was still hanging in there. With that indefinite house arrest, she had to get lonely after a while...<p>

Suddenly, from the kitchen, the phone started to ring.

She looked towards the kitchen with a confused stare; wondering who could be calling at this hour, and why they would be calling her. With a shrug, she hurried for the kitchen and picked up the phone. "Hello, this is Sonia speaking."

"…sure has been awhile, hasn't it, Sonia?"

Sonia very nearly dropped the phone when she heard that voice. "...it can't be... Cowpoke?"

"Yep."

Sonia gawked. "...wow, uh... so... how've you been? It's really been five years, huh..." she began; a bit nervous wondering if he was going to ask about...

"…well…with everything that happened yesterday and today, I really don't know how to feel."

Sonia blinked a touch upon hearing that. "...wait... Cowpoke, what has happened?" she uttered, before she realized something else. "...and for that matter... how did you manage to call me? GUN's blocking any outside calls as part of the blockade!"

"I managed to get through them with a lot of patience and a lot of bullshitting," Cowpoke said on the other line.

"...huh..." Sonia hummed. "...alright, so... what happened to you lately?" she inquired curiously.

"…Sonia, I don't know if you knew this or not, but yesterday, Ivory, Berta and Trish showed up in my town, and Joy was with them."

Sonia gasped. "You saw Joy?! Really?!" she uttered in surprise.

"Yeah…but I found out quite a lot of things when they came by…_a lot._" His tone didn't sound happy.

Sonia tugged at her shirt a bit awkwardly. "...you did, huh...?" she uttered.

"…yeah…I was told pretty much everything that happened after I left, like that outbreak of Corruption on Safe Haven two years ago, the truth about Metal Sonic, and everything else," Cowpoke replied. "…and earlier today, we got ambushed by couple of crooks that could use Corruption; Patricia Novagod and Barrage "Bulk" Waters and they were after Joy."

Sonia clasped a hand over her mouth. "...gods..."

"…There were some guys that showed up to stop them though…" Cowpoke continued. "I saw Miser and Ani, and a bunch of their friends…and…Metal Sonic was there too."

"...really...?" Sonia uttered.

"…yeah…they were fighting…all of them were fighting so fiercely…"

There was silence for a little bit after that.

"…then I get to meet Malice."

"...you... met Malice...?" Sonia uttered.

"…she came out of Joy…she, Patricia and Bulk were all ganging up on Metal, and at the time, it was me and the guys that were watching…we couldn't do anything to help him at all…the others showed up to help, but even then Metal was getting too overpowered…"

"…next thing we know…Joy fights for control and…I…I don't know how to really explain it…"

Sonia remained silent as she listened to Cowpoke tell this story to her.

"…she…could turn into a form that made her look older…much older…she almost looked like her mother…one of their friends claimed that it could've been how she beat Deity…I still can't believe it…but I watched her…I watched her fight off Bulk all by herself when he became this large monster…"

Sonia could only shake her head slightly in disbelief. "...wow..."

There was a bit of more silence after that.

"…but…she was just…so miserable…she stood there, saying that Malice was the only reason she had her powers…and that she was really worthless and weak…" Cowpoke's voice was wavering a bit, trying to keep himself composed.

Sonia had to just sit down as she heard all this; shaking her head a bit. There was a little more silence; probably to give Cowpoke some time to recollect himself.

"…Malice took over, and was about to try and kill all of us…but one of their friends were taken over by Johnny Leoniel…Bulk tried to suck the power out of Malice and that caused a huge fight…in that fight…Joy got away while everyone had been preoccupied."

"...I... I see..." Sonia uttered.

"…I figured I'd owe a call to let you know…"

"...right... thank you, Cowpoke..." Sonia uttered.

"…I'm…sorry I didn't keep in touch before…"

"...hey, I'm... sure you had your reasons..." Sonia replied.

"…I didn't have any legitimate reason not to Sonia. If anyone had a good reason, it was Jill. All I did was get drunk off my ass all the time."

Sonia closed her eyes and let out a sad sigh. "...Cowpoke..."

There was more silence over the line.

Sonia opened her eyes; waiting to see if he'd respond.

"…well…she's moved on anyway…so I guess I really shouldn't mope over it anymore, huh?"

"...um..." Sonia uttered; not entirely sure on how to respond to that.

"…made you feel a bit awkward, didn't I?"

"...I'm sorry, I..." Sonia began, as she rubbed her neck a touch. "...I just didn't expect any of this..."

"…I figured you wouldn't…"

"...so, uh..." Sonia uttered. "...what's going on over there now?"

"…Well, everyone's set up camping outside in our yard. We have King's group, Ani's group, and the group with Metal Sonic," Cowpoke said. "…there's a lot here."

"...right..." Sonia nodded slowly.

"…for the most part, everyone is alright…"

"...for the most part?"

"…physically, everyone is perfectly fine…but I think some of us are taking things hard…" Cowpoke answered.

"...right..." Sonia nodded.

"…I think that's really all I have to say…" Cowpoke muttered. "…give my regards to Jill, would you?"

"...sure." Sonia nodded.

* * *

><p>Jam was walking through the jungle on the island, with nothing much to do since the rebellion had things taken care of, and he had helped out enough so they let him go.<p>

It had been awhile since he listened to his music, so he put on the tunes and listened to them while he roamed the jungle.

"...Jam?" At which point, someone approached him with a small laugh. "You got to go home early today?" Lin hummed with a chuckle.

"Oh, Lin," Jam turned off his music and pulled off the ear phones. "Sorry, I, like, didn't hear what you said."

"Oh, you were listening to your music, hm?" Lin couldn't help but smile at that. "It's been a while since I saw you do that, Jam."

"I know, right?" Jam remarked.

Lin giggled. "So what music were you listening to? Classic? Rock? Blues?" She seemed genuinely curious about that.

"Rock actually," Jam answered. "I felt energized and pretty intense earlier, so, like, I fueled some of that with music."

"Ooh, sounds intense." Lin hummed in amazement.

"I still, like, feel a little energy left in me, so I kinda, like, been looking for something to do," Jam said.

"Oh, really?" Humming, Lin rubbed her chin a touch. "...well, where were you headed before I showed up?" she inquired. "Just wandering aimlessly?"

"Pretty much," Jam answered.

"Then..." Lin hummed, as she rubbed her hands together. "...maybe you could come over to my place?"

"Sure," Jam answered with a smile.

Smiling widely, Lin gently took hold of Jam's hand, and led him through the woods. "When we get there, I can get you anything you want, Jam!"

"Okay," Jam answered, following her.

Once they got to her familiar shack, Lin led Jam inside and closed the door behind him. "So, what can I get you? Something to drink? Maybe a snack?" she said with a smile.

"Like, a glass of water's good," Jam said with a smile back.

"Coming up!" Lin called as she hurried for the kitchen. "Just take a seat, and make yourself comfortable!"

Jam went over and sat on the couch to relax, looking out the window. He thought about the stuff that the rebellion was getting all set up for, and he wondered about it. As Lin came back, she sat down on the couch with Jam and handed him the glass of water. "Something on your mind?" she hummed.

"…the thing with the rebellion and stuff…" Jam answered, taking the water and taking a few sips of it.

"...right, I see..." Lin nodded, as she looked towards the window as well. "...things have been really hectic recently, haven't they? With all the preparation..."

"…it, like, makes me wonder what's really gonna, like, happen…" Jam muttered.

"...mh..." Lin nodded. "...something big, no doubt..."

"…makes me, like, worried about everybody else," Jam muttered.

Lin looked at Jam then. "...you don't think what they're preparing for is gonna be that severe, do you...?" she uttered.

"…I'm starting to, like, think so," Jam answered, not looking back at her.

Looking at him a bit sadly, Lin set a hand on his shoulder. "...is there anything I could do to relieve you a bit? So you don't have to worry so much on your own..."

Jam looked back at her. "…not sure…"

Slowly and surely though, he hugged her. "…but…I'm, like, worried about you too…"

Blinking at that, Lin hugged him back. "...Jam..."

"…it whatever happens, like, happens…I don't want anything bad happenin' to ya…" Jam muttered.

"...I don't want anything bad to happen to you either, Jam..." Lin uttered.

Jam continued to hug her longer. Likewise, Lin hugged him tightly back. Jam even stroked back her hair a little. Shivering a smidge, Lin began gently stroking his back. Jam breathed a little at that. Closing her eyes, Lin began using two hands to stroke his back. Jam shivered pleasantly at that, and he started to stroke her back too. Lin let out a tiny, joyful breath as she kept stroking Jam's back. Jam breathed a little more while they started stroking each other's backs, growing warmer. Lin grew warmer as well, as she breathed a touch louder from Jam's caresses. Jam couldn't resist it, and so he dug his hands under her clothes to rub her back. Lin gasped louder, but she enjoyed it, as she used her third hand to stroke Jam's back even more.

Jam leaned down to whisper in her ear. "…I love you…"

Lin held him even closer when she heard that. "...I love you too..."

* * *

><p>"…what…what do you mean?"<p>

Tasha was utterly surprised when she had been confronted by some of her people. "…are you suggesting…I should go to Safe Haven?"

"…Tasha…" spoke one of the jungle cats. "…summer's almost over, and the autumn is coming. With things the way they are, I think it's just better off that you take shelter in Safe Haven where you can be cared for."

"…but…but we've been just fine out here," Tasha spoke. "I should be fine too."

"...Tasha..." another of the jungle cats shot in, "...we... just want to be sure that things work out."

Tasha looked away uneasily. "…but…I'm supposed to take care of all of you…especially given the circumstances…"

"We'll be alright; don't worry," spoke another jungle cat. "You've done a lot to be our leader, with everything you've gone through…you could use this."

Tasha looked back uneasily at those of her people standing there in front of her.

"...please do not worry." another jungle cat shot in. "Just take the opportunity to... relax, if just for a while."

"…are you sure?" Tasha asked.

"Yeah, we're sure," the first one said with a smile.

"…well…alright," Tasha answered. "…I'll go." The other jungle cats smiled as well.

"…and…I know where I'm going to stay…I just have to collect some things," Tasha spoke.

* * *

><p>"...Jill, are you in here?" Sonia called as she knocked on the door leading into Jill's apartment; still a touch shaken by the previous phone call.<p>

"Come in!" Called a voice.

With a nod, Sonia opened the door and entered the apartment. "Hey, Jill." she called out.

"In the living room," she heard Jill grunt out.

Blinking a touch, Sonia entered the living room with a tilted head. "What's wrong, Jill?"

There, she saw Jill on the ground, doing push-ups.

...that... threw Sonia off a touch. "...what's up, Jill? Exercising?" she mused.

"…this pent-up energy…from being cooped up…" Jill huffed while doing the push-ups. "…I'm trying to use it up…so I don't go crazy…"

"...wow..." Sonia hummed, as she took a seat on the couch. "...I'm surprised; I didn't think you'd start doing exercising to kill the time." she noted.

"…gotta keep in shape somehow…" Jill grunted.

Sonia nodded. "Right, I can understand that..." Then, she glanced to the side. "...mh..."

Jill finally had to stop, weakly huffing while she pulled herself off the ground and sat down on the couch, wiping the sweat off her brow with a towel. Then she noticed Sonia's behavior. "…what's wrong?"

Sonia rubbed her neck a touch awkwardly. "...well... I got a phone call earlier..."

"…really?" Jill was surprised. "I thought GUN wasn't letting phone calls through to anyone."

"Yeah, I was surprised, too..." Sonia murmured. "...he told me to... tell you that he said hello."

"…who…told you to tell me hello?" Jill asked.

Sonia looked back at Jill.

"...Cowpoke."

The color suddenly drained from Jill's face in silence. Sonia just looked somewhat uncomfortably at Jill.

Jill gulped a little. "…h-he called you?" she uttered. Sonia nodded.

"…wh-what did he say?" Jill asked.

"...well..." Sonia began. "...it's... a lot."

And so she began; reluctantly at first, but eventually giving Jill the details that Cowpoke had given her during the conversation, to the best of her memory and knowledge. She couldn't help but hesitate at certain parts, but in spite of Jill's expressions, she continued to tell what Cowpoke had told her. Jill just couldn't believe what she heard Sonia tell her…and the more she heard, the more twisted up her stomach got and the more her heart started to ache. Seeing that expression of hers, Sonia hesitated a touch more to continue, but still, she spoke until she had reached the end of the conversation...

"...and... that's all he told me..." Sonia murmured.

Jill shut her eyes and hunched over, trying to hide the hurt look she had on her face away from Sonia. Joy had been found, but she got away, and not only that, but her will was starting to crumble. This couldn't have hit Jill any harder than it was right now.

"...I'm sorry." Sonia spoke, as she rubbed her own arm in discomfort.

"…you don't need to apologize Sonia…" Jill uttered, trying to hold back the feelings she had right now. "…you were only telling me what you were told…"

"...still... you're not comfortable..." Sonia noted. "...I hate to be the bringer of bad news..."

"…nobody likes to be the bringer of bad news," Jill remarked, wiping some tears that were coming out of her eyes. "…but…you probably saved Metal a lot of heartache from having to do it…"

"...yeah..." Sonia nodded, as she looked away. "...poor guy... so close, and yet..."

Jill covered her face. She was having a hard time trying to contain herself, and she could only imagine how hard it was for Metal and Joy right now… Sonia remained dead silent, as she looked away from Jill.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Jill's head perked up from that, wiping her eyes. "C-come in…" she called out, swallowing her grief.

The door opened, and footsteps carried into the house. Sonia glanced towards whoever entered the apartment.

The one who walked into the living room was Tasha. Slung over her shoulder was a knapsack that held a few things, but not a lot. She simply looked at Jill and Sonia in silence, almost afraid to ask the question that she needed to. Rather, she asked this. "…did…something happen?" and she asked when she noticed the tense air in the room, and the look Jill tried not to have. Sonia could do little more than nod; not wanting Jill to think about it.

"…what happened?" Tasha asked.

"…I'll tell you later Tasha…" Jill muttered. She stared at Tasha's knapsack, and then looked up at her. "…why…do you have that? Are you going somewhere?"

Tasha grew nervous. "…um…well…"

Sonia blinked. "...what's the matter, Tasha?"

"…my people…" Tasha mumbled. "…they suggested that I take refuge in Safe Haven with the changing of the seasons and the situation at hand."

"…you mean…you're going to be staying here in Safe Haven?" Jill asked in a bit of surprise.

"…Yes, but I…" Tasha looked at Jill shyly and nervously. "…I…wished to ask if I could…stay here, with you."

Sonia blinked at that, before she looked at Jill with a slight look of disbelief. Jill looked back at Sonia with the same look, and eventually looked back at Tasha.

"…if I can't stay here, then that's alright…I was just wondering…" Tasha murmured.

Jill looked at the ground to think about it.

"…yeah, you can stay Tasha," she finally said, standing up to walk up to her. "We're all friends. Of course I'll let you stay here."

Tasha looked a little relieved at that, smiling at Jill. Sonia couldn't help but smile a little herself, as she rubbed her neck a touch.

Jill turned around to Sonia. "Sonia…do you think you could help Tasha get settled into one of the rooms?"

"Of course, Jill." Sonia nodded, as she rose to her feet; giving Tasha a nod. "Just come along here..." she said, as she began walking down the nearby hall. While Tasha followed Sonia, Jill just looked away.

* * *

><p>Outside that evening, there were two sets of campfires where everyone sat outside on, except for a select few that decided to be alone.<p>

At one of those campfires, Rudy was catching up with the Clubhouse gang. "Man, it's really nice to see you guys," Rudy said with a smile. "All that's ever really happened in our group was all this drama going on with Hex and Boomer yelling at me."

"Well, you have to understand Rudy; these are tense times," Milo said.

"Yeah, I know that," Rudy said. "…but…I kinda wanna do something for once where everyone isn't sad about something, you know? Metal's sad about Joy, Stella has issues with Hex—"

"Wait a minute," Striker halted Rudy there. "Stella has issues with Hex?"

Ani sighed. "…remember how Stella was actually a soldier that was training on Safe Haven? Well…you guys remember how Hex was back then when you first met her."

"…oh…those kind of issues…" Milo muttered.

Jack remained silent; that was an issue he generally didn't want to think about, even if he had overcome his phobia.

"…and Jill's dad, Ray, was the one who saved her out of all people," Ani mentioned.

"Wow, really?" Striker was shocked at that.

"...huh... that's a coincidence..." Kiri noted, as she rubbed her neck a light touch.

"Yeah, that sure is…" Vanessa hummed. "But Milo's right Rudy; these have been some really tough times right now, and not everyone can be as enthusiastic and optimistic as you can be…"

"…Yeah yeah…" Rudy muttered with a sigh.

"...but... that doesn't mean that you should be all gloomy either, though..." Jack noted with a light smile.

"…so what about you guys?" Rudy asked them.

"Well, I guess there's been some things here and there," Diablo mentioned.

"...a few ups... a few downs..." Kiri noted.

Vanessa was sitting with them; earlier she ripped off her casts on her arms and she was able to move them again. Now she was stretching her arms out, enjoying how good it actually felt to be able to use them again. This way, she could start working with Jack again. "For the most part, I think whatever's been tossed at us, we were able to handle," she said.

"Mhm." Jack nodded. "For the rest... well, we overcame it eventually." he added with a slight hum.

"…and I only really got to know your name, but it's nice to meet you Arsenic!" Rudy said with a grin.

"…yeah…" Arsenic replied faintly, not exactly returning the enthusiasm. Jack glanced back at Arsenic with a light smile of his own.

At the other campfire, there was King's group, and as usual, they were laughing. The chatter among them was lively as they all discussed several past stories; keeping themselves in high spirits, meant to lighten the mood somewhat after the day's previous events.

Notably, a distance away from the campfires, Hex sat all on her own; gazing away from the groups as she looked towards the horizon with a dull look in her eyes.

"…figured you'd be out here away from the crowd…" spoke a voice next to her.

She didn't look back. "...you should know why, Cowpoke." she murmured.

"…yeah, I'm not stupid."

Cowpoke sat nearby on a tree stump, slumped over.

"...don't tell me that you still hold a grudge, too?" Hex sighed, as she took a soft drag from her pipe.

"…I'm not going to give you any crap Hex; there's too much going on to make a big deal about the stuff between us," Cowpoke muttered. "…besides…I'm sure you're getting enough of it from Stella."

"...what, did she cry about it to you, too?" she murmured dryly. "...then again... can't really say that I blame her."

Cowpoke looked away from her then.

"...c'mon, go ahead and point out that I was a grade-A bitch, already. I know you want to, even just a little." Hex sighed, as she closed her eyes.

"Sorry; I'm more caught up with the fact that I have been subtly rejected by a girl I had been waiting for," Cowpoke grunted.

"...ooooh..." Hex hummed, without looking at Cowpoke. "...just found out about Jill, huh?" she mused.

"…_just_ found out? I found this out last night and I'm still trying to process it…" Cowpoke muttered.

"...well... tough break," Hex mused. "You should probably have acted beforehand..."

"That's what I keep telling myself over and over again…believe me…" Cowpoke remarked.

"...and yet you can't really believe it." Hex hummed. "...or... maybe you just don't _want_ to believe it."

"…that's been pretty obvious, don't you think?" Cowpoke grumbled. "…but at least I can be blunt with you without you being offended…that's one refreshing thing out of all this…"

"...kind of ironic, though." Hex noted. "Pouring out your thoughts and doubts to me, of all people..."

"…but I'm pretty sure that you're different now, after getting Corrupted not once, but twice, from the looks of it," Cowpoke pointed out.

"...well, I did try to change for the better, and... my hospitality got me Corrupted." Hex murmured.

"…my hospitality got my house destroyed," Cowpoke added. "…but that stuff…I've seen what it could do, so…you actually have a little of my sympathy believe it or not." Cowpoke looked away. "…I think with the way I am, I wouldn't be able to handle that stuff…"

"...no one really does the first time." Hex murmured.

"…It's better she moved on anyway…she's better off with Metal…" Cowpoke muttered, changing the subject. Hex glanced back at Cowpoke with a light hum.

"…I'm just an angry drunk…but he's doing everything he possibly can to find Joy…" Cowpoke went on. "…when I saw him fighting…I saw how strong he really was…I mean he's Metal Sonic for crying out loud."

His head fell then. "…she deserves a guy like him…not a guy like me. Not a guy that's been neglecting his own son."

Hex hummed again, as she looked away from Cowpoke.

"...bullshit. You have no idea what neglecting a child really is about." she spoke bitterly.

That stole Cowpoke's attention, looking back at her.

"...the woman who Corrupted me the second time..." Hex began, as she just glared towards the horizon. "...a single mother. And her son... _god_, just thinking about it pisses me off."

Looking down at the ground, Hex still frowned. "...that woman had practically all but neglected her son, who was just about the most spoiled brat I've ever come across... he wanted attention, he was loud, he craved anything he could want... and not once could she even realize that her own flesh and blood was never happy with her baseless doting and careless upbringing..."

After she said that, her eyes closed a touch, and she sighed. "...the reason it gets on my nerves... is because her and me were... quite similar, actually..."

"…really now?" Cowpoke said.

"...mhm..." Hex nodded. "...obsessed with carnal pleasure... how she corrupted me to begin with, actually." Hex glanced to the side with yet another frown. "...and I could tell that she wasn't damaged like me either... she had a child, for crying out loud..."

Then, she looked at Cowpoke. "You shouldn't feel like you're neglecting your son just because you're depressed and drowning your sorrows. You've got great friends to watch both your and his back, and your kid's looking to turn out very well..." Then, she looked away once more. "...believe me... it could be a _hell_ of a lot worse."

"…yeah, I guess it could be worse…" Cowpoke muttered.

Then, Hex let out a lone, ironic chuckle. "...to think that the woman who can't even have children is giving parental advice..." she mused.

"…at least it's working," Cowpoke remarked.

"...that's the part I chuckled at." Hex noted. "Never thought of me as the councilor kind of gal..."

Cowpoke looked away at that. Hex glanced back at him. "...did I say something wrong?"

"…no…" Cowpoke muttered. "…it's just that I don't think all the counseling in the world could help Joy after everything she's going through…"

Hex hummed. "...right..." Sighing, she looked ahead. "...I suppose the best we can do would be not to lose hope..."

Throughout that entire conversation, Stella had been standing nearby behind a tree, listening to them. She had a knot up in her stomach with what she heard, and while some of her was still angry with Hex, the other part of her felt a little guilty.

"…and I can't go with you guys…" Cowpoke continued. "…so I wish you guys the best of luck."

"...hey, thanks." Hex remarked with a touch of a friendly smile, before she glanced away from Cowpoke. "...I know you've probably gotten over what happened between us way back then, but... still, I'd like to apologize. I was a complete bitch back then, not gonna hide it..."

"…well…I didn't _entirely_ get over it," Cowpoke muttered. "…but I can accept your apology. I don't have any real reason to be an ass to you about it."

"...well... that takes one load off my shoulders." Hex hummed, before she sighed once more. "...wonder if I can ever get to apologize to the others I've messed up over the years, though..."

"…I think the majority of them can forgive you since they know better than to left the past linger," Cowpoke said. "…well, maybe except Stella…though give her some time I guess, and maybe her too…"

Stella just looked down at the ground at that, slowly wandering away. She wondered if she could ever come to really believe that, still feeling so angry at Hex.

Though before she left, she'd be able to hear this...

"...I don't know... I'm guessing quite a few would hate me for what I did to them; Stella especially... maybe they'd take that hate to the grave, who knows. But... as long as they accept that I wish that I didn't do those things to them back in the day, I guess I'd be okay with them still hating me..."

Stella glanced back at that…and then she disappeared.

"...it's good to see you two again." While Boomer and Newt were off conversing with King's group, Wiper had gone to speak with Natal and Cal in privacy; the three of them sitting in a circle. "I was a touch concerned."

Natal smiled. "Thanks, Wiper." To hear him actually be concerned, even a 'touch' as he put it, truly meant that he had worried for them during their time of absence.

"…yeah, thanks," Cal added with a nod. "It really is good to see all you guys again."

"I know a few people who have missed you; Rudy in particular." Wiper mused with a light chuckle.

Natal chuckled as well. "Doesn't surprise me, really..."

Cal smiled a little. "Yeah…"

Wiper hummed. "...so... would you two say that you're... alright?"

Natal hummed; having a feeling about what Wiper was talking about. "...hm... that's a loaded question..."

"…especially when both of us have been a little _manipulated_ before…" Cal grumbled.

"...I see..." Wiper hummed, as he glanced at Cal. "...your thoughts on it?"

"…well, now that we're all back together again, I was thinking we should see Metal to get purified…" Cal muttered. "…but after what happened…I'm not sure if we should even bother him about it or not."

"...true." Wiper noted.

"...hm..." Humming, Natal glanced to the side, where she saw Metal sitting on his own by a campfire; either he had told people not to disturb him, or no one had the courage to approach him at the moment.

Cal was looking over at him too. Then he sighed, looking away. "…he's been sitting there for a long time…"

"...yeah... it hit him harder than it hit the rest of us..." Wiper sighed, as he rubbed his neck a bit.

"…I don't blame him…" Cal muttered.

"...but... it's sad to see him alone like that..." Natal murmured, as she looked towards him. "He seems so... broken..."

Just then, from one of the larger campfires, someone came out and walked over to Metal to their surprise. It turned out to be Arsenic, and she sat down in front of Metal, looking at him. Metal merely looked at the flame; as if he didn't even notice Arsenic.

"…so you're Metal Sonic…huh…?" Arsenic muttered.

Metal merely nodded. "...yes."

"…I've heard quite a bit about you…" Arsenic hummed. "…still surprises me to see you like this…I still remember you being a robot when you talked to the public those years ago."

"...really...?" Metal hummed; still merely looking at the fire.

"…yeah…" Arsenic said.

"...hm..." Metal responded.

Arsenic kept looking at Metal for a little bit. Metal still didn't look back at her; his gaze still on the fire.

"…I'm not gonna waste my time trying to say that I know how you feel, or anything like that," Arsenic finally said. "…but I'm gonna say that you should hang in there…I know I'm gonna see this thing through until I get my parents back, and get revenge for what they did to them."

Metal didn't respond, as he still kept his gaze fixated on the flames. Arsenic sighed at that. "…I'm not even sure if I should've even come to talk to you…but I guess the crowds were kinda big for me at the other campfires."

Yet again, Metal didn't respond... well... at first, at least.

"...you're the only one who's dared to come and at least try to encourage me..." he hummed.

"…yeah?" Arsenic remarked.

"...I'm sure that the others just don't want to accidentally make things worse..." Metal mused. "...I can't really tell you if you encouraging me worked or not, but... thank you, for at least trying."

"...sure thing," Arsenic answered.

Metal managed a slight smile.

"…look at that, a smile," Arsenic hummed. "That's something at least…"

"...hm." Metal hummed in return.

Meanwhile, Milo had decided to take his broken communicator, as well as King's to Violet and Lock, who were repairing the two and their own broken communicator.

"…Fixed," Violet answered, handing Milo back the newly fixed communicator.

"Thanks guys," Milo answered. "That way, it'll be easier to stay in touch again."

"...though with how things are turning out..." Lock hummed, as he glanced at Milo. "...maybe splitting up again would be disadvantageous? I'm sure that the Corrupted forces would try to bolster their forces to properly overwhelm us if we split up again..."

"…yeah…but travelling in one big group also slows all of us down, and doesn't let us cover much ground," Milo threw in. "…we just gotta find a faster way of travel…"

"...hm..." Lock sighed, as he rubbed his neck a touch.

"…we're really going to have to consider the plan of action here," Violet hummed. "We've got a lot here, and we've gotten a couple more over the time we've been travelling. There's just a lot of us…"

She turned around and looked up at Charon, who was laying down behind her. "Any thoughts?" she asked the dragon/hydra hybrid.

Charon glanced towards Violet with a light yawn. "...the way I see it, perhaps the best way to do things would be to divide ourselves equally into different groups, but make sure that one group has one Mobian that can carry the rest." he spoke.

"…so…let's see…" Milo thought about this. "…you can carry a few on your back…Sage could carry a few people in the air…"

"...wouldn't Hunter and Ani be able to do the same?" Charon mused. "And if Metal is still able to copy abilities, then he may be able to do the same..."

"…Oh yeah, that's true," Milo said.

"So are you suggesting we divide the groups around them?" Violet asked Charon.

"It seems the most logical to me." Charon mused. "But that would mean that we would need two more communicators..."

"…Dax can probably set up his robotic arm to receive the signals of the communicators, so that gives us one," Violet answered. "That just leaves one more."

"...would Sage be able to act as a communicator?" Charon hummed.

"...how do you figure that?" Lock inquired.

"Maybe she could use her telepathy as a means of linking herself with the signals that we emit while we're talking through the communicators?" Charon explained.

"Actually, I think I have a better idea…"

The four of them turned their heads and they saw Stella walk over to them. "I don't really know if Sage can do it or not," Stella said. "But what if Proxy or Omega could lock onto the signal instead? They're both machines."

"...that could be possible..." Lock mused. "Metal knows more about Proxy and Omega's structure than we do, so perhaps we could ask him about it."

"…I know a little too," Stella said. "After all, on the Ark, I did a little maintenance on them when they needed it."

"Really?" Milo asked. "What else did you learn on the Ark?"

Stella smiled. "Quite a lot, actually."

"Do tell." Lock hummed, as he turned to look at Stella in intrigue. "I'm curious."

"…well…I did read some of Gerald's theories…" Stella murmured, blushing a little bit when Lock asked about it. "…erm, but I should really save that for later. Are you talking about how to divide the groups?"

"Yeah, that's right," Milo answered.

"From what we've discussed, we should be divided into five groups." Charon spoke. "One with me, one with Metal, one with Ani, one with Hunter, and one with Sage. All of those I mentioned are capable of carrying several people with them, so to focus our groups around those five would make the most sense."

"…I know Ani wouldn't want to be separated from her friends," Stella murmured.

"…right, I figured that me, Striker and Jack were definitely gonna be with her," Milo said. "…and I know Vanessa still wants to work with Jack and train him…"

"We'll have to ask everyone where they want to be," Violet hummed. "It's only fair, rather than just making the groups up for them."

"That's true." Lock nodded.

Stella looked in silence at them when they said that, and looked away, thinking about what Cowpoke and Hex had discussed earlier.

Lock noticed that. "...your thoughts, Stella?" he inquired.

"…hm?" She had been thinking enough that she hadn't heard what Lock asked.

"...what are your thoughts on the subject, Stella?" Lock explained.

"…on being in a group?" Stella replied. "Well…I'm alright with whomever I end up with…well, as long as I can still be with you and your mother that is."

"Naturally," Violet answered.

Lock hummed, as he folded his hands together whilst looking at Stella. "...you're sure that you'd be alright with whoever?" he inquired.

Stella looked down at the ground at that. Milo read her spirit and knew that she was still fighting some conflicting emotions. "…does this still have to do with Hex, Stella?" Milo asked.

Stella looked up at him, and swallowed.

"…I can't be afraid of her anymore…I just can't."

Lock hummed, and nodded a touch.

"…if I end up in a group with Hex again…I may not like it," Stella muttered. "…but I have to learn to fight my fears… especially with what we're up against. They'll try and use my fears against me if I'm not careful…"

Milo nodded. "…that's smart of you…"

"...indeed." Lock nodded. "To understand and confront one's fears is the best way to conquer them."

"But can you handle it, is the question?" Violet hummed.

Stella nodded silently.

"…you don't seem to sure…" Violet pointed out.

"…I'm not…but I'll try; that's the important thing," Stella remarked.

"...sometimes, trying is the best one can do... which is good enough, sometimes." Charon noted with a nod. "We're sure that you'll do your best, Stella."

Stella nodded again in response.

With all that said and done, the four went around to all the others and the plan was discussed. The groups would form around those who could carry the rest, and those who could communicate between the groups to stay in contact.

The last ones they told about the plan were Metal and Arsenic, as the two of them were still sitting by the campfire Metal had made for himself earlier. "...it sounds logical..." he mused, as he looked at the fire still. "...it's probably for the best."

"Yeah," Arsenic answered. "The groups are a bit smaller to accommodate how many of us there are, but if we set them up just right, each group will still be able to hold their own."

"...though we should still be wary of whatever tricks the Corrupted have in store." Metal added. "I don't know whether they expect us to split up or stay in one group... either way, however we decide to divide ourselves, we need to remain watchful."

"…that's one thing I know I'll make sure of…" Arsenic muttered.

Metal nodded, before he glanced at Arsenic for the first time. "...you should probably head back to your group. I'll be fine..."

Arsenic nodded at that. "…see you around," she said, getting up and walking away.

Though before she left earshot, she heard Metal say something...

"...thank you."

Arsenic glanced back. "Sure thing," and continued to walk off.

Having said that, Metal closed his eyes...

_...Tails Doll... let me talk to Jill._

* * *

><p>Jill was sitting on the couch that evening. Tasha was settled in and asleep in her room, but Jill wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight; not after the news that Cowpoke gave her. She sat hunched over, supporting her head with her hand on her forehead, trying not to cry.<p>

_"...Jill...?"_

At that point, fluttering over Jill was Tails Doll; looking sadly at her. _"...I... know this might not be the best time, but... Big Bro wants to talk to you..."_

Jill looked up at him. Though she was sad, she still wanted to hear Metal's voice. "…okay…let him through…" she spoke, straightening up.

Nodding, Tails Doll tilted his head a touch, before it straightened out.

_"...hello, Jill..."_ Metal's voice spoke from the plushie.

"…hi Metal," Jill said, looking at the plushie.

_"...I... heard that Cowpoke had called to Safe Haven, so... I assume that you know... what happened..." _Metal murmured.

Jill looked down at the ground a little with a small nod. "…yeah…Sonia told me what he said…"

_"...I see..."_ Metal hummed.

"…I'm still…thinking a lot about it…" Jill replied.

_"...same here..."_ Metal responded.

Jill clenched her hands a little. "…I…"

_"...Jill...?"_ Metal uttered; wondering what she was going to say.

"…I…probably couldn't have been able to imagine how you felt…" she muttered.

Metal remained silent; as if wondering if Jill had more to say.

"…It was hard to hear what happened…" Jill uttered. "…but I can't possibly imagine what it would've been like being there in person…being in your shoes…"

_"...Jill..."_ Metal uttered once more.

Jill didn't speak any more than that; tensing up to keep from breaking down again.

_"...yes... it was hard... gut-wrenching, even..."_ Metal eventually spoke. _"...I do not think, outside of... well... when you died... that I've ever felt so... torn, in my whole life..."_

Jill didn't look at him.

_"...but... as hard as this hit me... I... cannot give up now." _he spoke. _"Joy... she needs our help... someone who can support her... I do not want her to remain all on her own, with only Malice as her companion..."_

"…neither do I…" Jill answered, looking up at him sadly.

He looked back at her with a sad look as well. _"...no matter what it takes... no matter the hardships we end up facing... I_ have _to help our daughter..."_

"…I just wish I was there too…" Jill uttered.

_"...Jill... I... wish that you were here, too..."_ Metal spoke. _"...so... you could support me... and I could support you... without the two of us being divided by such a great distance..."_

Jill tried to smile a little, but it fell easily. Slowly, she took the plushie to hug it. "…at least…I'm still here when you need to talk to me…" she muttered.

The plushie slowly hugged her back. _"...I'm... very grateful for that..."_

"…so am I…" Jill whispered, hugging the plushie closer. He didn't say anything, but the plushie did hug her closely.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Aw, it's all so sad...<em>**


	40. Chapter 39

Patricia, at this time, was roaming through a city. She noticed the posters with hers and Bulk's faces on them, warning the public that if they ever saw these characters to alert the military and not to engage them in combat whatsoever.

To keep the many millions of citizens from freaking out at the sight of her, she used a disguise, and thanks to Corruption, she was able to shape her appearance to an appearance that was unrecognizable to the public and entirely invisible. She was just a simple cat Mobian with long brown hair in a short red dress and boots. It was a perfectly natural looking Mobian…

…the only thing she couldn't disguise was her eyes, but no one made any connection.

In any case, she was roaming through the city for a purpose... a purpose wandering further ahead of her; namely, a black poodle who carried what appeared to be a walking stick covered completely in bandages with him.

This time, she had found him, and she wasn't going to let him get away this time. She was too pissed off from earlier today to have any more failure on her part. Seemingly, he didn't seem to notice her, as he wandered ahead in silence. Patricia played it cool, and kept following at a distance, wondering if Pierce know he was being followed or not.

Eventually, he turned a corner and wandered towards a more abandoned part of the town. Patricia knew that, even if he was aware of being followed or not, at this turning point, it would be evident to him now. She was prepared for anything, and she went after him. Still he wandered, even as the only two people wandering through alleyways and towards abandoned factory districts were him and Patricia. He didn't even glance behind him. Patricia narrowed her eyes, waiting to see where he was going. He simply walked on his own path; through some alleys, down empty streets, eventually heading for a large, run-down factory long since abandoned; most likely intending to merely walk from one end to the other.

…_what does he accomplish walking around like this?_ Patricia wondered.

He didn't even stop walking when he exited the factory; still wandering aimlessly as he traversed this empty part of town; eventually beginning to retread ground he had already wandered.

When Patricia saw this, she sighed, and stopped walking. "Okay, you can stop now," she grumbled.

He didn't respond. He didn't even stop. He just kept walking. Patricia didn't go off after him; she rolled her eyes. "And make me look like a dumbass in the process," she muttered.

Still he kept walking. He didn't even cast a glance back at her.

"…well this is gonna be stupid, but…"

Suddenly, a wave of Corruption shot out from Patricia, heading for Pierce. Without even turning back, Pierce suddenly swung the walking stick right at the wave of Corruption; suddenly slashing through it and causing it to split into two waves that cut into the street ahead of him. As the bandages sizzled away to reveal a shimmering blade, he came to a halt. Corruption sizzled on Patricia too, and her disguise withered off to reveal her true physical appearance.

"You knew we were just going to keep coming back for you," Patricia muttered. "…so why do you keep running?"

"...after seeing what happened to Ivory..." Pierce muttered, as he finally looked back at Patricia. "...I lost interest in working for you guys. Simple as that."

"You can't back out of something just like that; we own you," Patricia said, folding her arms.

"Fuck that noise. You don't own jack." Pierce grunted.

"We gave you that power, or did you forget?" Patricia growled.

"More like you forced it on me." Pierce retorted. "And if I _could_, I'd give this power right back to you... but I can't. So that's a blunder on _your_ end."

Patricia raised her hands, and Corruption smoked out from her palms. "Either way, you're not getting away from me without a fight."

With a hum, Pierce merely gripped his sword. "...then come and try."

Patricia ran at him, throwing the balls of smoking Corruption at him. Without even moving, Pierce swung his sword at the incoming spheres to deflect them; sending them crashing against the buildings surrounding them. Patricia got close enough then to throw a punch at him. However, Pierce swung his sword at the incoming fist; using the edge to block the punch. "You'll have to try harder than that."

Patricia growled, throwing a kick at him under his guard. The kick knocked him back, but he retaliated by slashing his sword to create a slashing wave that cut through the ground it traveled through. Patricia jumped into the air so she could evade the slash wave, jumping up onto the catwalk above and shooting more Corruption at him. Still, however, he deflected the projectiles with his sword.

Patricia raised her hands up, creating an larger mass of Corruption over her head to throw at Pierce to make sure it couldn't be blocked. With the size of it, however, Pierce took to simply dodging it by running underneath where it would have crashed; before he suddenly swung his sword at such an arc that the cat walk Patricia stood on was cleaved in two. Patricia jumped off the cat walk that got sliced up and flew down at Pierce with a Corruption-infused punch. Surging Corruption through his sword, he swung it directly at Patricia's fist; creating a shockwave between the two as the attacks collided. This had enough impact to blow the two fighters away from each other, and Patricia landed on her feet a distance away. Pierce stabbed his sword into the ground to grind himself to a halt; glaring back at Patricia.

"…you were definitely a good candidate; that much I'll admit," Patricia grunted.

"...guess you have an eye for talent." Pierce scoffed. "Unfortunately, it has to be a lazy eye, if you didn't take advantage of it."

"Why is everyone calling me goddamn lazy?!" Patricia snarled, causing her to shoot more Corruption at Pierce.

And Pierce began swinging his sword to create sharpened waves of Corruption to cleave through the projectiles. "Maybe because you left the grunt work to everyone but yourself?"

"Well what do you call this then?!" Patricia yelled. "I'm obviously coming after you myself, aren't I?" And the angrier she got, the larger the balls of Corruption became, throwing more of them at him.

Still though, Pierce slashed his sword quicker to split the projectiles to prevent them from striking him. "Only after everyone else failed to locate me, and you grew desperate enough to act on your own. Aside from teaming up with Bulk, have you even done _anything_ worthwhile for your army?"

"You think teaming up with Bulk was _worthwhile?!_" Patricia yelled. "That bastard's been whoring with the other girls; myself included, and not willfully mind you!"

"...so in essence, you've accomplished absolutely nothing by being Corrupted." Pierce remarked dryly. "Bravo."

Patricia growled at that, getting angrier and angrier. "...what's the matter? Did the realization that you've accomplished fuck-all finally get to you?" Pierce grunted. "Face it, Patricia; you've been played for a complete and utter fool."

"…shut up…" Patricia snarled, feeling her anger get worse.

"Are you saying that because you'd like to counter?" Pierce scoffed.

"…I said just shut up…" Patricia growled even more.

"Why? Tell me why I should shut up." Pierce huffed.

Patricia growled even more.

Finally, she snapped.

"BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW A GODDAMN THING ABOUT ME!" Patricia screamed out, punching a nearby tank and creating a huge dent in it. "YOU DON'T FUCKING KNOW HOW MUCH SHIT I'VE HAD TO DEAL WITH AND THE LAST THING I NEED IS A PUNK TO TELL ME HOW FUCKING LAZY I'VE BEEN!"

Pierce hummed.

"MY FUCKING BROTHER CAN SEE INTO THE FUTURE AND HIS GODDAMN SON, MY NEPHEW, GETS THE WINGS OF THE FABLED BEAST IN OUR FAMILY, AND WHAT DID I HAVE? I USED TO HAVE HIS FUCKING MAGIC BUT NOW THAT HE CUT THAT OFF IT'S BEEN A FUCKING HELL TO DEPEND ON THIS GODDAMN, FUCKING CORRUPTION! OH YEAH! A LOT OF HELP'S THAT BEEN!"

Pierce merely watched her ramble on.

"AND WHAT'S NEXT?! EVERYONE TELLING ME THAT JUST BECAUSE I'M A FUCKING NOVAGOD DOESN'T MAKE ME A PRODIGY AT CORRUPTION! I DON'T GODDAMN CARE! I'M STILL GOING TO FUCK UP WHOEVER STANDS IN MY WAY! I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA HOW MY UNCLE DID IT BUT I DON'T WANT TO FUCKING FOLLOW IN HIS FOOTSTEPS! I WANT TO MAKE MY OWN FUCKING NAME SOMETHING TO BE FEARED WITH AN ACTUAL GODDAMN REASONING BEHIND-!"

All of a sudden, Patricia felt a sharp pain enter her gut, as Pierce suddenly stood in front of her. Interrupting her rant, she could only gawk at Pierce, and slowly, look down at her gut. There, she saw that his sword, no longer brimming with Corruption, but still carrying a powerful pain to it, had been jabbed right through her body.

"...oh, I'm sorry, did I break your concentration?" Pierce huffed. "Please... continue."

Patricia couldn't, though, as she gagged with the stab through her gut, glaring hatefully at Pierce.

"...hm? What's that?" Pierce scoffed; driving the blade a touch further into Patricia. "...oh, you're finished?"

Patricia gagged even more, with black goo dripping from her mouth.

"...well, then allow me to retort." Narrowing his eyes, Pierce gripped the blade tighter. "...can you recall what those whose lives you've ruined look like?"

"…what…?" she uttered.

In that instant, Pierce formed a blade of Corruption he held dangerously close to Patricia's throat. "What country are you from?!" he yelled.

"…what the hell are you talking about…?" Patricia uttered.

"That's no country I've ever heard of" Do they speak English there?!" Pierce snarled again.

Patricia just glared at him.

"...ENGLISH, MOTHERFUCKER; DO YOU SPEAK IT?!" Pierce roared in her face.

"WHAT DO YOU FUCKING THINK YOU MORON?!" Patricia screamed back.

"Then you know what I'm saying?!" Pierce snarled; not affected by her snarl back at him.

"I'd only know what you were saying if you MADE ANY SENSE!" Patricia yelled at him.

"Then let me break it down for you!" Pierce snarled. "Describe what the first person whose life you ruined with Corruption looks like!"

"…what?" Patricia muttered.

"Say 'what' again." Suddenly, Pierce brought the dark Corruption blade so close to Patricia that it was practically burning a small mark into her neck. "I dare you- no, I _double-dare_ you to say 'what' one more goddamn time!"

Patricia hissed a little with the blade at her throat. "And just what are you going to do if I DID say it again?"

"Are you gonna push your luck on that?!" Pierce grunted.

Patricia grunted at that, but said nothing.

"...now, answer my question, and describe the first person whose life you ruined by Corrupting them." Pierce grunted.

"…how am I really supposed to know that?" Patricia grumbled.

"So you don't even recall?" Pierce hummed. "What, they're all vermin to you?"

"…what?" Patricia said flatly, but then she just realized what she just said.

And in that instant, Pierce stabbed the Corruption blade right into her shoulder; steam erupting from the blade as it practically burned her flesh. "DO! THEY! LOOK! LIKE! VERMIN! TO YOU?!"

Patricia snarled out in pain when the blade stabbed her shoulder.

"You think they're all beneath you, just because you have this kind of power?!" Pierce snarled.

"So what if I think I do?!" Patricia yelled at him.

"Then one; you're wrong, and two; I'm not letting you walk away thinking like that!" And all of a sudden, another blade of Corruption was jabbed right into her abdomen; searing her once more. Patricia cried out at that, hissing.

"Corrupting me was probably your biggest mistake, Patricia... and now you're paying for it." And he formed another Corruption blade to stab into her.

Patricia screamed out more, hissing even more in pain.

"Good thing that Corruption can, in fact, hurt others possessed by Corruption..." Pierce mused, as he formed another blade to stab into Patricia. "...you feel it, right? You're actually being hurt by this..."

Patricia hissed and cringed. "…it might still hurt…but it's not gonna fucking kill me…"

"...and who told you that?" Pierce noted.

"…no one told me that…" Patricia muttered. "…but…I got a good feeling…"

"...then let's put that to the test." And Pierce began forming more blades to stab deeply into Patricia's body; smoke drifting from her body as the blades burned the bat.

Patricia cried out at that. Without relenting, Pierce formed more blades that began rapidly jabbing into her body; more smoke sizzling from her as black blood dripped from the numerous wounds the poodle was creating all over her body. The more blades stuck into her, the more she cried out. She even fell to her knees from all of this.

Eventually, her entire body was riddled with dark blades; the cuts on her body sizzling from the burning Corruption. Pierce simply glared down at her. Patricia glared back up at him, growling and grunting in pain. With a scoff, Pierce kicked her in the face to knock her down on her back. Patricia fell back, and hissed even more when the blades that were in her back were shoved deeper by hitting the ground.

With a huff, Pierce formed four more blades of Corruption that shot down to stab into Patricia's hands and feet; trapping her to the ground. "...pathetic."

Patricia hissed and grunted, trying to struggle a little but found that she couldn't move.

Pulling his own blade out of her, Pierce aimed it directly at her heart. "...I could kill you right here and now..."

"…then what's stopping you?" Patricia grunted, spitting out black goo at the side.

Pierce hummed. "...true... what _is _stopping me..." he mused, as he closed his eyes.

"...I guess pity is stopping me."

Patricia grunted. "Hmph…how could you possibly pity me?"

"...because all this time, you thought you were in control... but look at you. You haven't been in control ever since you were corrupted, have you?" Pierce mused darkly.

Patricia growled at that, but she looked away, not saying anything.

"...I figured." With a scoff, Pierce turned away from Patricia. "I'm gonna let you walk away from this one... but only because I wouldn't want to stain my blade with the blood of such a pitiful woman." Then, he began walking off. "...the next time you or any of your cronies tries to assail me, though... you're all dead."

Patricia just glared at him as he left, but that was all she could really do while being pinned by the blades.

In the meantime, Pierce ran a hand across the blade of his sword; summoning bandages that wrapped around the steel so his blade would not be dulled. "...hm..."

"…great…" Patricia muttered under her breath with her head hitting the ground.

After he had walked a greater distance, Pierce glanced back at where Patricia was lying; seeing that she wasn't moving. _...has she really given up like that...? _he thought.

It wasn't that Patricia had given up, but she had been weakened a bit, and was just waiting to get some of her strength back before she tried to struggle against her prison of knives.

Humming, Pierce swiftly went around a corner, and hid behind it whilst observing Patricia; his eyes narrowing. He had to observe her to see just what she would do...

Patricia just sat there…and eventually, she started to hear voices, making her ears perk. Quickly, she changed her shape to the cat she was before, and the black go around her turned red to look like blood.

Seeing that, Pierce's eyes widened; he heard the voices too. _...shit..._

"Speedy, I don't think this was a very good idea…" whined a voice, which belonged to only one of a group of frogs that were heading toward the abandoned factory.

"...it's dark here..." another voice murmured.

"Are we even sure that the gig is supposed to be here, Speedy?" a more mature voice sighed.

"Hey, c'mon guys; this place hasn't been used in forever; it's the perfect place!" spoke another frog, who was leading the group on.

"…still…I don't like it…" spoke another.

"...hey... hold on." The mature voice hummed, as he sniffed at the air. "...you guys smell that? It's like someone mixed gunpowder, bleach and paint and just lit a fuse..."

"…help…" suddenly croaked a voice.

All of the frogs jumped at that.

"…did…that come from the abandoned factory?!" uttered one of the frogs.

"...Speedy... Lotus... it sounds like someone's hurt..." the younger frog uttered.

"...kkh..." With a grunt, the mature frog glanced back at the others. "...c'mon, let's see who it is."

With that, all of the frogs ran into the abandoned factory, wandering around…

…until they found the horrible sight that was Patricia being pinned by the blades.

"…oh my god…" uttered another one of them.

"...Junior, don't look." Quickly, the more mature of the frogs covered the youngest frog's eyes, as he gawked at this with wide eyes.

"…well don't just stand there guys!" uttered the first one, running to Patricia. "We have to help her!"

"Speedy, wait!" cried another one, running after the first frog called Speedy.

As the mature frog kept the smaller Junior's eyes closed, his focus was on the area around them; narrowing his eyes as if he tried to look for whoever had done this to Patricia. "...Fudge... River... Junior... something doesn't feel right..."

"…what do you mean, Lotus?" the one called Fudge asked.

"…yeah…he's right," talked the largest one out of all of them. "…something's off…"

Meanwhile. Speedy went ahead and yanked out some of the blades. "Just hang on there; this'll hurt just a little."

Patricia hissed out with each blade being yanked out of her.

"...Tiny, River. You think you can check out the surrounding area?" Lotus uttered, as he looked at the two frogs. "I think the culprit's still around..."

Hearing that from where he stood, Pierce grit his teeth and inched further against the corner.

"Right," the largest one, Tiny, said. He and River, who had been by Speedy while he pulled out the blades, both went to wander the factory to look.

"...Fudge, keep an eye on Junior." Lotus spoke; handing the smaller frog over to Fudge before wandering to Speedy and the fallen Patricia. "...what happened to you?" he inquired.

"…this guy…he stabbed me to the ground repeatedly…" Patricia grunted, when Speedy pulled out the rest of the blades.

"Yeah, we can see that," Speedy remarked. "Who was the guy though, and why did he do it?"

"…he did it for the shits and giggles…" Patricia remarked with another pained grunt.

Humming, Lotus glanced towards one of the blades... and noticed something quite off with it. Smelling the air, he narrowed his eyes. "...that's what I smelled earlier... these aren't regular blades." he uttered.

Speedy looked at them too, and picked one up. "…yeah, they smell weird…"

…then they turned to black goo and Speedy promptly threw the blade onto the ground with a startled yelp.

Seeing that, Lotus backed away from them, before he looked at Patricia. "What the hell is this goo?" he uttered.

Patricia didn't answer right away. Instead, she slowly tried to get up, but she was still weakened. "…it's the power he used…" she uttered.

"...what power?" Lotus uttered once more, as he looked warily at her.

"…it's called Corruption…" spoke Patricia, but she was getting these weird urges inside of her. She had been weakened, and she needed to replenish her energy…and she slowly glanced over at Speedy.

"…Corruption? Lady, you have to be more specific," Speedy said, setting his hands on his hips. "What exactly is this Corruption?"

"Hey Tiny, River, have you guys found anything?!" Fudge called out, holding onto Junior.

"Nothing yet!" River called back from somewhere in the factory.

"...Fudge, I'm scared..." Junior uttered, as he clutched to the frog. "...I wish our big sister were here..."

"…I wish Natal was here too…but you've still got us Junior, don't worry," Fudge replied.

Patricia then turned her head to those two. "…Natal…you mean…Natal from Team Alpha…right…?"

Lotus looked back at Patricia. "...yeah?" he uttered.

Pierce's eyes widened. _...they're related to her? And she's on Patricia's blacklist... this is not gonna end well._

Patricia took a few steps and stumbled, with Speedy rushing to catch her. "Be careful you idiot; you're not in the best shape," Speedy said.

Lotus just watched her with a curious look; his eyes narrowing.

Patricia started to feel even more of a particular urge, slowly glancing up at Speedy.

Speedy just stared back uneasily. "…hey…uh…why are you staring at me like that?"

Instantly, Lotus' eyes widened. "...Speedy, back off!" he warned.

There wasn't enough time for Speedy to react (despite his name) and Patricia latched onto his neck with her teeth, biting deeply. Speedy screamed out.

Lotus' eyes widened, as he quickly charged right for Patricia to try and knock her away from Speedy. Patricia was hit away from Speedy, but the force to knock her away made a huge, bloody scar across Speedy's neck, and he held to it while he stared in fear at Patricia. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" he uttered.

…_what's…going on…?_ Patricia could only think when she slowly got back up to her feet.

Quickly, Lotus got in-between Speedy and Patricia; glaring at her. "You're crazy..." he hissed.

"…you don't know the half of it…" Patricia spoke.

Tiny and River came back, and Tiny charged for Patricia to throw a punch. Patricia just grabbed the fist and threw Tiny over onto the ground.

River gawked. "She's strong!"

Lotus grit his teeth. "Tiny, get back here!" he called.

Tiny got up as fast as he could, but by the time he did, Patricia jumped onto him and knocked him to the ground underneath her, biting his neck as well.

"TINY!" Fudge screamed out, hearing the big guy yell out in pain.

Gritting, Lotus prepared to charge, when all of a sudden, a dark wave of energy suddenly shot right at Patricia to knock her off the larger frog. Patricia was knocked away quite a few feet, and because of the blast, her disguise was gone, revealing her true self to the frogs.

Speedy gasped when he saw her. "Oh my god! It's Patricia Novagod!"

"...that's right. And she'll kill you if you don't get out of here." someone's voice called out.

Lotus quickly shot a look towards the corner where Pierce was hiding; having heard the voice come from there. "...who...?"

Patricia breathed, glaring over at Pierce to realize that he never really left.

"...everyone, out!" Pierce's voice called once more.

Gritting, Lotus quickly rushed to get Tiny on his feet, before he glared at the others. "Let's get out of here!"

"We're one step ahead of you!" Speedy yelped out, running to get the other four brothers together to run out of here.

Hissing, Lotus quickly dragged Tiny after them; running out the same exit that Pierce stood by, without sparing the poodle a glance. Patricia hissed, and then winced. She felt so strange…and that urge continued to stir inside of her. _…why do I feel this way…?_ She thought.

Just watching her, Pierce narrowed his eyes. _...Corruption... it's a dangerous thing..._

Patricia just glared at him once more…

…and then she dove into the ground, slithering away into the shadows. With a hum, Pierce quickly turned to walk off.

* * *

><p>That following morning, everyone said what they needed to each other, and the groups all split up. Cowpoke watched all of them leave with a heavy sigh…<p>

"…it's okay Dad," Mud-Pie said with encouragement. "They're gonna find her!"

Cowpoke smiled down at his son, and rubbed his head. "…yeah…they'll find her soon enough…"

With one of the groups, Metal was leading it. Behind him were Proxy and Omega, with Violet and Lock close behind. Ivory was also there, but silently looking around their surroundings.

There was also Stella and Hex…staying as far away from each other as possible. Not that it was by choice, but Hex had a feeling that Stella wouldn't want to spend time close to her, so she merely inched herself as far from the others as possible.

It was silent with the beginning morning of their travel, and Violet was able to see that Metal mustered up a newfound determination to find his daughter.

True, he didn't speak, but one could just look at him, and the expression he wore, to tell that he would not give up no matter what would hit them.

They traveled like that for a long time, all up until the afternoon when the group decided to stop and take a break. They all sat down for a bit, and Stella and Lock went off to talk for a bit while Violet cleaned out her guns again.

While Metal, Omega and Proxy scouted ahead towards the horizon, Hex sat on her own; just looking up at the sky.

…all of a sudden, there was a loud noise that sounded out, coming from Hex's direction.

Hex perked at that, as she dug in her pocket. "...who's calling...?" she uttered, before she brought out her phone and placed it against her ear. "Yeah? This is Hex speaking."

"…H-Hex…" there was sobbing on the other line, and from a voice that Hex recognized.

Hex's eyes widened. "...Fae?" she uttered; a stunning realization slowly dawning on her. "...what's happened?"

"…I-I…don't know how to explain it…" Fae uttered, trying to keep herself under control. "…that woman and the kid…and May…they…some lady showed up…I can't…" she sounded hysterical.

Hex's eyes widened. "...May... is... is she...?" she whispered; almost afraid to hear what Fae was about to say.

"…oh Hex, I…I don't know what's wrong with her!" Fae cried. "She won't move, or say anything! I know she's not dead, but she almost looks like it! It's the same thing with the woman and the child we were watching!"

Hex quickly rose up; her breath quickly growing rapid. "...F-Fae... I... I thought you, May and Mordecai were going to hide! Wh-where are you now?" she uttered fearfully.

"Yeah, we left to hide at our vacation home in the valley; away from public and stuff," Fae uttered. "You've been there before, remember?"

"...o-once..." Hex uttered, as she clutched to her own arm. "...nh... d-did you see who it was that showed up...?"

"…H-Hex it was s-so dark and she was s-so quick…I didn't see her…oh god…" and Fae fell apart.

Hex grit her teeth, as she closed her eyes. "...F-Fae... please, listen to me... is Mordecai still there with you?"

"Y-Yes…" Fae answered.

"...alright, listen... just try your best to remain calm, and... stay with Mordecai. He'll watch over you." Hex uttered.

"O-okay," Far uttered with a few sniffles.

"...listen, we'll come over; we have someone with us who may be of some help..." Hex uttered. "Will you be alright until then?"

"…y-yeah…" Far uttered.

"...alright... just be strong..." Hex uttered, as she bit her lower lip.

"…I'll t-try…" Fae uttered.

"...okay... I'm going to hang up, now... just go and stay with Mordecai, alright?" Hex uttered.

"…j-just hurry as fast as you can…" Fae uttered, and with that, she hung up the line.

Hex pocketed the phone slowly, as she breathed out...

...and then she stormed towards Metal. "We have to move, right now." she spoke demandingly.

Metal looked back at her. "What's wrong, Hex?"

At this time, Lock and Stella returned from their stroll, noticing Hex talking to Metal.

"Listen, a friend of mine was just attacked." Hex uttered. "I think it may be one of those Corrupted... we need to visit them right away!"

"...Hex, I understand that you must be worried..." At this point, Proxy and Omega stepped up; Proxy looking at Hex with an understanding look. "...but we can't risk tiring ourselves out by hurrying at this hour. Wouldn't it make more sense to wait for morning to-"

And in that instant, Hex shot a few dark tendrils out to grab him by the shoulders; glaring at Proxy with tear-filled eyes. "MY BEST FRIEND COULD BE CORRUPTED!" she screamed at him, as she clenched her fists with a vicious snarl.

Stella stepped away a little skittishly when she saw Hex react like that.

"Hex, you need to remain calm," Violet hummed. Then she looked at Metal. "What say you? Should we head over there?"

Metal simply looked at Hex, who shot a swift look back at him, before he moved her dark tendrils off Proxy. "...we shouldn't delay. If possible, it could be possible to set up camp there for the night..."

Hearing that, Hex gulped; trying to wipe the tears out of her eyes. "...th-thank you..." she uttered.

Stella just stared at Hex in amazement.

With that, the group was assembled once more, and Metal brought the group off to where they had to go; Hex managing to direct him properly as she grew a determined look amidst the tears she shed.

* * *

><p>"…how long are those two going to talk?" Arsenic mumbled while she walked with the group she ended up with.<p>

"Who knows," Vanessa chuckled. Arsenic of course meant Ani and Nage in the front of the group just chatting away with a few laughs every now and then.

"They must really know each other." Jack noted with a light chuckle.

"…I'm still surprised that Nage is really Espio's granddaughter," Striker said with a smile.

"Yeah; that was surprising..." Jack nodded.

"…either way, I think things are going to be more interesting with those two going on and on," Milo hummed. "…I also think that Ani might lose her sense of direction because of it too, but that's just me."

"...wonder what makes you think that." Jack hummed with a light shrug.

"…was that a joke or something?" Striker asked.

"What joke?" Jack blinked.

"…never mind," Striker answered.

"…_you know, it feels nice to be walking on my own again,"_ Snap said.

"…is there something wrong when flying with me?" Striker asked.

"_Oh no, it's not that,"_ Snap replied. _"I just enjoy being able to talk to everyone like this. To interact."_

"Yeah, I was gonna say; it's kinda cool to be talking to you, Snap!" Jack noted with a chuckle.

Suddenly, Ani and Nage stopped, and Ani looked around. "…wait…where are we?"

Milo sighed. "Yep, I figured…"

"...huh... I could've sworn that we..." Nage uttered, as she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

With a hum, Jack glanced at Vanessa. "...do you think you could track down where we are, mom?" he inquired. "I could help!"

"Sure thing," Vanessa said. "How about you guys take a break here and me and Jack can go scouting?"

"Sounds good to me," Striker said.

"I'll help, too!" Nage called. "I got a bit of gramps' old tracking skills in me still, so don't underestimate me!"

"I'm sure it will be interesting to see," Vanessa chuckled, heading off. "Let's go then." Jack and Nage followed her.

"…so Nage; why don't you enlighten me about your grandpa?" Vanessa hummed.

"...well, there's not too much to enlighten about; he died a couple of years before I came to Safe Haven." Nage mused as she folded her arms behind her head.

"…well that's a shame," Vanessa remarked.

"Well, he used to say to me that it was 'his time', so I wouldn't be sad about it." Nage mused. "He was very wise and cool-headed like that."

"...it would've been cool to actually meet him, though..." Jack hummed, as he looked at Nage. "...did you ever meet Captain Charmy or Vector the Crocodile, though?"

"I actually didn't meet the Captain until... well, yesterday." Nage noted sheepishly. "As for Vector... well, he died when I was very young, so I don't really remember if I ever met him or not."

"I can assume that your grandfather taught you everything you know then?" Vanessa asked.

"Just about." Nage nodded. "Dad helped me practice out in the field, but the skills themselves all came from gramps."

"Interesting…" Vanessa said.

"...so, what about you guys?" Nage hummed, as she turned to look at Jack and Vanessa. "You two lived together for quite a while, right? What was that like?"

"Well, we lived in the Nameless Zone fending for ourselves for the most part, even if we lived on an island with other inhabitants on it," Vanessa said. "I'd fish very often."

"And she made the best fish meals!" Jack said with a wide grin.

"Really? Wow..." Nage hummed in curious interest.

"And the other inhabitants of the island were interesting too," Vanessa said. "They weren't the most advanced community, but they were very nice, and there were plenty of children for Jack to play with when he was little."

"And we played lots." Jack chuckled. "I think I even got you to play with us a few times, mom!"

"Yeah, I played a little," Vanessa chuckled. "I was a mom; I couldn't help it."

"Sounds pretty adorable." Nage noted, as she glanced at Jack. "So were there mainly just guys you played with there?"

"Well... I think there were some girls who played along, but mostly it was just boys." Jack noted with a light laugh. "I do wonder how they're doing now, though..."

"They were actually all doing well," Vanessa replied. "I remember before I left to find Jack that a couple of them just got married. The years sure do fly, don't they?"

"...wow, some of them got married?" Jack uttered. "Wow, time does fly..."

Nage couldn't help but giggle a touch at that.

"Well yes; most of them are in their twenties just like you Jack," Vanessa mused.

"Speaking of that, don't you think it's around _that_ time for him too, right Vanessa?" Nage noted with a growing smirk.

Jack, feeling a touch flustered, glanced to the side awkwardly and rubbed his neck. "I, uh... around what time?" he hummed in a seemingly clueless tone.

"Oh? You mean Jack getting married to someone?" Vanessa said with a growing smile.

Jack seemed a lot more flustered now when it was pointed out, but he tried to look inconspicuous... which was just making him look even more conspicuous.

Nage could barely contain her excitement in seeing Jack grow so flustered. "But I wonder _whooo_ might be the right one for him..."

"Oh, I'm not sure myself," Vanessa chuckled; lying of course, because she's known for a long time who it is, but she didn't want to tease Jack too much.

"Maybe Jack knows something!" Nage gasped, as she looked at Jack with a smirk. "_Iiiiis_ there a girl for you, Jackie?"

Jack's eyes darted rapidly about, as he tried even harder not to appear conspicuous, whilst failing considerably at doing so. "...um..."

"Oh no, no. There couldn't possibly be a girl that he likes like that," Vanessa chuckled.

"...uuuh... yeah?" Jack uttered with a frantic nod.

"Oooh, but what if there's a girl who actually likes _him_ like that?" Nage hummed with a light 'ooh' sound.

Jack's eyes kept darting about, as he tried to hide the fact that he was rapidly growing a blush.

Vanessa tried to keep herself from giggling at seeing how adorable Jack looked when he was flustered like this. "Not even a tiiiiny little bit?" Nage snickered, whilst Jack just grew even more flustered.

"Aw, I think that's enough teasing Nage," Vanessa giggled. "You've turned him red enough."

"Oh, did I?" Nage snickered. "I couldn't see the red for his mane!"

"...uuh... weren't we looking for something here?" Jack quickly sputtered, as if trying to shift into an entirely different topic.

"We were looking to see where we were exactly," Vanessa answered. "Actually, Nage, maybe you could climb a tree and take a lookout."

"Alright!" With a nod, Nage flipped back towards a nearby tree, and swiftly began climbing it.

Vanessa couldn't help but chuckle just a bit more for the teasing she did to Jack, and she looked over at him. As he imagined that the subject had been dropped, he glanced to the side with an awkward smile as he rubbed his neck.

"Now you do know it was just teasing, right Jack?" Vanessa chuckled with a hand on his shoulder.

"...y-yeah..." Jack nodded with a slightly sheepish smile.

"…but you can always tell me anything Jack; I hope you know that," Vanessa added.

"...yeah..." Jack nodded as he glanced back at Vanessa; still smiling.

"…though you were turning pretty red earlier," Vanessa chuckled. "What was that all about?"

And Jack's eyes began darting about again. "...um..." he began; a red color returning back to his cheeks once more. Vanessa giggled at that. "...whaat?" Jack uttered as he looked at Vanessa again; that sheepish smile looking rather awkward the redder he got.

"You look so flustered Jack," Vanessa giggled.

"I-I do?" Jack hummed as he glanced from side to side again.

Vanessa just smiled at him.

"…Jack…this wouldn't have anything to do with Arsenic, would it?" Vanessa finally asked.

And lo and behold, his blush grew so immense that one could easily assume that he had gotten a severe case of sunburn. "I-buh-gah-er-um..." he sputtered.

Vanessa giggled even more at that. "It _does_, doesn't it?"

Jack kept sputtering gibberish for a while, until...

"...y-yeah..."

Vanessa just smiled even more at that. Hearing Jack admitting that he actually liked a girl was something else for her. Jack just glanced aside incredibly awkwardly; his blush growing stronger still. "…well look at that," Vanessa chuckled a little.

"...wh-what?" Jack hummed, as he glanced from side to side yet again.

"Over the course of this whole journey, you've grown," Vanessa hummed.

Jack blinked, as he glanced back at Vanessa. "...you... really think I've grown?"

"Of course," Vanessa answered. "You've gotten over your phobia thanks to her, and I think that's really helped you to grow. It's also probably the reason you might have some feelings for her, huh?"

Jack glanced down at the ground, before he looked up and nodded. "...yeah." he hummed with a smile.

Vanessa sighed with a smile. "…now you've gone and made me feel old."

Jack blinked. "...how?"

"…my son is all grown up now, and walking around independently, and finally to a point where he's gotten feelings for a girl," Vanessa said. "…I…actually never thought that would happen for you, and I'm mostly to blame for the way I raised you."

"...mom..." Jack uttered as he simply looked at Vanessa.

Vanessa gave a sad smile, and looked away then. Jack still just looked at her; wondering if she intended to elaborate.

"…well, I'm just glad you get to experience the joy of a first love," Vanessa sighed again, smiling back at Jack.

Jack tilted his head, and gently moved to hold Vanessa's hand. "...you're not... sad, are you, mom?"

"…only just a little bit, Jack," Vanessa replied.

Jack hummed a bit, and nodded.

"...well... you can always tell me anything, mom." he eventually mused. "I hope you know that."

Vanessa chuckled at that, and ruffled up his hair. "Of course I know that, dear." Jack simply smiled.

At that point, someone came dropping down from the tree; landing right next to them. "All done!" Nage called with a grin.

"Oh good," Vanessa said. "So what can you tell us about where we are, Nage?"

"Not a whole lot!" Nage responded with a wide grin. "It's pretty much wilderness as far as the eye can see!"

"Hm…" Vanessa rubbed her chin. "Doesn't exactly lead us to any specific direction now, does it?"

"Not really." Nage nodded cheerfully.

Vanessa chuckled at her response. "Are you always so cheerful?"

"Generally." Nage responded; again, quite cheerfully. "I don't have a reason to be moody right now, so I'm being happy!"

"Alright then," Vanessa chuckled. "Well, there probably isn't much more need for scouting so I think we should…" and then Vanessa trailed off on that.

Both Jack and Nage looked at her with curious looks. "...mom?" Jack uttered.

"What's up, Vanessa?" Nage inquired curiously.

Vanessa's smile fell, and a solemn look came over her face, sniffing. "…do you guys smell that?"

Both Jack and Nage looked at each other, before they shook their heads. "...is it... an attack, mom?" Jack uttered.

"…something like that…" Vanessa muttered. "…you two get the others. I'm going ahead!" and she ran off where her nose would take her.

"Ah- mom, wait!" Jack called out, but Nage grabbed him by the wrist and hurried back to where the others would be before he could do something like rushing after her.

Vanessa ran as fast as she could, and the farther she ran, the stronger the smell got. _…something's burning… _she thought.

Finally, she ran far enough to see a bright orange glow in the distance. "A fire…just as I thought…" she muttered, speeding up.

"See, that's what happens when you don't pay up, squirt!" a gruff voice snarled in the distance.

"Well how the fuck am I supposed to afford your goddamn interest?!" screamed an angry voice back.

Vanessa narrowed her eyes, running fast enough to finally arrive to the scene. The first thing she saw was the fire, and it was all burning down a fancy looking cabin; though at this rate, it wasn't so fancy anymore.

"You should'a thought about that before investing a loan, bub!" A couple of tall characters were surrounding the more or less foul-mouthed owner of the cabin.

"You think I had any fucking choice in doing so?!" yelled back the owner, who turned out to be a rooster. "You cornered me with that goddamn contract!"

Vanessa hummed, folding her arms at this. She needed to see what was going on while she waited for the others. As she saw, a couple of sharks were surrounding a rooster; the sharks being a great white, a hammerhead and a tiger shark, and all of them seemed rather peeved at the rooster they surrounded.

"That's no way how to run a fucking business; scaring the piss out of all your customers like that! I should know how to run a goddamn business! I was filthy fucking rich before you sucked the money out of me!" the rooster wailed, throwing quite a fit.

Vanessa sighed. _…what a filthy mouth…_ she thought.

"And the reason why you got stinkin' rich?" the white shark snarled, as he glared down at the rooster. "Because you invested a loan in our business. We can't help it if your own monetary gain started dwindlin'; you owe us, bub."

The rooster was easily intimidated by the shark, gulping. "…b-but can't you just give me some more time…?"

"We already gave you time, and look where _that_ got you." the hammerhead shark grunted, as he motioned towards the burning cabin. "You're already behind on two payments already, bubby."

Finally, the group arrived, and Milo gawked at the burning cabin. "What's going on?!"

"Boys, Ani, I need you guys to hurry to the nearest water source and help put out that fire," Vanessa instructed.

"Okay!" Striker said, and then he ran off. "C'mon guys!" with the others following him quickly.

"Nage, Arsenic, you two are with me on this. It looks like that guy could use some help," Vanessa instructed.

"Alright!" Nage nodded, as she got out her chain. "This'll be cake!"

"Yeah…I'm in the mood to whoop some punk asses," Arsenic agreed.

The three of them started to approach the group, while the rooster kept begging the sharks. "Please, just a LITTLE more time; you can give a little fucker like me just a little more mercy, can't'cha?"

"Time's up." the tiger shark growled. "It's time to pay, beak-breath."

"Excuse me."

This stole the attention from the sharks and the rooster, since Vanessa had been the one to speak up.

The sharks glared at them. "...who the hell are you?" the great white grunted.

"We could ask you bozos the same thing!" Nage huffed, as she spun her chain around with a narrowed gaze.

The rooster just gawked at the three girls, and then grinned at the sharks. "Oh yeah…my new hired body guards…heh."

"Don't flatter yourself," Arsenic groaned, which startled the rooster. "That's not really the best thing to do to people you hardly know who decide to help you out, you lame ass."

"...just scram, ladies." the hammerhead huffed with a grunt. "We're dealing business here, and this ain't got nothin' to do with y'all."

"Personally, I'm just saying, maybe you_ could_ give him a little more time," Vanessa hummed. "You already took down his house here. What else could he possibly have to lose?"

"Hey lady; I thought you were on my side!" the rooster yelped.

"That's the thing; this cluck here's been holding out on payment for quite a while." the tiger shark grunted. "If he ain't payin' now, then who's to say if he's ever gonna pay up?"

"Oh, but what's this I hear about him signing some contract against his will?" Vanessa hummed, tapping her chin.

The great white scoffed. "I got no idea what you're talkin' about, lady."

"Don't pull a fast one on us, buddy!" Nage hissed as she swung the chain around.

"Now just step away and we won't have to use any force," Vanessa said.

"...like hell." the hammerhead shark snarled.

"Here's your first warning," Arsenic said, pointing her finger and firing a fire bolt that just narrowly missed the sharks and created an explosion right behind them.

All three of them gawked at that; turning to look at where the bolt exploded, before looking at Arsenic again. "...the hell was that?!"

"I don't know; you tell me," Arsenic said with a shrug.

"We're giving you another chance to leave now," Vanessa added.

The sharks looked among themselves; as if they were debating whether or not to actually listen to them.

"…I don't know fellas; I think I'd listen to 'em," the rooster chuckled.

That comment, however, proved to be a mistake, as the great white snarled at the rooster. "...you shut your beak." he snarled, before he grabbed a wooden beam that had collapsed from the burning building; snapping it cleanly off where it was lodged, before hurling it right at the three girls.

Vanessa lifted her leg and kicked it, splitting it in half and keeping it from hitting the three of them.

The tiger shark gawked at that. "...what."

"And here's your second warning!" In that instant, Nage began lashing the chain at the sharks; whipping it dangerously close to them, and managing to tear chunks out of the ground that sprayed up into the air. The three reeled back in shock; cautious about letting those kinds of whip lashes hit them.

"You've got one last chance to beat it," Arsenic grumbled.

Grunting with a snarl, the great white glared at Vanessa.

"Hey, unlike you guys, we're giving you plenty of chances," Vanessa said in response to that look.

Snarling, the great white glared back at the rooster. "...you'd better not think that this is the end of it." he hissed, before he turned to walk off. "We'll be back!" With that, he and the other sharks hurried off.

The rooster just gawked at them, and then at the girls.

Vanessa caught something out of the corner of her eye, and looked up into the air. There was a huge mass of water floating above the burning cabin with a light blue glow around it. "Looks like Ani," she said.

"WHOA!" the rooster jumped at that.

"Took their sweet time, they did." Nage mused with a light hum.

The glow disappeared and a huge tidal wave of water fell upon the cabin, putting out all of the fires instantaneously.

Grinning, Nage turned to where the water had come from. "Good shot, Ani!"

"Thanks!" called a voice from above, and Ani lowered to the ground with the boys floating down besides her. Then the light blue glow disappeared.

The rooster just stared at them with wide eyes.

"Man, what were those sharks doing here, anyway?" Jack noted. "His house is all burnt..."

"…some guys burned down his house because he owed them money," Arsenic answered.

"…really now?" Milo hummed, looking at the rooster.

"...why did he owe them money to begin with?" Jack hummed curiously. "He didn't lose a bunch of bets, did he? That never goes well..."

"No, no, it wasn't anything like that you little shit!" the rooster growled.

Just then, Vanessa snatched the rooster by his earlobe and yanked on it, making him yelp. "I would very much appreciate it if you didn't talk to my son that way," Vanessa hummed. "Especially when we came along and helped you out without anything expected in return."

"You tell him!" Nage nodded, as she folded her arms with a huff. "And such language... there could've been kids present!"

"…you ain't kids?" the rooster asked the boys, Ani and Arsenic in astonishment.

"Most of us are young adults," Milo answered.

"I'm 24." Jack pointed out.

"23," Arsenic added.

"…well hot damn," the rooster muttered, making Vanessa pinch his ear again. "OW! LADY, WOULD YOU QUIT IT?!"

"Not until you clean up your potty mouth," Vanessa replied.

"Shame that there's probably not any soap we could use to rinse his mouth with inside his home." Nage noted.

"…not all of the house had been burned down though," Ani pointed out, and looking at the house, only a huge corner of the whole building had burned.

"...well, maybe the bathroom was there." Nage noted, throwing her hands in the air. "Or the kitchen, or wherever he keeps his soap."

"Just calm down Nage," Milo hummed. Then he looked at the rooster. "…what's your name?"

"What's it to you?" the rooster huffed with a growl.

"You owe us at least your name for saving you and your house," Striker muttered. "If you want, we can give you our names first."

"For example, I'm Nage." Nage began, as she nodded.

"...my name's Jack." Jack hummed with a nod of his own.

Arsenic looked away in disinterest. "Arsenic."

"I'm Striker!"

"Milo."

"_Mine is Snap."_

"Mine's Ani."

"And I'm Vanessa," Vanessa finished up their introductions, letting go of the rooster's earlobe. He rubbed his ear sorely.

"...so, could you tell us your name now?" Jack hummed.

"...I'm Gruff...now get your damn hands off-OW!" Vanessa yanked on the rooster's ear again for the language. "I mean get your hands off me, _please!_"

"Thank you Gruff; that's much better," Vanessa replied, letting go of him again. Nage couldn't help but snicker at the scene.

Gruff snorted at them, but then looked at the house with a depressed whine. "Aw…my beautiful summer cottage…burned down halfway to a crisp…those bastards are gonna be coming back tenfold for this…"

"What do you mean?" Striker asked.

"They're this big gang, and they forced me into signin' a loan contract with 'em. At first, things were going smoothly, and I wasn't worrying so much, but then they were comin' back for the payments with interest. The fuckers are charging me an arm and a leg!" Gruff explained.

Vanessa was going to get after him again for his language, but at the moment, she decided to let it slide. "And you're thinking they'll be coming back with more muscle?"

"No shit! That's _exactly_ what I'm sayin'!" Gruff yelped.

Hearing that, Jack rubbed his chin in slight thought. "...hm..."

"…well…I know where we're going to camp for the night," Vanessa hummed.

Gruff did a double take at her. "Huh?"

Jack glanced at her with a nod. "Are we thinking of the same place, mom?" he hummed.

"Yep," Vanessa answered. "We'll be staying here tonight."

"WHAT?!" Gruff screamed. "DO YOU REALLY THINK I'M GONNA BE LETTING YOU FUCKERS-!" And Vanessa snatched his ear again, making him scream. "STOP FUCKING DOING THAT!"

"If you would pay attention and not interrupt, I was going to say that you don't have to provide any shelter for us," Vanessa told him. "We would be setting up camp nearby." Then she glared at him. "And did you even stop to think that we might even be willing to put up with the group that could be coming back after you?"

Gruff was speechless on that.

"Right; you guys all get comfortable!" Nage called, as she began walking around the cottage. "I think I'm gonna set up some traps!"

"Oh! Oh! Let me help Nage!" Ani exclaimed, running off with her.

Striker pressed his remote, breaking Snap apart to attach to him and become his armor. "I'm gonna keep a lookout around the area," he said, taking off into the air with his jetpack.

"I'll help you and Jack with camp, Vanessa," Milo offered.

"Yeah, I'll help with camp too," Arsenic added.

"Thank you," Vanessa said sweetly, letting go of Gruff yet again.

Jack glanced at him. "Are you gonna be alright with this?"

Gruff was just grumbling under his breath, not bothering to answer Jack.

"I think right now, it's best we give him some space," Vanessa mused, walking off. "Let's go make camp."

* * *

><p>As the sun was beginning to set, Metal's group soon came to a halt by a lone building in a valley. As he closed his eyes to set everyone on the ground, Hex swiftly rushed past him towards the building; intense worry in her eyes.<p>

"Hex, hang on," Violet hollered, following her. "Let us go in first; you don't know if it could be an ambush set up by any of the Corrupted."

"I agree," Ivory huffed, rushing after as well with her spear in hand.

"No, no, wait!" Hex called back to them. "If it is a trap, then that's more than enough reason not to follow me yet!"

"...sorry, but we're not going to be cautious." Proxy hummed, as he rushed after the two as well.

Metal then glanced towards Lock, Stella and Omega, who were the only ones left in the group. "...should we follow?"

"…mind as well…" Stella sighed.

"...though we should be cautious." Lock hummed.

Nodding, Metal hurried after the others; Lock, Stella and Omega running after him.

It didn't take long for Hex to reach the door, which she decided to knock on, as she had little wish of startling Fae any further. "Fae? Fae, it's me; Hex!"

No reply.

Violet put her ear to the door and didn't hear anything. She turned the knob, and found that the door was unlocked. "…slowly and silently, follow me in," Violet whispered, pulling out one of her pistols and tip-toing into the house, with all the others following.

Walking through the home, they could see that there was lots of broken furniture and broken windows and doors. Some of the walls even had dents in them. It was evident that a battle had taken place.

Watching all this, Hex's expression grew with concern the further in they went.

As he entered last, Metal glanced back at Omega, who was simply too big to fit in the door. "...keep a sharp eye out." he spoke, to which the robot nodded, before turning around to guard the entrance.

The group looked around for a bit. Then Violet stopped. "Everyone, split up and look around," she instructed. Nodding, the group did just that, with Hex keeping on heading down the main hall; her eyes narrowing as she grew curious about one room in particular...

The farther she went down the main hall, the less damage was done to the house, almost as if there had been less fighting in this area...

_...please be in here... safely..._ Narrowing her eyes, Hex stopped in front of a certain door, which she noted was slightly ajar, and slowly pushed it open. The room was a little messy, but for the most part, intact compared to the damage done in other parts of the house.

Suddenly, someone stepped out of a corner of the room with a frying pan, but then they stopped with a sigh of relief. "Madam," Mordecai huffed, letting his nerves calm a bit.

"Hex!" Fae rushed out from behind him and threw her arms around Hex.

"...Fae... Mordecai." Biting her lip, Hex wrapped her arms around Fae and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry... I should have been here..."

"Oh don't apologize Hex!" Fae wept loudly. "None of it was your fault at all!"

"But... if I were here, I could have protected you...!" Hex uttered; struggling not to cry herself.

"...we all need to remain calm right now…" Mordecai advised.

Then all of a sudden, there was a scream in the house.

Hex's eyes shot wide open in terror. "...Stella!" Quickly, she turned to storm towards where she heard the scream. _Oh god, please don't let it be a trap!_ she thought in horror.

Eventually, she found where Stella was, but it wasn't a trap thankfully. Stella was just stepping away from two bodies that were laying on the ground in front of her, staring at them in trembling terror. When Hex looked at the bodies, she immediately recognized them as Desire and Rascal.

Her eyes widened at that, and she moved past Stella to crouch by their bodies. _...lifeless...?_ Narrowing her eyes, she moved a hand to check on Desire's pulse. There didn't seem to be a pulse in her… and also, Hex saw that there were bite marks on Desire's neck.

The others in the group had heard the scream and stumbled onto this site, along with Fae and Mordecai having followed Hex.

"What happened here?" Violet hummed, looking down at the bodies.

Hex hummed as she brushed a finger past these marks on Desire's neck. "...it seems like... they were drained..."

"...let me see." Quickly, Metal stepped by Rascal's body: seeing the same marks on him, and let out a small grunt. "...damn... this isn't good..."

"What's wrong?" Ivory asked Metal.

"...these bite marks..." Metal hummed. "...they're from a pair of fangs... vampire fangs."

Hex's eyes shot wide open, as she looked at Metal. "...like... him?"

"...no. He's dead and gone." Metal hissed, as he clenched a hand. "However... there's still another Novagod roaming around... and if she can do what he could do..."

"…shit…" Ivory muttered. "You're seriously saying that Patricia figured out how to do that?!"

"...it must be the only explanation." Metal murmured.

With a gulp, Hex slowly looked towards Fae and Mordecai. "...does... May have similar marks on her neck...?"

Fae nodded, wiping her eyes and burying her face in Mordecai's shoulder. With a mournful look, Hex looked back at Metal, who rose to his feet.

"...they... can recover." Metal eventually said, as he looked at Mordecai. "But it's not as simple as just snapping my fingers... to let them heal, we have to defeat Patricia first."

Mordecai nodded at that.

"…and that's no easy task either," Violet hummed in remark.

"...believe me; we've done something like this before..." Lock murmured.

Stella just looked silently at Hex. As she saw, Hex merely glanced to the side with a slightly vulnerable look; folding her arms as she just processed what had happened here. Stella looked away from her then, not really feeling alright with just staring at her.

"...it's been a long day for some of us." Proxy shot in, as he folded his arms. "We should probably think about getting some rest..."

"You guys go ahead," Violet said. "I'll keep watch out tonight to make sure we aren't disturbed."

"Same here," Ivory added.

"...Omega can aid you in that." Metal nodded, as he looked at Fae and Mordecai.

Hex glanced at them as well; her arms still folded a touch. Fae was just clutching to Mordecai and he sighed. "…pardon us…" he murmured, taking Fae and walking out of the hallway.

With a light sigh, Hex glanced at Violet once the two of them were gone. "...do you... think I should go with them...?" she uttered.

"You can if you want," Violet answered. "Anything that you need to do here, you should do it." Then Violet walked out.

Stella watched her leave, and looked back at Hex. Biting her lip, Hex eventually ventured out of the room. "...pardon me..." she uttered, just as she passed by Stella; though she meant it mainly as she was making her way past the crowd.

Lock hummed, as he glanced towards Metal. "...we should get some sleep."

Metal merely nodded, as he glanced back down at Desire and Rascal; a thoughtful look on him.

Stella looked at where Hex went with a sad look. Lock noticed that look, but remained silent; glancing away after a short while.

Slowly, Stella started walking off toward the direction that Hex had gone.

Slowly, Hex made her way back to May's bedroom, where she found that Fae and Mordecai weren't in. What she found, however, was something she hadn't noticed her first visit. Her eyes widened as she approached the bed; looking down at it with wide, mournful eyes. She was lying on her side faced away from Hex, but for the most part, it was indeed a motionless May. She didn't dare to lay a finger on the motionless flamingo. All Hex could do was merely kneel by her bedside and look at her; biting her lip a touch.

At this point, Stella stepped toward the opened door, but didn't dare make a sound. Instead, she watched Hex with her own twist of conflicted emotions by all of this.

Meekly, Hex slowly moved a lone hand towards May; gently settling it on her side, as she let out a lone sob. Stella had no idea what to think when she saw Hex starting to do that. She had held that grudge for so long, and felt so angry toward Hex to a point where she secretly wanted to see her suffer…

…but…this wasn't right at all… Stella wouldn't have wished something like _this_ on Hex.

Curling her fingers against May's side, tears began trickling from Hex's eyes. "...I... know you can't hear me, May... b-but... please... wake up..." she uttered weakly, with a few more sobs. Sadly, May didn't move at all, against Hex's hopeful wishes. While she indeed did expect that, it didn't make it any less painful. Slowly, she burrowed her face against the bed and began crying; still gently holding May as she wept.

Stella finally felt sympathy for Hex, but she felt so awkward and guilty about watching Hex while she mourned like this. Slowly, she stepped away, but couldn't quite pull her eyes away yet.

Hex remained immobile as she wept by May's side; weakly and meekly slamming her other hand against the covers. "...not to you... this shouldn't have happened to you..." she uttered amidst her sobs.

Stella right then and there turned around and walked away, feeling too guilty about all of this to be able to watch her any longer. As she walked away, she eventually stumbled upon Lock, who was leaning against a wall with his arms folded; eyes closed and all.

Stella stopped by Lock, and looked up at him with a sad look. He simply looked back at her, before gently setting a hand on her shoulder. Stella went over to hug him then.

"…for some reason…I…feel so guilty about this…" she murmured.

"...why do you think that is?" Lock hummed, as he hugged her back.

"…maybe because I'm wondering if it's still even right of me to keep that grudge against her…" Stella muttered. "…especially with what's just happened now…"

Lock closed his eyes in thought. "...things change." he hummed eventually.

"…yeah…they do, don't they?" Stella whispered.

Lock simply nodded.

"…we should get some rest…" Stella muttered.

"...yeah." Lock nodded.

* * *

><p><em><strong> Yeah, things change all the time, don't they? *sigh*<strong>_


	41. Chapter 40

"So you were a Safe Haven soldier too, eh?" In another one of the groups traveling on, Crystal was eying Berta curiously while she asked the question.

The cow merely glanced back at Crystal with a grunt. "Yeah?" she huffed.

Crystal's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What could you have gone to Safe Haven for?"

"Crystal, just leave her alone," Dax moaned uneasily, looking between the two.

Berta just glanced back down at Crystal. "For trainin', obviously." she grunted.

"Hoo boy, here we go..." Queen remarked in the back as she rubbed her temples.

"Yeah, but why were you training? Did someone insult you and you wanted to learn how to kick their ass?!" Crystal laughed.

"…is she asking to get beaten up?" Hunter murmured under his breath dryly.

"Kekeke... that's a possibility." Ripper noted just as dryly.

Berta narrowed her eyes. "Don't get started with me, ya squirt; you're gonna regret it."

"I regret nothing I've ever done," Crystal laughed with an evil smirk. "You gonna try and roll over me tubby?"

"Crystal!" Dax yelled in a nervous wreck. "You need to keep track of what comes out of your mouth!"

"And you're a killjoy that fiddles with his arm all day!" Crystal pointed out. "Some life you got in you to explore the great outdoors and push your limits!"

"Like I said; be more polite, would you?" Dax growled, looking away.

"...did you just call me 'tubby'?" Berta growled, as she narrowed her eyes down at Crystal.

Miser gulped at that. "...I don't think we need Sage here to tell us that this is not going to end well." she uttered.

"What, you deaf too?" Crystal uttered. "Read my lips! Tubby! T-U-B-B-Y!"

Berta snarled. "...oh, you're so fucking dead." she growled, as she raised her fist, before King suddenly stepped in-between them. "What?! She started it!"

"I don't care who started it; we're not gonna fight amongst ourselves." King noted with a light sigh, as he glanced at Crystal with a frown. "And don't antagonize her, Crystal. I taught you better than that."

"Hey, you only taught me how to fight, and that's exactly what I'm doing," Crystal mused with a smirk.

"That's not what he meant and you know it," Dax grumbled.

Crystal frowned at that and threw her hands away. "Ah, forget it. You guys are too high strung to be kidding around…"

"...didn't sound like you were kiddin' to me." Berta grunted as she glanced away with a scowl.

"...look, we're all on edge because of... well, everything that's been going on." Miser sighed. "There's a fine line between joking around and irritating the... well... more irritable in the group."

"All the more to loosen up and joke around for a bit!" Crystal exclaimed. "Right King?"

"...well, as long as the joking doesn't involve insulting anyone by accident or on purpose." King remarked, as he noted the more or less sour look on Berta's face.

Crystal also gave King a sour look. "You too huh?" Then Crystal sighed at that. "Oh well. Guess that's to be expected that King's gonna act like a parent since he's gonna be one."

Berta perked up at that. "...wait. Parent?" She turned to look at Crystal with a raised eyebrow. "You're serious about that?"

Instantly, King's visage turned extremely flustered.

Crystal smirked again. "Oh, didn't you hear the big news? I thought everybody would've known at this point!"

"And here we go again..." Queen sighed, as she shook her head whilst King grew even more flustered.

"I actually didn't." Berta hummed, as she glanced at King. "You're gonna be a dad now? Get outta here, really?" she mused with a small smirk.

"Ah- that is..." King began with a familiar flustered tone.

"Uh-huh! He's gonna have a baby boy too! And guess what? Guess who's the mother?!" Crystal laughed.

"Crystal, cut it out," Hunter said.

"Oh c'mon! I'm not actually insulting him! It's just teasing!" Crystal whined.

"No, Crystal, seriously, be quiet," Hunter added, growing very serious. "I just thought I heard something. Queen?"

Everyone just stopped, as they looked towards Queen, who was glaring ahead of the group. "...someone approaches. They're armed... a sword is drawn. Get ready for combat."

Crystal dropped her joking demeanor and readied herself in a stance, much like all the others in the ground.

Queen's eyes narrowed as she heard footsteps coming closer and closer. "...he sounds calm... he's not nervous whatsoever."

"…sounds like a very experienced fighter…" Dax gulped. "…do you think it's…one of the Corrupted?"

"...most likely." Queen murmured.

Hunter grit his teeth at that.

"...so... what do we do against him...?" King hummed, as he clenched his hands.

"...we do not make the first move." Queen replied. "Wait. See what develops."

"Right," Dax gulped again, standing behind Berta to hide.

Berta just glanced back at Dax with a dry stare.

As the group stood in silence, they eventually saw someone approaching them; a sword in his hand, as each step seemed to quake the ground beneath him. He remained silent, though his appearance showed someone ready to kill.

"...who is that?" King uttered.

"…I-I don't know, but I don't like the looks of h-him!" Dax uttered.

"Oh don't be such a baby!" Crystal said.

"...if he's one of the Corrupted, we can't afford to take our chances." King uttered. "Like Queen said, just keep calm... don't act rashly..."

Still, the being approached the group; his gaze narrowing as he still kept a grip on his sword in one hand.

"…nah, fuck it!"

Crystal then threw her fist forward and shot a lightning bolt toward the figure.

Instantly, the figure slashed his sword at the incoming lightning bolt, which actually made it bounce away from him and crash against the ground behind him. The instant it faded, he glared at Crystal.

"...well, shit." Berta commented. "Way to go, idiot."

"…I was testing his reflexes," Crystal insisted as an excuse.

"...yeah, well, now he's gonna kill us." Berta pointed out dryly.

However, rather than attacking, the being just kept approaching the group.

"…what do you want with us?" Hunter asked the being.

"...you're all dealing with Patricia Novagod, correct?" the being hummed.

"…yeah…" Dax answered timidly.

"...you should all beware." he hummed, as he closed his eyes. "She's found a way to gather immense amounts of power... and not to mention followers..."

Miser's eyes widened as he said that. "...are you serious?"

"…how?" Hunter asked.

"...she bites her victims... saps their strength that way." he noted.

Hunter's eyes widened at that. "…no…"

"...how long has she been at it?" King uttered.

"Since last night." the being replied. "She's been quick, too... must've gotten at least a hundred people last time I checked."

"…damn…" Crystal uttered with wide eyes.

"...and if I'm not mistaken, she's still hunting for food." he added.

Queen grit her teeth a touch. "...just what we need; a copycat..."

"...if I were you, I'd lay low for a while." the being noted, as he set his sword against his own shoulder. "There's no telling what Patricia could think of now... the Corruption is influencing her by an incredible margin..."

King looked at the being then. "...what about you? Aren't you one of the Corrupted?"

"...not by choice." he scoffed, as he closed his eyes. "'sides, I jumped off that ship a while ago."

"…really?" Hunter uttered.

"Indeed." he nodded. "The name's Pierce. I follow my own path, even if they tried leading me down a different path."

"…guess they didn't try very hard, did they?" Crystal hummed.

"No." Pierce mused. "There's conflict amidst the enemy... perhaps a moment of weakness for them may prove advantageous to you all."

"...well, if you're not with them, you might as well tag along with us to help." Berta pointed out.

"...I'd like to remind you of what I told you previously; that I walk my own path." Pierce retorted.

"…we understand then," Hunter remarked.

Pierce nodded at that. "...now, if you'll excuse me..." And he proceeded to start walking again; though his path seemed to be aimed right at Crystal.

Crystal just watched him curiously.

As he prepared to pass her by...

...he suddenly smacked his hand across her head. "Next time, don't startle me." he huffed, before he walked past her.

"…OW!" she whined with a glare at him, holding her head where he hit her. Dax couldn't help but chuckle at that.

Berta chuckled too, as she watched him walk off. "He seems like a nice guy." she quipped.

"…at least he was nice enough to inform us of their situation," Hunter muttered. "…this isn't good…it sounds like Patricia's figuring out how to do the same things as Deity…"

"...and as if one of those weren't enough..." King grunted, as he rubbed his neck. "...how do we deal with this?"

"…I don't know…" Hunter muttered. "…but all the more reason to find Joy as soon as possible."

"...right..." King nodded, as he glanced ahead of the group. "...the question, of course, is if we'll find her before the enemy does..."

* * *

><p>Cyrene was pacing around the base wonderingly. <em>"…what's taking her so long?<em>"

"...hey!" At that point, Bulk stomped into the room, giving Cyrene a glare. "You know where Patricia is?"

Cyrene shrugged and then folded her arms. _"No. I haven't seen her either."_

"...you gotta be shitting me..." Bulk snarled, as he rubbed his head. "How does she manage to fuck up dealing with _**one rogue agent?!**_ We're already stretched thin enough as is getting our forces back on top after that botched hunt on Malice!"

Cyrene sighed. "_I wouldn't know how to answer that._"

With a grunt, Bulk struck the nearby wall. "And of course, Mercy's not around, so I can't take out my aggressions on her!" he snarled in complaint.

Cyrene looked at Bulk warily for that, and slowly turned to walk away. "_Well, I guess I better see what else needs to be done rather than just walking around._"

"...not so fast." At that point, Bulk glared at her. "...you'll do."

Cyrene glared back at him. "…_no._"

"...you think you got a choice in this?" Bulk grunted, as he began approaching her.

Cyrene stepped away from him. _"Maybe you should just deal with your anger rather than your idea of working it off._"

"...like that'd be any fun." Bulk scoffed, as he kept approaching her...

...when a dark void opened quite literally in front of Cyrene, and Husk emerged from it; soulless eyes glaring daggers at Bulk. _"...back... off..."_

Cyrene blinked at that.

Bulk snarled. "...you..."

_"...leave her... alone..."_ Husk hissed, as he kept standing protectively in front of Cyrene.

"...fucking shell... you think you can order me around?" Bulk hissed in abject disgust, as he stomped towards Husk, who didn't even flinch. "...I'm gonna fucking kill ya!"

_"...come... and try..."_ Husk snarled on his own; simply standing directly where he was.

Cyrene grew tense…

…then suddenly, some doors slammed open to the base, and her eyes jerked over at that. Before she knew it, the room started to flood with undead solders; all of which were new to them. Husk quickly stood before her to make sure that the flood of undead did not overwhelm her; his eyes narrowing.

Bulk, however, was not that fortunate, as he clawed against the marching horde in order to keep himself from being trampled. "The fuck- where did all these Corrupted come from?!" he sputtered.

After a while of this, the crowd thinned out when they entered into the base and stood aside for someone to walk through. Bulk and Husk just looked curiously at this to see who was approaching.

Finally, the undead parted and the one walking toward them was out in the open for them to see. It was Patricia, but…she had changed. She looked at them with cold pale yellow eyes; even _paler_ than they had been to a point where they didn't even seem there. She had some markings across her body, and her body looked more toned as well. Also, there seemed to be an aura around her seeping with tremendous power.

"You're welcome," she huffed, folding her arms.

Husk's soulless eyes actually widened a touch in what seemed to be surprise. "...Patricia..."

Bulk's response, however, was more blunt, as he folded his arms. "...well. Finally decided to show yourself here, huh?" he scoffed, as he glanced at all of the undead. "I thought you were going after Pierce, and instead you come home with an army... a lot more impressive than what I gave ya credit for..."

"Shut up jackass; I wasn't asking for how impressed you are," Patricia growled.

Bulk raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh, finally decided to grow a backbone, huh?" he scoffed.

"Someone needs one, if things are gonna get done around here," Patricia said.

"Oh, what, you insinuating that we haven't gotten anything done?" Bulk grunted. "Figures; especially since you've been responsible for the times we've managed to fuck up."

"Instead of just saying something like that…" Patricia narrowed her eyes, stepping toward Bulk. "…why not back up your sass with some fists, wuss?"

"Oh, so now she wants to fight." Bulk scoffed with a chuckle. "Oh, this'll be good."

And the very instant he said that, he stomped the ground with enough force to send a shockwave of Corruption erupting from underneath Patricia. Patricia didn't move from where she stood. She just stomped her foot down to disrupt the shockwave and keep it from hitting her.

Bulk actually gawked at that. "...the fuck?!"

Patricia reeled her fist back and shot it forward, releasing a massive shot of Corruption that impacted from the fist, and it flew at Bulk.

As the blast struck Bulk, it didn't just knock him back; it launched him past the massive crowd and against the thick wall to the point where the indent from his impact very nearly encompassed the entire wall. "Gah..."

Husk looked from Patricia to where Bulk was now with wide eyes.

Patricia then kept approaching Bulk.

As he slumped to the ground, Bulk slowly and defiantly glared at Patricia. "...the hell did you get this power from...?" he spat.

Patricia actually grabbed him and picked him up, glaring right into his eyes. "I'm not telling, especially to a bastard like you," and she punched him to send him flying again.

This time, the punch effortlessly sent him flying through several walls; and not just thin walls, but incredibly thick, reinforced walls.

Husk observed Patricia, as he tilted his head. _"...you're... fueled by others..."_ he remarked slowly.

Patricia simply glanced at Husk, but then she walked toward where she shot off Bulk.

"…_Husk…what do you mean by that?"_ Cyrene whispered.

_"...her power... is not her own..."_ Husk mused. _"...she seems to... have fed on... the power of others... to strengthen herself..."_

Coughing profusely, Bulk slowly tried pushing himself up to his feet.

Patricia stood over him with a little evil grin. "…who's the bitch now?" she asked, kicking him.

As he was kicked, Bulk winced in pain, as he glared back at Patricia. "...kkh... y'think you're _better _than me... you dirty, good-for-nothin' Novagod?" he spat.

"I don't care who's better," Patricia snarled. "All I want is to make sure you don't step all over me again!" then she kicked him again.

As he was kicked that time, he actually chuckled mockingly. "...so you think you can waltz in here like you own the place...?" he spat. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"Someone who's going to get the ball rolling here," Patricia growled, turning him over and actually punching his face while he was still on the ground.

Even as he was punched, he kept laughing. "...you're fuckin' dead..."

"Really now?" Patricia hummed.

"...yeah... because I'm gonna fuckin' kill ya...!" Bulk spat.

"We'll see about that," Patricia hissed, picking him right back up off of the ground to jab into his stomach with some punches. Bulk merely kept laughing to spite her as he kept being punched.

Patricia eventually tossed Bulk away from her onto the ground. "Go ahead; laugh. It doesn't bother me anymore, and it won't change the more powerful I'll get later on."

"...you won't get the chance, bitch..." Bulk spat.

"Watch me," Patricia said. "And for that matter; you should watch what you say to me, Waters."

Bulk's eyes widened, as he slowly stood up. "...the fuck... did you call me, Novagod...?!"

Husk eyed this with curiosity. _...so... the alliance is... crumbling... _he mused.

"I called you by your last name," Patricia answered. "It's still better than a stupid insulting nickname."

"...who the fuck... told you that you could call me by name...?!" And with a roar, Bulk charged towards Patricia with a roar.

Patricia started to charge up a mound of Corruption in her hand behind her back, just waiting for the right moment. Bulk snarled as he began charging Corruption within his mouth once more. Patricia still waited. Then, with a roar, Bulk fired off a massive, powerful beam of Corruption that was tearing up the ground underneath it as it rocketed towards Patricia.

She pulled out the smoking mound of Corruption from behind her back and fired in reply, shooting an even more powerful beam that tore up the ground even more, and it shot right through Bulk's beam, destroying it. It also still shot for him regardless. Bulk didn't even have the chance to move, as he was blasted clearly back by the powerful blast; landing right by the feet of Husk and Cyrene in defeat. "...kkh..."

Looking down at the crocodile, Husk slowly looked back at Patricia.

Patricia approached them. "Want more?"

Husk merely glanced at Bulk, who groaned in pain. _"...I think... he's done..."_ he remarked.

"…good," Patricia hummed, and then she looked at Husk and Cyrene. "I have an assignment for you two to work on. Seeing how we're still short on numbers for our army, I'm going to need you to 'recruit' some more."

Husk simply tilted his head a touch.

"...now wait a second..." Bulk coughed, as he glared at Patricia. "...who the fuck... said that you could order them around...?!"

"…excuse me?" Patricia spoke, looking down at Bulk with a glare back.

Spitting, Bulk slowly tried pushing himself on his feet. "...who told you... that you can order my forces around...?!"

"I'm sorry, but last I checked, they were generals with a mission to build an army," Patricia spoke. "Not whores for you to take out your frustrations on and get your fill of poon."

Bulk snarled at that comment.

_"...out of... curiosity..."_ Husk shot in, as he stepped down on Bulk before he could crawl away. _"...what will you do... if we do not obey... Patricia...?"_

"It's not a matter of obeying me or not," Patricia answered. "I'm just giving you an assignment you need to do, but if you have any better ideas on helping our cause, then be my guest."

Then she looked at Bulk. "In fact, if you're so desperate for a whore, why not just look for one out there? I'm sure you can take her and her family and friends and corrupt them in the process."

Bulk snarled at that. "...fuck you..."

Husk merely kicked at him again. _"...I think... he needs... some time off... to cool down..."_ he remarked, as he glanced back at Cyrene, _"...don't you... think so too...?"_

Cyrene nodded, _"…yeah…_" and then she turned to walk away. _"…let's go get some more recruits then._"

Kicking at Bulk again, Husk began walking off. _"...you... lock him up... then..."_ he uttered to Patricia before he followed Cyrene.

Patricia folded her arms and looked down at him. "…so what'll it be? You gonna actually get up and be productive, or am I gonna have to lock you up?"

Bulk snarled at her. "...fuck you..."

"Make up your mind, or I will do it for you," Patricia spoke, ignoring his remark.

Bulk merely glanced away from her. "...think you can order me around, just because you got a powerboost? Feh..."

"What's honestly more important to you? Actually making an army to make us powerful, or just making sure that I'm your bitch?" Patricia asked more frankly. "Because it seems to me like you're losing interest in the whole thing."

Bulk glanced back at her. "...maybe because I am. We've done _nothing_ ever since the thing with the Commander bit us in the ass. What's the point of building an army if you're not even gonna fucking _use_ it?"

"We _are_ gonna use it Bulk; it's just a little thing called fucking patience," Patricia said.

Bulk scoffed. "Haven't we been patient enough as is? And look where it's gotten us... absolutely nowhere."

"Bulk, maybe we could use the army now, but it's only gonna get wiped out again; not to mention we have three major characters to watch carefully for," Patricia grumbled. "One is that little brat, another is Metal Sonic, and the last one is the girl's mother."

Then he shot a glare at Patricia. "Why're you so afraid of 'em with all that strength you got? Just blast them before they can retaliate, and bam, you're done with having to play it safe."

"Because they have a little power called 'Unity' and 'Purity' Bulk," Patricia snapped. "Last I recall, you got your ass kicked by the brat because of it. Luckily only those three can use those powers, but while the kid is highly unpredictable with it, Metal Sonic and that woman have had years of experience with those powers."

"...so, what, you're gonna let yourself be intimidated by just three people?!" Bulk spat. "Yeah, that girl kicked my ass... but apparently, you can floor me without even trying! So if you can grow so much stronger, just get more power than them, and blow them to hell!"

Patricia grabbed Bulk and suddenly slammed him against the wall. Bulk grunted as he glared back at Patricia.

"…listen to me you bonehead," Patricia growled. "I'm not afraid of them, I recognizing the fact that we absolutely _can't_ underestimate them. Even with my strength, it's not going to be enough to beat any of those three. The bunch of others in their groups, probably, but not those three, and if we want to invade Safe Haven eventually, we're going to have to be stronger than all three could handle."

"...so where do we get that kinda power, then?" Bulk scowled at her.

Patricia let him go then. "Not yet. Not until we've gotten the army built back up again, will I show you how I got more power."

Bulk grunted at that, as he rubbed his neck where he had been grabbed.

"…I'm going to assist Mercy in getting more corrupted," Patricia spoke, turning around to walk away.

Bulk got to his feet as he simply looked at Patricia. Patricia didn't even look back at him, disappearing into a dark void.

Bulk spat, as he began walking off. "...stuck-up bitch... guess the family curse got to her..." he murmured to himself.

* * *

><p>"…his mouth runs for a very long time, doesn't it?" Milo hummed, hearing Gruff walk around his damaged cabin and cursing up a storm while their campsite was set up a distance away.<p>

"...sure looks like it." Nage commented with a mild shrug.

"Well, half his home had been destroyed," Vanessa said, drinking a hot cup of cocoa. "He has a reason to be upset."

"...but he's been raging ever since we settled down." Jack noted. "And that was a few hours ago, too..."

"…just give him time I think…" Ani muttered. "…better than getting cursed out."

"...got that right." Nage huffed.

"…well, now what?" Striker asked.

"We're waiting." Jack noted. "For those sharks to show up later."

"…Oh yeah, right!" Striker laughed.

"Man, you didn't forget, did you?" Nage noted with a tilted head.

"…maybe a little?" Striker chuckled sheepishly.

Ani hit him in the shoulder playfully. "You're always forgetting stuff, goofball!'

"Not everything!" Striker protested back.

"..._always_ forgetting things?" With an intrigued grin, Nage looked to Ani. "Tell me more! This is bound to be good!"

"Oh, there was that time that he forgot about Milo's birthday," Ani started off. "Then he forgot about helping the professor one time, and then he forgot to come back inside from playing before it would rain!"

"Man, he sure got soaked that day," Milo added. "He even caught a cold from that."

"Hey!" Striker whined. "All you guys got soaked and got sick too!"

"Yep, but it was still up to you to remember to come back inside!" Ani laughed.

Jack couldn't help but chuckle a bit too.

"Oooh, we need to hear more!" Nage said with a giggle as she looked at Ani with a giddy look.

"There was also that one time long ago we played hide and seek and you forgot to find Milo!" Ani laughed.

Striker puffed his cheeks out. "Did not!"

"Yeah, you kinda did…" Milo remarked, rubbing his head.

"You forgot to find him?" Nage laughed. "Oh, this is just priceless! C'mon, tell me more!" She was just moments away from bursting into a full-blown chorus of laughter, as she did her best to keep her excitement in check.

"Oh yeah? Well there's stuff you forgot about too, Ani!" Striker decided he was going to pester Ani now. "Like, you were trying to bake a cake and you forgot to put in baking soda in it!"

"…yeah…" muttered Ani, looking away. "…so?"

"There was also that one time where you forgot that you stuffed your toys in your closet and when Brick went to open the door, he got covered in them," Milo added.

Ani laughed. "Oh yeah! That was hilarious!"

"PPFFFT-" Nage had to cover her mouth as she was just enthralled in these stories.

"…Oh yeah! There was that one time too where you forgot that Jack was still hanging in that tree with that rope!" Striker laughed.

Jack laughed at that. "I was hanging there all afternoon!"

"Really?!" Nage was in absolute stitches from hearing these kinds of stories being told. "Man, I wouldn't be surprised if the two of you started forgetting the same thing together!" she said with a nod to Striker and Ani.

"Well gee, I hope not," Striker said. "I might start to forget some pretty important things."

"Like _whaaaat?_" Nage hummed with a bemused grin.

"Like all the good times we've all had," Striker said with a smile.

"...well, you'd best not go forgetting those, you hear?" Nage hummed with a smile. "Those are the best memories, the ones you spend with those closest to you."

"Right!" Striker said.

Ani smiled. "…I've been with these guys for a long time, along with Jill and Brick."

Milo sighed at the mentioning of Brick. "…but then there aren't so pleasant memories we should never forget…"

"...yeah..." Jack hummed, as he folded his arms.

Throughout this conversation, Vanessa had been listening to the whole thing, while Arsenic was looking away, still somewhat distancing herself from the group. They were talking about things she had no part in…

Noticing Arsenic, Nage hummed. "...aren't you gonna say anything?" she inquired. "You've been quiet all night long, now..."

"…nah, I'm fine," Arsenic replied. "…I'm just chilling out."

"You know, maybe you should get involved in conversations a bit more," Ani suggested.

"…yeah, maybe, but I'm still not used to other people yet…" Arsenic replied.

"...well, it hasn't stopped you from getting used to someone in particular, hmm?" Nage began teasingly.

Jack instantly tensed, and glanced bashfully aside to try and hide a faint blush.

Arsenic looked over at Nage on that one.

"Weell?" Nage added with a teasing smirk. "Isn't there someone you're quite comfortable with hanging out with_, hmmm?_"

Arsenic couldn't help but glance over at Jack. Jack did his best to act like he didn't mind this kind of teasing, but a glance at Arsenic spoke a thousand words; he was beyond flustered.

"_C'moooon_, you could at least answer me!" Nage said with a tiny giggle.

"…maybe…" Arsenic muttered, and admittedly, she was blushing a little bit.

"I _kneeeew_ it!" Nage began giggling incessantly. "There _is_ someone!"

Everyone else couldn't help but giggle in reply to that, and Arsenic looked away to hide her blush.

With her looking away, Jack's blush grew a touch stronger, though he still tried hiding it.

"C'moon, don't be so bashful, okay?" Nage hummed with a smile. "You can tell us _who it is!_" she added with a giddy giggle.

Arsenic mumbled a name, but it was too low to be heard.

"Oh, what was that?" Ani chuckled. "We couldn't hear you."

Arsenic mumbled the name a bit louder, but it still couldn't be heard.

Jack blushed a touch stronger now.

"C'moon, we can't hear you!" Nage said in an excited tone.

"…It's Jack, okay?" Arsenic muttered.

Silence. Probably everyone but Nage, who was obviously in utter glee upon hearing this, gawked at her, turned their gaze at the flustered Jack, and looked back at her. Arsenic just looked away, blushing even more. Indeed, Jack's blush was fierce at this point as well.

Nage looked at Ani, Striker and Milo to see what their reactions to it was. Milo was just smiling in amusement while Ani and Striker were snickering.

"…well, it's not like we're the only ones anyway," Arsenic said. "Just ask them." And she nudged her head toward Ani and Striker…

…which silenced them.

Nage let out a gasp, and slowly looked at the two of them. "...no way..."

Jack perked, and with a tiny smile looked back at the two of them. "...yeah... you're right, Arsenic..." he noted with a light snicker of his own.

"…I don't know what you're talking about," Ani uttered, looking away nervously.

"...I think you do." Jack noted with another snicker.

"You do?" Nage uttered with a wide-spread grin. "Don't hide it, Ani!"

Striker looked at Ani worriedly and then looked away with a blush.

"Really now…you can tell all of us," Milo chuckled.

"I mean, Arsenic told you about us, so..." Jack noted with a chuckle.

Ani and Striker looked at each other bashfully and then looked away from each other again.

"Oooh, seems like something's been a-brewin' between you two!" Nage uttered in a giddy laugh.

"…uh…" Striker scratched his head. "…maybe…"

"THAT'S A YES!" Nage giggled in a giddy tone.

Ani started blushing and looking away. Milo was actually laughing this time, and Arsenic actually made an amused smile. Even Jack managed to snicker a touch.

"HEY! COULD YOU KEEP IT DOWN OVER THERE?!"

Vanessa sighed, and looked over at where Gruff was. "Calm down, would you? We're all having a good time."

"Yeah; you can take a chill pill now and get some rest for tomorrow!" Nage called with a laugh.

"WELL HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET ANY FUCKING SLEEP IF YOU GUYS KEEP GODDAMN CHATTERING ALL NIGHT LONG?!"

Vanessa glowered at him. "He really should watch his language," she said with a lower tone.

"…yeah…but I think it might be time to call it a night anyway," Milo added.

"...yeah... it's getting late..." Nage noted with a light yawn.

Vanessa stood up. "I'm not tired yet, but I think I'll go for a little walk."

"...I guess I can accompany you." Nage said with a smile, as she got on her feet.

"That would be nice," Vanessa said, smiling as well.

"…Maybe me and Striker will take a walk too," Ani said, while she and Striker got up and walked off.

With a hum, Jack glanced at Arsenic. "...you wanna take a walk, too?" he asked, as he stood up.

"…sure," Arsenic said, standing up.

"And I'll tend to the fire," Milo said. "With Snap." And he looked over to see the robot just sitting in reboot mode. He had been given that mode long ago and now he's been using it a lot for their travels.

"Okay. See you later, Snap." Jack hummed with a smile, as he and Arsenic began walking off.

Snap waved back tiredly, and then sat back. Milo gave a content sigh, sitting warmly by the fire.

_...well, setbacks aside, I'd say that things are looking a touch better now._

_I'll say…_ Milo replied.

_And to think how everyone's growing up... it's almost magical to witness._ the disembodied voice of Johnny chuckled in return.

_That's new to hear you say…_ Milo spoke in his head.

_I'm surprised myself,_ he remarked back. _Guess I've done a little growing up on my own._

…_you still planning to stick around for your own reasons, of course?_ Milo asked.

_Yeah. Gotta see this thing through to the end, after all._

…_Johnny…what would you do if things took a turn for the worst?_ Milo hummed.

_...how do you mean?_ Johnny inquired.

…_like, what if Malice had gone too far?_ Milo asked.

_...like... how?_ Johnny's tone was hard to pick out; almost like he was both suppressing both anger and doubt at the same time.

…_what if Malice actually takes out one of us? Or does some severe, irreversible harm to Joy?_ Milo wondered. _…or even…_

_...she won't. _Johnny spoke firmly. _The instant you start thinking like that, the less you're focused on helping Joy before anything like that can happen._

…_true…_ Milo supposed.

_...so just keep positive._

…_I kinda wonder how Jill's doing throughout all this,_ Milo wondered again. _…and I'm sure you're still thinking of Callous as well…_

_...yeah..._

…_hopefully those two are staying strong…_ Milo thought with a sigh.

_...yeah..._ Johnny murmured.

Vanessa and Nage were walking off in content, meanwhile.

"...man, I haven't heard that much laughter in a while." Nage remarked with a smile.

"Have you?" Vanessa hummed.

"Like I said, it's been a while, given what's been going on..." Nage hummed. "The last time must've been... what is it now, three years ago? When I was on Safe Haven..."

"Oh?" Vanessa grew intrigued now.

Nage nodded. "I trained a whole bunch back then, but my fondest memories are those I have with Ani. We'd spend so much time just goofing around, pulling off pranks and the like... those were the days."

"Any good pranks in particular?" Vanessa chuckled.

"...mmh... ooh!" She snapped her fingers with a smile. "There's the one we pulled on Raider! Man, that one was excellent..."

"Do tell," Vanessa said with a smile.

"Let's see... he was being creepy, so me and Ani looked for something to humiliate him with... and we got something on him! So, we set up an area with a rope-trap, that shot him all over the place, and... and he got covered in honey and feathers and ended up looking like a giant chicken!" she snickered.

Vanessa chuckled a little at that.

With a small sigh, Nage looked up at the sky. "Man, those were the days..."

"…what was Raider like back then?" Vanessa asked curiously. "Because when I met him, he was actually a fairly nice young man."

"...Raider, nice?" Nage remarked with wide eyes. "That's... hard to think. The Raider I know was a stalker who kept blackmail on people." She shrugged. "At least I heard that from a few people on the island."

"Really now? That's what he used to be?" Vanessa hummed.

"Yeah; I had no idea that he had managed to change his ways." Nage remarked.

"I suppose he did," Vanessa mused. Then she sighed sadly. "…was a shame what happened to him then."

Nage blinked. "...something happened to him?"

"…oh, King's group must not have told you," Vanessa mumbled. Then she looked at Nage seriously. "…he had been murdered."

Nage gawked upon hearing that. "...no way... he's dead?" she uttered.

Vanessa nodded. "…in fact…his death was the start of this whole thing…"

Nage gawked. "...whoa."

Vanessa became silent then.

"...not a very pleasant topic, huh..." Nage assumed, as she rubbed her head a bit awkwardly. "Geez..."

"...no...it's not really a pleasant topic..." Vanessa replied. "...considering who it was that murdered him."

"...I... don't think I want to know who actually killed him." Nage uttered as she rubbed her neck a touch.

"...it's best that you probably don't," Vanessa answered. "I'm just glad we got off the island in time before the forces had gotten too strong to break through."

"...right..." Nage hummed as she rubbed her neck a touch.

"Anyhow, how have you been?" Vanessa asked.

"...well, I've been well." Nage hummed. "After we finished training, me and Cyrene struck out to do some freelance bounty hunting, just to make sure that we wouldn't get rusty."

"Oh, how was that?" Vanessa asked.

"Oh, it was... unique." Nage hummed with a smile. "We didn't really talk too much about our pasts, but we grew to become friends over time..."

"Well that's nice," Vanessa hummed.

"...what about you, though, Vanessa?" Nage hummed. "What were you up to before you decided to head over here?"

"Well, I wasn't doing very much with myself…" Vanessa muttered. "Most of the time I worried about Jack, and this year, I worried even more so about him. So I set out to look for him. I got caught up in a storm at sea and shipwrecked onto the shores of Mystic Ruins, where I found my son and the boys."

"...must've been one hell of a storm, though..." Nage hummed as she looked at Vanessa in awe.

"Yeah, it was," Vanessa answered. "But I've seen worse things than a storm, so I wasn't afraid. I only hoped that Jack was alright."

"...and... well, he sure seems alright now, doesn't he?" Nage mused.

Vanessa chuckled at that. "Definitely."

Speaking of, Jack and Arsenic were simply walking on their own way; Jack glancing up at the sky in thought. Arsenic looked over at him. "…what're you thinking about?" she asked.

"...lots of things." he replied in a simple tone as he observed the starry sky.

"…like what?" Arsenic asked again.

"...just... everything we gotta deal with..." he mused.

"…yeah…?" Arsenic looked ahead at where they were walking.

"...mhm..." Jack nodded, as he kept looking up at the stars. "...I know we've done a lot of really big things in the past... but I don't think they can really compare to what we've been doing now..."

"…guess there's always going to be hardships harder than the last to make you stronger," Arsenic assumed.

"...guess that's one way of looking at it." Jack mused. "...but man... all the things that have happened... it almost makes me wanna scream..."

"…I don't blame you…" Arsenic muttered. She could definitely understand with everything that Jack went through according to the others…and when she lost her folks…

…her chest started to hurt again, and she gripped it with a grunt.

Once he heard that, Jack looked at Arsenic in concern and set a hand on her. "...wanna take a breather?" he inquired.

"…a small break wouldn't hurt…" she grunted, breathing a little bit to calm down.

"...okay..." Nodding, Jack slowly helped her sit down for the moment, whilst sitting down next to her. Arsenic released her chest and she was able to breathe more easily.

Jack kept looking at her. "...what did you think about?" he inquired.

"…how I could understand why you wanted to scream…" Arsenic muttered.

Jack looked at Arsenic in concern. "...you want to scream too, don't you..." he assumed.

"…maybe a little…" Arsenic muttered.

"...I know the feeling..." Jack sighed, as he glanced up at the starry sky again.

"...just thinking about my parents a little set it off..." Arsenic muttered. Then she sighed. "...I just gotta stay as calm as I possibly can."

Nodding, Jack gently set a hand on hers whilst looking at her. "...I could help you if you need help to stay calm..."

"...that would be nice...I guess..." Arsenic murmured, closing her eyes.

Nodding again, Jack sighed a small touch. "...maybe you could help me while I help you?"

Arsenic opened her eyes and looked over at Jack. "...yeah, sure..."

Jack eventually opened his eyes to look at her, before he managed a slight smile. "...um... you think I could see you smile, Arsenic?" he inquired.

Admittedly, the question amused Arsenic, and it ended up bringing a small smile to her face for him. "How's this?" she asked.

Jack smiled a touch wider upon seeing that. "That's a really good smile, Arsenic."

"...you really think that?" Arsenic asked.

"Mhm." Jack nodded.

Arsenic's smile actually grew a little bit more from that. "...well...I have to say that I'm not really used to someone complimenting my smile..."

Jack rubbed his neck a little. "First time for everything, right?" he noted with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess so," Arsenic replied, looking back at him with that smile of hers.

As he looked back at her, Jack tilted his head somewhat while still smiling. "...now that you're smiling... I don't feel like looking away..." he hummed.

"...really now?" Arsenic hummed.

"...mhm." Jack nodded. "...I just... wanna watch you smile."

Arsenic just really stared back at Jack with her smile. In turn, Jack just kept looking back at her; smiling brightly. Eventually, Arsenic actually started blushing a little and looked away shyly.

A small blush came over Jack, as he tilted his head. "...something wrong?"

"...I'm still not entirely used to...actually being able to be with someone else..." Arsenic muttered.

His blush grew a touch, and he glanced aside. "...same here..." he remarked.

"...even the compliments are kinda awkward for me..." Arsenic mumbled. "...I'm just used to people saying rotten things about me."

"...well... I wouldn't say anything rotten to you, Arsenic." Jack hummed, as he looked at her. "Neither would the others."

"...yeah, I know that," Arsenic said, also looking back at him. "...but even then, I'm not used to it...or these big crowds."

"...just give it time, alright?" Jack hummed, as he set a hand on Arsenic's arm. "You'll get used to it... eventually."

Arsenic closed her eyes and felt more relaxed when she felt his hand on her arm. Noticing that, Jack couldn't help but smile a bit more. At this point, Arsenic even nuzzled up to Jack onto his shoulder. Though he blushed a tad, Jack simply allowed Arsenic to do so; smiling down at her. Arsenic smiled too, but her eyes remained shut just to relax and enjoy this. Slowly, Jack gently leaned his head against Arsenic as he closed his eyes as well; enjoying how close the two of them were at this moment.

"...I kinda wish we could just stay like this forever..." Arsenic murmured. "...it's not like me to say something like that...but...it's true..."

Jack blushed a touch upon hearing that, but his eyes remained closed. "...that sounds... nice..." he remarked to Arsenic.

"...does it, really?" Arsenic asked.

"...yeah, it does." Jack responded.

Arsenic opened her eyes and looked up at him, not moving from where she was laying on his shoulder. Eventually, without moving as well, Jack opened his own eyes to look down at Arsenic. Arsenic started blushing again, but she continued to stare up at him. Jack's blush remained, but he too found himself just looking down at Arsenic. Hesitantly, Arsenic moved a bit closer to him. Gulping a bit nervously, Jack slowly moved closer to her in turn. Arsenic could tell he was nervous, and even she was a little bit too, but she kept leaning closer slowly. Even if he was nervous, he didn't hesitate as he kept moving closer to her.

Arsenic closed her eyes, and finally, she felt his lips on hers softly. With a light sigh, Jack closed his own eyes as he moved a hand to gently touch Arsenic's cheek. Arsenic sighed in content, touching Jack's chest. With the faintest of pleasant shivers, Jack gently stroked Arsenic's cheek with his thumb. Arsenic gave another sigh of content at that, stroking his chest. Another pleased sigh came from Jack as he gently set his other hand on Arsenic's side; holding her ever so softly. Arsenic blushed a little more when he did that, also not used to someone touching her like this. Jack was the one most bashful about this, though; seeing as he, until recently, hadn't thought of girls any differently from guys. Still, the moment was incredibly pleasant, which was shown as he hesitantly kissed just a touch deeper. Arsenic felt shivered a little from it, letting him kiss deeper. Slowly, the hand touching her cheek gently moved to the back of Arsenic's head; stroking her softly there as Jack sighed in content. Arsenic placed both her hands on his chest now, stroking a bit affectionately while they kissed. Jack shivered in delight from her touch, as the hand holding Arsenic's side began stroking her gently there as well. Arsenic breathed a little bit, growing a bit warmer. Jack grew warmer as well; a heavy blush coming over him.

Arsenic finally broke away and looked at him again. Blushing still, Jack looked back down at her.

"...you're very gentle..." Arsenic hummed.

"...you think so...?" Jack blinked a bit. "...do you... like that...?"

"...yeah," Arsenic answered. "...I really do."

Jack smiled a touch bashfully as he blushed more. "...thanks..."

Arsenic smiled at that. Jack smiled a bit more, as he moved a hand to touch Arsenic's cheek. Arsenic closed her eyes again and enjoyed the feeling of his hand on her cheek. Closing his eyes, Jack held Arsenic a bit closer as he smiled. "...you feel soft..." he whispered.

"...do I?" Arsenic asked.

"...mhm..." Jack nodded, as he gently stroked her cheek.

"...thanks..." Arsenic murmured in a bit of a daze as she got a bit closer.

"...you're welcome..." Jack uttered in response, as he moved in closer as well.

Arsenic was just about ready to kiss him again...and then suddenly, she stopped. Noticing that, Jack slowly stopped as he looked down at her. "...what's wrong...?" Arsenic didn't answer, but she was looking past Jack and blushing tremendously. Jack blinked at that, as he slowly looked behind him.

Vanessa and Nage happened to be standing there, with big grins on their faces no doubt.

"Oh dear..." Vanessa chuckled. "We didn't interrupt anything...did we?"

Nage did her best to not burst into snickers.

It took Jack a moment to process what had been going on... and the instant that happened, he blushed to such an extent that one could swear that he was boiling with embarrassment at this very moment. Arsenic was getting to be just as embarrassed as he was, but it didn't quite shock her as much as it did he. "...um..." though she was still at a loss for words.

"...buh." Jack, however, was at such a loss that he couldn't even formulate a thought.

Vanessa couldn't help but giggle at that.

"...guh." Still nothing.

"Didn't notice us, huh?" Nage uttered with a few snickers still.

"…no…" Arsenic uttered, clearing her throat. Then she glared at them. "…it's not nice y'know…"

"Yes, you're right," Vanessa continued to giggle. "We're sorry."

"We just... couldn't help it." Nage snickered.

"Buh." Jack uttered again.

"…well, awkward moments aside, I suppose we should all get some shut eye, shouldn't we?" Vanessa suggested.

"...geh." was Jack's response.

"I think we should take that as a 'yes', right?" Nage mused with a light smile.

"…only if you find Striker and Ani first…" Arsenic muttered.

"...hey, yeah, that's a good point." Nage mused, as she glanced at Vanessa. "Should we go look for them?"

"...buh." Jack responded.

"Why not? I'm sure it'll prove interesting," Vanessa chuckled, turning to walk off. "Don't be too much longer you two; you hear?"

Arsenic grumbled, looking away.

"...bah." Jack uttered.

"Glad to hear that you get it!" Nage hummed with a giggle, as she turned along with Vanessa.

Finally, they were gone, and Arsenic and Jack were silent for a bit. Rubbing his neck a bit, Jack glanced awkwardly at Arsenic. Arsenic eventually looked back at Jack, blushing a bit.

"…well…that was pretty embarrassing…wasn't it…?" she muttered.

Jack nodded; blushing just as much. "...yeah..."

"…do you think they'll let us live it down or not?" Arsenic asked.

"...I dunno..." Jack replied.

"…well…either way…I guess they're right…" Arsenic muttered. "…we'll have to think about going to bed real soon…"

"...yeah... guess you're right..." Jack murmured, as he let out a small yawn.

Arsenic yawned a little too.

"...what time is it, anyway...?" Jack yawned, as he slowly glanced upwards... and his eyes _immediately_ shot wide open. "...uh oh."

"…what?" Arsenic asked, looking up as well. She didn't understand what he was looking at, exactly.

"...Ani." Immediately, Jack sprung up to his feet, picked up Arsenic, and ran off; a panicked look on him. "We gotta get her inside, _now_."

"Jack?!" Arsenic uttered. "Jack wait! What's going on?!"

"Arsenic, I know this is gonna sound really weird, but..." Jack uttered, without stopping. "...Ani's a werewolf!"

"…what?!" Sure, Arsenic had gotten used to weird things pretty fast, but this still came as a shock to her, as well as the fact that Jack was carrying her through the woods. Then she realized why Jack had looked up at the night sky. "…oh."

Striker and Ani were just wandering in the woods, and it was a very shaded area of the woods. Ani was having an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach for some reason, but she figured that she was probably just a little nervous being alone with Striker like this. She still wasn't very good with things like this, even though she and Striker have been best friends almost forever.

"You know, it's actually a pretty nice night," Striker admitted with a smile. "I can hear a lot of the crickets going off tonight. I don't think I've really been in an area with a lot of 'em."

"…yeah…sure…" Ani chuckled a little sheepishly.

Striker looked over at her. "…hey, is something wrong?"

Ani's ears drooped just a bit, and looked away.

"…Ani?" Striker grew confused, and a little concerned too. "…did I do something wrong?"

Ani looked back at him. "Oh, no, no. It wasn't anything you did." She looked away again. "…I guess I just feel nervous…'bout…you know."

"…know what?" Striker was clueless.

"…us…" Ani mumbled.

Striker's eyes widened a bit with a blush, realizing what she meant. "Oh." Then he stepped up to her. "..but…why are you nervous?"

"…I'm not sure…" Ani replied.

Striker set a hand on her shoulder and Ani looked back at him a little shyly. "…you know I wouldn't ever want to hurt you, right Ani?" Striker asked.

"Oh, of course I know you won't hurt me Striker," Ani replied. "It's nothing like that. I think it's more of…what I wonder…"

"…well, what do you wonder?" Striker asked.

"…where…this relationship might go…" Ani replied. "…here we are now, just a little bit more than friends…"

"…yeah…" Striker uttered, blushing a bit more at that. He wondered if she was going to talk about certain things, like what Milo had hinted on.

Ani just turned away shyly from Striker, and stepped away a little bit. Suddenly, they had walked out to an area that wasn't shaded off from the sky, and there was a bright glow from the moon that shined down on them.

"…the moon sure is bright…" Ani muttered curiously, and looked up.

…then she froze.

Striker looked up at the moon too…and his jaw dropped. "…oh no…"

The moon was full.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Uh oh...<em>**


	42. Chapter 41

"...Ani!" All of a sudden, from the woods Jack emerged; carrying Arsenic as he shot a startled look towards Ani. "...oh no...!"

It didn't take long for Vanessa and Nage to catch up; both of them not having expected Jack to have bolted past them at that kind of speed. "...what's going on?" Nage uttered curiously.

"…oh _no…_" Striker uttered. Then he grabbed Ani real quick and tried to pull her back into the shade. "Ani, no! Don't look at it!"

But he couldn't pull her away. Ani was as stationary as a statue, and small, low growls came out of her.

Vanessa's brows furrowed. "…I'm not going to take that as a good sign."

Ani suddenly whacked Striker away, knocking him through the air into a tree, and before them, she started to transform so suddenly, growing larger and even hairier.

"...A-Ani?!" Nage uttered with wide, terrified eyes.

"...no, no, no, no!" Quickly, Jack ran up to Vanessa and handed her Arsenic. "Mom, Nage, take Arsenic and Striker and get out of here! Right now!"

"I CAN WALK Y'KNOW!" Arsenic suddenly shouted when she had been handed to Vanessa, though she was still very embarrassed. Vanessa set her down on her feet for that.

"I'm not leaving Ani!" Striker also shouted, getting up from where he was knocked away.

Throughout this, Ani's transformation caused her clothes to rip, with claws growing out of her fingernails and the shape of her body changing more so like a large wolf's body.

"…but for what she's transforming into, Striker, it may not be wise to try and confront her," Vanessa uttered.

"I don't care!" Striker uttered. "ANI!" And he ran at her.

"Striker, NO!" Quickly, Jack dashed after Striker.

Nage could only gawk at this with wide eyes. "...A-Ani...?"

Ani flashed huge, bright yellow eyes with the pupils shrinking into slits at the boys, and with a roar, she grabbed Striker when he was right there. Then she threw Striker toward Jack to stop him. Though he tried grabbing Striker to stop him, the impact still sent Jack crashing against the ground; groaning in pain from that. "Gnh..."

"...what... the hell...?" Nage's eyes were wide with fear as she gawked directly at Ani nod.

"…Ani's a werewolf, according to Jack…" Arsenic mentioned, answering Nage's question.

"...you're... serious...?!" Nage sputtered with wide eyes. "...so... the rumors back then... weren't just fibs?!"

"…rumors?" Vanessa asked.

"...yeah..." Nage uttered. "...back when I was training on Safe Haven, there were some rumors among the new recruits. Something about Ani spontaneously turning into a monster... I always just thought that they were poking fun; not that they were bring literal..."

"…Ani is a werewolf because her Dad is one…" Striker uttered, slowly trying to get back up. "…but her Dad's been able to learn how to control his werewolf state after a certain time. Ani's has been more unstable than his, and for the most part, tries to avoid being a werewolf…"

"…so she has no control over it whatsoever, I'm guessing," Vanessa figured.

"So do we try and contain her, or run away from her?" Arsenic hummed. "She'll just cause harm elsewhere…"

Ani howled into the night sky, becoming fully feral, and with that, she rushed off.

"ANI!" Striker tried to run after her again.

"...we... gotta stop her!" Quickly, Jack got on his own feet, and ran after Striker once more.

"...kkh..." Nage looked down at the ground, and grit her teeth.

"…guess it's decided that we're going to try and stop her," Arsenic hummed. "Let's go." And she ran off after the boys.

Vanessa looked at Nage. With a small sigh, Nage quickly looked ahead. "...we gotta help her." And she dashed off. With a nod, Vanessa closely followed.

Striker ran as fast as he possibly could, though there was suddenly a point where he stopped and noticed that he had lost Ani's trail. "ANI!" he screamed in panic, looking around.

As he caught up, Jack looked at Striker in concern. "We didn't lose her, did we?" he uttered.

"…I really hope we didn't…" Striker uttered, looking around. "…ANI!" he called out again.

Jack looked around with a worried look as well; his eyes narrowing in worry. At first, there was silence in response to Striker's call.

Striker gave a depressed sigh, slouching a bit.

Narrowing his eyes a touch more, Jack stepped closer to Striker; keeping his back to him. "...don't lose hope... we're gonna find her..." he uttered slowly.

"…you think…?" Striker muttered.

Then all of a sudden, a large figure jumped out of the brush to dive toward them.

Jack noticed that almost immediately. "Look out!" Quickly, he moved Striker out of the way, before pushing his hands forward to push against the massive figure. It managed to stop the figure, and to Striker's shock, it turned out to be Were Ani. She snarled and barked at Jack angrily, trying to push against him.

Gritting his teeth, Jack kept pushing against Ani to keep her at bay. "...Ani... snap out of it...!"

Ani didn't listen; she just kept on snarling and pushing against Jack. She eventually decided to punch him in the face. The punch struck true, and he reeled back from the impact... but then, he swiftly spun his leg upwards to kick against Ani's chin. The uppercut kick made Ani back away a bit, but then she growled in an even angrier way, launching forward to bite Jack.

Letting out a cry, Jack shot his hands forward to actually grab Ani's jaws; preventing her from biting down on him. "Gnh...!"

"Ani! Stop, please!" Striker pleaded, but even then Ani didn't listen.

That was when Arsenic, Vanessa and Nage caught up.

Nage gawked. "...Ani...!"

Ani pulled away from Jack and glanced over at the other three, growling with some drool dipping from her jaws.

Arsenic narrowed her eyes, and shot a fire bolt at Ani to create an explosion that knocked back the werewolf. Quickly, Jack pulled out his harmonica and took a few steps back; watching Ani intensely.

Ani got back up, growling even more.

"Ani, please, you gotta stop this!" Striker uttered.

"Striker, you said so yourself; she has no control over this," Arsenic said. "There's no point trying to talk to her. Our only option is to weaken her down so she can't hurt anyone."

"...is that really the only thing we can do...?" Nage uttered.

"...I hate to say it... but it is..." Jack sighed, before he rushed towards Ani; already playing his harmonica to create a sound wave. Ani roared at the sound waves, crossing her burly arms to shield herself against them.

While she was shielding herself, Jack quickly rammed into her; using her larger frame as an advantage to himself, so he could smack against her knees to topple her over. Ani fell over with a large growl, and though right when she was going to get back up, Vanessa jumped on top of her to try and pin her down.

"...kkh..." Nage watched them hold Ani off, as she clenched her hands a touch.

Ani barked at Vanessa and punched her off.

"…she's strong indeed…" Vanessa uttered, rubbing her face where Ani punched her.

Then Ani stood and hunched over Vanessa on the ground, raising her two large fists that would be thrown down on her.

"...NO!" In that instant, a chain suddenly shot and wrapped around both of Ani's wrists, before Nage leapt right over her and landed behind her back; yanking on the chain to make Ani collapse on her back. Ani fell onto her back, and tried to rip her wrists out of the chain to no avail, roaring and struggling.

Vanessa got back up, dusting herself off, and looked over at Nage.

Nage simply breathed. "...couldn't... just watch... anymore..." she murmured.

Vanessa nodded, and then noticed that Ani kept struggling. "…we might have to knock her out at this point."

Striker gave a horrified look, but Arsenic set a hand on his shoulder. "It isn't meant to hurt her. It's meant to stop her so she can't do any harm."

Striker was still concerned about that, but he wasn't quite as upset about that when Arsenic told him that.

"...so, any ideas...?" Jack noted. "I don't want to hurt her too much if we can avoid it..."

"I've got one," Arsenic hummed, stepping over to the struggling Ani. At first, Ani snarled at her once more and tried to bite at her, but Arsenic kept her distance. From her palm, a strange looking gas fumed out, and when there was a small moment Ani didn't bite at Arsenic, she held the palm right up to Ani's nose.

When the werewolf snorted in the gas in her nostrils, her movements suddenly got very sluggish, and the creature's rage started to calm to steady breaths.

Striker widened his eyes in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"Conducting a gas that will cause her to pass out," Arsenic replied. "This is the best way I believe will knock her out without hurting her whatsoe-!" And suddenly, Ani knocked Arsenic away with a kick, slamming her against a tree. "OOFF!" She uttered, and then she coughed blood from the impact of the kick against her chest.

After that, Ani finally passed out; having gotten out that kick at the last minute.

Jack shot a shocked look back at where Arsenic had been kicked. "ARSENIC!" Quickly, he ran to her to check up on her.

As he did that, Nage slowly turned around to look at Ani. "...man... to think that she could be that vicious..."

"…you have to be prepared for anything on this kind of travel," Vanessa replied.

"...no kidding..." Nage murmured.

Before their very eyes, Ani actually started to shrink away from her large size and lose a bit of her hair.

Nage looked down at this with wide eyes, "...whoa."

Eventually Ani became her normal form again, and Striker actually had to turn away, bright red in the face, because some of Ani's clothes were ripped and he could see…well…things.

Arsenic pulled off her sweatshirt and put it over Ani to respectfully cover her up. After that, Vanessa picked Ani up. "...looks like it's gonna be a long night..." Nage remarked, as she rubbed her neck a touch.

"And we have those loan sharks to worry about in the morning," Vanessa said, starting to walk away with Ani.

"…yeah, that's right," Arsenic muttered, following her.

"...man..." With a light sigh, Jack followed them, with Nage not too far behind.

Striker followed too, catching up to Vanessa and looking at Ani worriedly.

* * *

><p>"...damn it, damn it, <em>damn it!<em>" Running through the woods in a huff and a hurry, Sonia charged right towards that familiar malt shop; having heard that there was some commotion happening in the apartment. Of course, none of the GUN soldiers were going to go up and check on it, so she just had to run past them and hurry into the shop and up the stairs, before opening the apartment door... which promptly got a bottle shattered right at her feet upon entrance, with an upset, incoherent scream from down the hallway. So far as Sonia could see, there was some damage done to the place.

"Jill, please, you must calm down!" Tasha's startled voice uttered down the hall.

_...damn it all, Jill..._ With a light sigh, Sonia closed the door behind her as she entered the apartment.

"Don't you dare tell me *hic* whether I should calm down or not!"

"Please, you're not acting rationally," Tasha continued. "You're under intoxication, just please!"

When Sonia walked into the room, she saw the sorry sight that it was in. Things were torn up and there were more broken things on the ground. Tasha was standing a distance away from the other one in the house who was slumped up against a wall with a bottle in her hand, hiccupping. Her face was flushed from all color except the bright vibrant red on her cheeks.

She let out a sigh as she looked at this sight. "...Jill..."

Jill looked up as best as she could at Sonia. Her eye contact was weak, and there was a daze in her eyes that definitely showed she was drunk.

"…Shonia…" Jill hiccupped again and stumbled a bit. "…didn't expect you here…"

Tasha actually looked a little relieved to see her. "…thank goodness you're here…she just started drinking and one thing led to another…"

Sonia simply looked right at Jill with folded arms. "...what's wrong, Jill?"

Jill didn't answer. Her head slouched over to break eye contact from her, and she just hit her fist on the wall. "It'sh nothing…sho don't come ashking me about it!"

Tasha looked at Jill worriedly, and then looked back at Sonia again. "…I'm afraid I said something that offended her…and…she was hysterical for quite a bit."

"You think?" Jill barked back, which made Tasha jump. "You really think you know anything about having a daughter out there being terrorized by a bunch of sick, twisted nightmares?!" And she threw down the bottle in her hand, shattering them right at Sonia.

Sonia was able to see that the bottle shattered by her feet was a bottle of hard liquor.

Seeing that, Sonia let out a sigh, before she slowly began walking up to Jill. "...I think you need to lie down for a bit, Jill... you're frustrated, and need your rest..."

"…I can take care of myshelf just fine…" Jill growled, stumbling again against the wall. "I've been able to take care of myshelf a lot…I don't need anyone'sh shympathy."

Glancing at the damage done to the place, Sonia hummed. "...yep... _clearly_ able to take care of yourself..."

"…don't give me that tone…you don't understand how I feel…" Jill uttered, clenching her fist. There had actually been broken glass that she didn't pay attention to, and it cut into her hand when she clenched her fist, making it bleed a little.

"...Jill, I've known you for five years." Sonia spoke, as she set a hand on Jill's shoulder. "I _completely_ understand how you feel."

Jill grit her teeth.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

And she hit Sonia away so hard it knocked her across the room.

Even as she was slammed into a wall so hard that the wall caved in behind her, Sonia simply grit her teeth as she dropped to the floor. "...right... hitting people makes things better, huh...?" she spat, before looking back at Jill. "...then how about you try that again, Jill?"

Jill turned away, knocking a nearby coffee table over. "Just go away! *hic* I don't need anybody to make me feel even more like I already do! I don't need anybody *hic* anybody to come along and be taken away from me jusht to hurt me and break me down even more!"

Gritting, Sonia shakily got on her feet, and slowly began walking towards Jill. "...I wanna help you, Jill... so I'm not going anywhere." she uttered.

Jill pressed herself against the wall, burying her face in it. "…just go away…" her voice muffled in the wall, sounding upset enough to the point of crying. Then she hiccupped again.

Sonia stopped right next to her. "...no. I'm not going anywhere, Jill."

Jill shook and sounded like she was sobbing against the wall, but she made no response to Sonia.

"...Jill..." Sonia sighed, as she simply looked down at the ewe with a solemn look.

Jill pounded her fist against the wall once more. "…I'm gonna kill them…" she uttered while she still sobbed. "…I'm gonna make shure they pay heavily for terrorizing my little girl…it's not fair that I have to stay cooped up in here…that I can't look for her too…it's not…fair…*hic*…"

She finally pushed herself away from the wall to try and walk away, but she continued to stumble and sway a bit from drinking too much.

"...where do you plan on going then, Jill?" Sonia sighed, as she turned to look at Jill. "You're still under house arrest..."

"…I'd…show them all…for…treating me like a criminal…GUN being all pissy with me…" Jill uttered. "...I'd…" and she hiccupped again.

"…I really think that's only the alcohol talking, Jill," Tasha spoke. "…you really don't mean that…you're not like that…"

"Shut up! I washn't asking for your opinion!" Jill screamed with a finger pointed at her. Then that's when she finally noticed the glass that was stuck in her hand, and how bloody it was. "…well…when did thoshe get there…?" she uttered.

"...Jill, listen to me." Sonia spoke a touch more seriously now, as she walked towards Jill. "You need to rest. This... this isn't helping anything, and you know it."

"…leave me alone…" Jill uttered. Then she started ripping out the shards of glass that were in her hand, discarding them away.

"…Sonia…I've never seen her like this before…" Tasha murmured.

"...I've seen her drunk, but it's never been to this degree." Sonia murmured, as she clenched her hands. "...thankfully, I know how to deal with this." And she began walking closer to Jill. "...listen here, Jillian Condit; as your friend, I'm telling you that you need rest. You're just hurting yourself like this..."

"…it'sh not like I can't be hurt anymore…" she uttered. "…what would you think if you had gotten kicked out of the home you grew up in, only to be shubjected to the torture of one man? *hic* …or losing shomeone you cared about to some…bashtard robbersh… and…and now my daughter… she'sh *hic*… she'sh going through the exact shame thingsh…"

Tears fell from her face to the ground. "…just mind ash well corner me and beat me to death…*hic*…"

Sonia's eyes suddenly narrowed, and she immediately grabbed Jill by her shoulders. "Don't say things like that, Jill!" she yelled loudly; a hurt and angry look in her eyes.

Jill pushed her away forcefully. "I shaid don't touch me!"

Still, Sonia just glared at her. "You think everything's gonna be better if you just drop dead? That's cowardice, Jill! You're better than that! I _know_ you're better than that!"

"THEN WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST I DO?!" Jill had spun around so quickly and yelled so loudly at Sonia. She had a look of blinding fury on her tear-stained face. There was even a small glow around her with the intensity of the tension.

Seeing that, Sonia grit her teeth, as she tensed her right arm. "...I'm suggesting..." And she slowly raised that arm up. "...that you _calm down!_" With that yell, she swiftly swung her right hand forward to smack it right against Jill's cheek. That smack across her cheek made Jill freeze altogether with wide eyes, losing her fury instantly with a dumbfounded look replacing it and staring at Sonia in silence.

Breathing slightly, Sonia simply looked back at Jill as she held her right hand; almost as if she was regretting hitting her, even if that was what she had unanimously decided upon doing.

It was silent in the room for a very long time, and Tasha looked nervously at them. Eventually, she stepped toward them, first glancing at Sonia, and then Jill. "…Jill…?"

Jill blinked a couple times, rubbing where Sonia had slapped her, and then saw that she was just wiping more blood on her face with her cut hand. Then Jill got a very depressed look on her face when she stared at her bloody hand. She was calm by now…but that didn't change her mood whatsoever.

Sighing, Sonia made a move to hug her. "...I'm sorry, Jill..."

Jill didn't push her away this time, thankfully, but she didn't respond in any other way. Sonia just closed her eyes as she hugged her.

Tasha then set a hand on Jill's shoulder. "…we should get you to your room to lie down…"

This time, Jill complied very cooperatively. She pulled away from Sonia's hug, and Tasha was able to lead her away toward the hall where her room was. Sighing slightly, Sonia just leaned against one of the walls, as she looked around the apartment.

Clearly there was a huge mess here. Whatever set Jill off really made her rampage through the house.

Tasha returned to the room shortly after, walking up to Sonia. "…thank you for showing up…I don't know what wouldn't happened if I didn't call you over here."

"...don't mention it." Sonia hummed. "...let's get the place cleaned up."

Tasha nodded, managing picking up one of the tables that Jill had knocked over. "…I…didn't mean to…set her off like that."

As she took to brushing up the shards of glass everywhere, Sonia glanced at Tasha. "...where did she get alcohol in the first place?"

"As far as I can recall, Will did," Tasha answered. "…but she had never bothered to bring it out until tonight."

Sonia hummed. "...wonder why..."

Tasha looked away. "…she…seemed really depressed, even before the alcohol…at first I wondered if it was even a good idea, but I decided to talk to her to try and cheer her up while she drank. It was starting to work, until I started talking about my baby…" Tasha looked sad, while she straightened some of the picture frames. "…maybe…that just rubbed her the wrong way…"

Sonia sighed, as she rubbed her neck a touch. "...guess it's still tearing on the poor girl..."

Tasha looked worriedly at Sonia. "…how much longer do you think she will last?"

"...I can't say..." Sonia sighed.

Tasha sighed worriedly at that. "…I really hope…she doesn't lose it."

"...same here..." Sonia sighed.

* * *

><p>…<em>falling asleep was the easy part…but I still had all of those negative feelings wrapped up inside of me. I felt them surrounding me…almost suffocating me. The dream itself was just so dizzying and I had no idea what was going on. All I knew was that I was absolutely miserable…<em>

_Then suddenly, something slapped me across the face._

"_Hey, she was right. It actually snapped you out of it."_

_I stared back at Callous, who was rubbing her hand from the impact the slap had. I growled, and she just smirked at me._

"_What's your problem?!" I growled at her._

"_I can ask the same thing about you," Callous retorted. "What; that time of the month for you or something? Or maybe you're actually old enough to hit menopause. Wouldn't blame you under all the stress you went through in life."_

"_This isn't a joke, Callous!" I yelled back at her. "You realize what exactly is going on out there?!"_

"_Of course I do," Callous replied. "In fact, I probably have a much better idea of what's going on out there than you do. That's because I don't let stress get to me and drive me nuts like what's it steadily doing to you." _

_Then she chuckled. "Geez…and I thought the years you spent with me and that vamp all those years ago would what'd turn you insane."_

_I just growled at her. "Shut up…I _will_ slap you, if I had that kind of nerve."_

_Callous didn't seem the least bit intimidated; in fact, she looked even more amused by that idea. "Come now, sis. We both know that you just can't do the things that are outside of your character, like hitting me for provoking your feelings. Face it; you don't have a backbone like I do."_

"_Don't you _understand,_ Callous?!" I practically screamed at her. "JOY IS OUT THERE ALL BY HERSELF! SHE IS BEING CHASED BY THOSE MONSTERS! THERE'S NO TELLING WHAT KIND OF TRAUMA SHE'S ALREADY EXPERIENCED AT THIS POINT!" I felt like I really wanted to hit her right now. I was starting to regret getting drunk, because it was even influencing my feelings in this situation. I was ready to cry, but not right in front of Callous. I was too angry for that._

"_Damn, even _I _have to tell you to keep yourself under control," Callous grumbled. "You're getting so loud, you just might give both of us even worse of a headache in the morning after getting _that_ hammered."_

_I clenched my fist at that._

…_she didn't care…she just didn't care. All these years I thought Callous might've actually cared, even a little, for Joy._

_She actually didn't expect me to run at her and throw my fist at her face. She stopped for a moment, looked at me, and then wiped her cheek where I hit her. "…done yet?"_

_Then…I wasn't sure how to describe it. I just felt like I…lost it. I grabbed her, knocked her against the ground and started socking her in the face over and over and over again. I was growing blind with such strong emotions that I felt. All I wanted to do was just take out all of my negative emotions on…something. At the point I snapped, it just wouldn't have mattered what I chose to take my stress out on; just _anything.

_This 'anything' just so happened to be Callous._

_She was seeing that I was getting _very_ unstable, and she went from being taken off guard by my assault to taking control of the situation immediately. She grabbed my wrists and knocked me to the ground, pinning me there. I tried to struggle as hard as I can, no longer paying attention to the tears that rolled out of my eyes. "JUST LET ME GO!" I screamed hysterically._

_Callous just watched me, no longer amused by my struggling. I was too weak to really struggle out of her grip; whenever the two of us had confrontations like this, it was all about the strength of the mentality._

_And right now, she was much stronger than I was, I can assure you._

_I gave up, hitting the ground while I sobbed._

_This went on after a while._

…_then…_

"…_and you call yourself a mother."_

_That ceased my sobs, and I gawked at Callous who just glared at me._

"…_listen to yourself," Callous started, becoming very serious; and maybe even looking angry at me. "No-no, don't just listen—_look_ at yourself."_

_I sat there in silence, staring at her._

"…_look at the way you're acting right now," Callous continued, glaring even harder at me. "You're a fully grown woman with a child. Yeah, sure, your kid is out there, cold, hungry, lonely; hell, probably really low on morale right now with the way things could be going."_

_She got right in my face, meeting me eye to eye. "…your kid, right now, is trying to fight a battle that, so far, only she might be able to. The _last _thing she needs is to see how insane of a fit her mother is throwing because it's not fair that you can't protect your little girl. First off, have some faith in your daughter for once, will you?"_

"_After all, she took out that lame ass vamp tormenting you, when you couldn't._"

_My eyes just widened at that._

"…_and secondly, she's depending on you to be strong for her, you insensitive, selfish bitch," Callous continued very bitterly. "You're her _goddamn mother._ You're supposed to be the one to be strong for her when she's frightened, so that you can show her that things will still be okay, but that doesn't necessarily mean protecting her from _absolutely _every danger out there."_

"…_but…but I can't even…do that…" I uttered._

_Callous looked to be getting more annoyed with me. "Goddamn it all to hell…sometimes you make me hate myself for losing to a sad sack of shit like you. You're so thick-headed."_

_That remark was starting to make me angry again, but Callous continued. "And she's not the only one you have to be strong for. Does the Toaster ever really occur to your mind either? Think about it…you're still stuck here in the comfort of your home, despite the solders keeping you here. He's out there on her trail, traveling just like she is. Then there are your little talks to each other through the doll, and I've already seen some of the conversations you have with him. Do you really think he needs your emotional baggage too, on top of any of his own?"_

_I was silent, considering all of her words. At this point, Callous finally let me go, but she still kept eye contact. "You know what your problem is? You depend on everyone else for your emotional problems. Yeah, I can admit that me and Novagod had a big part in that, but wasn't the whole point of beating us was to prove to us that we _didn't_ break you? That you _didn't_ have to rely on everyone else?"_

"_But just take a look at yourself right now. Surely you must be a proud mother to be acting so_ sensibly._" And she said that last bit so bitterly…it really shook me._

_Silence was the master of this dream, and I just stared at her for a very long time._

…_it's just that…Callous was the last person I imagined telling me all of this…and even then, it was surprising to hear what she said. _

_"...so... anyone mind if I interject?"_

_Both of our eyes widened when we heard that voice. That was another thing I didn't expect, and neither did Callous. We got up and looked over at where we heard the voice._

_There, a swirl of mass was forming itself into a towering being, who rubbed his neck. "Geez, about time... I've been trying to get in touch with either of you for months, now."_

"…_Spiel…?" I uttered._

_Indeed; there stood the towering pig, looking down at us with folded arms. "...guess you drinking yourself into a stupor gave me enough leeway to get in. Any other time I've tried, I've been pushed out."_

"…_so you've been trying all this time…" Callous hummed. She chuckled, looking at me. "See? Like I said, you are too thick-headed."_

_I glared at her, but looked back at Spiel. I think I knew what he meant by actually getting through to me finally; the alcohol loosens and relaxes as well as lowering mental barriers on making decisions…or just mental barriers in general. "You've been trying to get ahold of me all this time?" I asked. "Why?"_

_He slowly took a seat, as he drummed his fingers together. "...well... where to begin..." He glanced back at us, and... I noticed that he was looking fairly serious; a far cry from the Spiel I remembered. "...it's about this whole situation. Quite frankly, it stinks... and from the looks of it, it's only gonna get worse."_

_I remained silent, while Callous folded her arms. "Getting bad huh? What are we talkin' about here, big guy?" she asked._

_"...we're talkin' a force that these GUN chumps won't stand a chance against." Spiel murmured. "It's gonna overwhelm the entire island, especially with everyone tied up in this silly rebellion business... and the only ones who can even hope to repel that force are you two."_

_Callous and I looked at each other._

"…_you're talking about those Corrupted forces coming here to the island, huh?" Callous assumed, looking at Spiel. "…Johnny and I figured that was going to happen sooner or later."_

_"And it's gonna be _soon._ They've stopped fucking around at this point." Spiel grunted._

"_Really? When did those dipshits decide that?" Callous asked with a hum._

_"When the Novagod hag decided to become more like the big bat himself." Spiel remarked. "Even Deity's felt it down below..."_

"…_wait…what do you mean _more like the big bat himself?_" I asked. "What did she do to be more like Deity?"_

_"I think you two oughta know better than me... _what_ did Deity do to gain power when he was still kicking?"_

_It took us a little bit... but both our eyes widened again at the realization of the answer._

"…_fuck…she figured out how to absorb spirits, didn't she?" Callous growled._

_Spiel simply nodded._

"…_cheeky little bitch," Callous continued to growl._

"…_do you know exactly when they're coming?" I asked again._

_"Dunno. I just know that they're coming... and unless you, Metal Sonic and Joy are all on the island with Purity to go around, Safe Haven is going to become hell on earth." Spiel murmured._

…_I immediately grew worried about that._

_"...though... there is one way I can think of, that might do a bit of good..."_

_Callous and I looked back at him, waiting for him to suggest this idea._

_"...I've been thinking about this ever since Joy bolted, and... well, I can't keep it hidden." With that, he narrowed his eyes. "...you gotta bring me back. Back from the dead."_

_I gave him an awestruck look of shock for asking that question. He wants me to do…_what?!

"_No, no dear. He's talking to me," and I turned to see Callous looking thoughtful. "…you know…as far as I've been able to figure out…I can use…only a _little _of my Corruption in her body…and that was when she was unstable…"_

_She looked at him seriously then. "I'm honestly not sure if I'm capable of doing that, as long as I'm stuck in her."_

_"...you gotta try." Spiel remarked. "As far as I can recall, I was the only one who could overpower those Corrupted without using Purity. Unless you get a large surge of Purity to return to ya... then I don't know any other way to save this place."_

_"Well damn, you're sure placing a mighty high order on us," Callous remarked. "You want fries with that too?"_

_A small smirk crossed the pig's lips. "...thanks, but no thanks. I ate on the way here."_

_Callous chuckled. Then her smile faded. "But all joking aside, Spiel, you're a very powerful warrior. It's going to take _a lot _of power to even think of bringing you back, and I'm only assuming that you'll want Krieg by your side too?"_

_"He's got my sword." Spiel shrugged. "Well, technically they're his swords, but... I need my right hand to support me."_

"…_hm…" Callous became thoughtful again._

_That's when an idea came into my mind. "…why don't we use the Chaos Emeralds to help?" It had been enough power to bring me back to life…maybe…_

"_Well one; do we really want those tools close enough to where the Corrupted can get their hands on it, and two; what exactly would come from that?" Callous answered. "Look, the whole bring you back to life thing with me merging with you only worked on some fluke that some kid actually pointed out in the time/space continuity of spirit world blah blah blah. We're talking about having to bring them back with _Corruption._ Do you honestly want to find out just what kind of chain reaction could come from using the Chaos Emeralds and Corruption together?"_

_I looked nervously at Callous, while she looked back at me seriously. "I'm serious; it could even go as far as wiping out their power; similar to what Dark Gaia did when Dr. Eggman released him all those years ago in the Professor's story, and given some background check, they're basically the same power just a bit altered. The last thing we need is to put them out of commission…or worse, like I said before, allow them to get into the hands of the Corrupted. Hell if anyone really knows what they could do with their power."_

_"...knowing what I ended up becoming, you all probably don't wanna know." Spiel remarked with a hum._

_I looked at him worriedly again…and then I looked away thoughtfully._ _Spiel merely hummed._

"…_but I don't see any other option…" I uttered. "…even if I did my best to start trying to contain a large amount of energy inside of me, I don't think it would be enough…" I looked over at Callous. "…but…so far, I'm the only being that can not only summon the Chaos Emeralds…but I can discard them too…"_

"…_Yeah, but that might not be so smart either," Callous pointed out. _

_Spiel simply closed his eyes. "...you can think about it, but... I wouldn't take too much time."_

_Callous looked at me. "…and how do you think you'll be able to sneak past the military, oh smart, wise one?" she asked me with a sneer._

_I looked back at her. "…wouldn't the military be preoccupied enough with those forces that I could sneak by them?"_

"_Yeah, there's that option," Callous chuckled. "…oh, but then comes the expecting mother. You think it would be real smart to just leave her behind like that?"_

_I gulped at that. I promised King that I would look after Tasha, and this whole idea would mean leaving her behind. There's no telling if I would end up getting caught in the fighting, and Tasha isn't capable of defending herself at this point. "…I…don't know…" I answered, looking away from her._

_"...what about those GUN lieutenants?" Spiel mused. "That komodo could probably be coerced into keeping an eye on the mother."_

_I looked at Spiel. "…Brawn…yeah…I think he could be convinced to watch her." Then I scowled. "It's Trash I'm not so sure about."_

_Callous smirked. "Oh, I think all it would take for him would be a little _convincing…_ and there isn't going to be anything to really hold us back." Then she looked at me. "Besides, I think his opinion's changed a little since you faced Patricia. I think he's not going to take you for granted so much anymore."_

"_Either way, when the shit hits the fan, I really just wouldn't worry about your little house arrest thing, or the lieutenants," Callous finished._

_Yeah, she was right. When things start happening, the house arrest would be the least of my problems…_

"…_wait a minute…does the military even know about this?" I suddenly asked._

_"...dunno." Spiel remarked._

_I bit my lip. I guess it really doesn't matter if the military knows or not. Even if they were preparing for this sort of thing, it's like Spiel said; I, Callous, he and Krieg are really the only ones available that could handle the situation to come._

…_that…and I have some pretty good thought process for a drunk passed out on her bed._

"…_so…I guess it's decided," I said. "…when the time comes, I summon the Chaos Emeralds to bring you back…and from there, we improvise I suppose."_

_"...right." Spiel hummed._

"…_but even then, you're going to have to start building up your energy, girl," Callous told me._

_A narrowed look crossed my face. "…oh believe me…it's been building up…"_

_"...I noticed." Spiel remarked. "You were about to blow it all against Sonia if she hadn't smacked you back to your senses."_

_I let out a heavy sigh at that. "…I shouldn't have done that…she was only trying to help."_

"_Hey, it was just alcohol talking, girl," Callous said. "Have to admit that you getting wasted helped a lot though."_

_Spiel shrugged. "I wouldn't know the effects about that; I barely got drunk while I was still alive."_

_Callous gave him a dry look. "I don't think I want to know what you would've been like drunk. Probably would've scared the piss out of everyone."_

…_then suddenly…things started getting blurry again. I was beginning to have a hard time focusing, and it felt like the place was spinning. I started swaying back and forth, holding my dizzy head._

"…_I'd suggest leaving right about now, Spiel," Callous remarked, noticing that the dizziness wasn't just affecting me, but the actual dream itself. It was starting to be distorted. "That is, unless, you'd like to see just how disturbing her dreams get when she's drunk."_

_Spiel simply hummed. "...can't be as disturbing as what happened to me when Deity tried possessing me. I think I'll manage for now."_

_I was dizzy enough that with a moan, I fell over. Suddenly, I was engulfed with flames with a hellish laugh and other noise screeching around me suddenly._ _Spiel blinked, as he glanced around him. "...okay, this is weird."_

_There were other noises too. Screams. Screams of pain and torture. I clutched to my ears to try and drown out the noises but I could still hear them. "…stop it…" I uttered helplessly._

"…_I don't see this going pleasantly," I heard Callous barely say, but the more I became engulfed in painful flames, the harder it was to hear her, or even see her for that matter. I could barely catch a glimpse of Spiel slowly turning to glance at me in silence._

_Voices…they grew more and more. They got more familiar, all of them my friends screaming out in pain. It frightened me more, and I felt even more pain from the flames burning me. They started leaving scars all around me, and I started to whimper. I wanted it to stop, but I had no idea how to control it. I thought I even saw glances of little demons dancing around me menacingly, laughing at me._

_It got worse too…the screams only narrowed down to two particular friends…they were very close to me…the more I heard his screams and her screams, I started to feel more frightened. I heard the voices of Metal and Joy screaming in agony and sadness around me._

"…_stop it…stop it!" I uttered in trembling fear._

"_**They're going to suffer and all because of you!**__" laughed the demons at me. "__**Suffer suffer suffer!**__"_

"_No…" I uttered, with the screams getting louder and more pained. They call for my name now; begged me to help them. I tried to swipe away at the flames which engulfed the entirety of my dream now, and even more markings were burned onto me._

"_**You're useless, weak, and so selfish!**__" the demons cackled at me. __**"Weak, weak, weaaaak! So useless and helpless to save them! They can't depend on you!**__"_

"…_stop it…please…" I was pretty much helpless at this point. Similar to how the flames were consuming me, I was suddenly just so wrapped up in guilt and misery. I wanted to help them, and I wanted those screams to stop, but I couldn't do anything. My emotional pain was just…too overwhelming. "…stop it…haven't I suffered enough…?"_

"_**See? See? See the selfish mother only care about herself!"**__ the demon's laughed at me. __**"Because of your selfishness they will DIE!**__"_

"…_no…I don't want them to die…" I uttered, with tears pouring out and dropping into the flames. "…take me instead…let me feel their pain…I'd do anything to save them…please…I just want to see them safe and happy…"_

"_**No, the mother only cares about them because they make her feel better!"**__ the demons spat at me. __**"The mother obviously hasn't suffered enough for her to really be willing to sacrifice for them!**_ _**She doesn't mean anything about wanting to feel their pain because she doesn't even want to feel her own pain of failing them!**_"

"…_that's not true…" I uttered in crippling agony. "…I love them…I never wanted this for them…I never wanted this for Joy…"_

"_**Oh, the mother didn't want this for her child, did she?!**__" The demons cackled at me again, kicking at me while I was done. __**"She just wanted her child to stay innocent and oblivious forever. She would take care of her! The mother was pretty reckless with taking care of the child! The mother doesn't deserve to try and help her child! Selfish, selfish mother only cared about how miserable she was without them!"**_

…_I just couldn't fight them…I was in so much pain right now that I had no strength to fight them away and argue with them. _

…_and deep down…I had horrible fears that they could be right…that all along, I was really just too wrapped up in my own emotions…it was like Callous said; I wasn't acting very much like the mother I should have._

…_I was afraid that they were right about how I was just more concerned about the pain I felt rather than staying strong for the pain that Metal and especially Joy was feeling right now. I _was_ selfish…_

_"...geez, you're a wreck."_

_Then, with a sudden stomp, the flames and demons were just flung right off me; as if a gust of wind had shot into my dream. I trembled after the flames were blown off, still feeling an aftermath of all the pain that was tearing me apart earlier…_

…_and slowly, I looked up._

_Spiel was standing there, and Callous stood next to him, folding her arms. "See what I mean? She's always been this way…"_

_"...no doubt thanks to you and Novagod." Spiel remarked, as he slowly stomped towards me; extending a hand down to me. "...get on your feet, Condit. You're not gonna let a bunch of smack-talkers give you a harder time than I did."_

_I just stared at that hand. Then I looked to the ground. _

"…_I…don't deserve to be helped…you'd only be better off just leaving me alone…" I uttered._

_Spiel huffed. "...well, that won't do. It's the only thing I can think of for apologizing for how I brutalized Metal two years back." he remarked._

_I clenched my hands at that weakly. I didn't want to be reminded of that, and now that I was…_

"…_go…away…"_

_Callous shook her head, tsking. "C'mon, just start pulling yourself together okay? People are gonna need ya soon and you need to be able to handle everything that—"_

"_I said GO AWAY!"_

_All of a sudden, flames were shot at them and demons lunged at them._

_This actually took Callous of guard. "What the-?!" and she dodged the attacks._ _As for Spiel, the attacks struck him dead on, as he hadn't even bothered to dodge; the flames and demons engulfing him as he stood before me._

_The demons relentlessly kept attacking him, laughing all the way. __**"And what about you, swine?!" **__they laughed at him. __**"All your hard work to create a name for yourself, and all of it was destroyed because of the defeat of one small little girl! Some titan you are!**__"_

_Spiel remained standing, but the flames just seemed to grow bigger around him; almost to the point where I swear I could hear sizzling._

_Callous came over to me and picked me up to look at me. "…look…I know that all of that are really your _own _thoughts, and we both know that lashing out at Spiel is not going to solve anything."_

_I just stared back at her, and then looked away._

"_**What kind of success have you ever accomplished, other than other Mobians fearing you?!**_**"**_ the demons hissed at Spiel while they kept beating on him._ _Spiel merely closed his eyes, and the flames turned blood-red._

"_**Oh go ahead, bring it on! You couldn't deny what happened and how you were killed so cheaply!**__" the demons cackled, attacking him even more._ _Spiel still remained silent; though as me and Callous soon noticed, the flames didn't turn that color because of his iconic move, as red liquid began seeping from his being and surrounding him; almost as if he had actually started to bleed out._

"_**So much for the great Spiel Gierig! Can't even find the words to fight back with!**__" the demons screamed at him._

_Callous looked at me dryly. "…this is getting ridiculous. He's actually trying to help you and you lash out at him like this?"_

_I made no response._ _And neither did Spiel, as he still made no reply. From them on, the demons just laughed and kept beating on him._ _It really seemed like they were overwhelming him..._

_"...you done yet?"_

"_**What do you mean are we done yet?!**__" They asked him, like the question was blasphemous. _

_"...I'm asking if you're done with spouting shit no one cares about." Spiel spat._

_The demons were silent then, and I actually looked at Spiel for that._ _"So what if all that stuff happened to me? It's in the past. It's over, done with. I can't change it." At that point, his eyes opened. "...dwelling in the past is a waste of time."_

_In that very instant, the flames were suddenly blasted off him, as that familiar aura just exploded around him; though instead of a battle-hungry expression, he just seemed more annoyed than anything else. This wiped out the demons entirely, and the flames were gone nearly instantly._

_Callous smirked at that, while I just looked away again in shame. Was Callous right? Were those really…my own thoughts?_

_Cracking his neck, Spiel merely grunted. "...if there's a time you oughta worry about, it's the present. Stop fearing what the future may hold, stop grieving over the past... the only thing that matters is the present."_

"_Well, I keep trying to make that point across, but she doesn't listen very well," Callous mused. Then she looked at me. Spiel merely rubbed his neck as he looked back at me._

_I finally looked back at him. "…the more I think about it…the more I can see that we're both…actually quite similar…and yet…different…"_

_Callous raised her eyebrow. "…where did that come from?"_

"…_well…the way he handled those demons…I mean…" I was at a loss of words at the moment, still trying to work through my emotions right now._

_Spiel hummed. "...comparing yourself to a swine like me? I dunno whether to be flattered or concerned." he quipped._

"…_I mean…we've both…endured some hardship in our lives," I continued, emphasizing what I meant. "…you just…have a better handle on yourself than I do…"_

_Spiel merely shrugged. "...it's like a mask." he mused. "You either keep it on for the rest of your life and brush it away, or you take it off to take in the reality of it all." Then, he gave me a slightly encouraging nod. "...tell me which is braver, Jill."_

"…_are you implying that how I handle it is _braver?_" I asked in honest bafflement, "because as far as I can tell…that was anything but brave."_

_"Look, being able to brush off the harshest of past events like they're nothing takes some bravery, but once you get used to it, it becomes routine." Spiel mused. "Actually facing your past, even if you reacted the way you did? That takes a special kind of bravery, even though appearances are deceiving."_

_I wasn't really sure whether to take what he said to heart or not, but that actually didn't make me feel so bad._

"_Just don't go beating yourself up so much anymore," Callous added. "Yeah, you're a sap; hell, there's lots of words I could use to describe you, but you still take a lot of shit, more than most could handle. I mean, you're still sane after everything…even now, there's still some sanity in you."_

_"Even at your worst, you're still sane." Spiel remarked. "When I was on that same level, I just lost it. I don't think I'd have been able to make it if I happened to be in your shoes."_

"…_I never thought I'd see you two trying to set me straight," I mused._

"…_but hey, like I was telling you before," Callous actually grabbed me by my collar, meeting me eye to eye with a serious look again. "Don't you go acting like that again, for fuck's sake. That was unnecessary, and along with having to be strong for other people, you didn't have to go and freak out that jungle cat like that….sheeh…" she let me go with some grumbles after that. "…I mean…it's still a pain in the ass to have to deal with your emotions, and I'm a part of you. You really want to put that emotional baggage on everyone around you that's just trying to help you out?" Spiel didn't say anything there; likely that he didn't have a comment to Callous' remark._

"…_now go try and actually have a dream, okay?" Callous said. "Just get your mind off of things, dreaming of milk and honey and whatnot."_

…_and that was actually the last I remember seeing them… everything faded, and I went off in a more peaceful sleep than before._

When Jill had faded away from the void, Callous gave a huge sigh of frustration. "…maybe I should've taken up that offer you made those years ago, huh?" Callous hummed, looking over at Spiel.

"What, and have the entire world fear me for the few months I probably had to live? I doubt anything would've changed if you had accepted." Spiel chuckled. "Maybe except Novagod being purified, but I'd still have pulled him to hell with me."

"And I'm guessing you guys are having fun down there kicking him around?" Callous chuckled.

"Eh, that stopped being funny after the first three months." Spiel chuckled. "Now we take turns to figure out new ways to torment him every other month; sprucing things up, so to speak. This month we were generating static electricity all over him and stuck him on every surface we could find."

Callous couldn't help but snicker at that.

Spiel, in turn, simply chuckled. "Aah, good times..."

"Well, you're lucky. I don't get to have any fun torturing as I once called my father," Callous chuckled. Then she scowled. "No, instead I'm stuck with her throughout all of this."

"Well, someone's gotta be around to keep her in line, right?" Spiel remarked with a bit of a chuckle.

Callous sighed again. "But why me, honestly?"

"You seem like you know her." Spiel shrugged. "Don't ask me how these things work; I barely know her as is."

"…hell…I technically _am_ her," Callous grumbled. Then she looked at Spiel. "Hey, you're a spirit right? Get the chance to fly off and actually see what's going on out there?"

"Sadly, no." Spiel shrugged. "I'm bound to the island. But... that doesn't stop me from cowtowing someone who can get me outside information..."

Callous tilted her head in interest at Spiel, waiting for him to continue.

"...at first, I was mainly interested in the situation on Safe Haven; the blockade and all that crap. I wanted it to end, because quite frankly, it was embarrassing the good name King's built up for the place for all these years." Spiel began, as he folded his arms. "But then, not too long ago, Deity suddenly started acting up; almost like a relapse. Guess he's got a deeper connection to his bloodline than most others do..."

"Really now?" Callous hummed.

"Yeah." Spiel nodded. "Me and Krieg were quick to make him squeal, and he told us about all the Corruption bullshit that's been going on. It just confirmed some suspicions I've been having ever since Johnny briefly showed up here with his nephew's body... and with this girl, Patricia, and the power boost she's gotten, we've basically had to take double-duty on making Deity tell us what's going on." He rubbed his neck a touch. "Guess it's a good thing that she decided to rampage drunkedly tonight, or I might not have been able to talk to you about this at all."

"Yeah, nice thing, right?" Callous chuckled. "What has he been able to tell you exactly?"

"He's told me about the people in charge over there." Spiel mused. "This vampire girl who's related to him by blood, this crocodile who's incredibly full of himself, the shell of what happened to Johnny's nephew, a rabbit bounty hunter, and Cyrene from the year before Metal Sonic showed up. They're quickly filling their ranks back up after the GUN Commander enacted a bait-and-switch to decimate a good chunk of their forces, especially thanks to the vampire's soul-sucking."

"…I see," Callous hummed. "Guess we got quite a bit stacked up against us, don't we?"

"Oh, stacked like no business." Spiel remarked. "The plus side about it all though is that the vampire seems to be a bit of a perfectionist. She's already felt what Jill and you are capable of, so she's not going to risk a frail assault. She's gonna bide her time... and that may be where our advantage lies."

"Yeah, you're right," Callous said. Then she chuckled. "She thinks she's being smart, but really, she's just giving us the chance to get ready for her."

"Indeed." Spiel chuckled.

"…like uncle, like niece I suppose," Callous chuckled. "I'm just actually surprised he actually still has a bloodline going on, but I never expected him to actually have his own offspring….well, biologically anyway."

"People hide surprising things." Spiel chuckled. "I mean, look at me; I hid a terminal illness for years upon years, and nearly took over Safe Haven. You wouldn't expect me to be the kind of guy to be sick, would ya?"

"And you wouldn't expect this chick to be schizophrenic either," Callous chuckled.

"Or that Metal Sonic could become human." Spiel chuckled.

"Yeah, there's been a bunch of shockers through life," Callous chuckled. "…other than that, found out anything else?"

"Yeah... though I dunno if this qualifies as news to ya." Spiel mused. "According to Deity, that crocodile seems to be both the strongest and weakest link of the whole corrupted army. He was the one in charge for quite some time, but he's above and beyond selfishness incarnate. He just wants everything to revolve around him, the smug leatherhead... ya think there's some way to turn that against the army?"

"I guess it depends on how gullible be might be," Callous hummed.

"Guess so." Spiel chuckled.

"Well, I'm sure I'll think of something when I get a good chance to meet him," Callous said. "Anything else?"

"...not right now." Spiel remarked. "Hopefully I can squeeze more outta Deity before they decide to wash over us..."

"…hm…can you give me more of idea of what all these other guys can do?" Callous asked, "just in case they decide to join the ride."

"Well... from what Deity's told me, the shell has virtually all the powers and strengths of King's crew and Metal Sonic, minus Miser for some reason. So he can shoot lightning, read minds, has psychokinesis, the works." Spiel began. "The two others, the bounty hunter and Cyrene... Corruption's really scarred them. The former's more agile and flexible than any other being around her, while the latter focuses on using Corruption in its base form; manipulating shadows and dark spots to twisted degrees."

"Hm…sounds like they're lacking in creativity here," Callous remarked.

"He said that they used to have someone who could control heat and flames, but she was purified by Joy." Spiel noted. "There's also this rogue swordsman who was corrupted by the vampire, but he turned tail and abandoned them. Pretty ballsy, if you ask me."

"A rogue swordsman? I wouldn't call that ballsy; I'd call that smart," Callous chuckled. "…but if he's rogue, then maybe we could get him on our side. You think there's a way to get a hold of him?"

"No, actually." Spiel shrugged. "What I do know is that he's technically responsible for letting the vampire figure out how to consume souls, after he just outright brutalized her."

"Huh, guess I'll have to thank him for that then," Callous grumbled sarcastically. "…well, that should be enough to go on. Thanks big fella."

"I'll try and get more on them, but apart from Jill bein' drunk, I dunno how I can get in touch with you while she's in house arrest." Spiel noted. "Any pointers there?"

Callous smirked. "Maybe I'll encourage her to drink a little bit more."

"Keep her from having any episodes, though." Spiel chuckled. "I know I'm a ghost, but I don't feel like having a bunch of midget demons clawing me again."

Callous chuckled. "…maybe instead, I should do the drinking…" Then she rubbed her chin curiously. "…you know…I don't even know what I'm like drunk; never had the chance to try the stuff before I was killed."

"Funny how hindsight works." Spiel chuckled. "I'll admit, there's a lot of things I never got to do in life, now that I think about it."

"Crying shame, isn't it?" Callous said. Then she folded her arms. "Should let you go then; give her the rest she needs to start preparing for what she needs to do, and give you the chance to get set yourself."

"Right." With that, Spiel slowly rose, whilst giving Callous a nod. "...you know... I'm new to the whole introspective scene, so I dunno how to act unless there's a brawl involved... but I enjoyed this chat."

Callous chuckled. "Likewise. I'm sure it's a refresher from being stuck down there, after all."

"Yeah." Spiel chuckled as well. "...I dunno if being brought back is gonna be permanent or not... but after we've blasted away the Corrupted, I feel like doing something I've never done before. Hold me to that, y'hear?"

"Sure thing," Callous said with a nod.

"...well... take care." With that, Spiel vanished.

* * *

><p>"…I'm tired…" Rudy muttered. "…and my feet hurt. When are we stopping for the night?"<p>

"We should almost reach our destination." Sage responded, as her group was heading in a particular direction.

"Sage, do you think he'll have the answers we're looking for?" Boomer asked. "What if he decides not to tell us for whatever reason?"

"He would likely have his reasons." Sage mused. "But it couldn't hurt to try."

"...let's just hope that he'll accept us. A group of eight would be a lot to take in all of a sudden."

"…well, if he's a man of foresight, I do believe he will already be expecting us then," Charmy supposed with a gruff chuckle.

And low and behold, the team walking down the street of the neighborhood that night finally came across the iron gate that led up to a certain manor they were looking for. The moment they stepped at the gate's foot, it spontaneously opened for them.

"…see?" Charmy chuckled, looking at some of the others that had shocked looks.

"Whoa!" Rudy laughed out loud.

"...well, if he's expectin' us, we'd better not keep him waitin', y'know..." Newt hummed, as the group began advancing towards the manor.

Even the front door was opened for them by a butler, welcoming them into the foyer.

"…this is nice…I gotta say," Cal admitted, looking around.

"...yeah..." Natal hummed as she glanced around with a tilted head.

"...hey. Dad figured that you'd get here by now." a different female voice spoke from up the stairs.

"HIIII!" Rudy called out hearing that new voice, waving excitedly.

"Whoa, geez, chill out, kiddo." A dry chuckle came from the stairs, as a female bat slowly descended them; rubbing her neck a touch. "Name's Odium."

"It's a very nice name, Odium." Sage mused with a light nod to the bat. "I trust that your father's busy?"

"In his study, like always." Odium hummed. "He's busy, though, so if you wanna talk to him, you can't all go and strike a chat up."

"Though I wouldn't think that it would be so appropriate for all of us to try and squeeze in; perhaps just me and Sage should go see him," Charmy suggested.

"Oh hey; I heard your guys' house got torn apart when Vanessa was fighting Patricia; is it still like that?" Rudy asked curiously.

"Dad's had some people patch up the holes my aunt tore in the walls, but it's not entirely fixed yet." Odium shrugged. "It's being taken care of, though."

"Well, good luck on the repairs," Boomer muttered, walking down the hall to explore the place.

Charmy looked over at Sage. "Well, shall we?"

"Let's." Sage nodded, as she began making her way up the stairs. Charmy followed her, while the others decided to look around the house.

"…wow…this place is nice, isn't it Wiper?" Rudy said with a smile.

"...it's certainly big." Wiper noted. "The family must be wealthy..."

"Yeah, dad's wealthy alright." Odium remarked as she followed them. "Comes with his profession."

"…just a winning bet here and there…and it should be enough to get him what he wants," Cal murmured, looking around. "…and judging by his foresight, I don't think he's lost a bet yet, has he?"

Odium shrugged. "He barely bets these days, but yeah; so far, he hasn't lost one."

"…I bet it's been much better since you got your mom back, huh?" Boomer asked.

"Oh, hell yeah." Odium nodded. "It's too bad that Demi can't be around, but having her back is heaven compared to when those other two were around..."

"Your dad's ex-wife and kid, right?" Boomer asked.

"Yup." Odium nodded.

"…what happened to them again?" Rudy asked.

"...Malice corrupted them, and dad basically kicked them out." Odium shrugged.

Rudy's eyes widened at that. "…oh yeah…"

Meanwhile, Sage and Charmy were right up to the precise door they were looking for, and Charmy went to knock.

"...it's open. Come in." spoke a voice from within the room.

"...well, he told us to, so..." Sage hummed, as she opened the door and wandered in; letting them see a bandaged bat hunched over a workdesk.

Charmy looked over, and saw the damages that were still in the middle of being repaired, just like Odium was talking about. "Well, Mr. Novagod, I must say it is a pleasantry to meet you," he said, looking over at the bat.

"...the feeling is mutual, Captain Charmy." Bismark spoke, as he turned around to look at the two of them. "How may I be of assistance?"

"Sage, if you will," Charmy said.

Sage nodded. "Basically... what's going to happen?"

"...straight for the complex questions, hm..." Bismark remarked with a bit of a dry chuckle.

"That much indeed," Charmy said. "Though I am curious…can you see more than one future? Surely should you tell those directly what the future holds, they could seek to change it into their own desired future."

"...the future is ever changing, Charmy." Bismark spoke, as he closed his eyes. "For every starting point, an infinite amount of branching paths may emerge. You may think that changing the future is as simple as snapping your fingers... but circumstances will change to make predictions come true."

"I see," Charmy said with a nod.

"...if you're wondering about Joy, I can say this much... there will be a victory, but at the cost of someone's life... all back where everything began..."

"…back where everything began…" Charmy muttered. Slowly but surely, he put the pieces together. "…I see…you mean Jill's village. That would make sense…that was when her first encounter with Deity was…"

Bismark nodded.

"...but someone's going to die?" Sage murmured. "Hrm... that's disconcerting. Do you know who that is?"

"...all I can say is that the one who passes on... will accept it naturally." Bismark responded.

"…accept it naturally…?"

For some reason…that didn't strike a pleasant chord with Charmy.

"...there won't be any hard feelings from the victim, let me assure you..." Bismark mused. "...but it will still leave a void..."

"...and you really don't know who may die?" Sage murmured.

Bismark simply shook his head. "The future at that point is uncertain... it could be anybody..."

Though this information had given Charmy some suspicions, he kept quiet. They don't know who it would be, and he was willing to bet that they wouldn't find out who it was until it was too late. Either way, he was going to keep an eye out for things.

"...now... would there be anything else you'd require of me?" Bismark mused. "You are welcome to stay the night, if you had intended for that."

"…ah, yes, thank you," Charmy answered with a nod, snapping out of his thoughts. "…though perhaps…I would like to know, since you informed me that there are many branching paths…"

"…what should happen…should any of us fail, and Malice should win? I can understand the circumstances won't be pleasant in the slightest…but I would like to know just what exactly Malice would accomplish."

"...a war." Bismark remarked. "If you were to fail, then Malice and the Corrupted, headed by my sister, would forever be locked in an eternal struggle for dominance. Whichever side would win is vague... however, no matter who would win, there will be no room for rejoicing, nor bragging or or gloating... only the beating drums of the end of all things..."

"...dark..." Sage uttered.

"…especially for the mind of a child seeking revenge…" Charmy muttered. "…what about Joy?"

"...if Malice prevails..." Bismark murmured. "...well... in the end, there can be only one."

Charmy's look hardened a little bit, imagining the thought of Joy perishing… it was definitely not going to bode well with Metal and Jill, that was for sure.

"...would there be anything else?" Bismark inquired curiously.

"Well..." Sage hummed; rubbing her beak a touch as she pondered if there was anything else they required from Bismark...

"…this might be a bit of a cheap question…but do you think there is a feasible way to defeat Malice, in a way she can't come back?" Charmy asked again.

Bismark closed his eyes, and frowned a touch beneath his bandages. "...only Joy can vanquish her."

"…right…that much we might've figured in the end," Charmy spoke. "…but…"

"...sad to say, her fate will only be decided where it all began." Bismark sighed. "I am sorry that I can't be of much more assistance than that..."

"…that's fine…I figured that questions like that wouldn't have been answered very well, but thank you anyway," Charmy answered.

Bismark simply nodded.

"…Unless Sage has any questions of her own, we should be good," Charmy remarked.

"...well... is this gonna cost us any?" Sage hummed.

Bismark perked. "...beg your pardon?"

"You're a fortune teller." Sage noted. "This is the sort of thing you're usually supposed to take payment for, right?"

Bismark chuckled at that. "Oh, you're right about that... but consider this on the house. For a matter as grave as this, I wouldn't wish to extract monetary gain from it."

Charmy chuckled at that. "…well, I suppose I'd warn you that I have some other curious comrades of mine that would probably keep pestering you with questions; particularly Rudy I'm sure," he said.

"The kangaroo?" Bismark actually chuckled at that. "I'm sure he won't be too much trouble..."

"I certainly hope not," Charmy chuckled. "Well, thank you again." And he turned to the door.

Sage regarded a small nod to Bismark. "Good luck with your ritual." she spoke, before following Charmy.

"...good luck with your endeavors." Bismark hummed, as he resumed his work.

Outside the door in the hall, Sage could see the hardened look on Charmy's face, and she could definitely tell he was thinking about just what could possibly await them, and whether or not he should've asked any more questions about their future or not.

Figuring that Sage would pick up on that, Charmy gave a sigh. "Well, no use dwelling on unpleasant thoughts. We should relax a bit and rest plenty for tomorrow's trip."

"...right." Sage let out a small yawn. "Might be the best for now..."

Charmy and Sage came across Boomer and Newt lounging around in the living room, taking the load off their feet.

"…where are the others?" Charmy asked.

"…exploring…" Boomer answered with a tired wave of her hand.

"Ah," Charmy responded. "Well, we are going to be here for the night, so go ahead and make yourselves comfortable."

"...oh, really?" Newt blinked at that.

"Yep. Seems like a good a time as any to kick back." Sage hummed with a small nod.

"…good…" with a sigh, Boomer laid back. "…and I'm not gonna look for everyone else either…in case you wanted me to so I could tell them that."

"Oh, that's alright." Sage chuckled. "We'll tell them ourselves."

"Great..." Newt yawned, as he laid back as well. "...because I really don't feel like gettin' up right now, y'know..."

Charmy nodded at that. "I'm sure Sage and I will manage finding the others." And he looked at her. "Better yet, she can just telepathically notify everyone, I'm sure."

"Done." Sage chuckled. "Thanks for the idea."

"No problem," Charmy answered.

One of the butlers of the manor stepped into the room, asking if there was anything he could get them.

"Oh, tea would be nice," Charmy answered. "Decaf, of course."

"I'd prefer some ice tea, actually." Sage mused.

"…nothing for us…" Boomer muttered with another tired wave.

The butler nodded at that and left the room.

Meanwhile, Cal was looking around at the décor. "…hm…to think that they're Novagods too…" he muttered.

"...they at least seem different from the kind we're used to." Natal remarked. "More... pleasant, I suppose."

"…though their particular gothic style just seems to run in the family," Cal muttered. "…if you ask me, I'm kinda getting sick of the whole gothic motif."

Natal shrugged. "Guess it's a matter of taste."

"…or a matter of association with unpleasant memories…" Cal muttered.

"...right..." Natal hummed.

Cal looked at Natal, then, and then looked away. He still felt the lasting guilt of her being Corrupted, as well as almost taking advantage of her once…

Natal glanced back at Cal with a small smile. "...hey... don't look so down, alright?" she said in a reassuring tone.

Cal just looked back at her again with not that much reassurance. Natal sighed a touch as she read his expression, before setting a hand on his shoulder. "...chin up, okay?" she asked sincerely.

Cal but a hand on her hand. "…I'll try."

"...trying's a good start." Natal hummed with a smile.

Cal managed a smile back.

"...that's really good, Cal." she hummed with a small giggle.

"…not as good as your smile though," Cal replied.

Natal giggled a touch bashfully, as she rubbed her neck. "Oh, I'd say your smile's just as good..."

Cal smiled a little more at that.

"…c'mon, let's explore the place some more," he said. "Since Sage said we're staying here, mind as well enjoy some free time to ourselves."

"...yeah; let's look around." Natal chuckled.

Cal and Natal continued through the hallways for a while, until Cal glanced ahead and froze with wide eyes. "…uh…"

Natal gawked a touch at that sight as well. "...what."

"…ack!" Rudy jumped away from someone with a heavy blush, still looking clueless but embarrassed. "…uh…h-hi guys…"

And the one he had jumped away from was Odium, who had been holding him intimately until Rudy had jumped back. "...hey."

"...d-did... did you just..." Natal could only gawk, as she looked from Odium to Rudy.

"…it…it's not what it looks like…" Rudy muttered.

"…really now?" Cal mused. "Because I'm pretty sure I saw those lips on each other."

Rudy grew more embarrassed and red in the face. "She started it!"

"...guilty as charged." Odium shrugged.

"...and... why is that?" Natal inquired.

Odium shrugged again. "He's cute."

Cal actually smirked a little. "Shame on you Rudy. You only just met her."

"…but…but…" Rudy was trying to figure out how to defend himself, but he was at a loss for words because of how utterly embarrassed he was.

Natal actually had to stifle a slight giggle from this sight.

"Hey, I can't help it if he's cute, alright?" Odium remarked with yet another shrug.

Rudy looked at Odium with wide eyes, blushing even more. "…you really think I'm cute?"

"Yup." Odium nodded as she glanced back at Rudy.

Rudy actually smiled a little bashfully at that. Then he blinked and glanced at Cal in a panic, seeing the smirk he had. "L-Look, don't tell the Captain or anything like that! I-I'm serious!"

"Oh, why not?" Cal said, folding his arms.

"...I think he'd actually be somewhat proud, Rudy." Natal noted with a smile.

"Hm..." Odium simply found herself gazing at Rudy.

"…but he'll make _fun of me_!" Rudy uttered.

"He'd just tease you because you're growing up." Natal giggled.

Rudy pouted at that.

"…anyway, we'll leave you two alone now," Cal snickered, walking away.

"You better _not_ tell him!" Rudy shouted at him.

"Oh, we won't." Natal giggled. "...but we can't speak for Sage; she must know already, by now."

Odium tilted her head at that while watching the two of them walk off. "...what, is this Sage like dad?" she remarked.

Rudy sighed. "…well, Sage doesn't see the future. She can read minds though, and sense the brainwaves of people and know where they are." Then Rudy looked at Odium. "But yeah, she's a psychic along the same lines as your dad; always knowing things."

Odium glanced back at Rudy with a bit of a dry chuckle. "A fortune teller and a mind reader in the same house. It's like a county fair's come to visit, or something..." she mused, though she did smile a touch.

Rudy scratched his head with a bashful smile. "Yeah, when you're hangin' around a group like us, it _never_ gets boring."

Odium chuckled, as she stepped closer to Rudy. "...you know... if you guys hadn't been on this massive crusade that would pit you against immeasurable risks... I'd totally wanna hang out with you guys."

"Who wouldn't?" Rudy said with a big smile, a bit oblivious to Odium stepping closer. "Everyday is an adventure, especially with the Chaotix Detectives!"

"Wow. Sounds like you're a bunch of heroes, alright." Odium remarked with a chuckle; still approaching Rudy.

Rudy just smiled at her for that. "I've never heard anyone call me a hero before."

Odium smiled back. "...well, if you're detectives, you gotta get some cases that need heroes, right?" she chuckled.

"…right," Rudy answered, smiling even more at her.

"...and I bet heroes like you get great rewards, right?" she mused.

"Sometimes, but I think heroes should get rewards for doing good things!" Rudy answered, oblivious to the meaning behind the question.

"Well, you're doing something good right now, so..." Odium chuckled. "..here's a _preemptive _reward."

And she suddenly snagged Rudy by the collar, and pushed her lips against his. Rudy's eyes widened in surprise, especially at the fact that she had taken him by surprise _twice_ now, though he still liked the way it felt, so he closed his eyes, enjoying it pleasantly. A lone hand settled on his cheek, as Odium gently trailed a thumb across him to caress as she kissed him. Rudy was totally new to this, but so far, he still liked it, touching Odium's shoulders. A faint shiver went up Odium's spine from that touch, and she seemed to enjoy it; so she deepened the kiss just a touch more. Rudy felt shivers too, and trembled excitedly from them.

Earlier, he was only just talking to her, and suddenly, they were kissing like this before Cal and Natal had come by. He had no idea things could happen so fast, but he was really getting eager from it, kissing her more as well. Odium, at first, seemed surprised that he was actually getting into this; but she didn't mind in the slightest, as she moved her hands to touch his shoulders in return whilst eagerly kissing him in return. Rudy started rubbing her back in response. It didn't just feel nice because this was new to him, but it also felt nice because he felt like he was with someone his own age for once, instead of dealing with everybody who was always older than him.

Maybe that's why he took to Odium so fast…

As for Odium... well, she found it curious as well. Any other guy, she'd either have turned down flat or shown outright no interest in; mainly because of who she was. With Rudy, though... it was different. She couldn't put her finger on it; maybe it was some kind of naïvety that drew her in... or something else.

Her thoughts on the matter didn't deter her from shivering in response to Rudy rubbing her back, as she trailed her fingers against his arms. Rudy kissed a little more from feeling her fingers against his arms. Another shiver ran through her body, as she trailed her fingers gently against Rudy's sides now. Rudy also shivered from that, touching the sides of her head while they still kissed. It fueled her to wrap her arms around him to hold him closely; embracing him in this kiss of theirs.

Suddenly, something occurred to Rudy, which made Rudy break away. "Uh…hey, I won't get in trouble with your dad because of this, will I?" he asked.

Odium simply breathed, and shook her head a touch. "...nah... my big brother's got a girlfriend already... I can imagine him encouraging this, rather than getting angry."

"…but don't dads usually get all overprotective if guys hang around their daughters?" Rudy asked.

"...not mine, that's for sure." Odium remarked. "Had trouble with that sort of thing?" she assumed, as she tilted her head.

"Not that I know of," Rudy said. Then he smiled. "All I've ever done is detective work, or play with my friends. That's all." Then he tapped his chin. "Although Ani's always worried about what her dad would think of Striker and her, but that's really all I know about that. Hasn't really been my problem."

Odium chuckled. "...well, sounds like we're in the same boat, then." she mused. "About the dad-stuff; I'm not really a detective, as you could probably guess..." she added with a bit of a chuckle.

"Ah, that's okay," Rudy said, even though he couldn't tell anyway. "It's all I've ever really known! The Captain's been like a grandpa to me and Cal and Boomer are like a brother and sister!"

"Wow, really?" Odium hummed. "...then... what about your folks?" she inquired a bit curiously.

"…actually, now that I think about it, I don't think I remember my mom and dad," Rudy answered. "I don't remember faces, or names, or anything. I grew up with the Chaotix, and back then, Vector and Espio were still around. Vector died when I was 3, and Espio died when I was 7."

"...I see..." Odium hummed, as she nodded a touch. "...you ever think of your parents any?" she inquired yet again.

"Yeah, I actually always wondered if they were still out there, doing stuff, or if something happened to them," Rudy replied. "I'd ask the Captain about it every now and then, and he'd just say he'd tell me when I'm older…but that's been the answer all these years. You think he's waiting until I'm an adult to tell me?"

"...could be..." Odium hummed, as she kept looking at Rudy.

"…but other than that, I've been pretty happy for what I got," Rudy said with a smile.

Odium couldn't help but smile at that.

"You seem like a pretty cool person; I like you," Rudy said. "And it's kinda nice to be able to talk to someone just about the same age as me. Beats being around all these adults, or being away from my friends."

Odium smiled. "Hey, no problem. You're pretty cool too, Rudy."

"Thanks," Rudy replied. Then he blushed a little. "So, um…what now?"

Odium hummed, as a light blush crossed her face. "...true... what now..." She smiled at Rudy. "...guess that'd depend on what you wanna do."

"I don't know to be honest," Rudy said. Then he smiled. "I mean, Boomer always calls me a clueless moron. Don't know about the moron part, but I'm sure clueless."

Odium actually giggled a touch. "...that's just so damn cute." she remarked, and briefly kissed Rudy on the cheek.

Rudy smiled at that. "Thanks…" and then his smile fell. "Too bad we're only staying one night though."

"...yeah... and there's no telling when you'll be back, either..." Odium hummed, as she glanced to the side... but then she looked back at Rudy with a smile. "...I guess we could try and make the most outta your stay."

"How can we do that?" Rudy asked innocently.

"...well..." A blush came over Odium, and she glanced to the side. _...would it be right to ask this of him? He's probably never..._

Rudy just stared at her blankly.

Taking a deep breath, she sighed. "...well..." Still blushing, she leaned in to Rudy's ear to swiftly whisper her idea to him.

Rudy listened, eyes widening. "…really?"

Odium nodded; still carrying a bashful blush on her. "...well, it's... up to you, but... that's the idea I got..."

"…hm…" Rudy looked thoughtful about it.

Odium just smiled a touch; waiting for him to answer.

Rudy smiled then, "Okay, sure…yeah!"

Odium had to hold back a small gasp as she looked at Rudy with a slightly surprised look. "...really?"

"Yeah, can't be all that bad, right?" Rudy said with a smile.

Odium smiled again. "...it's... actually a lot of fun. I don't tell a lot of people this, but... I have some private experience with this sort of thing..."

"Really?" Rudy asked.

"Yeah..." Odium nodded, as she glanced to the side and rubbed her neck. "...but... I've never done it... _with_ someone, you know..."

Rudy blushed a little at that. "…really…? …cause…I've never really done any of that stuff either…"

A bashful giggle escaped Odium's lips. "...I guess I can take the lead... just get you into the swing of things, as it were." she remarked, before smiling. "With some practice, I'm sure you'll do great on your own."

"…ok…" Rudy said, blushing even more with a smile. "Well then, I trust you."

Taking his hand, Odium nodded. "...I got this secret place in the attic. If we go there, we could go all night long without anyone noticing us..."

"…really?" Rudy's eyes widened at that. "…and…they won't hear us or anything?"

"Not a peep." Odium remarked with a giggle. "I can't tell you how excited I've gotten some times..."

"…I'm guessing your dad doesn't know about this?" Rudy asked.

"Oh, believe me, he doesn't know." Odium hummed, as she began leading Rudy off. "I've been doing this for a couple years, and he hasn't asked any questions..."

Rudy blushed a little more at the fact she was leading him off.

* * *

><p><em><strong>..what? What are you looking at me for? Well, actually, you can't look at me XD But you get my point I'm sure.<strong>_


	43. Chapter 42

_"...arr... things be lookin' to brew for a storm tonight..."_ Gazing outside at the seas, the pirate robot narrowed his eyes a touch at seeing black clouds coat the horizon.

At the moment, Tails was sitting by his table and enjoying a warm cup of tea. He had recently gotten off the phone after a talk with Cream about the old days, and was now just waiting for the proper time to go to bed... that seemed to be the only thing he had to do these days...

_"...Professor?"_ At that point, the pirate captain stepped into the living room and looked down at the old fox. _"...ye look thoughtful."_

"...considering what's been going on these past months, I... suppose that's natural." Tails remarked, as he rubbed his neck. "...I'm old, Whisker. We tend to worry about the young ones at this stage..."

_"Aar, don't be sayin' things like that, Professor." _Whisker hummed, as he took a seat by him. _"They'll get outta it alright. They did it seven years ago, an' they did it two years ago. I bet they'll pull through this time, too."_

"...hm..." Tails didn't reply at first, but he cast a small smirk at the pirate robot, before gazing towards the tea cup on the table. "...things always gets worse... before they get better." he mused, before rubbing his neck. "...I'm just wondering _when_ they'll get better... it didn't take this long seven years ago..."

Just then, Tails got a chill down the back of his neck. He felt an unpleasant presence nearby.

"...nh..."

_"...Tails? What be the matter?" _Whisker uttered, as he noticed the worried expression Tails took.

"...Whisker. Get the CPU-gear from the basement." Tails murmured, as he got to his feet and headed for his room. "Time's of the essence... we'll receive company shortly."

As Tails hurried off, Whisker gulped. _"...I thought we were still testin'..."_ he uttered, but Tails was already gone_. "...fine, fine!" _And he hurried for the basement as fast as his robotic limbs could carry his massive build.

"…oh old man…" spoke a voice in the hallways of Tails' home while he walked toward his room. "…there's no point to a struggle…you knew sooner or later we'd come for you…"

"...I did." Tails mused as he kept walking. "If I had known you'd come this soon, I'd have prepared some tea for you."

"Are you always this hospitable to your dealers of death?" a different voice sneered.

"...your uncle received the same hospitality I would have offered you." Tails mused. "And as far as I'm concerned, he was worse than either of you... so you deserve no less, to be honest."

"How touching."

"I would think otherwise." Tails mused. "At least he had the decency to knock."

"He was old fashioned. What did you expect?"

All of a sudden, someone stood in Tails' way in the hallway, halting him.

Tails stopped, and narrowed his eyes.

"...end of the line, old man." Standing before him were Patricia and Bulk; the latter cracking his knuckles as he sneered down at the old fox. The former had her arms folded and she stared at Tails.

"...oh dear." Tails remarked, as he folded his arms behind his back. "I seem to be cornered."

"You're at least not senile, old man." Bulk scoffed. "Get ready to die."

"Any last words?" Patricia asked.

"...not for you." Tails hummed. "Though, if I were to pick a few... get off my property."

"...heh. Funny." Bulk sneered, as he suddenly shot a fist right against Tails...

...but something bigger suddenly caught it; crushing the crocodile's hand and _actually_ making him yelp out in pain. Patricia's eyes actually widened at this.

_"...ye rotten scallywags..."_ a mechanized voice snarled, as a pale green hue was emitting from the large, robotic hand crushing Bulk's hand at the moment. _"...if ye know what be best for ya... ye'll get out of the Professor's home!"_

There, standing right behind Tails, was Whisker; a peculiar suit wrapped around his torso and linked up to his hands, head and legs, with a chest piece that slowly alternated between a pale-green light, a dark-green light, and a dark shade.

"…hmph…I guess we should've known better," Patricia muttered.

"I agree." Tails remarked. "You see... unlike you, who spent a majority of these months idling before desperately tossing together your forces at the last minute... I've been preparing for something like this for a while."

"...bastard...!" Bulk snarled, as he opened his mouth to charge up a blast of Corruption; however, in that very instant, a blast of pale-green energy shot from Whisker's mouth and made Bulk rocket down the hall.

_"...th' CPU-gear's workin' fine for now, Professor!"_ Whisker exclaimed.

"Guess we better pull out the big guns then," Patricia spoke.

Suddenly, the area trembled. The atmosphere changed to that of a much darker one, and the shadows stirred around the walls.

Whisker glanced around him with a narrowed gaze. _"...what in blazes...?"_

"...reinforcements, hm?" Tails hummed, as he looked back at Patricia.

"You can say that," Patricia spoke.

The shadows popped out of the ground, and lunged at Whisker then.

_"Aarr!"_Swiftly, Whisker produced a massive amount of pale-green energy from his palms, and fired at the shadows.

In that instant, though, Tails had managed to make a break for his room, while Patricia was focusing on Whisker and Bulk was down for the moment. Patricia noticed this. "Bulk, take over!" she yelled, pulling away to run after Tails.

"Roger!" Immediately, Bulk lunged at Whisker, as both of them threw powerful punches against each other.

Tails, in the meantime, just reached his room, and proceeded to lock the door behind him, before rushing for the bedside drawers. _...it's still here... all I need is..._

"Oh c'mon. You think a locked door can stop me?"

A fist came through the door, shattering it apart, and Patricia stepped in.

"...I didn't, actually." Tails remarked, as he slowly turned his head to look at Patricia. "I was merely stalling."

Patricia narrowed her eyes, collecting a mass of Corruption in her palm as she stepped toward Tails menacingly.

"...I would seriously consider leaving now, Novagod." Tails hummed.

"I could say the same thing about you, Prower," Patricia spoke, and that's when she hurled the mass of Corruption at Tails.

However, in a massive dazzle of shimmering green, the blast of Corruption erupted before it could reach the old fox.

"...leave where? I have no reason to leave my home." As it turned out, Tails had fired a blast from an arm cannon enveloping his arm, as he glared at Patricia. "Now kindly leave... or else I'll have to teach you some manners."

Patricia just built up more Corruption in her hands. "You know as well as I do we're not leaving…at least, until I get your soul."

"...it must run in the family..." Tails remarked.

Patricia charged at Tails this time to throw Corruption augmented punches. Tails, though, was surprisingly agile; enough to leap back over the bed and avoid the punches, whilst still not firing any attacks at her. Patricia decided to keep coming at him with more punches, and even kicks this time. This tore apart Tails' bedroom every time she missed him and struck down furniture, or the wall. Not that he seemed to mind; he was more focused on avoiding her blows.

Finally, Patricia ceased, seeing as this wasn't going to get her anywhere.

She folded her arms…and eventually, she smirked. "…if only you knew how frightened that little brat is right now."

Tails remained silent, as he merely looked at Patricia.

"…that, and her mother is a complete wreck without her," Patricia added. "She may hide it from people, but I'm pretty sure she isn't gonna last much longer before we go invade Safe Haven. There's no way anyone could bear the idea of a weak little girl running around frantically on her own, along with knowing just how absolutely hopeless she feels right now."

Tails still remained silent, though his gaze narrowed further.

"…it bothers you, doesn't it?" Patricia asked. "…her mother may have had just as much tragedy, but in her case, she is so much younger, and so much more helpless to it…"

Still, Tails remained silent.

"…shit's going to hit the fan soon, Prower," Patricia said. "Let me put you out of your misery at least…so that you could suffer the least compared to everyone else."

Tails simply closed his eyes at that, but he didn't say a single word still. Patricia remained silent to see what he would say to that.

"...suffering the least..." His eyes opened up again. "...likely as part of your power. Sorry, but I'm not interested."

Without hesitation, a powerful blast was suddenly shot from the arm cannon, right at Patricia. Patricia only had time to react with widened eyes before she was blasted right out of the room. With narrowed eyes, Tails slowly stomped out towards where Patricia had been launched; still aiming his arm cannon at her.

Patricia was stuck under a lot of rubble from the damage of the house, hidden in a dust cloud to leave Tails to wonder if she was going to get up or not. Still, Tails merely gazed towards where she was lying; arm cannon still aimed at her.

"…ow…fuck…that hurt…"

Slowly, Patricia started to get up.

Still, Tails kept his gaze fixated on her; ready to fire again.

"…what the hell was that…?" Patricia growled. "…that wasn't just Purity…it was something else…"

"...you could say that it's... _pure_ Purity." Tails remarked.

"Well, that's a bit redundant, isn't it?" Patricia growled.

"It's the most apt explanation." Tails remarked, as he aimed the arm cannon at her still. "To put it in simpler terms... I wield the raw power of Light Gaia himself."

Patricia narrowed her eyes at him. "I see."

Then, a huge aura of Corruption built up around her body. Tails narrowed his eyes further. "...trying to take us all out, hm?" Slowly, energy began charging within his cannon.

"If that's what it takes to take you down," Patricia spoke, with the Corruption building up even more.

"...it won't help." Tails remarked, as energy kept building up rapidly.

Patricia raised her hands suddenly, transferring her aura into a giant mass of Corruption, and immediately, she fired it at Tails. In that very instant, Tails fired off the energy in his cannon against Patricia.

With the two opposite energies colliding too violently and quickly, the reaction of the impact caused them both to burst. However, the light energy blasted out the dark energy, and continued for Patricia, blasting her away with an explosion.

Narrowing his eyes, Tails grit his teeth as he saw Patricia be blown away like that. She got blown past Bulk and Whisker down the hall, hitting that wall and totally obliterating it. Both Bulk and Whisker looked towards her with surprised looks.

And from then on, there hasn't been any more movement.

"...Patricia?" Bulk uttered with wide eyes. "Get up, already!"

No response.

"...what the fuck...?!" Bulk quickly rushed over to her to see how she was...

Patricia was lying there, motionless on the ground. It appeared that the blast had been powerful enough that it actually knocked her out cold.

Bulk gaped at that, as he looked back at Whisker...

...and there stood Tails; aiming his arm cannon at Bulk as well. "...get off my property." he hissed.

Snarling, Bulk grabbed Patricia, and sank into darkness. With that, it was just the wind that blew through the hole in the wall.

_"...blasted..."_ Whisker uttered, as he looked at Tails. _"Be ye alright?"_

"...I'll live..." Tails murmured. "...moreover... does the CPU work?"

_"...aye; to a tee."_ Whisker nodded. _"But... I dunno if it be meant for organic life just yet."_

"...it will have to do for now..." Tails murmured. "...if I can use these weapons... I may be able to help somewhat..."

_"...be that yer plan?"_ Whisker uttered with wide eyes. _"But... what if ye-"_

"It's starting to get late... better to finish your work rather than letting it go unfinished." Tails spoke seriously, as he closed his eyes.

"…_Tails…"_

A small, faint, distance voice echoed through the wind that blew inside the house.

Whisker reacted with shock, as he glanced around him. _"...who be that?"_

Tails, however, seemed the most surprised upon hearing that voice. "...you..."

The wind swirled gently, creating a transparent figure that Tails instantly recognized.

Tails could only gawk at that figure. "...Sonic..."

"…_listen…I'd figure I'd tell you this, cause things are getting pretty bad right now…but little Joy's heading for her mom's village…"_ Sonic said. _"….that jerk of a Novagod might've just been trying to get under your skin, but she was telling the truth…"_

Tails' eyes narrowed, and he nodded. "...I understand... but do you think I'd be able to handle both helping her and dealing with... _her?_" he inquired in an understandably concerned tone.

Sonic looked at him for a long time. Then he answered. _"If you really feel like that, then I'll stick with you. Goddess might be a bit powerless on this, but me and the gang aren't. In fact, we're all off trying to get ready for things to come."_

Tails narrowed his eyes, before slowly nodding. "...I appreciate the aid, Sonic." Then he smiled a touch. "Not that you coming with me was going to make me reconsider."

Whisker shot a look down at Tails. _"...ye mean... ye were already plannin' on goin'?!"_

Without answering Whisker's question, Tails glanced up at the pirate robot. "I'll need the CPU gear for this journey, Whisker. In the meantime, you should try and fix the place up while I'm gone. Those two left a fine mess here..."

_"...aye..."_ Nodding, Whisker began removing the gear he had adorned himself with, before handing it to the old fox.

Sonic smirked at that, _"Figured._"

Tails smiled back at him. "Couldn't stay as naïve as I was in years past, you know." he chuckled, as he outfitted himself with the gear. "Well... time's of the essence. Let's move before those two ruffians decide they want a rematch."

"_Right,_" Sonic responded. _"…just follow the wind…_"

He vanished away, and Tails could feel the wind blow out gently.

Tails nodded, and he began heading out.

_"Arr, wait!"_ Whisker called. _"Be ye not needin' yer cane?!"_

"...not this time." Tails responded bluntly, before he flew off after the wind.

* * *

><p>"…so we had to wake up early in the morning to make sure we're ready for them," Vanessa finished explaining the following early morning through the communicator. "It doesn't help that we forgot last night was the full moon and Ani turned…though we were able to thankfully keep her under control."<p>

"…_oh dear…that's good…but I certainly hope Ani is alright,_" responded Oblivion's voice on the other side of the communicator.

_"Make sure to let her know that we're sendin' her the best of wishes." _Fargus hummed on the other end as well.

_"And the same goes for you guys; don't get yourselves in too much trouble."_ they could hear Kiri call out as well.

"Right, I'll do that, and thanks Kiri," Vanessa responded.

_"As for us... not a whole lot has happened on our end."_ Demi remarked on the other end. _"Things have been somewhat peaceful for a change..."_

"Well, glad things have been good for you so far…" Vanessa said. "…I don't know if you've talked with the other groups, but they haven't had the same luck…Metal's group had to respond to a call of help from Hex's friends and she found out that one of her friend's soul had been taken by Patricia…"

_"...damn..."_Demi uttered.

_"What about the other groups?"_ Fargus hummed.

"Sage's group went to your manor, Demi. I suppose they had questions for your father," Vanessa mentioned.

_"...I see..."_ Demi hummed. _"And Hunter's group?"_

"Well, they've been pretty decent," Vanessa said. "Hunter wasn't pleased to hear about Ani, but he seemed reassured when I said everyone and her was okay."

_"That's Hunter for ya..."_ Fargus remarked.

"…they were visited by one of the Corrupted too, but he said he broke away from the group," Vanessa said.

_"...really?"_ Kiri blinked at that.

"…yeah…he gave them the warning that Patricia figured out how to suck up souls, just like her uncle," Vanessa replied.

_"...that's... not good..."_ Kiri remarked.

''…_no…that's not…" _Oblivion agreed.

"…we still have a fighting chance; don't go depressed on me now," Vanessa spoke.

_"...I know."_ Kiri responded.

"…well, anyway, I think that should be all for now," Vanessa spoke. "…good luck to you guys."

_"Same to you, Vanessa." _Fargus hummed, before the line cut out.

Vanessa sighed after that, and rubbed her temples a bit. She's been up since very early, keeping watch for most of the night. Ani seemed to stay fine as long as she was out, and though Striker was worried about her, Arsenic assured that she'd wake up in the morning…

"...man, what a night..." Nage murmured.

"You're telling me," Vanessa replied.

"...no, not just because of what happened with Ani..." Nage murmured. "I had this... funky dream..."

"Oh you did, now?" Vanessa hummed, looking over at her.

"...yeah... it's like someone came to me in a dream..." Nage uttered. "...my... grandpa..."

Vanessa raised her eyebrows at that. "Really?"

"Yeah..." Nage murmured. "...it was weird... he wanted me to tell everyone to be ready for something..."

This sounded pretty serious, so Vanessa watched her. "…ready for what?"

"...ready for..." Nage murmured, as she closed her eyes. "...what's gonna happen... back where Jill was born..."

"…and that's where Joy's headed…" Vanessa muttered. She closed her eyes thoughtfully. "…so things are really gonna go down over there…"

"Seems like it..." Nage murmured.

"…Nage…did your grandpa mention anything else?" Vanessa asked. "…I mean…it seems strange that he would come to visit you in a dream if it's to warn us about the future…"

"...he may have, but..." Nage murmured, as she rubbed her head. "...it's a bit foggy..."

"I see," Vanessa responded.

"...sorry; I thought I'd be of a bit more use than that." Nage remarked with a light laugh.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Vanessa said, smiling.

Nage grinned a touch as well. "...though... I wonder if just my grandpa was giving out advice..."

"Possibly," Vanessa said in agreement.

With a sigh, Nage got on her feet. "...no sign of the sharks yet, huh?" she hummed.

"…not yet…" Vanessa replied, looking out. "…although I suspect they'll be here soon. We should get everyone up."

"Right..." Nage hummed. "I'll get Striker and Milo. You get Jack and Arsenic..." she yawned, before she walked off.

"Sure thing," Vanessa said, getting up as well to go find Arsenic and Jack.

As Nage walked, she eventually noticed Milo sleeping on his own. She approached him and shook him lightly. "C'mon, wake up; today's a big day..."

Milo's eyes opened almost instantly. "Oh? Time already?"

"Just about." Nage nodded. "Vanessa's waking Jack and Arsenic up, so we just gotta wake up Striker."

"Okay…I think I might know where he is…" Milo said, yawning and getting up.

Nage nodded, and stepped back a touch. "Alright, lead the way." she hummed.

Milo walked off with Nage following closely, and walked for a bit. They both eventually found two others sleeping on the ground. Striker had Ani wrapped up in his arms closely, sleeping soundly.

Humming, Nage crouched down by them and gently nudged against Striker. "...hey. Wake up..."

Striker shifted a little bit in his sleep, and clung to Ani even more.

"…Striker…Ani'll be fine," Milo assured.

Nage sighed, as she nudged against him a bit more.

Striker eventually started blinking with a squint of his eyes, and finally woke up. He looked up at them.

"…you awake now?" Milo asked. "We gotta get up for those sharks that'll come by."

Striker then looked back down at Ani in his arms worriedly. "...hey, relax, she'll be fine." Nage hummed.

"…okay…" Striker muttered, finally letting go of Ani and laying her back down softly, so he could get back up.

"...right... that leaves Jack and Arsenic." Nage hummed.

For Vanessa, she was able to find Jack and Arsenic after a while, sleeping the way they had usually been, with Arsenic's head on Jack's shoulder. Jack seemed fairly peaceful as he slept.

"…okay, c'mon you two, it's time to wake up," Vanessa said.

Jack's eyes flickered briefly, and he let out a small yawn. Arsenic just simply rubbed her eyes.

"…it'll be any minute before the sharks show up," Vanessa said. "We need to be ready for them."

"...mhm..." Jack yawned, as he gently nudged against Arsenic. "...c'mon, wake up..."

"…don't worry…I'm waking up…" Arsenic murmured.

Nodding, Jack slowly sat up and rubbed his head. "...is the rooster up yet, mom?"

Vanessa chuckled at that. "I think I'll let him sleep a little bit longer."

"…you had a dream with Espio, really?" Milo asked Nage with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah. It was... kinda bizarre, actually." Nage nodded.

"…no…you weren't the only one that had a dream like that," Milo replied.

Nage blinked, as she looked at Milo. "...really?"

"…yeah…" Milo said. "…mine though…it was Brick."

Striker was instantly wide awake when he heard that, gawking at Milo. "What did you say?!"

"...Brick...?" Nage tilted her head a little.

"…he's a friend of ours," Milo explained to her. "Someone who died a few years ago…and he's Joy's real father."

Nage blinked. "For real?"

Milo nodded in response. "…he gave me the same kind of warning, but there were more details to it. Whatever's going on with all of this, all of it is gonna come to an end at Jill's village, but it's going to be intense; more than we've gone through so far on this journey…"

'…it's going to have to come down to see who's stronger of the two; Malice or Joy…and that's when that battle's going to take place."

"No way…" Striker uttered.

"...did he say anything if we're able to help out...?" Nage tilted her head.

"…he said there's nothing any of us can do for her…Joy has to fight Malice on her own."

"Well then how do you beat her?!" Striker uttered. "Even if Joy fights Malice back, she's still gonna be there to come back again!"

"…that…I don't know…and neither did Brick…" Milo replied.

"...well, that's a problem." Nage sighed. "Man... why is it that this Corruption crap has to be so unbeatable except by a select few?"

"…because it's so destructive…and so easy to spread," Milo said. "Though this power is nothing natural, ordinary corruption of character can happen to anyone given the right circumstances, and this power just feeds on that…it takes strength to be pure and to resist that kind of corruption."

"What we need is a way for other people to use Purity too," Striker remarked. "I mean, so far, we can use the energy with guns and stuff…but we just need actual people to be able to fight with it too."

"...unfair, I tell ya." Nage murmured. "I don't think grandpa and all the folks back in the day had to deal with that kind of unfairness before all this Corruption business began..."

"…Sonic and Knuckles, and Fang the Sniper did…" Striker mentioned. "…that's how the three of them died."

"...damn..." Nage hissed. "...it's just not fair, I tell ya..."

"You can say that again…" Milo groaned, holding his head at all the things they've had to deal with in the past associated with Corruption.

"...who's to say that even if we win this, Corruption's just gonna come back again?" Nage murmured.

"…that's really the thing, isn't it?" Milo muttered. "…I think in the end, there would have to be a way to eliminate just all of those forces; not just Corruption."

"...damn..." Nage sighed at that.

"…it wouldn't serve any more problems like this, that's for sure…" Milo muttered.

"They're coming."

"Wha?!" Striker jumped to see Vanessa come to them, and she looked serious.

"It's time; I see some of them on the horizon," Vanessa said. "Milo, take Ani and go wake up Gruff."

"Right!' Quickly, Milo picked up Ani's unconscious body and he ran toward the half destroyed cabin.

"...alright; time for action." Nage hummed, as she whipped out her chains. "Jack and Arsenic are ready too, right?"

"Yeah," Vanessa said, turning to walk away.

"…I need to find Snap," and Striker rushed off.

"...right; then I'll set up some traps." And Nage leapt off.

* * *

><p>Everyone needed to be quick and efficient. With each passing moment, the group of shark Mobians coming their way was getting closer and closer.<p>

As soon as she had set the traps, Nage landed on top of Gruff's house; eying the incoming sharks with narrowed eyes. _...here they come..._

All of the others positioned themselves in front of the house too; Striker had gotten Snap back on as armor with the cannon arm, and the other fighters were standing out there with him while Milo was inside with Ani and a now very frightened Gruff, staring through the window. Jack stood at attention with his hand on his harmonica; merely waiting for the sharks to come close enough for them to start the assault. Arsenic was next to him, ready to fight as well, and Vanessa just simply had her arms folded calmly.

"So, these losers the ones you lost to?"

"Th-that's them, boss!"

That had been the sharks, and the largest one with the most scars walked up, glaring at them. "You guys are a bunch of pussies, losing to kids like these."

"Hey, that's rude!" Jack yelled at them.

"You don't get a say in this, kiddo!" one of the sharks grunted.

"...what he said..." Among the sharks happened to be a piranha, who stood somewhat in the background to try not to stand out too much.

The boss sighed, rubbing his temples in irritation. "You got me outta my vacation time for this…"

"Oh, gee, we're _so_ sorry to inconvenience you," Arsenic growled with sarcasm.

"Look smart-mouth; you'd do best to shut up and you and your buddies move outta the way. This ain't your business," The boss said.

"I think we already decided that we didn't care if it was our business or not," Striker said.

"That's right; you can't just bully others like that." Jack noted with narrowed eyes.

"Y'kids heard us yesterday! This is between us and that rooster!" one of the sharks they had beaten up yelled back at them.

"Then read our lips boys; we're standing our ground," Vanessa said sternly. "So you either go back home so you don't get hurt…or we can do this the hard way."

She had a glare contest with the boss of the group, and the boss could tell she was really tough just by that look.

The piranha couldn't help but feel somewhat intimidated by the glare the lioness gave off, before he cleared his throat. "...uh... you guys sure we can't talk about this...?"

"Not now, Guts; the boss is gauging this gal!" one of the sharks hissed at the piranha with a scowl.

"Shut up Luka," the boss growled at the shark talking to the piranha named Guts, and even then, he didn't break eye contact with Vanessa.

The shark, Luka, just grit his teeth at that, along with Guts, who merely looked from the boss to Vanessa.

"…boys, they mean business," the boss spoke. "Looks like we'll have to get our hands dirty on this one."

"Oh, real funny, like you haven't gotten your hands dirty already," sneered Arsenic.

"Dodge, you take the one making that smack talk," the boss ordered.

"Alright, boss." With a grunt, the shark the leader had called for stomped towards the group; his glare on Arsenic as he cracked his knuckles.

Then suddenly, there was an explosion right by his feet, halting him. This startled all of the sharks there, except for the three that had been there before, though they had gotten a better chance to see that Arsenic had shot the fire bolt for that explosion.

"What the hell?!" Their boss was even shocked at that.

Nage grinned from the roof. "Bet'cha didn't see that one comin'..." she chuckled, as she held her hands around her chain tightly... almost as if it was connected to somewhere _very_ close to where the sharks stood...

"…so _that's_ why you lost to these kids…" their boss huffed. "…they're a bunch of freaks."

"Hey, asshole, come up with more original insults next time," Arsenic spoke bluntly.

"...uh... what if there's not gonna _be_ a next time...?" Guts remarked with a light shudder.

"That's up to you to decide," Vanessa said. "One last time, we'll say it. Leave before we have to get ugly."

"Didn't you hear what I said, you deaf bitch?" their boss grumbled.

"...we heard you loud and clear." Nage remarked. "I think it's you guys who aren't listening to us."

"Rock, Titanium, you guys give it a shot," their boss growled.

Two rather large sharks charged forward as they snarled...

...but in that instant, they were suddenly wrapped around in a massive net that erupted from the ground; trapping them. "Gotcha!" Nage laughed as she had pulled out the chain to reveal her trap.

One of the other sharks gulped. "…boss…maybe…we should consider their warning."

"And maybe I can fire you after this," their boss remarked.

Guts just gulped as well as he saw the group before them not budging whatsoever.

"…you guys seem to be well prepared," their boss remarked, still staring at Vanessa.

"We'd have to be," Vanessa responded.

"For taking care of jerks like you." Jack shot in with a small nod.

"…in that case…boys, I'm gonna take the woman there," the shark boss said, pointing at Vanessa. "in otherwords, though, everybody else is a free for all!"

Then he yelled and ran at Vanessa. Vanessa ran at him and they proceeded to throw punches and kicks at each other that the other dodged.

"Well, you heard the boss!" one of the sharks yelped, running toward Jack.

The last one decided that he was going to run towards the trap to free the ones called Rock and Titanium.

Before that shark could reach Rock and Titanium, though, Nage suddenly leapt in front of him; brandishing her chain. "...you're not getting past me." she snickered, as she cracked her neck.

In the meantime, Jack had immediately charged for the other shark with a bit of a battlecry; intending to ram into him with his shoulder. That particular shark with Jack dodged, and threw his own barrage of attacks at him.

That left Arsenic and Striker to rush at the other sharks standing back.

Meanwhile, the shark in front of Nage gulped nervously. "...what's the matter?" Nage giggled, as she whipped the chain around whilst slowly approaching the shark. "Scared?"

Hissing, Jack weaved away from the punches the shark was dealing, whilst shooting a glance towards Vanessa. The fighting between the Shark boss and Vanessa was relentless; both of them able to keep up with each other with ease and be able to avoid each other's attacks.

Inside the house, Gruff gawked at the fighting nervously.

"…glad we're on your side, aren't you?" Milo hummed while also watching the fight.

Gruff just gulped at that.

Finally, one of the two landed a hit, and it was Vanessa, giving an uppercut to the Shark boss to knock him back a bit.

"…you're no pushover," their boss hummed, wiping his mouth.

Vanessa said nothing and just ran for him again, to proceed with more of the same kind of fighting.

The shark backed away from Nage. "…n-no…why would I be scared?"

And Striker fired a shot from his cannon at Guts, while Arsenic shot a fire bolt at Dodge and Luka.

"...no reason." Nage hummed, before she suddenly whipped the chain around the shark's legs, to bind him together.

"Ah- Mack!" Guts yelped out, as he ducked underneath the shot from Striker; gritting his teeth. "...I don't wanna fight you, kid..."

Jack, in the meantime, suddenly shot a kick right at the gut of the shark he was battling, to knock him back. The shark fighting Jack got knocked back hard, rolling on the ground.

From the explosion, Dodge and Luka survived by jumping away, but Arsenic just fired even more at them to a point where she finally had hit Dodge. "Shit!" he screamed as he flew away.

"If you didn't want to fight us, then you should've tried to talk to your friends!" Striker told Guts, firing the cannon at him again.

"Gah!" Guts yelped as he ducked under that blast as well. "Would you just stop shooting me, already?! That looks way too strong for a kid to be wielding!"

Gritting his teeth, Luka noticed a window of opportunity, and while Nage was distracted with Mack, he charged directly for the net that Rock and Titanium were trapped in; chewing the net apart in an instant.

Reeling back to glance at that, Nage grit her teeth. "Uh oh." And in that instant, she had to leap into the air to whip her chain directly at the two sharks charging at her. Since Nage was distracted by Rock and Titanuim running at her, he was able to jump up and grab her.

"Ah, _crap!_" she exclaimed, as she tried wriggling her way out of the shark's grip.

"Good one, Mack!" Immediately, Titanium grabbed the chain to pull Nage right down to the ground; pinning her to the ground so the three could gang up on her.

"Ah- Nage!" Jack yelped, as he immediately turned away from the shark to run towards Nage.

"Get 'em Pudge!" yelled Mack.

The shark Jack had been fighting with, Pudge, knocked Jack to the ground to keep him from getting to her.

"Jack!" Nage yelped; momentarily terrified that three sharks were now about to outright brutalize her, with her having little room to move. "...shit... not like this...!"

"End of the line!" Rock chuckled, as he raised his foot with intent of smashing it against Nage's skull.

Suddenly, giant rocks with a pale blue glow to them were hurled at Mack, Titanium, and Rock.

And, needless to say, all three of them were just knocked away from Nage at that moment.

Guts perked up the instant he saw that. "...no way...!"

"You leave my friend ALONE!"

Next thing they all knew, Ani had stepped out of the house with an angry look at the sharks. "Ganging on on someone is the coward's way! Fight fair!"

"Ani!" Striker had been so relieved to see that Ani was okay that he had forgotten about Guts entirely.

Their boss actually stopped fighting Vanessa when he saw her. "Hm?!"

Vanessa smiled with relief as well when she saw that Ani was okay.

Guts couldn't help but gawk at that...

...and he immediately ran for her; a smile on his face. "Ani!"

This shocked everybody, including Ani when she heard that voice. "Guts?!" she dropped her hand and just gave him her shocked look. "What the heck are you doing here?!"

"…you…know him?" Arsenic uttered in disbelief.

"He was a soldier at Safe Haven!" Ani answered.

"...he _was?!_" Nage sputtered.

"Ani, you gotta give me a hand!" Guts called as he ran for her. "Their boss forced me into this gig, and... I want out! You can help me!"

The Shark boss narrowed his eyes, and stomped towards Guts and Ani without them knowing.

"Forced? How? What happened?" Ani asked.

Guts came to a halt, and he breathed slowly. "...some family business went awry a few years after I left Safe Haven; these sharks were around then, too. The boss noticed my talents, and... well, he forced me into becoming his thug. But I seriously don't want that kind of life; that's not what I trained at Safe Haven for!"

"But if you got training from Safe Haven, you should've been able to stop them Guts!" Ani uttered.

That was when Guts got knocked aside by the Shark boss. "That's enough lip outta you."

"Hey!" Ani yelled at him.

Guts grunted as he was knocked back, before he glared at the shark boss. "...he threatened my family, Ani... I couldn't raise an arm to fend him off if I wanted to..."

Ani growled, and glared at the Shark boss. "…you dirty bastard."

"Tough talk for a girl like you," the Shark boss remarked.

...you know... she's been at Safe Haven longer than me." Guts coughed. "She _would_ be tough enough to talk like that."

"…all you guys are all the same…threatening someone's family or other loved ones…" Ani growled, clenching her fists. "…guys like you don't deserve the rewards you get."

"That's life kid," the boss scoffed.

"Actually…I do believe Ani's made a good point."

Suddenly, the boss was spun around and a massively powerful punch to the face knocked him a long distance away.

"BOSS!' some of the sharks bellowed out in shock.

When the boss hit the ground, he sat back up in pain, looking at the one who punched him.

Vanessa stood there with a harsh glare at him, cracking her knuckles. "…I mean honestly…can't you think of any more original ways to recruit people into your little 'business?' Did you really have to go and threaten a poor, innocent family?"

"...you said it, mom!" Jack uttered, as he was quick to knock the shark keeping him down away, before he got on his feet.

"…take some advice; don't bring innocents into your situation, because that will certainly piss people off enough to get the exact opposite effect of what you were going for," Vanessa growled.

"…ugh…damn…" the boss touched his lip and actually saw blood on his fingertips. "…fuck…that was a hard hit…If I didn't know any better, I'd say it'd be as strong as a Leoniel."

Vanessa's eyes shot open wide. "…what did you say?" Jack happened to gawk at that as well; just looking at the shark in disbelief. In fact, all of the others gawked at him as well.

The Shark boss chuckled, and stood up. "I guess you've heard of them. Wouldn't be surprised, with how damn bloodthirsty and strong they are….they certainly make good business partners."

Vanessa just stared at him in utter shock, unable to say anything.

"…but you should take it as a compliment; I'm impressed with your strength, and you seem like a pretty worthy fighter…" the Shark boss chuckled. Then he charged for Vanessa, chuckling while he got ready to punch her.

"...ah- Vanessa, watch out!" Nage called out.

"…you should be impressed alright…"

Vanessa made a stance, gritting her teeth and feeling power course throughout her body, while she awaited the boss to come at her with a murderous glare with an unmatched fury. "Considering that _YOU'RE FIGHTING ONE!_"

By the time the Shark boss heard that, his eyes widened, but he had already thrown the punch. Vanessa easily whirled around it and socked the boss in the stomach so hard, he actually coughed up blood. This knocked him into the air to land on the ground hard again, weakly trying to get back up.

And that reveal left the other sharks stupefied, along with seeing their boss beaten like that.

"_She's_ a LEONIEL?!" Dodge screamed in fear.

Guts gawked at that. "...holy... I never thought we'd have to run into one of _those_ again...!"

"…and _this_ one…is NOT on friendly terms with family…so you'd better run off with your tails tucked between your legs or I just might _kill _you bastards…" Vanessa hissed coldly.

"…g-guys…if she's one of them…s-she just might mean that threat…" Mack gulped.

"…Vanessa, don't do it; not in front of Jack," Arsenic warned. Jack just gawked at this with wide eyes.

"...w-wait, isn't he one of the older ones out of those?" Rock uttered in fear. "What's the big deal if he sees her... well..." He didn't exactly want to finish that sentence.

"…don't you assume anything out of my son…" Vanessa growled.

"…that kid's your son, huh?" the Shark boss coughed.

Rock immediately backed away. "..._two _Leoniels...!"

"...we can't stand against that." Titanium uttered. "Boss... we gotta get outta here."

"I'm not scared of the kid; he doesn't seem the least bit threatening; it's the mother that you should be worried about," the boss said, standing up. "…tell me…which Leoniel are you? I thought I've met all the ones I possibly could, but I guess I was wrong."

"…Vanessa…"

The boss's eyes widened. "…you're…"

Guts gawked as well. "...that's the...!" he uttered; visibly shuddering.

"…what?!" Vanessa demanded with a snarl. "_Spit it out! I DARE you!_"

"…yeah…that's his temper alright…" the Shark boss uttered. "…you're one of Astaroth's missing kids."

Vanessa clenched her hand's…and she looked like she was steadily loosing it right then and there, growing a more murderous glare at him by the minute.

"...not one of Astaroth's kids...!" The sharks were visibly terrified just by the thought of it.

"They said that he singlehandedly wiped out an entire town's worth of people just for pissing him off...!" Rock whispered in terror.

"He didn't even have to lift a finger to make us back off..." Luka uttered with a horrid sense of dread.

Jack just blinked at seeing them react like that. "...mom...?" He slowly looked towards Vanessa. "...is this Astaroth guy... your dad...?"

The Shark boss slowly got back up, looking over at Vanessa. "…he's still been looking for you…and now that I found you…"

…he smirked. "…maybe he just might pay a shit ton of money to me to have you back."

"…I'm…_never_…GOING _BACK!_"

Vanessa finally lost it, and with a roar, she ran at the boss.

"Boss!' This time, Dodge actually ran in front of his boss to keep Vanessa from getting to him.

That didn't stop Vanessa from jabbing her hand at him…which she practically stabbed _inside_ his chest. Blood splattered out, and Dodge choked on blood. Vanessa immediately yanked out her hand, and something pulsing with a beat was clenched in her grip. Dodge weakly looked down at it…

…it was his heart. Vanessa had viciously ripped out his actual _heart, _and for a few moments, it was still beating.

Everyone was absolutely horrified, and Ani backed away from it. "…Vanessa…no…no…don't do it…"

Vanessa simply squeezed her hand and she crushed the heart in her grip, making it burst with more blood splattering to the ground.

And promptly after that, Dodge fell to the ground, dead as a door nail.

Jack's jaw just _dropped_. "...m...mom...?"

"...oh, _shit..._" Guts uttered, as he glanced towards Ani. "...if she's _anything_ like Astaroth... we have to run. _Now._ Or we're _**all dead.**_"

"…Vanessa, stop it!" Arsenic ran for Vanessa, shooting a fire bolt to stop her.

Vanessa simply stepped away from it though, missing it by inches, and she ran to punch Mack next, who doubled over in pain. When he did, she took his arm and effortlessly ripped it right out of his socket with more blood splattering on her as she tossed it away. Mack screamed out in absolute pain and horror.

"VANESSA!" Arsenic screamed, finally getting close enough to grab her.

Vanessa just elbowed her in the gut, and then kicked Arsenic away, causing her to cough up some blood out of sheer pain.

"I'M NOT GOING BACK! _DO YOU HEAR ME?!_" Vanessa screamed in her madness.

Jack's eyes widened further at that. "...mom...!"

"...we... we gotta get out of here!" Luka called, as he looked towards the boss in desperation. "She's gonna kill us all, boss!"

Even their boss was shaking a bit at his knees right now, but whether it was because he had been weakened severely or if it was actual fear, he didn't know. "…m-maybe…you're right…" he uttered.

Vanessa was suddenly standing in front of him then, and she grabbed him by his neck. _"And just where do you think you're going?_" she hissed.

"...mom...!" Jack uttered again; unable to even move as she gawked at Vanessa with wide eyes.

"…g-g-uys…" Pudge gulped, stepping away. "…I don't think…we can get away…"

The boss stared at Vanessa in absolute terror now, while she readied to just about snap his neck. _"…I think you've done enough harm for your pathetic, worthless life…" _Vanessa hissed.

Though before she could do that, someone suddenly grabbed Vanessa's arm in an iron grip; clenching down fiercely as if to get her attention. Vanessa snarled back at the one who grabbed her arm.

"...you _stupid __**bitch!**_" All of a sudden, the one who had grabbed her arm immediately smacked her _directly_ across the face. It was a hard enough blow that it actually knocked Vanessa to the ground, and she just looked back in shock. Standing over her was Jack; however, his expression seemed absolutely different from how he had looked while Vanessa had been viciously treating the sharks; looking at her with a mixture of both anger and disgust. Vanessa just stared at him.

"...and you were supposed to be the more rational outta the two of us... can't believe this shit." he snarled, as he immediately grabbed Vanessa by the collar. "We _just_ went through an episode of getting him out of that traumatized state! You wanna bring him _back_ down there?!"

Vanessa's eyes widened, suddenly realizing what she had done. She stared down at her hands, and they shook when she saw the blood not just all over them, but all over her entire body.

"...look, I know more than anyone else how much you don't wanna go back to that old loon..." he growled, his eyes narrowing. "...but do you really think kicking back into old habits is gonna help out? Last time something like that happened, it happened to _me; a_nd I _died _because of it. You're not making things any better by acting like... well, _me._"

Vanessa finally looked back up at him.

"…what the hell just happened?" Pudge uttered.

"...that lion... he's acting completely different... like he's..." Luka uttered with wide eyes.

"...hey..." Rock gulped, as he looked at the two lions. "...didn't... Astaroth mention something about... a son? He couldn't have been..."

"...but... that makes no sense! That kid's way too young to be Astaroth's kid!" Titanium sputtered.

Meanwhile, Arsenic was just trying to get back up after those hits from Vanessa, still coughing, but no blood this time, and she weakly stumbled onto her feet. "…do you sharks really want a repeat of what just happened?" Arsenic grumbled. "…I think I suggest that you leave now before the exact same thing happens…"

"…and let Guts go! You can't threaten his family anymore!" Ani demanded.

The sharks looked at the group with a fearful look; slowly shuffling towards the boss shark.

At that point, he looked away from Vanessa to glare at the boss shark. "...if you do run into Astaroth again... you just tell him that Johnny's not letting his baby sister go back home."

The Shark boss's eyes widened and he stepped away in fear as well. "J-JOHNNY?!"

Promptly, he turned around and ran away. "I'm getting outta here!"

"Ah- BOSS!" The other sharks quickly grabbed the bodies of the fallen, and ran after him.

With that, Johnny finally dropped Vanessa to the ground, as he rubbed his head. "...geez... some mess you stirred up, now..."

Vanessa looked back down at the ground at that. Sighing, Johnny merely crouched down to stay on level with Vanessa; looking into her eyes.

It was utterly silent for a long time. Vanessa refused to look back up at Johnny.

"...look at me." Johnny murmured, as he held Vanessa up so she would be forced to look at him. "Don't you look away."

Vanessa wasn't able to struggle from looking away, so she just stared back at Johnny.

"Look... you fucked up. Colossally, so, even." Johnny hummed, as his eyes narrowed. "But you're sure as hell not going to let that get you down. You're better than that... you're better than _me,_ you hear?"

"…even after _that_ display?" Vanessa muttered.

"...after that display... you more or less _have _to." Johnny mused. "Otherwise... well, you're gonna become more like me, and that's just no good..."

"...I... don't know if that's the proper way to comfort someone..." Guts remarked a bit shakily.

"Look, I'm trying, alright? This is a first for me..." Johnny groaned.

"…Guts…you…met the Leoniels?" Ani uttered, looking at him.

"...yeah... a couple months before now," Guts murmured. "It was a... business deal, I think. The boss intended to negotiate with the head honcho, Astaroth Leoniel... and I saw him. Just looking at that guy... it was like being in a _nightmare... _the guy was nothing short of a demon in Mobian form..."

Everyone silently looked at each other on that.

Then they slowly looked back at Johnny and Vanessa.

"...c'mon, Vanessa; stop being difficult about this." Johnny sighed. "You know better than me that I suck at these kinda things... you just need to try and overcome this..."

Vanessa sighed…and eventually, she stood up. "…I gotta clean myself up."

"...you go and do that." Johnny murmured. "I'll keep tabs on Jack; he's gonna have to stay asleep for a while longer after this."

Vanessa walked away toward the cabin after that.

"…k-keep that mad bitch away from me!" Gruff uttered, hiding under his bed.

"…don't worry; she won't hurt you," Milo sighed.

Slowly rising up, Johnny glanced at the others with a small hum. "...well? Anyone gonna say anything?" he inquired.

Ani just blinked, and looked back at Guts again. "…we've…got a crapload of things to explain to ya dude…"

"...considering you're with two Leoniels... especially two who are practically _wanted_by Astaroth... yeah, I figured." Guts murmured.

"...wait, _wanted?_" Johnny uttered in surprise. "The old man's put a _bounty_on our heads?"

"...according to what he told my ex-boss... yes." Guts gulped.

"…that's a long time to have a bounty," Striker muttered.

"…I got the impression that Vanessa was not a wanted child, and that Johnny had gotten kidnapped early on," Arsenic muttered. "Why's he got bounties on them?"

"...because any lost child to him is like losing your arms for others." Johnny remarked. "He needs strong children to carry the Leoniel legacy for him... the more he can train into being killers like him, the more his legacy is preserved."

"…and…that means…?" Striker asked, tilting his head.

"Geez, I know you're a kid, but this shouldn't fly over your head like that." Johnny remarked dryly. "He wants strong lion cubs to raise into being killers from day one... that's what most Leoniels would strive for, anyway; picking only other lions and lionesses as their mates..."

All of their eyes widened at that.

"…you mean…only lions and lionesses?" Arsenic uttered.

"..._only _lions and lionesses." Johnny nodded.

"...wait..." Nage uttered. "...what would that mean for... well..."

"..." Johnny merely glanced to the side, as it seemed like he did realize what Nage had been getting at.

"…he better not find out about Callous…or…" Ani uttered, eventually looking over at Arsenic, who looked pretty sickly right now.

"...hopefully, we shouldn't have to worry about him at all." Johnny murmured. "We've got way too much on our hands to worry about a relic from the past like him..."

"…yeah, we've already got enough of our past haunting us," Ani grumbled.

"...tell me about it..." Johnny murmured.

"…alright…so here's what's going on Guts…" Ani started off.

* * *

><p>She still felt weak, and felt an ache from when she had been hit with that attack, so she groaned when she started coming to, and weakly pushing herself off the ground. "…fuck…"<p>

"...about time." Bulk growled, as his arms folded. "Even with your newfound powers, that old fox just knocked you straight out..."

"…old fox probably just knew one trick too many…" Patricia uttered.

"...up against you and your many souls?" Bulk huffed. "I find that hard to believe... he must've had a secret weapon."

"…it was like…Purity…but it was different…" Patricia growled.

"...in any case..." Bulk huffed, as he rubbed his neck. "...going after him was a bust."

"…wait a minute…how did you figure out…?!" And she gawked up at Bulk.

Bulk huffed, as he folded his arms. "Why else would we be goin' after some old fox who probably only has a few more years left in his lifespan?"

Patricia scoffed, and looked away from him.

"...so, what now?" he huffed, as he glanced to the side.

"…alright Bulk, you win…" Patricia muttered. "…let's plan the invasion to Safe Haven."

"..._finally._" Bulk huffed. "The troops are just about raring to go; they just need their orders, and we're set on that front."

"…start the planning with the generals…I'm going to be right back…" Patricia muttered, standing up to walk away.

"...you're not gonna be around to plan this out?" Bulk hummed.

"…if I'm a fuck-up now, I'll probably just fuck-up the plans anyway…" Patricia muttered.

"...hm." With a huff, Bulk turned to walk off.

…_I'll just find somebody else to go after other than the damn old man…_ Patricia thought, disappearing into a void.

Bulk simply scoffed. _...damn bitch... getting that kinda technique on a whim..._ he thought bitterly. _...how am I supposed to take charge when she's powering herself up like that...?_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Boy, things are starting to get tense!<strong>  
><em>


	44. Chapter 43

Someone else this morning was waking up too, but this individual had been asleep for days, even months on end. It was only just now that he started to return to some sense of coherency, hearing some voices in the distance…and yet, right beside him.

"His vitals are getting better…"

"Heart rate is relaxing…"

He let out a soft mumble, wondering what was going on…

"...make sure to keep him stable... the last thing we need is a relapse..."

That voice he was able to recognize a little, and he felt himself coming back a bit more.

"…Sergeant?" one of the other voices spoke, which was one he didn't recognize.

He tried to move something, like his arms. He was able to twitch his fingertips at first, and groan a bit more. He was very stiff, and it hurt a little.

"...don't strain yourself. You've woken up from a very long sleep... you're bound to be stiff." the familiar voice remarked.

"…C…Commander…?" he uttered.

A hand wrapped gently around his to hold it. "...welcome back, Sergeant."

Slowly, he was able to crack open his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he was in a bed, and many IVs for life support were hooked up to his body. Two or three nurses and doctors were around him, observing the monitors and him.

And sitting by his side was the Commander; still holding his hand as a faint smile was present on her face. The Sergeant blinked weakly at that.

"...you've been out for a long while." she remarked. "I'm glad to see your eyes open."

"…how long…?" the Sergeant asked.

"You were comatose for about two months sir," one of the nurses answered. "Almost three."

"…I…see…" the Sergeant uttered, closing his eyes again.

"...right now, you just need to recover your strength." the Commander spoke.

"…what is the status…of the…" The Sergeant was still a bit out of it, unable to finish his question.

"Sir, please rest for a bit longer…" the doctor recommended. "You aren't quite clear-minded enough to take in any information regarding the status of anything."

The Commander simply hummed; giving the Sergeant a small nod. The Sergeant breathed a little easier, and laid back onto the bed.

"...you just make sure to recover your strength." the Commander spoke with a nod. "Take it easy for now..."

"…where am I?" the Sergeant asked.

"We're in a remote location only GUN knows about; a place the Corrupted forces wouldn't think to search for us." the Commander chuckled. "...my summer home."

"…is that really…safe…?" the Sergeant uttered.

"...we've been here ever since we got you away from the Corrupted." the Commander noted. "Nothing's tried attacking us since then."

The Sergeant closed his eyes again.

"…his condition is very stable, ma'am. Should we continue to monitor him?" one of the doctors asked.

"...just in case." she spoke with a nod. "But... I think you can afford to be a bit more lax now, since he's recovering."

"…what's…happened so far…?" the Sergeant asked.

"...the Corrupted are still loose." the Commander murmured. "They're most likely going to assault the most obvious target... I've been in touch with a select few to prepare for an invasion."

"…you think…they might be ready…?" The Sergeant uttered.

"...yes." the Commander murmured.

"…what about…Condit…?" he spoke.

"...the mother is still in house arrest." the Commander mused. "...the daughter is... still missing."

"…and…Metal Sonic…?"

"...still searching for the daughter."

The Sergeant fell silent at that, closing his eyes again. The Commander simply glanced at him. His head tilted over on the pillow, and he breathed a bit more.

"…just rest sir…things are fine," the doctor assured.

"...we will take care of things until you've recovered." the Commander hummed with a nod.

The Sergeant looked at the Commander in response, and his eyes closed again; this time, falling asleep again soon after.

* * *

><p>"…Hex…?" The door was opened slowly and quietly, and Fae looked into the room with some concern.<p>

What Fae would see was that Hex was silently slumbering with her head and arms on the side of the bed; one hand still wrapped around May's hand as she slumbered. Fae arched her brows in concern, and came over to touch Hex on the shoulder. "…Hex…it's time to wake up," she said.

"...mh..." Blinking slightly, Hex slowly opened her eyes to look up at her. "...May...?"

"…oh…um…no…" Fae responded to her sadly.

Hex blinked a bit more, before she closed her eyes with a light sigh. "...nh... sorry..." she murmured, as she reluctantly let go of May's hand.

"…no…don't apologize," Fae said, looking over at May's body.

"...mh..." One could tell from Hex's expression that she almost wanted to say sorry for apologizing, but she held it back, as she looked solemnly down at May.

"…your group's getting ready to leave…so that's why I came to wake you up," Fae muttered.

"...I see..." Hex murmured, as she turned her head to look at Fae.

"…Hex…will you be okay?" Fae asked.

"...I... hope so." Hex murmured.

Fae bit her lip on that. With a small sigh, Hex slowly began making her way for the door, but stopped just before stepping through it. Fae just looked at Hex worriedly.

"...mark my words..." Hex slowly uttered, as she clenched her hands together. "...I won't rest until I've returned May to normal."

Fae nodded with a gulp at that.

"...and I won't rest... until Patricia Novagod _pays_ for this injustice..." Hex murmured.

"…right…" Fae responded, because to some degree, she had no choice but to trust Hex with the duty of bringing her sister's soul back.

Hex closed her eyes, as she set her hand on the door. "...hrm... guess I must've slept in because of... that dream..."

"…dream…?" Fae uttered.

"...a dream... someone told me something..." Hex murmured.

"…what do you mean?" Fae asked.

"...it's strange, but... I think in that dream... I saw Raider." Hex uttered.

"…R-Raider…?" Fae's eyes widened at that.

"...like his spirit told me to be careful..."

"…you mean…it might get really dangerous?" Fae asked even more worriedly.

"...perhaps." Hex murmured.

"…oh Hex…please be careful…" Fae uttered.

"...I'll try..." Hex nodded. "...but until May's safe... I can't make any promises..."

Fae eventually nodded at that. Then she came over and hugged Hex. "…I'll see you around then, Hex," she said.

Hex closed her eyes, and let out a small sigh. "...yeah... see you around, Fae..."

* * *

><p>Thankfully, Patricia was in another ghost town of sorts, just kicking an empty can around. Right now, she was pissed off mainly at herself. Most of what everyone said about her was true, and that really, she was the one holding up the group right now. Her best bet would be to let Bulk run things, and if he messed up, then at least they could be even.<p>

Right now, she was on her own…and probably, it was a good time to build up some power on her own.

At that point, the sound of glass shattering was heard from an empty building.

Patricia's ears perked up, and she stopped walking when she heard that sound. More silence followed, save for more glass shattering; coming from a nearby bar.

Patricia turned her head toward the bar she heard the noise coming from, and she started stepping toward it. More glass kept shattering, and she could clearly hear someone murmur to themselves inside. For a while, she looked inside to watch the movements, and eventually, she popped open the door to step inside.

There were a lot of glass shards spread across the floor, and sitting against the counter was a lone being; clutching a bottle of alcohol along with several other bottles lined up next to him. He was a gruff looking lion Mobian that was much older than Patricia…and certainly more menacing looking too. His greying dark red mane was long, greased back to look a bit sharper with strands of it hanging over his forehead, and the rest of it flowing down his back. He wore a dark blue pin-stripe suit, which didn't do much to hide his massively strong physique, even with the trench coat on top of that suit.

...something about him seemed very familiar to Patricia...

"...Patricia Novagod." he spoke in a dark, coarse tone that was wrought with age.

"…and just who might you be?" Patricia asked, figuring that the lion knew her because of her publicity.

Slowly, the lion glanced back at her; crimson eyes piercing a glare against her yellow digits.

"...Astaroth... Leoniel."

Patricia's eyes widened a bit at that.

…_another Leoniel…fun…_

With a scoff, he turned away from her and took a deep swig from the bottle he was holding; emptying it in a single gulp.

"…hmph…I though you looked familiar…" Patricia grunted. Then she looked around. "…what could you possibly want in an abandoned place like this?"

"...oh, it wasn't abandoned this morning." Astaroth hummed, as he tossed the glass bottle against the wall; shattering it. "I came here to drink. Everyone evacuated the town for at least a three-day notice."

Patricia looked back at him with interest. "…I see…that big a reputation, huh?"

Then she shook her head. "…you Leoniels are all the same…"

Astaroth took hold of another bottle then; moving a hand towards the cap. "...you've run into our ilk before, I presume." he mused dryly.

"…only too many times before…" Patricia grumbled. Then she folded her arms. "…I don't suppose you would know the ones I'm toiling with, would you?"

"...that depends." he murmured.

"…do the names Johnny and Vanessa ring a bell?" Patricia hummed.

He froze.

"...how... do you know them?"

"…how do I _not_ know them?" Patricia grumbled. "…if you really must know, good ol' Johnny seemed to have gotten involved with my uncle Deity Novagod many years ago…and now they seem to be running around making a mess of things out there."

"...curious..." Without hesitation, Astaroth suddenly tore the cap off the bottle, before tossing it towards Patricia for her to catch. "...tell me more."

Patricia immediately caught it.

"…what's more…they're running around with a group of other fighters, looking for a particular brat that I've also been having trouble with," she continued, actually taking a sip from the bottle.

Grabbing a second bottle, Astaroth remained quiet, as he opened it and drank from it.

"…there's so much detail to it all that it would damn near take forever to tell," Patricia said. "…the gist of it is, that three families have gotten tied up in this mess. My family, the Novagods, your family, the Leoniels…"

"…and the Condit family."

"...hm." Astaroth hummed. "...word has spread to my ear of the Novagods... but the Condit family is one unfamiliar to me..."

"…of course no one has heard of the Condit family…they started out as weak, but now, they're a secret small family which can match to the power of the Novagods and even the Leoniels."

"...preposterous." Astaroth scoffed.

"…you really think that?" Patricia hummed.

He simply nodded.

"…well then…what if I told you they had rare powers as well?"

Astaroth finished off the bottle he was drinking from, before he set it down on the counter. "...you seem to know a lot... Patricia Novagod..."

"…even I have some of these rare powers…" Patricia said. "…care to see for yourself?" With Corruption building in her hands, she shattered the bottle in her hands.

…_with a Leoniel's spiritual energy to feed on…I'll be even more powerful…_ she thought.

Astaroth simply hummed, as he took another bottle and opened the cap on it.

Without any more hesitation, Patricia ran Astaroth, lunging her Corruption-coated arm at him. However, in that very instant, Astaroth _immediately _tossed the bottle of alcohol right for Patricia's arm; with such force that it would not only knock her to the floor, but also make it feel like her arm had been broken. Patricia yelped out when she hit the ground, and held to her arm weakly.

Slowly, Astaroth stood up from where he sat, as he walked towards Patricia whilst putting a hand in his pocket. "...48 bottles... not even a little buzzed... this alcohol's a fucking disgrace..." he snarled, as he simply glanced down at Patricia. Patricia cringed at her arm, glaring back up at Astaroth while she grit her teeth.

"...well... there's one good thing with all alcohol, anyway." At that point, he stomped his foot down on Patricia's chest to keep her pinned, when he pulled out a lighter.

Patricia just stared at the lighter, getting a feeling of what he was going to do. "...it burns." With that, he flicked the lighter to make a flame appear, before he dropped it; letting the open flame land on Patricia's alcohol-soaked arm. The minute it landed on her arm, it burst into flames.

Patricia yelped, and then grunted in the pain of her arm burning in alcohol-fueled flames. Without even a remark against her, he merely crouched down to pick the lighter up from the flames; his expression remaining unchanged as his hand came in contact with the blazing fire whilst picking the lighter up. Patricia grit her teeth even more, seeing that he wasn't affected by the flames at all.

As he pocketed the lighter, he simply walked over to the counter, picked up one of the filled bottles there... and then suddenly hurled it right at Patricia where she was lying. The minute it shattered against her, the rest of her body burst into flames, and she yelped some more.

Astaroth just turned to look at her with a hardened expression, as he pocketed his hands. "...you're a fool, Patricia Novagod... to think that you could assault me without getting yourself killed."

After a while of burning…

"…oh…? …you think…you can kill me…?"

Slowly but surely, Patricia actually started to climb to her feet, despite still being on fire. Astaroth remained wary; gazing at her with narrowed eyes.

Suddenly, it almost looked like Patricia had started melting, and because of the goo all over her, the fire sizzled out on her and became nothing but steam and smoke. Then any burn marks that were on her body were immediately healed up.

"...hm." Astaroth didn't seem too impressed.

Finally, it seemed like there wasn't even a scratch on her, and she folded her arms at him with a glare.

"...regeneration of your own tissue... curious." Astaroth hummed.

"…that's only a little of what Corruption can do," Patricia said.

"...and you think this strong enough to kill me?" Astaroth scoffed.

Patricia smirked. "…It was strong enough to kill Johnny."

His eyes narrowed. "...and yet he's still roaming around?"

"…well…his soul anyway," Patricia answered. "The only way he can roam around is if he possesses Vanessa's son."

That actually made Astaroth's eyes widen. "...Vanessa's... son...?"

Patricia tapped her lip. "…oh yeah…story goes that she had run away before you even got the chance to see the kid born…"

"…but she has a 24 year old son with her now…"

His eyes narrowed, and he slowly approached Patricia. "...you will tell me... everything you know."

"…that depends…" Patricia said. "…what would I get in return, should I tell you?"

"...avoiding the true wrath of a Leoniel," Astaroth spoke slowly.

Patricia frowned on that.

"...speak, then." Astaroth hummed, as he kept advancing towards her. "Or suffer the consequences."

Patricia simply clenched her fist up, and when he was close enough, she threw it at him. The punch, however, was almost like striking a solid steel wall; Astaroth didn't even flinch as he was struck. "...is that it?"

"…persuade me to talk for you," Patricia growled, throwing another punch; this time, coated with Corruption.

Instantly, Astaroth shot a hand out to grab Patricia's arm; clenching it and glaring at her. "...as you wish." As he spoke, he clenched his hand, save for a lone index finger he kept extended...

...and then, all of a sudden, he _slammed_ that hand directly into Patricia's chest; the punch having so much force that the finger acted like a bullet shot from a pistol in terms of damage. It shot Patricia back against the wall across the bar, and it actually caused her to cough for air because of how hard the impact was.

Without skipping a beat, Astaroth jabbed his foot's tip against the floor beneath him... and then he suddenly shot a kick at the air; sending a gust of compressed air rocketing directly towards the bat like a projectile. It knocked her against the wall with an even harder impact that it actually made her cough blood. Then she fell to the ground weakly.

Slowly, Astaroth approached her. "...what's the matter? Didn't you say that this power proved sufficient to kill Johnny Leoniel?"

Patricia made no response, but weakly she tried to get back up. "...well... let me tell you something..." At that point, Astaroth grabbed Patricia by the collar, and hoisted her up.

"...no child of mine could ever truly be killed by such a pathetic force."

With that, he suddenly threw a punch so devastating that not only would it make Patricia fly out of his grip, not only would she be sent flying through the wall, but she would be sent flying through _several_ buildings in the city before she'd come to an eventual, painful stop. After all that, Patricia collapsed into whatever rubble she landed in. It didn't help that he had still been weakened by Tails before, and so now, she wasn't able to get back up.

Slowly, Astaroth slowly walked across town from where he had punched Patricia; eyes narrow as he rubbed his head a touch. "...such a disappointment... but this is a curious revelation..."

Patricia just barely had the strength to look up at him.

As he stopped by her, he slowly crouched to pick her up by the collar; glaring at her eyes. "...you'll be coming with me. Until you've made sure that I can reunite with my son, daughter and grandchild... you will not be returning to your allies."

Patricia growled at him. "...now... let us be off..." With that, he slowly began carrying her off; hoisting her over his shoulder as if she were a mere ragdoll.

Patricia couldn't do anything but allow herself to be carried; that was all.

* * *

><p>"…whew…there's a lot going on, isn't there?" Bruno asked, while he walked down the town with his friends.<p>

"…yes…there certainly is a commotion…" Belinda hummed.

"...it's causing a stir, that's for sure." Caitlin mused to herself.

"…at least the Admiral seems to trust us," Bruno chuckled. "…still can't say the same about the Captain and the Lieutenants though."

"...well, one of the Lieutenants, anyway." Caitlin remarked. "And even the other guy seems to have stopped being as intrusive as he was when this all started. Wonder why, though."

"…I suppose we'll know sooner or later…" Belinda said. "…hopefully, though, today we can relax."

"Yeah..." Caitlin hummed. "...you guys think we could take the chance to visit Jill?" she suggested.

"…I think so," Bruno said. "Actually, I remember hearing that Tasha's staying over there now."

"Well, then; I say we go and pay them a visit." Caitlin chuckled.

"I like the sound of that," Belinda hummed.

So the three of them headed off toward Jill's Malt shop, and thankfully, the guards at her door allowed them inside without any trouble. Caitlin gave them a small nod as they entered.

They headed up the stairs, and when they knocked on the door, it had been opened by Tasha. She was surprised to see them. "Caitlin, Bruno, Belinda," she said with a smile.

"Tasha." Caitlin chuckled. "Baby's coming along just fine, I take it?" she began; just to start up friendly conversation.

"Oh, it's fine," Tasha answered. "…C-Come in, all of you!" and she allowed them in.

Nodding, Caitlin walked in first, before allowing Belinda and Bruno to follow. Bruno looked around. " ...Where's Jill?"

Tasha looked a little nervous.

Caitlin tilted her head. "...she's not still asleep, is she?" she remarked.

"...Yes, she is," Tasha answered, rubbing the back of her head. "She had a little episode."

"...wait, really?" Caitlin blinked at that. "What happened?"

"She...had a bit too much to drink and I happened to say something that set her off..." Tasha answered.

"Oh..." Bruno blinked at that. "...you're alright, right?"

Tasha nodded. "Sonia was able to come over to help me calm her down."

"...ah, I see." Caitlin nodded. "Well, she'll wake up on her own time, I figure."

"Right," Tasha said.

"Bu in the meantime, how about a little brunch?" Bruno suggested. "Me and Belinda can cook up something, and you're free to visit with Caitlin in the meantime!"

Caitlin chuckled. "That sounds like a good idea."

"We'll only be a moment," Belinda chuckled, while she and Bruno headed into the kitchen.

Tasha turned to smile at Caitlin then. "Shall we sit?"

"Of course." Caitlin hummed with a nod.

Tasha led Caitlin into the living room. She could see some hints of damage in the room, possibly from Jill's episode that Tasha mentioned, but for the most part, it all had been cleaned up. The two of them sat on the couch, and Tasha sighed with relief upon being seated, rubbing her tummy. It was gradually getting heavier for her.

Caitlin smiled as she glanced at Tasha's tummy. "Not long now, is it?" she remarked.

"Well, I still have a bit to go," Tasha spoke. "But not nearly as long, yes..."

"...can't wait to see the little guy." Caitlin mused with a smile.

"...I can't wait either," Tasha said, closing her eyes. "...I just hope Twilight comes back in time before that happens, though..."

"...I'm sure he will." Caitlin hummed, as she set a hand on Tasha's shoulder. "Knowing him, he wouldn't want to miss this for the world." Tasha smiled at Caitlin for that.

Caitlin smiled back, before she glanced at Tasha's tummy. "...has he been kicking about a lot?" she inquired.

"Yes, he has," Tasha chuckled uneasily. "I really can safely say that it is his child..."

"...and my grandchild, no doubt." Caitlin chuckled in a sage tone. Tasha giggled at that. Caitlin, in turn, chuckled in response.

Tasha smiled at Caitlin. "Hopefully you've been well?"

"Oh, yeah, I've been great!" Caitlin chuckled. "Things have been relatively quiet these days, so we're not stressing out over thinking of new pranks all the time."

"That's good," Tasha responded.

"Yeah." Caitlin chuckled. "That's given me, Bruno and Belinda time to just... relax..." She sighed wistfully with a wide smile.

"... What's that look for?" Tasha asked curiously.

"Oh..." Caitlin chuckled. "...well... I don't know if you know, but... me and Bruno hit it off a couple years back."

Tasha raised her eyebrows. "...Really?"

"Yup." Caitlin chuckled.

"...but...isn't Bruno Hunter's father?" Tasha asked.

"...well... yeah; but there's nothing _wrong_ about that, right?" Caitlin chuckled.

"I suppose not, but it is surprising to say the least," Tasha spoke.

"...you know, most who we've told this about had pretty much the same reaction." Caitlin noted.

"I would think so, if you've told Twilight and Hunter," Tasha giggled.

Caitlin chuckled. "Oh, they reacted about as well as you'd expect." she remarked.

"...so, you've been with Bruno for that long?" Tasha asked.

"Yup." Caitlin chuckled. "And boy, is it a treat, let me tell you!"

Tasha was somewhat interested in this. "What has it been like for you two? What did you do together?"

"Ooh... lots of things." Caitlin chuckled with a smile. Tasha rubbed her stomach, waiting for Caitlin to continue. "...to make it brief, because it's a _lot_ to cover..." Caitlin chuckled. "...we've traveled. Through the sky, through the ocean, across the mountains... as extremely as we could muster!"

Tasha was surprised. "All that?"

"And _more._" Caitlin laughed.

Tasha giggled at that as well. "Now I'm truly interested."

"And I'll tell you all about it, if you wanna hear!" Caitlin laughed.

Tasha smiled even more. "I'd love to."

* * *

><p>"…that's the whole story…" Patricia Novagod uttered, down in a damp, dark basement while she was tied to a chair with rope. Blood was draining from her blistered lip, due to the heavy beat downs she had sustained in the last few hours. "…right now…that little brat is wandering around out there, doing whatever she damn well pleases…considering she's inherited the bloodlust from the Leoniels from Johnny, and the mischief for trouble from that Callous bitch."<p>

"...hm..." Seated right across from her at the moment, with a thick, lit cigar clenched firmly between his teeth, was Astaroth; flicking his lighter from time to time as he observed the bloodied Novagod. "...I would never have imagined something like this happening..."

"…and all of the others are scattered about…" Patricia murmured.

"...into tidy little groups..." Astaroth mused, as he breathed out a plume of thick cigar smoke; eyes closed in thought. "...and all this for a little girl... such an entitled brat, to garner so much attention due to a temper tantrum..."

Patricia coughed a little at the cigar smoke that drifted her direction.

"...and really, isn't that what all this boils down to? A spoiled child who only causes trouble in a vain attempt to garner some attention..." Astaroth practically spat the words in disgust. "...such a troublesome child... clearly the workings of this Callous' genes."

"...I wouldn't know..." Patricia muttered.

"...of course you wouldn't." Astaroth hummed. "I'm merely thinking out loud... I wouldn't expect an outsider, especially one who desperately attempts to emulate her uncle, to understand the kind of resentment I feel towards this Callous at the moment..."

"...but I'm sure that's not all you resent...is it?" Patricia hummed. "...Especially when you son squandered his talents for her."

The instant she had said that, the sound of a gun being fired rang through the air, and Patricia's head would very briefly fall limp.

"...I know Johnathan better than that." Astaroth sneered, as he had fired a pistol directly at Patricia's head; smoke billowing from the barrel. "He would not squander anything."

It took a while, but the black sludge sealed up the hole on her head where he shot her, and she grunted. Just because it didn't kill her, didn't mean it didn't hurt.

"...most likely, that woman... Callous..." Astaroth rubbed his chin in thought, whilst blowing away the smoke from the barrel; the mixed scent of cigar smoke and gunpowder billowing against Patricia. "...I suppose I will find out about this later..." Then, his gaze fell back on the bat. "...more importantly... if I recall correctly, you spoke of Vanessa, and... her son..."

Patricia coughed some more before she responded. "...yeah?"

"...this son..." Astaroth narrowed his eyes. "...I know for a fact that his father was _not_ a lion... I personally saw to the demise of that wretched filth... but the boy is still a lion, is he not?"

"...yeah," Patricia answered.

"...raised by Vanessa..." he mused, as his eyes closed, "...knowing who Vanessa was before that filth got to her, I can only assume that the boy is as fierce a killer as she was... correct?"

Patricia just blinked at him.

...eventually, she sighed. "...you're _definitely_ not going to like what I'll have to say about that."

"...hm?" Astaroth raised an eyebrow.

Patricia just looked back at Astaroth with a dry, irritated look. She knew she was going to suffer for telling him this, given the numerous beat downs he already gave her for either denying information, or giving him information that he didn't like. It was simply better that she told him anyway though.

"His name is Jack," Patricia said, "and apparently, Vanessa had 'issues' with family traditions, so he wasn't raised a killer. In fact, Jack is nothing more than a man-child. He still 'pinkie-swears' of all things."

There. She had said it.

Astaroth remained silent; however, just by looking at his cigar, which was suddenly flaring up as he silently inhaled, indicated that he was _beyond_ enraged. Patricia watched him carefully at this point.

"...issues... hm..." Astaroth spoke in a firm tone. "...how... troubling."

The instant he said that, he promptly snapped the cigar in his mouth solely by his teeth gritting.

Even Patricia didn't like seeing him angry like this. "...yeah."

"...tell me... do you know where Vanessa is right now...?" Astaroth spoke slowly.

"...no." Patricia muttered. "How could I know at this point? You kidnapped me."

"...hm." Astaroth scoffed, as he suddenly grabbed Patricia by the throat. "Then your usefulness to me greatly diminishes."

Patricia choked in his hold, staring at him wide eyed.

"I may not be able to kill you... but I'm certain that handing you over to the likes of Metal Sonic to finish you off would finish the job, if what you told me is true." Astaroth remarked coldly.

"…and what would you do then, Leoniel?" Patricia grunted.

"...locate her myself." Astaroth scoffed. "It would accomplish a lot more than your forked tongue telling stories of greater titans than yourself..."

"…maybe I left out just one more _other_ detail…" Patricia spoke. "…Johnny can possess her son."

Astaroth hummed. "...possess him... you say?" He seemed interested by that.

Patricia nodded. "…I mean…after all…he's dead. His spirit was just simply able to figure out how to possess someone because he was in his family line."

"...how... curious." Astaroth mused, as he tilted his head. "Even for me... this is a new discovery..."

There was a sudden knock at the door in the basement, then.

Astaroth glanced towards the door. "...who is it?"

The boss of the sharks timidly walked in, immediately noticing that Astaroth was not in the best of moods. "S-sir…I…need to…" And then he saw Patricia, gawking at her.

"…what?" Patricia scoffed.

Clenching his grip lightly around Patricia's neck, Astaroth narrowed his eyes. "...what is it?"

"S-Sir!" The boss uttered, quivering. "I-I think I saw…who you've been looking for! The kids of yours!"

Patricia choked at Astaroth's grip, but her eyes widened at the fact the sharks had run into that group.

"Sh-she ripped out one of my men's heart right in front of us, and crushed it! She was about to kill us!" Now the boss was losing his hold on himself.

Astaroth remained silent. "...did she really, now."

"…and her son…it was freaky…but he acted as if he was…her younger brother," The shark boss uttered. "…and he gave us a message to you…"

"...did he, now." Astaroth seemed mighty interested.

"…he said that Johnny's not letting his baby sister go back home…s-sir…" the shark boss uttered, cringing to brace himself for whatever beating Astaroth would give him for that.

Astaroth remained silent...

...and then he began chuckling. "So, the whelp finally decided to grow a backbone."

The shark boss peeked at him hesitantly for that. It was a shocking response compared to the one he was expecting.

"...where did you encounter her? And where were they headed?" Astaroth hummed, as he approached the shark.

"…you know the old rooster's vacation cabin in the mountains?" The shark uttered. "…we were gonna burn his house if he didn't pay up his money…and…_they_ showed up."

"...ah, the rooster..." Astaroth hummed. "...and from there... there's only one path off it..." He chuckled. "...I think a family reunion is in order."

The shark boss gulped at that with wider eyes.

With that, Astaroth made his way past the shark. "...tell the ladies that I will be gone for a longer while."

"…u-uh…s-sure…" the shark boss uttered, looking back at Patricia who was still stuck in the chair. "..wh-what about her?"

"...do as you wish with her. I care not." Astaroth responded.

"O-okay..." The shark boss uttered, slowly looking back at Patricia.

She just stared at him with a glare.

Astaroth merely kept his eyes closed as he wandered up towards the living room; intending to head out through there to confront his lost family members.

"Astaroth!"

Suddenly, the old lion was confronted by two younger ones, and they were restraining a lioness in their grasp that was truing to struggle.

"We got some fresh meat from the streets," one of them chuckled.

"A feisty one too." the other one sneered.

Astaroth hummed, as he looked directly at the lioness. She was still trying to struggle, refusing to look at any of them. She has a pretty face, which looked scared, but determined to get away. She also had quite the body; slender and curved, even a little toned.

"...hm..." With a hum, Astaroth took hold of the lioness' head; as if inspecting her facial features closely. She stared in fright at Astaroth with shaken, sapphire eyes. She knew who he was, and wondered what he was going to do with her. To Astaroth, her face was such a perfect shape, and though she looked delicate, she still looked determined.

"...she seems suitable." Astaroth mused, as he glanced at the two lions. "I won't be able to find out in detail for now, since I would be heading out... so until I return, I'll leave her in your care."

One of the lions smirked at her, while the lioness began to struggle again in panic. "We'll take _good_ care of her."

"_Real_good care of her." the other lion chuckled.

"As I expect of fellow Leoniels." Astaroth hummed dryly, before he made his way past the trio. "By all means, take your time; even I'm not certain when I'll return."

"...NOOO!"

Suddenly, the lioness kicked one in the groin and headbutt the other one, breaking free. With that, she frantically started to run off.

"...oh, they always seem to struggle..." Astaroth hummed, as he glared at where the lioness ran off to. "...find a different one. I will take care of her." With a huff, he began dashing after the lioness.

"Right," huffed the lion that had been kicked in the groin.

Meanwhile, the lioness was finally able to get outside, and she didn't stop there. However, Astaroth was hot on her tail; eyes narrowed as he merely focused on catching up to her.

* * *

><p>"...hm..." As she walked out of the room she had been sleeping in, Sage let out a yawn. "...everyone's waking up, it seems..."<p>

Near the room Sage walked out of, came Cal. "...that was a good rest," he admitted. "I needed that."

"...we all did, Cal." Sage chuckled, as she hummed a touch. "...though I have a gut feeling that someone might need more rest later on today."

"...hm?" Cal looked curiously at Sage for that.

"I won't name names, but... _someone _didn't sleep last night." Sage hummed with a smirk.

"...huh." Natal tilted her head. "I'm pretty sure everyone went to bed relatively early last night..."

"...Why wouldn't anyone have been able to sleep last night?" Cal asked cluelessly.

"Not that they weren't able... they were just too occupied." Sage remarked with another chuckle.

Cal thought about that for a moment. Before he could ask any more about it, though, Boomer walked by. "So Sage," she started, "when should we leave?"

Sage gave Boomer a nod. "Just give everyone time to wake up and get something to eat. I'd think we can leave in less than an hour."

"A generous amount of time... I'm sure we'll finish up before an hour passes." Natal nodded.

"Works for me," Boomer replied. "Me 'n Newt are gonna go ahead and grab something to eat." With that, she walked off.

"...I'm gonna go check on everyone," Cal said, walking off as well.

Sage simply chuckled with a nod to Cal, before she and Natal followed Boomer to grab a bite to eat.

Cal checked up on the others, seeing them wake up easily enough. There was one, though, that Cal wasn't able to find no matter how much he looked through the manor.

That was Rudy.

"...where is he?" He murmured to himself.

"...wow, that was a big one." he suddenly heard.

Cal's eyes widened and he looked up and the ceiling

"Wow, that really WAS big," said another voice. "It was amazing."

"...that's Rudy's voice," Cal whispered to himself.

"I think it might've been the biggest one." the other voice remarked. "I mean, there were some big ones during the night, but... they couldn't compare to _that_."

"Man," Rudy sighed. "I never thought how much fun this is."

Cal just... blinked. He didn't really know what they were talking about, but he wondered...

"I know, right?" As Cal listened closer, he'd find that the other voice was female; Odium's. "I gotta say, you did really well for a first-timer. Blew my mind, it did..."

"Really?" Rudy replied, sounding surprised.

"Yeah. I mean, sure, it was a rocky start, but... well, I didn't expect you to take charge so suddenly." Odium giggled. "I think you found some spots even I've missed on my own..."

"Aw, you're making me blush," Rudy uttered.

Cal's eyes slowly widened in a shocking realization.

..._you've got to be kidding me_, he thought. _Rudy seriously didn't..._

"Hey, I'm being sincere." Odium chuckled. "And even for just one night, we covered a lot of ground. Imagine how much more we could do if you were staying longer."

"Yeah," Rudy agreed.

..._alright, how do I get up there?! _Cal thought, looking for the way.

"...so, what was your favorite part? I'm curious." Odium chuckled.

As Cal searched, he'd eventually notice a candlebra near where the sound was the most prominent; though what made it stand out was that it seemed... crooked.

"Oh gosh, I don't know," Rudy chuckled as well in embarrassment.

Cal turned completely invisible and hopped up to cling to the ceiling, investigating the crooked candelabra further.

Curiously enough, it looked like it could be twisted.

"I'll give ya a bit to think about that; I got a hard time deciding, myself." Odium giggled. "...you know... I don't think the others are gonna wake up yet. You think we got time for a quick round before they'll call ya down?"

"Sure, I'm game!" Rudy said.

Cal actually hesitated when he heard Rudy say that, but he knew that he had to double check this for sure. So he twisted it.

As he twisted it, a part of the wall actually slid open; revealing stairs that went upwards. The sound of Rudy and Odium's voices definitely sounded like they came from up there.

"Alright; just give me a sec to set things up, and then we'll go wild..." Odium chuckled.

..._Rudy, I swear, if I find out you're actually_ breeding _up there_, Cal thought, slithering through to head up the stairs, making sure he was still invisible.

"...oh, _wow_, that's dirty. Guess we've used it a lot more than I thought..." Odium remarked. "Here, lemme just clean that real quick..."

Cal wasn't sure whether he really should look or not, since it could possibly be something he wouldn't want to see.

"Oh, here, I'll help!" Rudy offered.

_Rudy, no! _Cal thought in panic, rushing toward their voices.

"Ah, thanks. Just hold this, and I'll..." Odium hummed.

Cal slipped through the door. At first his eyes were shut, but then he opened them to see what would be before him, and what he saw... well, it certainly wasn't what he had been imagining.

What he first noticed was Rudy and Odium standing by a window which was up on the ceiling; slanted diagonally so that the sky was visible from beneath it. Secondly, he'd notice that the two of them were completely dressed; not even in contact with each other. Thirdly, he saw just what they were doing; Rudy was holding a telescope steady, whilst Odium was cleaning the lenses with a handkerchief. All around them, in turn, were lots of notes and books which were opened and scribbled a lot in.

Cal blinked at this. He was not expecting this _at all._

"So, Rudy, you think we'll be able to see anything new before the others call you down?" Odium inquired the moment she finished cleaning the telescope's lenses; dropping the handkerchief before she adjusted the telescope somewhat. "We might get lucky like we did about... was it three hours ago, or four?"

"Yeah, I hope so!" Rudy said. "Too bad it's not nighttime though; that meteor shower was awesome!"

"I know." Odium chuckled. "I'm really glad we managed to catch it; those don't come around too often."

"...hey Odium, I got a question," Rudy said.

"Yeah?" Odium glanced towards Rudy when he asked that.

"How come you hide this?" He asked.

Odium hummed. "...I guess I'm kinda trying to keep an image." she admitted, as she rubbed her neck. "Lots of people guess that I'm this real hardass, because of my attitude. They probably wouldn't take me seriously if they knew I was into this kinda thing."

"Really?" Rudy murmured.

..._huh_... Cal thought.

"Yeah..." Odium hummed, before she smiled at Rudy. "...but, you know... sharing this with you was really awesome. Rudy."

"Yeah, it was!" Rudy agreed wholeheartedly. Then he pounded his chest, "and don't worry. Your secret's safe with me!"

Odium giggled. "Thanks, Rudy. You're the best."

"Really?" Rudy asked in amazement.

"Yeah." Odium nodded in response.

Rudy smiled at her. Odium simply giggled.

…_well…no harm here then…_ Cal thought, smiling a little while he slipped back out the door. _Mind as well leave them a bit longer before we leave._

"...well, let's not waste time; feel like taking a look for something interesting?" Odium hummed, as she motioned to the telescope.

"Sure!" Rudy exclaimed, hopping over to her.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Had you all fooled with that, didn't I? XD<em>**


	45. Chapter 44

"...and that's the whole story Guts," Ani finished with a sigh. "…as much as we can tell you…"

"...man... that's pretty heavy." Guts remarked, as he rubbed his neck.

"…yeah, it's always heavy," Milo added. "No matter how many times we've had to tell people this story, it still takes a bit for ourselves to believe…" then he looked at the ground, "…especially with what's been happening recently."

"...well, I can't really blame ya for that." Guts remarked as he rubbed his neck. "I'm just amazed that you guys can keep going on even after having so much crap thrown at ya..."

Milo peered out one of the windows. "…it's starting to get later in the day," Milo hummed. "…I really think we should think about getting ready to go."

"…A…Already?" Gruff uttered. He was still severely shaken up by that battle he saw earlier this morning. This time, he was willing to listen to Vanessa's recommendations to control his language, and has not uttered a single swear since the battle.

"…but the question is…is Jack and Vanessa ready…?" Striker murmured.

"...I don't know." Nage sighed. "Has anyone tried talking to either of them?"

"…no…we've been giving them space," Milo replied.

Off in another room, Arsenic was just sitting on the couch with her feet propped up, trying to relax…but an uneasy feeling was nagging at her, no matter how much she tried to hide it. First, it was the Corrupted, and now…it could potentially be Jack's very _grandfather_ that could decide to rip her guts out for little reason. She's been used to death threats all her life…but not ones that could actually be carried out on her by very capable killers. Thanks to the display Vanessa made, she had a good idea of just what kind of people the Leoniels could be.

Naturally, she was dealing with this revelation in her own way, by meditating on the manner. She was even wondering how Jack was doing, and whether or not Johnny's let him have control again yet. She was concerned what effect it would have on him from what he saw Vanessa do.

"...so, you're taking things well."

"…as well as anyone could," Arsenic muttered, looking over her shoulder.

There, she saw Jack approaching her; though the manner of his expression, coupled with the tone, left little to the imagination as to who was in control. "Well, you're doing better than Jack is; he still needs a timeout." Johnny remarked.

"Really? How's he doing?" Arsenic asked.

"Well, he's at least not in need of any therapy sessions." Johnny remarked. "Hell, he's doing surprisingly well; it was just the overall shock of his mom acting like a Leoniel that was a hard hitter on him. I guess it'd have been worse if he didn't know about me."

"…if it weren't for you…I guess he'd still be innocent," Arsenic mused, "…just imagine if the same kind of situation happened to him while he was still growing up at the Nameless Zone…"

Arsenic looked away at that. "…you know…that's actually not something I'd like to imagine."

"Me neither." Johnny remarked. "After all this, I don't think I'd want Vanessa to have raised Jack like a true Leoniel. I'm actually glad he turned out the way he did."

Arsenic fell silent, taking in what Johnny said…wondering what Jack would've been like as a true Leoniel…and shuddering afterward.

"It's best not to imagine that; I mean, you know me, so that should be an indication." Johnny remarked. "Still... wouldn't imagine you two dating if he were more like me."

"…no, I guess not," Arsenic muttered, trying not to think about that.

"...so, changing the subject, how's that working out for ya?" Johnny remarked with a chuckle. "Dating Jack, I mean."

"…uh…" Arsenic had been taken off guard from Johnny asking her that, and she looked away shyly.

Johnny chuckled. "Someone's bashful, eh?" he remarked in a teasing tone. "Ain't that just precious."

"…oh shut up, would ya?" Arsenic grumbled.

"Why? This is funny." Johnny remarked with another chuckle. "Quality entertainment and I don't even have to lift a finger to get it."

"…don't you have a ghost of a vampire to terrorize or something?" Arsenic groaned.

"Nah; I got some temps keeping him occupied." Johnny laughed. "So, I'm guessing the two of you haven't done it yet?"

"…what do you think?" Arsenic grumbled some more, trying to hide an embarrassed blush from him.

"I think _someone's_ eager to try it out." Johnny chuckled; grinning as he saw that teasing her was working wonders.

"What?!" Arsenic actually glared back at him, but her blush flared up even more at that.

Johnny let out a louder laugh at that. "I'm not _wrong_, am I?"

"Just what do you take me for?!" Arsenic uttered angrily.

"Someone who's got the hots for my nephew?" Johnny remarked in a tone that was both teasing and faking ignorance at the same time.

"Look, just because we have feelings for each other, doesn't always mean you just end up doing that when you just meet!" Arsenic yelped. Then she looked away. "…besides…you know how Jack is…and even if he's over his phobia, I doubt he'd be interested in doing any of _that._"

"Well, yeah, that's him... but what about _you?_" Johnny remarked. "You're not exactly a replica of Jack; you probably have your own thoughts about it."

"After avoiding people for nearly all my life, you think I'd want to just jump into a relationship like that?" Arsenic grumbled. Then she rubbed her arms.

"...well, you're sorta _in_ a relationship now." Johnny hummed, as he noticed her rubbing her arms somewhat. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"…I'm just…trying to avoid considering it…" Arsenic mumbled.

"And why's that?" Johnny hummed.

"Well, for one, I'd probably get your _father_ breathing down my neck for it," Arsenic stated, "and two…I've just….never thought about it…yet…"

"Well, don't worry about that old man; he's got no business with my nephew that I wouldn't keep him from." Johnny remarked. "And besides, if you two are gonna go steady, it might be a good idea to give it _some_ thought."

Arsenic looked at Johnny for that.

"...I mean, sure, don't just jump into it, but you can't just _ignore_ that idea either." Johnny hummed with a shrug.

Arsenic looked away again, then.

"…how's Vanessa?" she asked, changing the subject.

"...she's... coming along." he remarked with a hum.

"…and what's that mean?" Arsenic asked.

"She's getting better, but... well, she's still a bit shaken by it." Johnny explained.

"…ripping a guy's heart out? I wouldn't blame her…" Arsenic muttered.

Meanwhile, back in the other room, Milo still kept glancing out the window. Then he noticed something outside. His eyes widened. "Someone's out there."

Nage blinked, as she glanced out of the window. "...who is it?"

"I can't tell, but I can sense spirit energy…they're frightened and running from something," Milo said.

"Let's go check it out," Ani said, which got her, Striker and Milo outside. Nage and Guts quickly followed.

Outside, the lioness ran as much as she possibly could. She was honestly shocked how long she's been able to run, but in her state of panic and adrenaline, she had been able to keep up. Eventually, she tripped on her feet, and because of all the running she did, she was just absolutely too exhausted to get back up. Even then, she tried to push herself back up onto her feet, but the most she managed was lifting her body off the ground. Nothing more.

"…damn…Leoniels…" she whispered bitterly to herself. She had been taken off guard when they took her, just because she thought that the training she underwent would help her in the rematch against them…but it didn't seem like it helped her all that much, now that she was collapsed in the middle of nowhere.

At that point, a firm hand suddenly grasped her shoulder; clenching as if a vice was being bound around her. "...end of the line."

The lioness hissed and cringed in pain. "…n-no…leave me alone…" she uttered.

"...you're agile, I'll give you that..." the sinister voice of Astaroth snarled. "...but you're more trouble than you're worth." Instantly, she was spun around so she could gaze upon the lion himself, before his hand wrapped around her neck. "I should just kill you right now..."

She gasped desperately for air as he gripped her neck.

"...there would be little merit in leaving you alive at this point." Astaroth snarled. "So say your prayers... with what little breath you have left."

Tears of fear and panic streaming down her face, gasping like a fish out of water.

Then…she was covered in a pale blue glow…and yanked right out of Astaroth's grip.

"...hm...?" Blinking, Astaroth glanced ahead.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" that turned out to be Ani, and the lioness was sitting behind her, touching her throat and breathing heavily out of relief.

"...hm... telekinesis." Astaroth hummed dryly, as he slowly began approaching her; an apathetic look on his face.

The others finally arrived, and Milo halted upon the sight of the lion. "…g-guys…" he uttered.

"Who do you think you are? Hurting someone like that? What the hell is your problem jackass?!" Ani barked.

"Yeah!" Nage cried out, as she brandished her chains. "You just get lost, you creep!"

Astaroth simply kept approaching the group with his narrowed gaze.

As he saw the figure, Guts _gaped_. "...g-g-g-guys...!"

"What's wrong?" Striker asked Guts. "…is he one of the Leoniels?!"

"Oh, I think it's m-much worse than that guys…" Milo uttered, seeing the strength of his spiritual energy which actually made Milo shake at his ankles. "…I think this guy…_is the leader!_"

"...the... leader?" Nage's eyes suddenly widened.

"...d-definitely..." Guts nodded. "...Astaroth... Leoniel...!"

"...so you know me beforehand... this makes things simpler." Astaroth hummed, when he did notice Guts. "...we've met before... haven't we?"

Guts immediately froze upon hearing that.

"...yes... you worked for that shark..." Astaroth mused, before he looked at the lioness. "...what luck. You led me to my destination."

"…wh-what…?" The lioness uttered.

"…oh _shit_…" Ani uttered, wide eyed.

With that, Astaroth's eyes fell squarely on Milo. "...where are my children? Speak, pup, and I may let you keep her."

Milo swallowed, but then stood straight and tall, standing in front of the group. He hid his fear. "Right now, they're not ready for you," Milo said.

"...is that right?" Astaroth scoffed.

"…Striker…I need you to go back and get Johnny at least," Milo said.

"…um…okay!" And Striker was off.

Milo knew that if Astaroth's wishes weren't met soon, he'd tear everyone apart. "…I'm asking for a little patience Astaroth…and I'm sure you'll get what you want," he said calmly.

"...you are certainly bold, to use only my first name in my presence." Astaroth remarked. "Or perhaps it is just blind idiocy?"

"Hey, Milo isn't blind!" Nage shot in.

"…I can assure you, I'm not an idiot…" Milo spoke. "…unlike any of the others…I can actually _see_ your power…so I know just how strong you are…"

The lioness looked curiously up at him.

"...how very curious..." Astaroth remarked, as he rubbed the back of his neck. "...then tell me... how do you perceive my power? What does it appear as to you, young one?"

"…I can see your spiritual energy," Milo answered.

"...aah, so you are a spiritual medium." Astaroth hummed. "Tell me... can you fight?"

Milo was silent on that. Even if he had the advantage of sensing spiritual power, he was more of a support in the group than an actual fighter. He didn't want to admit this to Astaroth though, but his silent response was already a dead giveaway.

"...I see... such a disappointment." With a scoff, Astaroth began advancing yet again. "I admit, your spiritual powers are curious... but they're not combat-oriented, so I have little use for them. Step aside."

Milo stayed; even outstretched his arms. "I'm not stepping aside, even knowing your power…"

The lioness just gawked at him for that.

Astaroth merely gazed down at him; now standing directly in front of him.

Milo gulped, but he stood his ground. He remembered when Striker stood up to Spiel, despite seeing what power he was capable of, and Milo knew that Astaroth was much more worse and unpredictable.

Even then, he wasn't going to wimp out on this. He stared right back at Astaroth defiantly.

"...hm."

With an impassive hum, Astaroth simply shot a kick directly against Milo's gut; not holding back even an ounce of his power. Milo wheezed after a kick like that, being flung over his friend's heads and rolling onto the ground, holding his gut with wide, pained eyes. Even if he saw Astaroth's power, he hadn't quite foreseen how it would feel…

…and boy, did it _hurt._

"...pathetic." Astaroth scoffed, as he glanced towards the rest of the group. "...well? Are you going to resist as well?"

Ani stood her ground, growling. "…what do you think?"

"…Ani…don't…" Milo croaked.

Narrowing his eyes, Astaroth took a step towards Ani, his hand clenching into a fist...

"...HEY! YOU FUCKING GEEZER!"

Hearing that, Astaroth suddenly stopped, as he slowly looked towards where that voice came from. "...well."

Everyone's attention went back in shock at the ones approaching. Behind someone, Arsenic, Striker, and Snap were following, and even Vanessa was too. She was glaring daggers at Astaroth, showing no fear whatsoever, even despite her panicked outburst she had earlier. She was not going to let him intimidate her, and at least she could take comfort into the fact that Jack didn't have to see him.

And walking ahead of all of them was Johnny; his gaze directed straight at Astaroth as he simply snarled.

"...well, well..." Astaroth mused in a dry tone; folding his arms behind his back. "...they came of their own volition... how curious."

Everyone split to allow at least Johnny and Vanessa through to Astaroth, and did the smart thing and backed away from them; Striker helping Milo up. The lioness was just gawking at the two lions that were approaching Astaroth.

"...so, no words other than obscenities for your own father?" Astaroth hummed, as his gaze fell on Johnny. "...well... I wouldn't expect less from you, Johnny. You always did have a mouth on you... not even death could change that."

"Save it, you old piece of shit." Johnny snarled. "You can just get the hell out of here."

Vanessa was silent, and the others continued to stare nervously. They weren't sure if a battle would break out between the three of them.

"...in due time, Johnathan." Astaroth hummed, before his gaze fell on Vanessa. "...I would like to speak with the mother."

"...you could at least say her name..." Johnny snarled.

"Be silent." Astaroth shot a brief glare at him. "I have few words for disembodied spirits. Let the living have their talk."

"What could you possibly want to talk with me about?" Vanessa growled, folding her arms.

"...the matter of your son." Astaroth hummed. "A little bat told me that you raised him to be a... man-child. Is this true?"

Vanessa's eyes widened at that. "…bat? You couldn't be talking about Patricia Novagod, could you?"

"...ah, yes; that was her name." Astaroth mused. "But that's irrelevant. Answer my question."

Vanessa ground her teeth.

"...perhaps I should beat the answer out of one of your comrades instead." Astaroth remarked with a scowl.

"You leave them out of this!" Vanessa snapped.

"Well, then; answer me." he spoke firmly.

"…yes…I raised him in that manner," Vanessa answered bitterly, "…which is better than how _you_ raise children."

"...raising them to be weak is better, you say." Astaroth scoffed, as he shook his head. "...you've really changed, Vanessa..."

Arsenic growled. "…Jack is anything but weak…" she added, glaring at Astaroth.

Astaroth shot her a glance. "...and who would you be?" he inquired.

"…no one of any importance to you," Arsenic said, still glaring at him.

"...there must be some importance if you claim to know my grandson." he remarked.

Arsenic was silent after that.

"…what do you want?" Vanessa growled, growing impatient with Astaroth.

Astaroth looked back at her. "...to properly train your son, Vanessa."

Vanessa's eyes widened so suddenly at that…

"…I absolutely refuse to have my son to do anything with you," Vanessa snarled at him bitterly. "And I'm already training him…so you can just turn right back around and get back to your own business."

Astaroth remained silent for a bit.

"...hm. You really have changed... all because of that filth." he eventually spoke, as he closed his eyes. "...do you recall what you were like, before that man got to you?"

Vanessa looked angrier. "…don't…remind me…"

"...of what? Your former attitude, or the filth who was summarily disposed of?" Astaroth scoffed. "Now go on; answer."

"_Both_, you insensitive bastard," Vanessa retorted.

"...insensitive?" He scoffed. "You wound me. I personally went to exterminate the vermin who would dear besmirch my daughter... and you say that I am not sensitive?"

"...please drop the 'caring father' act, geezer." Johnny growled. "It's a fat lie."

Astaroth, however, kept his attention on Vanessa. "...tell me how you were before that incident... refresh our memories."

There was silence for a long time, and the others in the group actually wondered what Vanessa could've been like back then.

"…spoiled…" she suddenly spoke, shutting her eyes, "…selfish…greedy for power…"

"…Vanessa…?" Ani uttered in shock.

Johnny shot a glance at her too.

"...yes... go on..." Astaroth hummed with a slow nod.

Vanessa opened her eyes and looked at the ground. "…aggressive mostly…and I didn't want to take crap from anyone. Because of Johnny being better than me…I had even been jealous back then."

Johnny gaped at that.

"...not the kind that one would expect to be a mother." Astaroth hummed. "...and then the incident occurred... you were broken, so to speak."

"…at first…I thought it was because I let myself down as a Leoniel…" Vanessa uttered.

Then, there was an angry fire in her eyes that Astaroth could see when she glared at him. "…but then I looked at what we were…I looked at other mothers…how they raised their children…and I realized didn't want to be what I had been anymore."

"...and you raised your child into a naïve being, who remains a child even at this adult age..." Astaroth shook his head. "...how foolish."

"...you're wrong," Vanessa snarled. "...he's not a child anymore. He's grown."

"...grown... hm." Astaroth scoffed. "Then I suppose he's grown past the stage of "pinkie-swearing", as I heard he was prone to doing." he remarked in a very dry tone.

Vanessa growled even more at that.

"...so the pinky swearing is childish, so what?" Arsenic started. "... That doesn't make him stupid. When he needs to be, he can actually act really mature: more mature than _you_!"

Vanessa looked back at her seriously, as well as nervously. "Arsenic, stay out of this."

Astaroth's eyes narrowed, and he turned to Arsenic. "...you've got a wicked tongue, rat." he hummed, as he began slowly approaching her. "...how would you know my grandson?"

Immediately, Johnny began motioning for Arsenic to keep quiet.

"...that's none of your business," Arsenic growled. "...but not even an old fucker like you can scare me away from him."

Astaroth hummed. "...now that sounds... vaguely familiar." he spoke, as he kept advancing towards Arsenic. "...you surely have more to say... do you not?"

"...not to your face," Arsenic growled.

"...well... let's pretend that I weren't here. What _would_ you say to me?" Astaroth hummed.

"…fine…if you gotta know…"

Her palm opened up, with radiation in it. It made the others back off nervously.

"…if your grimy, bloody hands touch even a _hair_ on his red mane…if _anything _ever happened to him and it's your fault," Arsenic growled threateningly, "…then I'll _personally_ make sure that I hunt you down and deal with you myself…"

"...I see..." Astaroth hummed... and in that instant, his eyes narrowed dangerously, and it seemed like some kind of force silently exploded around him. "...you're in _love _with my grandson." he deduced.

Johnny gaped upon hearing that. _Son of a... how'd he figure that out?!_

Arsenic held her tongue, and her eyes widened at Astaroth shakily. Slowly, Astaroth walked towards Arsenic. "...I take it, judging from your silence, that I am correct." he spoke slowly.

Seeing him approach, Arsenic stood her ground firmly, holding that radiation in her palm.

Vanessa was starting to grow _very _nervous. "Arsenic, don't!"

Astaroth merely kept advancing; eyes narrowed dangerously.

Johnny grit his teeth, and clenched his hands. "...don't just stand there! He's gonna kill you!"

That was Arsenic's cue to shoot the radiation from her palm at Astaroth.

Without skipping a beat, Astaroth simply _shot_ towards Arsenic. He plowed through the radiation without even flinching, and ended up directly in front of the rat. He didn't attack, but he simply glared directly into her eyes; his gaze sharp enough to pierce her very being. It definitely struck fear into her; enough for her to hesitate on any other attack while she stared back in wide-eyed terror.

Vanessa ran for Astaroth at this point. "Leave her alone!" and she threw a punch at her father.

However, without breaking his gaze, Astaroth simply shot a hand towards Vanessa's wrist, and without hesitation, _snapped _it in his grip. "Stay out of this."

Vanessa yelped out at that, in pain.

Johnny's eyes widened. "Vanessa!"

Meanwhile, Arsenic mustered up the courage to collect some poisonous radiation in her palms to throw onto Astaroth, still in fear of his gaze.

He didn't even move; merely taking the radiation face-first, before hurling Vanessa away from him; gaze still fixated directly on Arsenic. "...is that all?"

Vanessa hit the ground, and she got back up, holding her broken hand. She knew that she wouldn't be able to make Astaroth move away from her. "Arsenic, just run!"

Arsenic didn't heed her warning; she just growled, and threw her hand.

And there was an explosion that engulfed the two. Everyone could only gape at the massive explosion, which left both of them out of sight. It took a long time, but eventually, the dust cloud started to fade.

Arsenic stepped back, gripping her chest with a wince. Already with her growing fears and having to try and fight this guy, she could feel her heart ache while it was beating frantically.

And from the fading dust... a hand suddenly shot out; gripping Arsenic's throat. Arsenic gasped in shock, and so did the others.

"Arsenic!" Milo uttered in fear, stumbling a little bit while he held his gut where Astaroth hit him earlier.

"...you've gotta be shitting me...!" Guts uttered with wide, fearful eyes.

"...I met someone like you once, rat..." As the dust faded, Astaroth was revealed to be still standing; his outfit burning, but not a trace of pain on his expression, even as he was choking Arsenic. Arsenic wheezed and gagged as he choked her.

"...someone who was in _love_..." Astaroth seemed to spit out in disgust when even mentioning that word. "...who thought that he could challenge me and walk away from it..."

Arsenic felt tears stream down her face, and while one hand held to his wrist, the other still gripped her chest.

"...do you know what I did to this fool, who thought he could defend his vile crimes with the excuse of _love?_" Astaroth spoke, as he slowly moved his free hand directly towards that hand clutching against Arsenic's chest.

Johnny's eyes narrowed. _...this isn't good..._

Arsenic couldn't utter any response, due to the fact that she was being choked.

"...I tore out his heart..." Astaroth spoke, as his hand grasped against Arsenic's; moving it away. "...and with it still beating in my grasp... I forced it down his throat... made him swallow his own damn heart; watched him choke on his own _love_..."

Arsenic's eyes widened at that, shuddering in fright.

"...perhaps I shall do so with you?" Astaroth hummed; hand settling against her chest. "...pull it out... see if you survive the initial shock... before making you choke on your pathetic _love..._?"

"…STOP IT!" And Vanessa raged, running at Astaroth to try and stop him again, screaming.

This time, however, Astaroth directed his gaze at her, and it would be as if his gaze was searing against Vanessa's soul as well. That alone, halted Vanessa for a moment, but she grit her teeth and kept going, throwing a kick at his face.

He responded by actually swinging the arm holding Arsenic against the incoming kick; forcing the rat to take the kick against her back instead. Vanessa jumped back in shock, while Arsenic winced at that kick, and started to feel faint from the lack of oxygen.

With a small hum, Astaroth dropped Arsenic to the ground, before he stomped his foot down on her to keep her from moving. "...such a pathetic creature... much like _him..._" he mused to himself, before glancing at Vanessa, "...would you not agree?"

Arsenic gasped for breath, coughing because of Astaroth's stomp while Vanessa just stepped away, glaring at Astaroth.

"...well... much like that filth..." Astaroth mused, as his gaze fell on Arsenic again. "...I'll be sure to make her _suffer._"

Arsenic stared up at him, knowing that she was going to die.

"...now... say your prayers." And he slowly raised his foot; intending to just stomp it directly through her body...

...when someone suddenly grabbed his arm. "...leave her alone."

Astaroth barely had time to glance back before someone suddenly punched him directly in the face; knocking him away from Arsenic. "Ngh..."

Everyone was shocked when they saw the one who had punched him; Vanessa especially. Quickly, he knelt down by Arsenic with a worried look. "...please tell me you're alright..."

Arsenic was trying to catch her breath from that, staring up at the one kneeling down at her with teary eyes. "…J-Jack…"

Sure enough, it was Jack; looking down at her with a worried expression, as he gently took her hand. "...don't worry... he's not gonna hurt you again..."

"...so... this is the real Jack..." Astaroth hummed, as he rubbed his face where Jack had struck him. "...the potential is there..."

Jack shot a glance towards the older lion, and slowly rose to his feet. Vanessa continued to hold her broken hand, watching the two lions closely in uneasiness. She didn't want her son to meet him, but it seems like there wasn't any choice on the matter.

"...mom." Jack eventually spoke without looking away from Astaroth. "Who is this guy?"

Astaroth simply stood straight; looking directly at Jack.

"…he's…" Vanessa shuddered a bit, and did not want to utter these words out, but she knew she had to. "…he's your grandfather."

"...my grandpa... huh..." Jack hummed, as he still looked directly at Astaroth.

"...so many years passed... and you kept his family a secret from him for that long." Astaroth hummed. "Truly a marvel."

Jack simply narrowed his eyes. "...why did you hurt Arsenic?"

Astaroth scoffed, as he shot a small glare towards her. "...an outsider... such vermin have no place mingling with a Leoniel."

Arsenic slowly managed to sit up, but she was still clenching to her chest, panting weakly.

"...so you hurt her because she's not a Leoniel?" Jack remarked.

"Because she is not a lion," Astaroth replied, as he began slowly approaching Jack.

"...then by your logic, the only one I could possibly hang out with out of my friends is Milo. Is that what you're saying?" Jack suddenly retorted in a surprisingly sharp tone.

Even Astaroth stopped the moment he heard that tone. Jack's friends have actually never seen him angry like this. They were surprised.

"…Jack…" Striker uttered.

"...I... suppose I am saying that." Astaroth remarked. "What of it?"

"...well, that's a _stupid _way of thinking." Jack retorted; still with that sharp tone.

Astaroth's eyes widened just a smidge. "...excuse me?"

"You heard me." Jack said. "You're saying that just because I'm a Leoniel, I can't hang out with any of my friends unless they're lions? That's just stupid!"

Vanessa was growing even more nervous. She was proud that her son was standing up for himself, of course, but she feared what Astaroth's response to all of this would be.

"...you forget your place, brat." Astaroth snarled, as he began approaching Jack again.

"I don't even have a place to worry about around you!" Jack yelled at Astaroth. "You think just because you're my grandfather, you can make me do what you think is right? That's just stupid!"

"...a manchild at heart... can you really only come up with the one insult?" Astaroth was visibly seething, even if his tone didn't show it.

"You want more insults? Okay, you dummy! You stinking doofus!" Jack yelled at him again. "I can keep going all day, you big dumb!"

Astaroth's teeth were gnashing against each other, and he picked up the pace; slowly closing the gap between him and Jack.

Vanessa's eyes widened. "J-Jack!"

"...if you weren't a Leoniel, I would have torn your head off, you insolent brat." Astaroth snarled the closer he got to him.

"Well, if most Leoniels are insensitive, cruel jerks like you, then I don't wanna be a Leoniel!" Jack suddenly yelled. "Your family's the stupidest family I've ever heard of!"

Astaroth _immediately_ froze up upon hearing that; a deadly glare directed right at Jack. "..._**what?**_"

Everyone gasped at that.

"...if your family's the kind of family who won't let their kids do as they please... hang out with their actual friends..." Jack murmured, as he clenched his hands together. "...then I'm just gonna make a _better_ family! One that _isn't _stupid like you and your dumb beliefs!"

"...are you... mocking me...?" Astaroth snarled. "...prepostorous..."

"I'm not joking in the least!" Jack huffed, as he put a hand on his own chest. "My friends are my real family... not those dumb, bigoted, inconsiderate Leoniels who are with you!"

Astaroth snarled viciously, as his hands clenched tightly. "...you've just sealed your own fate."

In a single dash, Astaroth had suddenly shot right up to Jack and _slammed_ his fist against his gut; creating a visible shockwave the instant the air was knocked out of Jack.

"JACK!" Vanessa screamed in absolute horror.

"...you're a fool, Jack..." Astaroth snarled as he glared down at Jack... when all of a sudden, he yelped in pain. In the instant Astaroth had relaxed, Jack had regained enough breath to grab hold of Astaroth's arm to _bite _down on it in fury.

"...d-did... did Jack just...?!" Nage's eyes widened in surprise.

"…he did…" croaked Milo.

Snarling, Astaroth tossed his arm to fling Jack off his arm; making the lion skid back. Without hesitation, Astaroth kicked at the air to send a wave of compressed air rocketing at Jack; who barely managed to avoid it by leaping out of the way. Just as Jack recovered, Astaroth had broken into a charge towards the lion, to throw a punch at his face... but Jack, surprisingly enough, threw a kick at Astaroth's arm to swiftly deflect it; barely giving him enough time to leap back from the older lion.

"…he's…fighting…" Ani uttered with wide eyes.

"...a-and... holding off... Astaroth..." Guts could barely believe his own eyes.

With a snarl, Astaroth began rapidly throwing multiple punches and kicks at Jack, with thundering force; but Jack did his very best to deflect and block each of the attacks. He visibly struggled, but somehow, Jack managed to keep Astaroth from landing a single fatal blow on him. Vanessa hurried over to Arsenic, helping her to her feet while the two of them watched Jack in awe.

As the two of them were locked in a flurry of blows, Astaroth kept his focus solely on trying to strike Jack... which, for the briefest of moments, left him open to a swift kick in the gut; knocking him away from the younger lion briefly. "Kkh..."

Without hesitation, Jack quickly dashed towards Astaroth and swung his fist directly against his face, which knocked Astaroth away from him and onto his knees.

Ani…strangely enough, smirked. "This is badass!" And she threw her hand in the air. "Go Jack! Kick his ass!"

Breathing slightly, Jack just watched Astaroth get to his feet, before the older lion charged to throw another punch; though this time, Jack evaded that one punch and grabbed Astaroth's arm to toss him over his shoulder and onto the ground.

The older lion snarled out of pain, as he got onto his feet. "...you actually can fight..."

"...my mom taught me how." Jack uttered, as he just watched Astaroth warily.

Vanessa sighed with relief, seeing that the training was actually helping Jack. She didn't seem so afraid of Jack getting viciously ripped apart, seeing as he was able to defend himself…but that still didn't ease it entirely, because she knew that Astaroth was so much stronger in many ways.

"...now... I want you to leave." Jack uttered. "Right now."

"...you can't be serious." Astaroth hissed, before he charged at Jack yet again; throwing a fierce punch directly at his face. However, the punch was narrowly caught by Jack, who actually cracked Astaroth's wrist in the same way Astaroth had done to Vanessa earlier. "Ngh..."

"I'm absolutely serious!" Jack retorted, as he pushed Astaroth away.

"Go Jack!" Striker cheered finally as well, since Ani had done it earlier.

With a snarl, Astaroth charged again, but his focus was wavering; enough for Jack to actually strike first with a kick to the head; knocking the older lion back. "...kkh... little brat...!"

"…you can do it Jack…" Arsenic uttered softly.

Again, Astaroth charged, but now, Jack immediately threw a punch at him; and before Astaroth could recover, he threw a kick at his gut to make him reel back.

"…don't hold back son…" Vanessa whispered under her breath.

And even still, Jack's expression remained somewhat calm, if angered, in contrast to Astaroth's pained and obviously enraged expression. "...leave." he spoke calmly.

"...you... upstart... whelp..." Astaroth snarled, as he clenched his hand into a fist. With another snarl, he charged to throw that punch, only for Jack to knock it aside...

...but in that instant, Jack froze; eyes widening as a pained expression took hold.

While he had been readying a counterattack, Astaroth had suddenly thrown a _second_ attack; having shot his finger straight into Jack's chest, and piercing the flesh with an attack as potent and swift as a gunshot.

The morale of the crowd died, leaving looks of horror on their faces instead.

"JACK!" Arsenic screamed.

And Vanessa was too frozen to do anything.

"...there..." As he pulled his hand out of Jack, Astaroth threw a swift kick that knocked Jack down to the ground, which left him gasping for air after that cruel attack.

Arsenic broke away from Vanessa, running to Jack. "JACK!" she screamed with tears streaming out of her face.

When she got close enough, however, Astaroth suddenly shot his hand to grab Arsenic's throat; squeezing down tightly. "...that's enough out of you."

Jack could only weakly look towards the two of them, as he still tried heaving for air. Arsenic tried as best as she could to struggle out of his grip this time. "…Leave…him alone…please…" she begged.

"...you simpering vermin." Astaroth snarled; his patience at an end. "I'll send the both of you straight to hell..."

Gasping lightly, Jack slowly reached towards them. "...Arsenic..." he uttered weakly.

"…J…Jack…" Arsenic was growing weaker with the lack of oxygen again.

Coughing blood, Jack reached towards them still. "...A... Arsenic..."

"...just die with some dignity, vermin... whatever dignity you even possess." Astaroth snarled, as he was slowly squeezing down even tighter on her throat.

Even more tears streamed down Arsenic's face, knowing again these could potentially be her last moments, again…so with the last breath she was able to struggle for, she whispered this out.

"…Jack…I…love you…"

Jack's eyes widened.

"...a lovestruck fool, even to the end." Astaroth snarled, as he prepared to kill Arsenic then and there...

...but in that instant, something grabbed Astaroth; something massive, searing in flame... a white flame.

As Jack slowly found himself rising to his feet, everyone would be able to make out a massive being of fire behind him; a lion retaining demonic traits, wreathed in a pure-white flame, with a broadsword and a rifle mounted on its back. Its hand was extended to grasp Astaroth's being, just like Jack was almost subconsciously grasping at him; clenching roughly to make him drop Arsenic. Because of the choking, Arsenic had passed out, so she was dropped to the ground.

Astaroth winced, as he glared back at Jack, who was clenching his teeth harshly together whilst gripping him with this fiery lion. _"...leave... now..."_Jack snarled in an otherworldly-like voice; squeezing his fist tighter to make the fiery lion crush Astaroth further in his grip.

"...wha... what's he doing...?" Guts uttered, as he looked towards Vanessa.

Vanessa just…gawked…and was unable to answer Guts.

"...kkh... f-fine..." At that point, Astaroth suddenly slammed his hands outward to make the lion release its grip on him; dropping him to the ground. "...I'll take my leave..." With a hiss, he then glared at Jack. "...but mark my words... I will personally bury your corpse, Jack... remember that." With that small snarl, he began wandering away; hissing in pain as he left.

That left the fiery lion to slowly dissipate behind Jack, who weakly managed to stumble over to Arsenic, before he promptly collapsed right next to her.

…and it was silent.

"…at first…I thought all Leoniels were heartless, cold bastards…"

Everyone looked to the lioness, who had been silently watching everything this whole time. "…but now…I can see that I was wrong…" she uttered. "…I…I just can't believe I'm seeing…_nice_ Leoniels…Leoniels that believe in something _other _than killing…"

"…we've grown up with Jack," Striker said. "He's the nicest guy we know."

"…and the only reason he's not like the others is because he was sheltered from them," Ani added. "The whole time Jack was growing up, he had either been in the Nameless Zone with his mom, or with us at the Clubhouse."

"…so it's possible…" the lioness uttered. "…it's possible to change some of them…stop them…"

"…I hate to burst your bubble," Milo said, getting the lioness's attention. "But our focus isn't stopping the Leoniel family…although by now, I think we're going to be targeted by them too, along with the others already targeting us."

"…great…just what we needed…" Ani moaned, covering her face with her hand.

Meanwhile, Vanessa was finally able to move again from her frozen state. "…J…Jack…" and she rushed to his and Arsenic's side. Everyone else did too. Like Arsenic, Jack seemed to be out cold as well. The wound Astaroth had dealt him seemed to have robbed him of his energy.

"...I never thought I'd see something like that..." Nage remarked with wide eyes.

"…just…what was that anyway…?" Striker uttered. "…I've _never_ seen Jack do this before…"

"…I actually remember sensing something similar to this…"

Everyone looked at Milo.

"Really?!" Ani uttered.

"It was back two years ago when there was that outbreak of Corruption on Safe Haven," Milo said. "But by the time we reached Jack, it was all gone. I never really said anything to you guys because I figured that Johnny was responsible for that…but I never though Jack would be able to do it too."

"…w-we have to get them inside…" Vanessa uttered, interrupting their conversation while she picked up Jack. With a small sigh, Guts picked up Arsenic.

When hurrying inside, they passed by Gruff, and he caught a glimpse of their condition. "Someone grab the first aid," he ordered, following the group when they set Jack and Arsenic down on the couches in the living room.

"On it," Ani answered, heading off.

Gruff then pressed his ear to Arsenic's chest. Then he put his fingers to her neck. "…she's alright; just passed out," he uttered. Then he looked at Jack. "He's the one I'll have to work on."

Everyone stared at Gruff. He looked at them. "…what?" he grumbled.

"...uh... I didn't think you knew...medicine." Nage remarked.

"…I'm a retired doctor and surgeon," Gruff answered with a scoff.

"…oh…" Striker uttered.

"If the wound on the boy isn't too bad, I can just stitch it back up, and thankfully, he's already passed out so he won't feel the pain," Gruff continued.

"...well... that's a relief." Guts remarked.

Curiously, Striker looked over at the lioness, who took a seat in one of the chairs. "…what's your name, by the way?"

"…it's Kristine…" the lioness answered.

"…Hey, why was Astaroth chasing you?" Ani asked this time.

Gruff shuddered. "A-Astaroth was _here?!_ Goddamn! You're fuckin' lucky to get away from him alive!"

All glares were on him, and he was quiet.

Ani returned with the first aid, which Gruff promptly snatched from her, and he say by Jack, popping it open to rummage through it and find what he needed.

While he treated Jack, the others looked towarsds Kristine. "...so... why _was_ he chasing you?" Nage inquired.

Kristine looked away. "…they were…going to use me…"

Striker tilted his head. "…use you for what?"

"Breeding."

Striker shot a shocked look at Vanessa. "…they were going to snatch her off the streets of the city, and bring her into the Leoniel threshold. She would just be used to breed more Leoniel children to be trained as killers…am I right?" Vanessa asked Kristine.

Kristine shut her eyes. "…that's putting it lightly…"

Striker's eyes widened at that. "…that…that's horrible…" Of course, the idea of making babies still freaked him out a little, but hearing that they were going to force it against her was even worse.

"…but from what it looks like, Astaroth's decided you weren't fit for that," Milo muttered. "…for now, you're free."

"…no I'm not…" Kristine muttered. "…Astaroth may have decided I wasn't good enough, but the two lions that brought me in had their sights set on me for weeks now…once they made their choice, they don't change it very easily…" she pounded her fist in her palm, growling. "…I even trained to see if I could beat them, but I was hardly a match for them."

"...damn..." Nage uttered with wide eyes.

"...that's the Leoniels for ya." Guts murmured. "They're not fighters... they're killers."

"…I think it's about time I upped Jack's training, since I've been able to see what he's learned so far," Vanessa uttered, looking at her son. "…I think I can teach him a secret technique the family's known."

"…secret technique?" Milo hummed curiously.

Vanessa was silent for a while, as everyone stared at her. Then she closed her eyes.

"…the ability…to transform spiritual energy into physical strength, speed, and power."

Everyone's eyes widened at Vanessa.

"...seriously?" Nage uttered with wide eyes.

"…that's…where the Leoniel power comes in…" Vanessa muttered. "…some of it can be done without any concentration whatsoever; it's in the Leoniel genes…in fact, Jack was able to briefly do that, from what we all saw, which is why I think it's time I trained him how to do that…"

"...so... you and Astaroth can do that, too?" Guts uttered.

"…yeah…but not in the kind of form Jack was able to do," Vanessa spoke. "…ours is more physical, channeled through _our own_ bodies…it takes a lot of power to create a form out of spiritual energy…"

"...wow..." Nage uttered, as she looked towards Jack. "...what does that say about him, then?"

"…I think he might be adapting to Johnny's spiritual technique…after all, Milo said that he was able to do that before, and I think because Johnny's possessed him so much, Jack's going to learn what he's able to do…" Vanessa spoke. "…and even if Johnny's been missing from the family, I know for a fact that his technique is vastly different from the other Leoniels."

"What do you mean by that?" Milo asked.

"…the technique is used to become even stronger and faster. That's why the Leoniel's are feared so much…because my father figured out how to do this, and now, he teaches anyone in the family this technique. It's a coming of age thing…"

"…but…Johnny…was born with a disorder."

"…what…kind of disorder…?" Ani asked.

"…most of the Leoniels are taught to be able to control their spiritual energy…to learn how to use and hold it back…but we have to draw it out first. It's locked away inside us…" Vanessa continued. "…but Johnny was born with a strange condition…where he had absolutely no control over his spiritual energy flow whatsoever…it was constantly, and openly, flowing outside of him, without an end…it was so unstable, that Johnny had these outbursts of violent tendencies just to get rid of some of it…"

"…that was why he was seen as a prodigy…and a family favorite. My father thought he was a breakthrough in the family genetics…he took Johnny early on and trained him how to use his spiritual energy _years_ before any of the other Leoniels would get the same training."

"…that's why, even as a spirit, he's still strong," Milo remarked. "…and why none of my spiritual charms can work on him."

"Precisely…" Vanessa answered with a nod. "…and because of that, Johnny's spiritual energy is strong enough and powerful enough to be able to make forms like that…"

"...so he's rubbing off on Jack, is what you're saying?" Guts uttered.

"…you mean that…Jack might actually have the same disorder?" Ani uttered.

"…no…Jack's energy doesn't flow like how Johnny's would; it's locked away regularly like anyone else's," Milo answered. "…but that doesn't mean Jack's spiritual energy can't be as strong…it could just be like Guts says; that it's rubbing off on Jack."

"...so because of Johnny, Jack could potentially be stronger than even Astaroth?" Nage uttered. "That's a scary thought..."

"…but why? How?" Kristine asked. "He's a kid…he's never learned much of this stuff, and even if some dead guy is giving him a little push, what makes his spirit so strong?"

"…his personality…" Milo answered. "…his belief and faith in his friends, and the will to fight for what he believes in. There are even aspects of him that are actually quite spiritual…I should know."

Milo looked up at Vanessa. "…Vanessa…I know you raised him so he wouldn't be like a Leoniel…but I think because you raised him the way you did…he could potentially be one of the strongest Leoniels of all."

Vanessa closed her eyes on that.

"...that is... kinda scary to think about, actually." Guts remarked.

"…teach me…"

Kristine stood up, pounding her chest. "I want to learn how to do this too…and then, maybe I can use their own stupid technique against them one day. I want to make them pay for trying to make me bend over for them like a little bitch."

"This isn't to be taken lightly," Vanessa responded. "This is mostly mental training; training I'm not sure Jack can handle…it's very straining."

Kristine was quiet for a bit. Then she looked determined again. "…I can handle it."

"...um... not for nothing, but..." Nage shot in, as she rubbed her neck a touch. "...shouldn't we ask Jack about this first? It seems kinda unfair to make decisions without him..."

"…yeah, that's right," Ani said, looking over at Jack.

"…don't worry…I'm not deciding anything for Jack…I'll be sure and ask him if he wants this…" Vanessa assured.

"Right..." Nage nodded. "...speaking of..." And she glanced towards Jack again.

Gruff finished the last of the stitching, pulling the needle out and cutting the string so that he could tie it. Thankfully, all Gruff had to do before stitching it up was cleaning it. "It missed vital organs, thankfully," Gruff muttered. "…but I don't think Astaroth missed by accident. I think it was his warning to you, Vanessa." And from there, he wrapped bandages around the stitched up wound on his chest.

"…I know…" Vanessa responded quietly.

"...so now we just have to wait for him to wake up, huh..." Nage remarked with a small sigh.

"…Vanessa…if it's okay with you…can you teach me this technique as well?"

Everyone looked at Milo in shock.

"…what…?" Ani uttered. "…did I just hear what I thought I heard…?"

"…with my abilities…I should at least make some use of them to help fight, rather than be a support in the background. With things the way they are, we need all the help we can get," Milo answered, looking at Vanessa. "My mentally, because of my abilities, is strong. I'm not saying the training would be a piece of cake, but I'm saying that I have a chance handling the training you could give."

"...well... that's a surprise." Guts uttered.

"…and I promise to work hard on it," Milo assured.

"Same here," Kristine added.

"…then it's settled," Vanessa said. "…I'll teach you and Kristine…and then we'll find out if Jack wants the same training or not."

"...but when he wakes up, we can't really tell..." Nage sighed.

"Right…" Vanessa murmured.

Striker was quivering then. He suddenly looked very scared, and since everything intense was over with for now, the others worried about him.

"…Striker, are you okay?" Ani asked with arched brows, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Striker shook his head, with widening eyes.

"…g-guys…what if…Malice figures out how to do that technique…?"

There was dead, cold, frightened silence then.

"…think about it…" Striker uttered in horror. "…she's…still technically Johnny's and Callous' kid…she has the Leoniel in her…and along with the Corruption…" he held his head, trying to comprehend it. "…she'll…"

Milo knew what direction he was going. "…she'll… use Joy's spiritual energy…" and his eyes widened in horror.

They all knew that it was all a great tragedy. It was bad enough to know that Jill was probably mourning over being away from Joy and Metal, and Metal was already taking it pretty hard to see Joy go through something like this…but everyone in the group suddenly realized the magnitude of the entire situation. All along, they considered Malice's abilities based on what she inherited from Callous, but haven't fully known what she could've gotten from Johnny.

Malice…could effectively have an upper hand against Joy, should the malicious little brat ever figure out the Leoniel family secret…if she learned the technique, along with the power of Corruption…

…she could be even more unstoppable, and quite possibly be able to kill Joy.

"...you're... not just giving up... because of that... right?"

Everyone's eyes widened, and they looked over at Jack on the couch.

Slowly, he sat himself up as he clutched to where Astaroth had punctured him underneath the bandages; breathing. "...we can't just... give up... if we do that... then we're just bound to lose..." He slowly looked towards them. "...Joy's not given up yet... so neither should we...!"

"…Jack…" Ani uttered in surprise.

With a wince, Jack slowly got off of the couch, breathing still. "...Joy has to be strong to fight Malice... but do you think she'd be able to stay strong... if she knew that we were losing hope?"

Nage glanced to the side; a thoughtful look crossing her face.

With that, Jack looked towards Vanessa with a nod. "...we have to do our best... to keep Joy in high spirits... or we're just gonna lose..."

"…right…" Vanessa agreed with another nod.

"…look, kid, you gotta rest right now," Gruff grumbled. "I admire you standin' and taking the pain and all, but for cripes sake, just let your body heal for a goddamn minute."

Jack glanced back up at Gruff, before he sighed. "...fine..." Then, he laid back down on the couch. "...but when I'm better... I wanna start training right away..."

"...wait, what?" Guts gawked at that.

"…are you sure son?" Vanessa asked.

Jack simply nodded. "...mhm..."

"…alright then…" Vanessa closed her eyes. "…you, Kristine and Milo will be training when we leave."

"…I don't mean to interrupt, but does the girl have heart problems?" Gruff asked. "Her pulse is irregular, as I've noticed when I checked it."

Everyone looked at each other.

Jack slowly looked up at Gruff. "...she... has a weak heart..." he replied.

"…chest pains?" Gruff asked.

"…yeah…" Milo murmured.

"Difficulty breathing most of the time?"

"No, she's usually good on that…" Ani answered. "At least around us…Jack?" and she looked at him, just simply because Jack would spend the most time with Arsenic.

Jack looked to the side. "...when she gets chest pains... she has some trouble breathing..."

Gruff's look hardened. "…she's really gonna need a heart transplant soon. With the rough housing you do, a heart attack is _very_ possible for her in her later years. She's too young for them now, but reckless behavior could make her more at risk earlier."

Jack gulped a touch upon hearing that, and rubbed his arm a bit.

"...but... we can't exactly afford that..." Nage remarked, as she rubbed her head.

Gruff looked away, grumbling something. No one could tell what he said though.

"…what'd you say?" Ani asked.

"…I said…" Gruff grumbled even more. "…I…owe you guys anyway…"

There was silence for a minute.

"…wait…you're not saying…" Milo's eyes widened.

Jack quickly looked back at Gruff with wide eyes. "...you're... actually gonna...?"

"…I need to do some tests to be sure…and there's no telling when a new heart could come in…" Gruff muttered. "…but hell…I'll put some of the loan money I have left for the operation."

Jack's expression brightened considerably upon hearing that.

"But I'll repeat myself; there's no telling when a heart could come in for her," Gruff added. "It could be days, weeks…and last I checked, you have someone to hunt down." He looked at them. "…that, and she has to agree to the operation as well. It's against the law to operate on an unwilling patient. Should she agree to the operation…you would have to leave her behind."

Jack's expression slowly waned a touch, as he looked towards Arsenic with a concerned look.

"…so she can either agree to the operation and stay behind…or continue with you and worsen her condition," Gruff stated the choices Arsenic would have to make.

"…we get it, bird brain…" mumbled a hazy Arsenic, which startled him.

Jack's eyes widened, and he looked straight at her. "...Arsenic..."

Arsenic didn't open her eyes, but she clutched to her chest. "…those bastards have my parents…how could I possibly be left behind from that…?"

Jack still looked at Arsenic with wide eyes.

"…but Arsenic, if there is the chance we save your parents, what if you don't make it by then?" Milo reasoned. "…what do you think they would feel if they found out you were gone?"

Arsenic hushed when Milo said that.

"…I think they'd feel guilty…from what it sounded like, they still really cared about you and did the best to raise you despite the things you lived with," Milo replied. "…running away from them, I'd know how they'd feel…we felt the same way when Jill left us after Brick died…guilty and sad. Imagine how much more guilt and sadness you'd give them if you died trying to save them…"

Jack looked briefly at Milo, before glancing back at Arsenic.

"…whatever…it's not like I can afford it anyway…" Arsenic grumbled.

"…but Gruff offered to pay for it," Ani said.

Arsenic looked back with wide eyes. Apparently, she hadn't heard that part.

Jack kept looking at Arsenic. Arsenic looked back at Jack then. The two stared at each other long and hard.

Naturally, Arsenic was stacking up her choices. On one end, if she refuses the transplant, they don't have to waste any more time than they already have. They could keep going, she could find a way to help her parents…but like Milo and Gruff kept saying, her condition would just get worse the farther down she dived into this. There's no telling if the Corruption won't make her heart give out, should she be attacked by it. On the other hand, this transplant was being handed to her. She had the opportunity to fix one thing wrong with her, and she didn't have to pay for it. It made the most sense, and if she had a better heart, she could be a better contribution to the group.

…she just…didn't want to be separated from Jack…

…but she knew how to be strong.

"…alright…I'll agree to it…" Arsenic finally said, closing her eyes.

Jack slowly closed his eyes as well; gritting his teeth a little. He knew it was for the best, but... it still hurt to think about it.

"…I'll have to transport her to a hospital," Gruff mentioned. "…I may know what she needs, but I'm retired. I need other surgeons to do it for me…and besides, it's not safe in this crappy, burnt down cabin anymore, since I'm sure the Leoniels will come back here eventually. If I leave with her soon, we can get her on the transplant list sooner." Then he looked up at them. "And you all can be right on your way to finding that girl."

"...I suppose..." Nage hummed, as she rubbed her neck, whilst looking at Jack and Arsenic.

"…I'm going to start up the helicopter," Gruff sighed, walking off. "…you all take the time you need before leaving." And he was gone out of the room after that.

Slowly, Jack looked back at Arsenic. Arsenic wasn't looking back at him.

"…Jack…Arsenic…do you two want to be alone?" Vanessa asked.

Jack didn't respond, as he looked down at the ground.

"...I... think we should let them be..." Nage hummed.

With that, everyone got up and left the room, leaving Jack and Arsenic alone.

Jack slowly looked towards Arsenic again. "...Arsenic..."

Arsenic eventually looked back at Jack, but with a sadder look this time. Jack's expression was sad as well, but somewhat understanding as well. Arsenic hadn't been wounded like Jack, so she was able to weakly rise off of the couch and go to the couch he was lying on. Jack looked back at Arsenic; remaining silent. From where Jack was lying, Arsenic put her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.

Jack let out a soft sigh, as he gently wrapped his arms around her as well.

"…I thought…you were…" Arsenic paused then, not wanting to finish that.

"...for a moment..." Jack whispered, as he closed his eyes. "...I thought you were..." Like her, he couldn't bring himself to finishing that sentence.

"…Well…I still stand by…what I said…earlier…" Arsenic mumbled, clutching to him.

Jack didn't say anything, but he held her tighter as well. Arsenic buried her face in his chest more. "…I'm really gonna miss you Jack…"

Jack grit his teeth a bit, and held her tighter. "...I'm... gonna miss you too, Arsenic..." he whispered.

In the other room…

"…as sad as it is for Jack that he won't see Arsenic for a while…" Vanessa mumbled, with closed eyes. "…this will be beneficial for mental training…it will allow him to practice being strong when loved ones aren't around to support him, and given that she helped him get over a phobia, I want to make sure he isn't depending on her for emotional support…The training will be harder for him if that's the case."

"…why?" Milo asked.

"…because the way that you train…is practicing the belief that you need to depend fully and solely on yourself; no one else," Vanessa said. "It doesn't necessarily mean that you turn cold and refuse to be around anyone else; you can still be with your friends and family…but you need to start believing that you don't need help in a tense situation, and you have to be able to handle whatever consequences happen from your actions… Most of my family use this belief to encourage the killer instinct; that they are superior in their genetics and that they can face whatever numbers come at them singlehandedly."

Vanessa looked at them then. "…I used this belief by telling myself that protecting Jack is my sole duty and purpose, and that no one else was going to do it. I was going to do whatever it takes, and so I learned how to believe in my own abilities with protecting him as motivation."

"…I see…so whatever motivates you to believe in yourself is what you need for the training?" Milo asked.

Vanessa nodded. "…and if you put absolute faith in yourself, and with enough determination, you can draw out your spiritual energy and use it."

"...sounds like it'd come in handy, then." Nage remarked. "With that kind of power, it wouldn't surprise me if the Leoniels could really fight toe-to-toe with the Corrupted."

"…they can," Vanessa answered. "They _have._"

"…what about Johnny? What motivated him to believe in himself?" Ani asked.

"…because of his disorder, he didn't need that training; his spiritual energy was already at his disposal to use, and my father had more time to train him on the use of it rather than the training to draw it out to begin with," Vanessa answered. "…and he's been toe-to-toe with a Corrupted user; not to mention he was infected with the stuff."

"Huh..." Guts hummed, as he rubbed his neck. "...so... you think with enough training, a Leoniel could maybe _defeat_ a Corrupted?"

"…they could beat a Corrupted, but not defeat one…" Vanessa said. She closed her eyes then. "The only ones who could truly defeat them are Metal Sonic, Jill, and Joy, because they have the powers that can neutralize Corruption."

"Yeah, I get that..." Guts noted. "...but... that spirit being Jack manifested... I'm just wondering what that could accomplish against them."

"…I'm sorry but…" Kristine threw in. "…at this point, there are a lot of things I'm not understanding here…there's a lot of questions I have, like about this…um, 'Corruption' and Malice and whatnot…"

Everyone else looked at her.

"…first…we need to ask you something…" Vanessa spoke. "…we'll tell you…but I think at this point, if you want me to train you in the technique…you'll have to travel with us. You'll be away from your home, and be getting yourself involved in a_ very_ dangerous escapade. We need to know that you'll be with us on this too…"

Kristine looked at all of them in silence. Eventually, she nodded her head. "…whatever it is…I think I can handle it…and like the other lion said…it sounds like you'll need all the help you can get…and if it means bashing Leoniel heads when we come to it-!" and she looked at Vanessa nervously. "…em…no offense to you and your son of course."

"…none taken; I knew what you meant," Vanessa spoke.

"…and besides, it's not like I'm safe to go home anymore; I know those jerk wads are looking for me," Kristine huffed.

"...they're gonna be looking for _all_ of us, now that Astaroth got his ass beat..." Nage remarked.

Milo gulped at that. "…yeah…we really should head out soon…"

"…don't be a wuss; we'll take them," Kristine scoffed.

Milo blinked and looked at Kristine. "…_excuse_ me?" Not only was the idea of confidence in taking on the Leoniel family shocking, but Milo had grown up with Ani constantly calling him a chicken, a scaredy cat, and various other forms of the names. He couldn't help but be naturally offended, especially when he was older and not anything of the category anymore.

But Kristine didn't seem to notice. "Anyway, you'll be explaining on the way I guess?"

"…uh, sure?" Striker replied, looking at Milo who sighed and let the insult go for now.

"Well, it'll save time." Guts remarked.

"…Time to go…" Gruff suddenly called from an open door nearby.

"…better get Jack and Arsenic then…" Milo spoke softly, turning to walk back into the living room.

Nage watched him leave with a small sigh.

When Milo got to the living room, Jack and Arsenic didn't notice him because they were locked in their embrace. Milo sighed with a little heartache. Sensing what these two felt, he didn't want to have to break them apart, but he knew he had to. "…time to go guys…" he said.

Jack slowly looked towards Milo... and then he nodded. "...alright..."

With that, he slowly got on his feet; managing to pick up Arsenic without letting go of her. "...where to...?"

Arsenic was surprised, again, that Jack whisked her up like that.

"Outside, where the helicopter is," Milo said, turning to lead the way for Jack.

Everyone got outside to a rooftop, and that was where Gruff's helicopter was. The copter was on, but the propellers were still right now; it was a bad idea to start them with others nearby.

Wandering towards the helicopter, Jack breathed slowly, as he looked down at Arsenic. "...be safe..." he whispered to her.

"…I could say the same about you…" Arsenic whispered back.

"Just set her in the passenger seat," Gruff said, putting the headset on in the driver's seat of the copter.

Jack nodded, as he gently set Arsenic in the passenger's seat; giving her a small nod and a smile. "...I love you..."

"…I…love you too…" Arsenic muttered.

Somewhat hesitantly, Jack stepped away from the helicopter; still looking at Arsenic. Arsenic closed the door on her side, and stared back at Jack. Still, Jack could only look back at her.

The propellers started up on the helicopter then, and everyone made sure to stay back so that Gruff could get the copter in the air. Even from in the air, Arsenic continued to stare back at Jack, growing sadder the farther away she got, and Jack kept staring at her; a sad look growing the further away the copter flew.

Milo set a hand on his shoulder. Jack simply closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"She'll be okay Jack," Milo said.

"...I know..." Jack murmured, as he looked back up at where the copter flew off. "...but... I'll miss her..."

"…Well! let's go," Kristine said. "We got some talking and traveling to do."

"…is it just me…or is she really insensitive about all this?" Ani whispered to Milo in disgust when the others started to follow her.

"…it's not that Ani…" Milo sighed. "…she's just more focused on what's ahead than anything else…"

"...guess that's a flaw we have to get used to..." Nage remarked to the two of them.

* * *

><p><em><strong>How's that for some action?<strong>_


	46. Chapter 45

"_I'm back_," spoke a figure that came out of a dark void in the wall. She turned out to be Mercy.

"...you certainly took your time." Meeting her there was Bulk, who kept his arms folded as he gave her a nod. "So, what did you learn?"

"_Patricia was kidnapped_," Mercy responded.

"...son of a- _really?_" Bulk groaned, as he rubbed his head. "You gotta be shitting me... by who?"

"_The Leoniel family,_" Mercy answered again. "_They're related to Johnny and Vanessa... And they're vicious blood thirsty killers that run a family mob in their town._"

"...oh, great. That's just peachy..." Bulk murmured. "Even with all her new powers, she still got kidnapped?"

"_Apparently so_," Mercy grumbled.

"...alright... that's just goddamn pathetic." Bulk snarled. "I'll have Cyrene and Husk bail her out when I feel like giving a shit. What other news do you have?"

"_Nothing much more than that_," Mercy responded. "..._oh. Patricia blabbed everything to the head of the family, Astaroth."_

"..._really._" Bulk groaned. "...on second thought... let her rot. She can escape on her own time."

"..._so it's looking like we're gonna have to plan the invasion of Safe Haven without her_," Mercy said.

"Might as well." Bulk huffed. "Not like she'll do us a lot of good while being captured, anyway."

"..._Now, I have an idea that I could probably bounce off of you,_" Mercy began. "_We're going to need more Corrupted, but I'm not talking about the countless innocents we're collecting. I mean, one or two more Generals that can handle Corruption. Since Patricia's useless, we should consider it_."

"...hm..." Bulk hummed, and nodded somewhat. "...I agree. Especially after losing Ivory and Pierce... and Cyrene and Husk are getting too close. We need more generals." He looked back at Mercy. "Any ideas?"

"_We choose one from the groups looking for Joy, to turn against them,_" Mercy suggested. "_Someone who could effectively use Corruption, but with a weak enough will that they won't try and defy us."_

"...sounds good." Bulk hummed, as he gave Mercy a nod. "Right; then go out and corrupt some of 'em. But not too many at a time; we can't risk being caught."

"_Right_," Mercy replied. "_Anything else?_"

"...unless I wanna fall back into a habit Patricia forced me out of, I don't think so." Bulk remarked.

"_Alright then_," Mercy said, turning to leave through another void.

With a small scoff, Bulk looked down at his hand, which was brimming with a small, dark aura. _...that Corruption I got from Joy isn't enough... I gotta get more... _lots_ more..._

* * *

><p>Later that evening, one group was flying through the skies on the back of a certain dragon Mobian, but it seemed like it was getting late and that camp needed to be made.<p>

So they made a landing and got settled down around a campfire they made.

"It's not that bad this evening," Oblivion mentioned, looking up at the sky.

"...I'll say." Demi remarked, as he gazed up at the sky.

With a light yawn, Charon simply rested on the ground. Diablo was also looking up at the sky, but he was silent. Kiri remained silent as well, though she just looked at the fire for now.

Diablo yawned then. "It's been a long day of travel," he said. "I think I'm ready to head to sleep."

"...me too..." Kiri murmured.

"...maybe we should have someone take watch." Trish hummed, as she glanced around. "Any volunteers?"

It was silent.

"...I could," Oblivion offered.

Charon glanced at her with a surprised look. "...on your own?"

Oblivion shrugged. "Why not?"

"You sure Oblivion?" Diablo asked.

Oblivion nodded.

"...it could be dangerous, Oblivion..." Demi remarked worriedly.

"Well..." Oblivion did take their concern into consideration. "...Demi? Maybe you could join me?"

Demi nodded. "I could do that."

Oblivion nodded. "Alright, and Toki and Fargus could run the next shift after us."

"I think that sounds like a good plan." Fargus hummed with a nod.

"Right," Oblivion said with a smile. "…goodnight everyone."

"...good night, Oblivion." Charon hummed with a nod.

With that, everyone was asleep; well, everyone except Demi and Oblivion who were keeping watch in the night.

Up above, nearby, someone was watching them, however...

* * *

><p>"...so... starting to recover, are we?" As the sun was slowly setting, the Commander had entered the room where the Sergeant was still recovering; giving him a small nod as she took a seat next to his bed.<p>

"Yes," the Sergeant answered, just finishing his dinner.

"Hope you enjoyed your meal." the Commander hummed. "I made it myself."

The Sergeant actually smiled a little at that, closing his eyes. "Well then... thank you. I enjoyed it."

"Glad to hear it." the Commander hummed, as she glanced towards the window.

"...so then," the Sergeant began. "...would I be able to handle more of the details of what's going on?"

"...it depends on what you'd want to hear." the Commander hummed.

"...how bad have the Corrupted gotten?" The Sergeant asked.

"...they're rebuilding their forces." the Commander murmured. "To the point of attacking towns... leaving them desolate..."

The Sergeant's look hardened a bit. "...I see."

The Commander simply sighed.

"...and you said they're planning to attack the place we've expected them to," the Sergeant said. "...even if the soldiers are preparing...should we send support?"

"...sad to say, but... we don't exactly have a lot of support to offer them." the Commander remarked. "I've already sent Adam weapons for the preparing forces to use... that's the best option I can think of that won't risk more soldiers..."

"...I see..."

Then the Sergeant looked at her. "Would it be too much to ask if I could be transported there once I've made a full recovery?"

The Commander glanced at him. "...may I ask what business you would personally have there?"

"...perhaps to apologize to Condit for this mess," The Sergeant looked away with his eyes closed. "...but most of the men there are mine, and if they're preparing for battle... I feel as though I should be there with them."

The Commander hummed, as she glanced aside.

"...I'll see what I can do." she spoke. "But I cannot make any promises."

"I understand," the Sergeant responded.

The Sergeant nodded at the Commander.

Then he said this, "...thank you, Commander."

The Commander chuckled. "...don't mention it."

* * *

><p>The day had been fun for Tasha, visiting with Caitlin, Bruno and Belinda. After a while, even a hung over Jill had come to chatter with them for a bit, at least lightening up. Tasha noticed with relief that she was better than she had been last night, and even went to bed at a pretty decent time. Tasha decided to read one of Jill's books for a bit, but ended up falling asleep on the couch.<p>

Afterward, she proceeded to have an unpleasant dream…

…it was filled with screams…_her_ screams; screams of pain and agony. It was tearing her apart, and it was unlike any other pain she had ever felt. At first, she thought it was Corruption, but then she felt more of where it was coming from; inside of herself, down in her lower gut…

…where the baby was…

…she felt pain down there, unlike any other. She saw shadowy monsters surrounding her while she screamed out, trying to swat them away from her in desperate efforts to get them away, but they cackled at her. They tore at her skin, making her bleed, and feel more pain.

Tasha started calling out for King's name at this point in horror, screaming bloody murder, but her pleas for him were not answered.

That's when she jolted awake out of fright, realizing someone's hand was on her shoulder.

"Tasha, are you okay?" Jill uttered with wide eyes. "I heard you screaming…"

Tasha looked at Jill with wide eyes as well. Then she looked around, seeing that she was still on the couch. It was still the middle of the night, from what it looked like.

"…I was…having a nightmare…I suppose…" Tasha uttered. Then she shivered, feeling that the room was actually pretty cold.

"Here, let me get you a blanket…" Jill muttered, rushing off for a minute. Soon, she came back with a warm, wool blanket that was large enough to wrap around Tasha, even including her bulge out her abdomen where the baby was. Tasha felt warmer and cozier…

…and then she felt some tears roll down from her eyes. Jill blinked, seeing the sudden change of behavior in Tasha, and before she knew it, Tasha broke down sobbing. The nightmare Tasha had actually scared her quite a bit, reminding her just how hard it was not to have King with her. It could've been the hormones the pregnancy was giving off to fuel the sudden change of emotion, but Tasha was still sad without King by her side…

…not to mention some growing fears that maybe King won't make it if…she went into labor; like that nightmare. She would be all alone to try and give birth to that baby, and he'd still be out there.

Jill ended up sitting on the couch and hugging Tasha for support while she sobbed in Jill's shoulder. Tasha felt bad, because Jill was the one going through a harder time, but Tasha was so used to setting aside her own feelings for her people that they all just suddenly came at once.

After crying for a bit, Tasha finally calmed down, but there were still tears rolling down her face. It still doesn't change the fact they're stuck here, and unable to get to where King and the others are. There was nothing they could do.

"…Tasha…would you like something to eat?" Jill offered.

Tasha just shook her head silently; ears dropped down.

"…Tasha, you have to stay nourished," Jill reminded. "…you sure you're not hungry?"

Tasha nodded her head.

Well, if Tasha wasn't hungry, then there was no harm done. Jill was just making sure to look out for her and her baby. Since she was awake right now, Jill stood up and paced around the living room thoughtfully for a bit. She would still stay up with Tasha to help support her; after all, they supported Jill all this time, and Jill felt she should do the same for her.

"…Jill…" Tasha spoke up finally, sounding worried. "…do you think…Twilight will be alright?"

"…I'm sure he's okay, Tasha," Jill assured her. "…he's a tough guy…"

Tasha touched her stomach insecurely. "…will… he be back in time…?"

Jill looked at her. With these questions, she was wondering if the nightmare she had was about that.

"…when…I go into labor…?" Tasha asked. "…I…I'm afraid and…I don't want to have to go through it alone…"

Yeah, that was probably what the nightmare was about. Jill remembered when she went through labor with Joy, and her only support at that time was her father down at the village.

"…even if he doesn't make it in time, you won't be alone, Tasha," Jill said in assurance again, coming over to set a hand on her shoulder. "…I know how to birth a child, so I can help you when it's time…" After all, she still promised King to look after her, and if the time came, she was willing to be her support.

"…I know…but…" Tasha looked away sorrowfully. "…it would…mean so much more if he was here…"

Jill sat back down next to Tasha, and to be honest, she really had no idea what to say… All she could do was sit there and try to think of what happened the past few months…what could have possibly lead up to all of this?

…who was she kidding? Of _course_ she knew the events that led up to this…and thinking about the past wasn't going to help her all that much. It only made Jill want to drink again with everything that's happened…and the last time she drank, it didn't go so well… although she still had to consider it; for the sake that Spiel was able to reach her only through that way…

"…I know it would mean a lot for King to be here, Tasha…" Jill said, shaking off her thoughts. "…and I think he'll make it in time. You still have a few months left before you're due, and…I _hope_, at least, that this whole thing doesn't last for that long."

Tasha looked at Jill with an even more worried look.

"…key words…_I hope…_" Jill sighed, growing depressed as well.

It was silent between the two of them for a bit.

"…c'mon…" Jill took Tasha's hand and helped her to her feet. "If you're not going to eat something, then you should probably get some rest." And Jill tried to smile for Tasha. "We all know this little guy is energetic like King, so you should make sure you get enough sleep to keep up with him."

That managed to get a smile out of Tasha. "…alright…" and Tasha was led to bed in her room, allowing Jill to head back to her room into bed.

Jill wasn't tired yet, though. From consoling Tasha, she was just reminded of the things that depressed her again. She probably wasn't going to sleep for a few hours either…

…so she thought of the next best thing.

"…Tails Doll?" Jill spoke up, looking around. "Are you in here?"

No response.

Jill blinked. "...Tails Doll?" She got up from bed to look around.

Eventually, she did find Tails Doll; huddled in a corner as if he wasn't activated.

Usually, Tails Doll was activated, and Jill didn't remember deactivating him. "...Tails Doll?" She spoke, going to pick the doll up. As she picked him up, though, his head suddenly bent backwards; his eyes staring up at hers lifelessly, even moreso than usual.

Jill jumped at that, growing frightened. "T-Tails Doll?!" He didn't respond; he just gazed right into her eyes. "Tails Doll, talk to me!" Jill uttered in panic, actually shaking the doll.

And still, his gaze was fixated on hers.

_"...wake up..."_

"...Huh...?" Jill uttered.

_"...wake up."_

In that instance, Tails Doll's eyes shone a bright light, which engulfed absolutely everything surrounding Jill.

Jill let out a yelp, covering her eyes...

...after the light…there was darkness…

…then slowly, she felt herself coming to. There was a very familiar air she breathed in while she slowly starting waking up. She had been asleep on a soft surface of a bed that she could recognize as she shifted in the covers.

Slowly, and weakly, she opened her eyes.

For a while, Jill blinked blankly at a ceiling that she's known to stare at for a long time…and slowly, she rose from where she was lying. It was a bed, but not just a bed…

…_her_ bed…

She stared, and then looked around the room. She remembered this room…it was her room…

Her eyes widened when she realized why she recognized everything.

She was in the Clubhouse. This was her room in the Clubhouse.

She got up from the bed, stumbling a bit when she stood up because she felt a little weak, but for the most part, she kept her balance. She just had to look around at this room…it was so strange for her to be here, and yet, she felt like she was here all along…she had mixed feelings and it felt so conflicting…

Jill walked over to the mirror to look at herself. She stood there, staring at herself blankly. More mixed emotions ran through her mind while she stared back at her reflection. Her hair was long, and she was wearing her long green coat and tunic just like she remembered she was wearing, with her boots and her belt.

She remembered vague images, feelings, memories that she had no idea if they were even real or not…

"…what…what's going on?" she uttered, touching her face. It was there, that's for sure. It was her. She was there.

Jill wondered why she felt this way…and then she started to wonder how long she had been gone like that…

That's when she started to hear something from the hallway outside of her bedroom. She turned her head, listening closely, and she could make it out as harmonica music, echoing in the hallway. She knew that there couldn't be anyone else who could play the harmonica. "…Jack…" she uttered with widened eyes.

…this…all felt so nice…so peaceful…and yet…she wasn't sure how to feel about this at all. She remembered some horrible feelings when she had been asleep…though most of those images were beginning to fade from her memory.

She finally decided to leave through her door and amble down the hallway, following the harmonica music. The more she walked, the music started to get louder. She could tell that the music sounded sad…and for some reason, it rubbed her the wrong way.

She got to the room where the music was the loudest. It was in the living room, and a whole group of Mobians were sitting around the one playing the harmonica music. Jill just stood there silently, watching them.

There were those mixed feelings again…seeing this scene, and still trying to remember the feelings she had when she was asleep.

Was this real?

One of the heads in the crowd turned, and their eyes widened. "J-JILL!"

That was when the harmonica music ceased, and all eyes turned to her. Naturally, their reaction was the same.

"_Brownie!_"

One from the group jumped right out at Jill, and threw his arms around her. It startled her so much she gasped, and then she was greeted with a warm, insecure hug of relief. She hugged back, rubbing his back. She recognized this feeling, this kind of hug…she recognized everyone, especially when the one hugging her looked back at her eye to eye. Jill stared at those brown eyes in surprise, while he brushed her hair aside and tried to hold tears back.

"…Brownie…"he uttered. "…you're…you're awake…I can't believe it…"

Jill stared a moment longer at him before speaking. "…Brick…"

Brick Cainfield hugged her again, burying his face into her shoulder. "…I thought you weren't ever gonna wake up after that…" he uttered, his voice cracked and shaken.

Others ran to hug the two of them.

"Jill, I knew you'd still be okay!" uttered a small voice, hugging her tightly around her waist. She was so short compared to Jill, but that didn't change the way she looked down at those pale blue eyes that looked back up at her. "See?! See?! You're okay!" the wolf-husky uttered, trying to hold back her own tears. She was so young, and yet, so tough…

Jill looked at the others. Two of them were just as short as her, both hugging to her silently. She rubbed the head of a bear cub, and he looked up at her with sad turquoise blue eyes under his brown baseball cap. Then he buried his nose into her coat.

"…Striker…Ani…"Jill spoke out, recognizing them. Then she looked at the other one. "…Milo…?"

Milo was one of the lion cubs, and he just kept hugging Jill without any response…

"...Jill!" The other lion was around her size, but the one who had actually played the harmonica to begin with. He swiftly ran up to her to throw her arms around her.

"...bless my heart..." Rising from the couch was an older figure; looking at Jill with wide eyes from behind his glasses. "...you're awake..."

"...Jack...Professor..." Jill uttered, seeing them.

"…what…happened…?" she held her head. It was all so strange…being welcomed like this. It felt like it had just been too early in the morning to get up, and her mind hadn't quite processed everything yet.

"…you've been out cold for weeks…" Milo uttered. "…ever since you won against Callous, Metal turned on you…"

Jill shot a baffled look at Milo.

…there were so many questions to that…

…then something started coming to her…a memory of something…

_At the clash of lightning, Jill threw her sword into Callous' chest. She screamed in the pain, but so did Jill. Both of them still shared that soul, and so whatever happened to one, happened to the other. It almost seemed like Jill would die as well, and take Callous out with her._

"_If you quit now, then I won't have to kill both of us!" Jill screamed at her fiercely, stabbing Callous even more._

"_Kiss my ass!" Callous screamed defiantly back, but with Jill stabbing her harder, she screamed out more._

"_I SWEAR, Callous, I WILL resort to killing both of us!" Jill yelled back. "Give up! I've already won! I've gone too far to give up on this now!" She was breathing hard from the injury she sustained while giving Callous the same one. This would be the test of who was more willing to give up…_

_"...come on..." In the background, Metal Sonic was watching this fight with wide eyes._

_Johnny, who was in the area still, however, wasn't going to leave that to chance. Noticing the figurine dropped during the battle, he hissed. "...hey, Condit!" Immediately, he lunged to grab the figurine, and glared right at Jill. "You'd better stop, or I'll destroy Metal Sonic!"_

_Metal's gaze, however, remained narrowed. "...don't listen to him, Jill... finish it! Ignore everything else, and just finish her!"_

_Seeing the figurine, Jill looked back and forth hesitantly between that and Callous, determining whether to finish her off or let her go._

_Gritting, Johnny began surging Corruption from the figurine, which made Metal Sonic cry out in pain once more. "Let go!"_

_Hissing, Metal sank to his knees, but gazed towards Jill still. "...don't stop... just finish her off! Forget about me for just one minute, and win this, Jill!"_

_Jill arched her brows in worry...and closed her eyes, gritting her teeth._

_...then she stabbed Callous further. "YOU CAN'T CONTROL ME ANYMORE!" she screamed hysterically. "FOR TOO LONG YOU'VE BEEN PLAYING WITH MY EMOTIONS! YOU CAN'T DO THAT ANYMORE!"_

_And Callous screamed out in bloody murder, coughing up blood. Blood dripped from Jill's lips as well..._

_...that is, until Callous disintegrated into dark matter...and a bright light could be seen in the place that she used to be. Jill stared weakly at this in awe. Both Metal and Johnny gawked at this; Metal with widening eyes, and Johnny with a panicked expression. "...CALLOUS!" he cried out._

_Jill breathed heavily, falling to her knees to try and catch her breath despite the blood flowing from her mouth and her chest wound that she took on to beat Callous._

_The ball of light, then, was drawn toward her._

_Still, Metal and Johnny could only gawk at this with wide eyes._

_When the ball of light touched Jill... She didn't wheeze for breath anymore. She could take deeper breaths, and when she looked down at herself, she didn't see any wounds on her anymore. She felt rejuvenated..._

_That... And she felt _whole_._

_She did it... She beat Callous and won that bet Metal made with her._

_With confidence and determination, he pointed her sword in Johnny's direction._

_"...__**get out of here,**__" she snarled._

_Breathing slowly, Johnny just looked down at the figurine he held, where the Corruption was sizzling to virtually no effect..._

_...and then, he shot an actually tearful, hate-filled glare directly at Jill. "__**FUCK YOU! GIVE ME CALLOUS BACK!**__" With that roar, he tossed the figurine aside and charged directly towards Jill..._

_...but he would never even be able to reach her._

_In that instant, Metal Sonic had shot up behind him and __**driven**__ his metallic hand straight through Johnny's chest; ripping the steel compartment off, and clutching a bloodied Chaos Emerald in his grasp. "...she warned you... Leoniel." the Metallix hissed._

_Jill gawked at that_.

_Pulling his arm out of Johnny's chest, Metal observed the Chaos Emerald he held. "...there... we got them back..." he mused, as he looked at Johnny's body lying sprawled on the ground beneath them._

_"...C...C-Callous..." Coughing up black blood, Johnny slowly looked up towards Jill, and breathed weakly. "...g-give her... back..." Slowly, he crawled towards Jill; his gaze fixated on her. "...give... Callous... back..."_

_"...Jill. Finish him." Metal hummed in a rather cold tone. "At least let him die with dignity."_

_Jill just ended up staring at Johnny, gripping her blade firmly, yet shakily_.

_Still, Johnny kept crawling towards her; black blood practically pouring from the hole in his chest as he gasped for air. "...g-give me... Callous...!" he wheezed, as black tears even began oozing from his eyes._

_"...he's being overtaken by Corruption..." Metal remarked. "...kill him, before it gets worse." he told Jill._

_Jill shut her eyes at this. Even if Johnny was a bad guy, she never saw him like this... and she actually felt a bit of sympathy_.

_Coughing more black goo up, Johnny was now only an arm's reach away from Jill; clinging to life in spite of having had his functioning heart torn from his body, which was slowly being devoured by Corruption. "...C-Cah... Callous!"_

_"...kill him now!" Metal called._

_Finally, Jill walked silently over to Johnny and stabbed him with the power of her holy blade_. _Johnny's eyes briefly widened, but the holy blade soon made the Corruption sizzling against his body burn out; leaving nothing but his empty husk of a body. "...C... Callous..." With that last whimper, the lion fell limply against the ground; finally passed on._

_"...at last... it's over." Metal hummed, as he weighed the Chaos Emerald he held, before approaching Jill. "...on this front, at least. One last threat remains."_

_"...y-yeah..." Jill uttered, pulling out her blade from Johnny's cold, dead body..._

_Then when she looked at Metal, she... smiled._

_"...b...but we still... beat them," she just felt relief sweep over her. "...no more Callous..."_

_Metal gave her a small nod. "You did well... just as I thought you would." he spoke with a small hum. "...it's... a relief, actually..."_

"_...is it?" Jill asked, relinquishing her blade in a ray of light_.

_"Yes." Metal spoke. "...I'm proud of you, Jill." His tone seemed genuine, as he reached his hand out to her._

_Jill actually smiled even more, "...Metal..."_

_She reached out to his hand too, taking it. "...I don't think I'll be able to thank you enough for helping me beat her..."_

_"...think nothing of it." Metal spoke with a small nod. "I'm simply thankful that things turned out the way they did..."_

_Jill just continued smiling, and she closed her eyes. Now, all that was left was Deity Novagod... and then it wouldn't be much longer until she ended this nightmare for good._

_"...because if things had gone differently..."_

_In that very instant, however, she suddenly felt a massively painful sensation jolt through her; stemming from something being forced through her very body. Jill's eyes shot open, and choked on the pain she suddenly felt. The entire mood of the situation had just changed dramatically._

_"...then I might not have been able to do __**this.**__"_

_Metal's tone had suddenly changed, and if Jill would look, she would see that he had morphed his arm into a wicked-looking blade, which was now gorged within her guts; imbuded with that dark-green glow that the Metallix had created during their training._

_Again, Jill felt blood trickle from her mouth, trembling weakly while she choked._

_Agonizing tears even rolled down her face. "...M...Metal...wh-why? ...I thought..."_

_"Yes... you __**thought.**__" Metal spoke seriously; his robotic eyes practically boring into her soul as he seemed to twist his blade-arm within her. "Reality can be a harsh mistress, Condit..."_

_Jill cried out when he twisted the blade out of pain, both from the physical pain, and the hit she took to her emotions._

_"It was a tough act, I'll admit... and having Deity nearly decimate me did put things in perspective..." Metal mused, as he kept twisting the blade into Jill's body. "...but I've learned from my mistakes. Purity, Unity and Corruption are dangerous forces... you need to be emotionally dead to properly use them... I assume that's what gives Deity his power." he remarked nonchalantly, as if he _wasn't_ currently carving a hole in Jill's gut._

_Jill whimpered while she sobbed and choked on the blood she coughed out. She lost enough strength that her knees gave out, and she fell. Finally, Metal pulled the blade out of her chest, before kicking her face to send her collapsing into a heap on the ground. "...rest easy, Condit... I will deal with Novagod on my own. Consider your part in this story... finished."_

_It wasn't much longer after that she began to fade out, passing out. "...M-Metal..."_

When Jill felt that go through her mind, she didn't know how to feel about that. A sharp pain struck her inside…and it was unruly, agonizing, betrayed pain…she realized that when she had been training with Metal, she had been loosening up to him too much…and she allowed herself to actually feel toward him. She should've known that he was just going to use her like that…

"…don't feel bad, Brownie," Brick uttered, rubbing her back to try and support her. "…he saw your weakness…and played it. It was the cold logic of a robot."

Jill stared at the ground sadly.

"…hey Jill…you going to be okay?" Milo asked worriedly.

"…I don't know…" Jill answered, looking at the ground. "…I mean..." and she didn't continue, trying to find her words.

"...Jill..." Tails eventually cleared his throat, as he approached Jill with a somewhat serious look. "...I know you've just woken up, but... I felt that you should know as soon as possible."

"...know...what?" Jill uttered.

Milo uttered a gulp. "…While you were out…Metal Sonic beat Deity Novagod."

Jill gasped. "He _what?!_" That made Jill uneasy again. She honestly couldn't believe that Metal defeated her most hated enemy…in which case, made _him_ the worse of the two evils. "How?!"

"He sent a broadcast to the world," Brick remarked, holding an electronic device. "…he showed the world that he defeated them, and made them as an example so that no one would stand in his way…" Then he pressed a button, and a holographic message started to play.

The instant the hologram switched on, they saw Metal Sonic, but he wasn't alone... he was carrying the defeated body of Deity Novagod; his hand gripping onto the bat's head. "_People of Mobius... I am pleased to announce that retrieving my resources was not in vain. The threat to my rule has been eliminated._" As he spoke, he held up Deity's body. "_See this Mobian? This pathetic waste of flesh thought himself worthy of challenging my rule; using forces beyond your puny, mortal comprehension._"

Jill shuddered as she watched this, covering her mouth in horror while she shook her head in denial. "...no..."

Jack turned away as he grit his teeth and closed his eyes.

"_...unfortunately for him... I am able to control these forces as well._" Metal uttered, as he slowly moved his free hand towards Deity's head; energy brimming around it. "_...and as you can see... his power wanes in comparison._"

With absolutely no mercy, Metal _skewered_ Deity; a blade of energy now impaling the vampire's skull. Jill gasped at that in horror. The others just looked away at that; Milo even covered his eyes in fear.

As Deity's body began withering away, Metal tossed the body aside with an impassive scoff. "_...now... with all the nuisances taken care of... well... a few stragglers not withstanding... you can all expect some immediate changes around the world. Though you'll just have to find out for yourselves... and see the rise of the Neo Metal Sonic Empire for yourselves. Farewell._" Then, much like his first broadcast, a tendril shot right towards where the camera was; cutting the feed.

After that, there was silence.

"…and from how long you've been out…I don't think we'll have much time until he'll show up for you, next…" Milo gulped, uncovering his eyes.

Jill's eyes widened. Instantly, her concern grew for her friends, because if Metal was going to come here, her friends weren't safe around her anymore. She stood up. "Then we need to get out of here before he gets here!"

Tails nodded. "...I've been in touch with King and his group. They've found a remote island inhabited only by a tribe of jungle cats, and I have some crafts to take us there. We can leave right away, if need be."

Jill nodded, still shaky. "...l-lets go then..." she uttered.

Tails nodded, and looked at Brick. "We need a clear path. You, Ani and Jack go ahead, and we'll follow you."

Jack nodded somewhat reluctantly, as he took out his harmonica. "...don't worry, Jill... we're not letting that buckethead get to you again."

"...yeah...we're gonna make sure nothin' happens to you..." Brick said, while he, Ani and Jack left.

Jill nodded, trying to smile, but she was still really scared right now.

"...come now, Jill..." Tails hummed, as he held a hand out to Jill with a small, encouraging smile. "...let's go."

Jill looked up to him, smiling bad. Even if she was scared, the Professor always seemed to ease her a little bit. So she reached for his hand with her own.

But before she could grasp Tails' hand...

...a metallic hand suddenly locked around Jill's wrist.

Jill gasped with widened, frightened eyes, and slowly looked at where the metallic hand came from.

And there, standing right in the middle of the living room, was none other than Neo Metal Sonic; his gaze directed straight at Jill.

"...Metal!" Swiftly, Tails aimed his hand at the Metallix, and his arm cannon surrounded his glove; giving him a weapon to aim at the Metallix. "Let her go!"

Metal's attention, however, remained on Jill. Jill was too frozen to move, staring at Metal in trembling fright.

"...I told you to let her go!" Tails barked at the Metallix, but still, Metal wouldn't budge. He wasn't even readying for an attack; he just gazed at Jill.

Up until now, both Striker and Milo have been practically as frozen as Jill...

...but finally they had to nerve to act, and they jumped on Metal, grabbing him and hitting against him. "He said let her go!" Striker screamed.

However, their strikes did... embarrassingly little to even make Metal react, as his gaze remained firmly on Jill.

"...kkh..." Tails hesitated; he couldn't fire upon Metal with the two kids on him.

"...what...what're you doing...?" Jill uttered.

Metal simply kept staring at her; eyes narrowed...

"..._Jill... wake up."_

"...wh...what...?" Jill uttered, now confused as well as scared.

Metal's eyes narrowed still, and carefully, he plucked Striker and Milo off him. "_...everything you've heard until now... it's a lie. It's nothing but a lie._"

"...Jill... step away from him." Tails uttered, as he kept his cannon aimed straight at Metal.

With a hiss, Metal glared straight at Jill. "_Think! This doesn't add up, Jill! You're being spoon-fed nothing but lies!_"

"And how am I supposed to believe you?!" Jill screamed at him with tears in her eyes. She just couldn't believe this creep! "You played my emotions! You used me and you think I'll believe you after _that?_!"

Meanwhile, Milo and Striker latched back onto Metal in determination to get him away from Jill.

"_...funny..._" Metal hummed. "_...because what you remember... is not how I remember it._"

Then, Jill would suddenly recall something..._different._

_"...let him go...Callous," Jill sputtered, bringing up her blade. "...or I'm taking the two of us down right here, right now." Jill then directed her blade...at her own chest, threatening to impale herself. "...if one dies, so does the other, right Callous?" Jill reminded, illustrating what she would do._

_Callous' smirk fell, and for a minute, she was silent. Would Jill actually do that?_

_However, Johnny simply scoffed. "She's bluffing! Finish him off, Callous!" he yelled._

_Metal, however, was stunned. "...you..." he uttered. "...you fool! What do you think you're doing?!" Seeing that, he began walking towards Jill, as if the pain from the Corruption was subsiding. "Are... are you going to sacrifice yourself... just to save me?!" he yelled, as he jammed his eyes shut. "ARE YOU GOING TO LET A KILLING MACHINE LIVE... AT THE COST OF NEVER SEEING YOUR FRIENDS AGAIN?!"_

_Callous finally smirked again. Then she started to laugh, and it grew. "Relax Metal; she probably IS bluffing!" she she summoned up an even more dangerous amount of Corruption to the figurine in hopes of finally shutting up Metal._

_As Callous laughed, it was Jill's turn to be silent for a minute._

_This time, Metal screamed, as he sank to his knees. However, in spite of that, he still advanced towards Jill, glaring at her. "...Jill..." he uttered, his body starting to tear from the intense amount of Corruption within his body. "...y-you can still take her out..." Then, he glared at Callous. "...she's completely open! For... FORGET ABOUT ME... AND JUST DEFEAT HER!"_

_More tears came down from Jill's eyes, as she shut them tightly. She had to do it...she couldn't bear seeing Metal like this._

_Callous suddenly felt an unbelievable pain in her chest and she stopped laughing. When she went to clutch her chest, she felt something wet run out, and when she took a look at her hand, she saw blood. Her hand trembled at this sight, because Callous never bled, and she looked up in total disbelief at what happened._

_Jill...like she said she would...stabbed herself._

_Like Callous, blood came from her impaled chest where her sword ran through and from her mouth, some blood trickled as well; something that also started happening to Callous. Both could scarcely breathe with the blood forced out through their throats, and both were slowly losing strength. Callous dropped the Metal figurine, and the black goo oozed out of that thing as it returned to normal; freeing Metal completely from its control._

_Both were even reverting to their normal forms too; Callous' demonic wings turned into mere black goo and melted off her back into puddles on the ground, and the light all around Jill was withering away in shimmers, revealing a gravely injured ewe underneath both of them._

_Once they finished reverting, both of them eventually collapsed to the ground; with the blade still through Jill._

_Seeing Callous collapse, Johnny was more or less startled. "...C-Callous?" he uttered. "...h-hey, stop joking around! Come on, get up, already!"_

_Seeing Jill collapse, however, even though he was free from Callous' control... that brought an even greater pain to the Metallix, than Deity and Callous ever had put him through. "...J-Jill..." he uttered, as he got on his feet. "...Jill..." Quickly, he began running towards the ewe._

_Jill at least had enough strength to yank back out her sword, but the wound remained, since she firmly refused to heal it. Callous rolled to face the sky from where she was lying on the ground, and had felt the extra pain from Jill pulling the sword out of herself._

_"...Callous!" Johnny yelled, as he began running towards her, an honestly worried look on his face. "Come on, this isn't funny anymore! Get up, and take out both of them!"_

_Just then, Metal skidded to a halt next to Jill's body, kneeling by her. "...Jill... you fool..." he uttered, as he was now on the verge of tears. "...you went ahead and broke our promise, you..." Unable to see Jill like that, he shut his eyes, placing his hand on Jill's._

_Jill coughed up blood, before she could answer him. "...I didn't break...my promise," she uttered. "...I beat her...I made sure that...she wouldn't..." and she coughed again._

_"...heal yourself..." Callous suddenly yelled. She clenched her fist and turned her head to Jill. "HEAL YOURSELF DAMN IT!"_

_"...no..." Jill croaked._

_"Callous, don't strain yourself!" Quickly, Johnny knelt by Callous. "Hang in there; you can handle this!"_

_"...that's not the promise I was talking about..." Metal uttered, as he turned his head away from Jill. "...you promised... that you'd only let me kill you..."_

_Jill slowly reached with her other hand and touched Metal's arm. "...I wouldn't...have been able...to keep both promises...in that situation."_

_When Jill said that, however, Metal suddenly glared back at her, unable to hold back his tears anymore. "...do you even realize what you're doing...?" he uttered. "...this is... the second time I've been robbed of my victory... do you even know what it feels like? You were my goal! What do I have left now?"_

_Jill was crying too. "...I'm so sorry...it's just that I..."_

_Callous also reached with her hand to touch Johnny, and while digging her fingers in, spiritual energy came from her arm and began trailing into Johnny. "...just so...they don't go...to waste," she uttered to him._

_"...Callous..." Johnny uttered, as he slowly moved his hand towards Callous' cheek. "...what're you saying? You're not gonna let this kill you... are you?"_

_Callous sighed, putting her other hand to Johnny's hand on her cheek. "...I can't do anything about it. If she wants to die...then I'm coming along with her."_

_"...n-no..." Johnny uttered; for once in his life, he actually seemed distraught. "...no! No, you can't allow that! You're the superior twin, aren't you? You can take her!"_

_Looking at Jill, one could almost tell that Metal was trying to hold back his tears. "...you didn't have to do this..." he uttered. "...how could I possibly be worth more... than all of your friends...?"_

_"...Metal..." Jill spoke, coughing blood afterward. "...you're my friend...too..."_

_"...Johnny," Callous said, as it seemed that she was on her very last breath as well. "...I'll miss you."_

_The minute Jill's hand fell from Metal's arm, so did Callous' arm that was sending in the spirits into Johnny. To their touch, both ewe's immediately became stone cold and still. Jillian and Callous were finally dead._

_Looking down at Jill's body, Metal could only stare for a few moments, as the reality of it all collapsed around him. Deity's prediction had come true... Jill was no longer among the living..._

_...he had failed._

_With this realization, Metal buried his face into Jill's body, as he wept, harder than he had ever wept before._

After seeing that, Jill was silent; experiencing very conflicting emotions right then and there. Tears rolled down from her cheeks, and she wasn't sure if it was because she didn't want to believe Metal after what he did to her...

...or if it was something...else.

"_**GET AWAY FROM HER YOU BASTARD!**_"

Metal was suddenly tackled down, breaking Jill free from his. Brick shot a look back at Jill, pinning Metal to the ground; "Brownie, _run_! You have to get away!"

Jill had been so confused because of her emotions, so she listened to Brick and ran away frantically.

With a sudden grunt from being tackled, Metal shot Brick a glare. "_...you're making a huge mistake, Cainfield!_" With that, he simply vanished from where Brick was holding him...

...and reappeared directly in front of Jill. "_Jill, I'm serious! Don't listen to anyone! This is a trap!_" he actually _pleaded._ "_You must believe me!_"

Jill stopped at that, staring at him uneasily...

"...why do you keep trying?" Jill uttered bitterly.

Metal looked back at her. "_...because... I want to help you._"

Jill gripped her head, feeling an ache from all the pressure she was undergoing. She didn't want to trust him. She knew he was just trying to appeal to her more sensitive side.

"...why...?" She uttered. "...there's no reason you'd want to help me..."

"_...Jill..._" Metal uttered, as he reached to take hold of her hand; though there was no sense of rougnness or malicious intent in his action. "_...I have every reason to help you... I just want you to think about this._" His expression grew somewhat serious, but his tone remained the same. "_Think... would Novagod really be killed that easily? Surely you remember... what we had to undergo to be rid of him..._"

Jill just slowly looked at him.

"_...you must remember... how we defeated him the first time..._"

As he said that, everything turned to white again...

_"Even if we can see the dragon now, it's not doing anything," Sonic growled. "…how're we supposed to stop a spirit?"_

_That triggered memories within Jill._

_Johnny…Sprinter turning into fog, snaring him…Callous weakening him down to absorb…_

_It was then that Jill knew she would have to do something totally outrageous._

_...she had to absorb Deity's Novagod's soul, to ensure that he wouldn't harm anyone ever again..._

_But could it even be done? And if she did absorb his soul, what would keep him from trying to consume her from the inside out, just like he had done with Johnny?_

_"...kkh..." At that point, Miser suddenly began firing salvos from her rail-gun right at the dragon's leg, just above where Wiper was hanging; thankfully not hitting him._

_"Miser?" Seeing that, King looked towards the rhino. "What're ya doing?"_

_"We need to get Wiper off that dragon somehow!" Miser called, not letting up her assault._

_"Hang on! I can get him no problem!" Someone else ran out of hiding from a building, which turned out to be Silver. Using his telekinesis, he aimed to pull Wiper right off and put him to safe ground._

_Jill tried to think about what she was going to do. Absorbing Deity's soul was a terrible idea! The vampire would do anything to take over her…use her…_

…_but then again, the reason Deity took over Johnny was because his Corruption was spiraling out of control. Jill didn't control Corruption._

_She controlled Unity._

_It could keep him locked away! As long as she was strong enough to resist his advances to take over her, maybe...maybe it could work! This way she could know that Deity would no longer be able to harm anyone ever again!_

_Once Wiper landed on the ground thanks to Silver, he glared up at the dragon. "...we have to stop it, somehow..."_

_"...maybe it can be damaged from the inside?" Lock presumed, as he folded his arms._

_Jill felt as if she was totally sure of it...but that wasn't like Jill to be so confident, especially with such a crazy idea…_

_Could it be Callous? Was Callous suggesting doing this?_

_Do it._

_That voice in her head was enough for her to decide. Jill rapidly charged for the reptile monster; determination pumping through her just as madly as her own heart did. The Dragon swiped at her, but Jill jumped, and it tried again, but she moved the other way. No matter how much the dragon tried to get her, she was WAY too quick. Finally, the Dragon stamped its foot down on top of her, buried within another crater under its foot._

_Cal's eyes widened, "Jill!"_

_Suddenly, the Dragon jerked, and roared, while trying to pull its foot out; but it couldn't. Its foot was stuck. Jill slowly emerged from the crater, holding the foot firmly in her grip, while digging her fingers into the foot. Dark energies emitted off the dragon, and rushed to her hands...being taken in by her. She cringed. With the overwhelming dark energy she was absorbing, it was hurting her. It even started to scar her with those strange markings, and bring back the wounds she had healed times before, and this time, they were coming in too rapidly to heal. The markings grew bigger, darker..._

_...even a trail of blood came out of her nose._

_Absorbing Deity's soul was damaging her._

_Everyone was stunned at Jill's sudden act, but none more so than Metal; especially since he just realized what she was doing. "JILL!" he yelled, as he instantly rocketed down to underneath the foot, jabbing one of his hands into it, whilst placing one arm on Jill's shoulder. "...I'll take care of this!"_

_As he said that, the dark energies began flowing into his own body, not only from the dragon, but also from Jill. Instantly, the dark markings returned to his arms, as one could see several nasty wounds open up all over his body; some organic, and others mechanic, somehow._

_Sonic was startled by this, "Metal!"_

_Jill was shocked…she didn't want Metal to do this!_

_The Dragon yelped, and slowly started deteriorating away as Metal absorbed it in. Finally, it lifted its foot and shook Jill and Metal off, throwing them onto the ground. Jill tried to get back up, but she was so weakened that she barely had the strength to do so. She was aching all over, and it was getting harder to catch her breath._

_Gritting his teeth, Metal quickly got to his feet, in spite of his horrid injuries. "...I'm not going... to let you roam free!" he roared, rushing right at the dragon once more, jabbing his hands into the beast's leg. The dark markings expanded across his body, and one could see parts of his body turning mechanic again, whilst some parts of him remained organic._

_Jill grew extremely fearful for Metal, but she had been so weakened she couldn't get to him._

_Growling in pain, Metal kept absorbing the dragon as best he could, though now, wounds were opening up all over his body; wounds not even made during the past few weeks._

_"...what's happening to him?" Wiper uttered in utter shock._

_"...it's catching up to him." At that point, Shadow appeared by Sonic and Jill. "Trying to absorb that dragon caused Jill injuries... however, Metal has suffered a lot more injuries than Jill in the past, and this process seems to be bringing all those injuries back."_

_Jill wanted to plead for Metal to stop right now before he did any permanent damage on himself. If only she could speak!_

_The Dragon was growing sluggish, and least resistant as Metal was growing closer to absorbing it entirely._

_Gritting his teeth, Metal sank down to one knee, though he still kept on absorbing the spirit, glaring up at it. "...you're done for... Novagod!" he yelled._

_Jill rose to her feet, and limped toward him. Then as she built her strength, she sped up to a frantic sprint for Metal. This was around the time that the Dragon let out one last fatal cry, before finally disappearing within Metal._

_Breathing heavily, Metal simply looked up at where the dragon once stood, before slowly, a smirk crawled across his lips. "...heh... I... did it..." he uttered, collapsing, weakly pushing one of his arms against the ground so that he wouldn't slam face-first into the ground._

Jill's eyes widened at that.

"_...I did that specifically so you wouldn't suffer... so he couldn't haunt you._" Metal uttered. "_I couldn't let him slumber within your body, Jill... he would have destroyed you from within..._"

Jill trembled, especially when she just realized that Metal was holding her hand, and she looked at him. "...Metal..."

Was he... really telling the truth?

He gazed at her sincerely, as sincerely as a robot could, anyway. "_...Jill... you must trust me. We have to break out of here... before it's too late._"

Jill didn't understand what he meant, but given these feelings she started to have, she was starting to want to believe him.

But then something else suddenly went through her mind.

_She ran for Metal, just to check to see if he was okay, when suddenly..._

_...a feral hiss escaped his lips, and he suddenly lashed out a demonic tendril to whip at her. Jill gagged on the tendril, paralyzed with fear from it._

_Slowly, Metal glared back at her with a demonic gaze; dark markings starting to spiral out from the many wounds that had opened from him absorbing Deity..._

_...almost like he were no longer in control of himself._

_Jill's eyes widened, and would've wanted to respond to that, but she had no voice to do so._

_It seemed like the more the dark markings spread across his body, the more metallic his body grew; changing his organic appearance into a twisted, metallic mockery of his original robot self. Slowly, the creature approached Jill; black drool oozing from his mouth, as more tendrils emerged from his body, ready to attack Jill as she remained frozen like that._

_All she could do was tremble in fear._

_With a roar, the monster lunged towards her..._

"NO!" and because of that, Jill pushed Metal away frantically.

As he was pushed back, Metal's eyes widened somewhat as he looked at her. "_...Jill..._" he uttered.

"G-get away!" Jill yelled at him, stepping away from Metal insecurely.

"_...Jill, I-!_" In that instant, before Metal could even take a step towards Jill, he was suddenly tackled against the ground, and someone was just _pounding_ on him.

"You leave Jill alone, you bully!" Jack yelled, as he was keeping the Metallix pinned beneath his punches.

"_Gah... no...!_" Metal didn't fight back, as he tried looking towards Jill from where Jack pinned him. "_...Jill...!_"

Jill shook her head at Metal in denial, and turned to run again.

Still struggling, Metal tried clawing his way away from Jack, but the lion was stronger than he let on to. "_...Jill... don't run...! Don't let the lies deceive you!_"

"You're the liar, you creep!" Jack retorted amidst his admittedly brutal punches.

"_...Jill!_" Metal suddenly called out, as loudly as he could. "_What about your daughter?!_"

...at that, Jill stopped.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Cliffhanger! XD<strong>_


	47. Chapter 46

"_Your daughter!_" Metal uttered. "_After everything crashed down around you, she was your ray of hope, wasn't she?!_" he cried out; still trying to claw himself out of Jack's fierce grip. "_She was what kept you from giving in to despair, right?! Have you forgotten all about that?!_"

Jill slowly looked back at him. She had no idea what he was talking about, so... why did she stop? Why did she look back at him?

...then she noticed something off...

"...Jack...Jack, let him go!" Jill uttered, growing startled at how uncharacteristically violent he was with Metal, as well as the fact Metal did't fight back.

Jack suddenly stopped, as he looked back at her. "...wha... what's wrong, Jill?" he uttered out of concern.

"...just...let him talk for a minute..." At that point, Jill turned around and walked to Metal.

Then she said this, "What are you talking about? I'm much too young to be having a daughter..."

Jack blinked more, as he looked down at Metal.

Metal slowly looked up at Jill. "_...don't tell me... that you forgot that, too..._"

Jill just stared at Metal, trying to understand, but had difficulty doing so.

...then, she started to have a slight headache. Wincing, she held her head.

Jack looked up at Jill in worry. "...Jill? What's wrong?"

Metal remained silent, though he did look at Jill in concern.

"...yeah, I'm..." Jill was going to respond that she was alright, but the headache suddenly got worse. It worsened to the point where she held her head and fell to her knees, whimpering.

One face. One darling little face popped into her mind, and behind it were a flood of memories that rushed in rapidly. It was hurting her head even more, so she uttered out cries of pain.

These particular two memories came to her.

_"Mama...Mama!"_

_She still felt kind of hazy when she was pulled out of sleep, and groggily she tried to look at who was poking and prodding at her. A small ewe girl looked at her mother with uneasy terror. "Mama...I had a bad dream," she uttered, trembling._

_Jill rubbed her eyes and yawned while she sat up from her bed, and the little ewe crawled into her bed; then, her lap, just for her mother to place her comforting arms around her little girl. Like she had done years ago, Jill gently rocked back and forth the little ewe, easily calming her down._

_"Mama...are you mad that I woke you up?" she asked._

_Jill shook her head no, and stroked her daughter's short hair. Nothing would make her mad at her. She loved her too much for that. The little ewe snuggled up in her mother's embrace, and felt her eyes grow heavy, but she tried to fight it. She didn't want to fall asleep and miss out on how safe she felt this moment. "...Mama...why did you name me Joy?" she asked, trying to find a way to stay awake._

_Jill smiled; she could tell she didn't want to go to sleep. Picking up a pencil and notepad from the end table beside the bed, she wrote a simple message, and showed her it._

_Little Joy squinted while she tried as hard as she could to read, and sound out the words. _

_"...You...make...me...happy," she read, and looked up at her mom in innocent amazement. "Do I really make you happy, Mama?" Jill nodded in reassurance, and this made Joy smile the smile that Jill lived to see._

_Joy yawned then, and reopened her sleep-deprived eyelids to try staying awake; only for Jill to gingerly press them back closed with her fingers. Joy finally gave in, and settled down in Jill's arms as she drifted to a more content sleep; soundly sucking on a thumb eventually. Jill moved slowly and quietly as not to wake her, lying back down in bed with Joy still tucked in her arms, and she finally had the two of them underneath the covers comfortably._

_Jill gave her little girl a loving kiss on the forehead before she herself fell back asleep; holding Joy closely._

"Jill?!" Jack's eyes widened in concern, but his outcry fell on deaf ears.

_How was Joy? Jill wrote. I don't remember much when you helped me home._

_"...well, she was well once we got here." Metal began, as he rubbed the back of his head. "After she got you to bed, Snap and I revealed ourselves to her... and she even said that she liked the both of us." he said, chuckling lightly after that._

_Jill smiled. Joy's a little peculiar, she wrote, but the upside is that she isn't easily intimidated by appearances._

_"...she's a good kid." Metal said with a chuckle. "In fact... later that night, she woke up after having a nightmare, but before she got to you, she noticed that I had one as well..." Then, he trailed off._

_Jill looked at Metal that minute. Joy's nightmares were nearly a daily basis…so she grew concerned about Metal._

_You had one? She wrote. What about?_

_"...it's a nightmare I've been having..." Metal muttered, as he closed his eyes. "...every single night for five years straight..."_

_That shocked Jill, and worried her even more. Metal too, had endured something of a trail and hardship it seemed...she was trying to think of what to write next, but all she could write was this: ...it's Deity, isn't it?_

_"...yes..." Metal muttered, slowly opening his eyes again. "...ever since I absorbed him... he's been tearing at my mind every single night; trying to destroy me from within, so he can roam free." As he spoke, the hedgehog-metallix began shuddering. "...however, each time, I managed to fend him off... except for last night."_

_Jill's eyes widened._

_What happened? she wrote._

_"...he..." Metal uttered; he didn't wish to tell her that it was his own fault that the monster had gotten stronger. "...he caught me off-guard, and held me at his mercy. For a moment... I grew afraid that he'd win..."_

_"...but then... I heard a child singing... something that drove him away..." As he said this, Metal glanced up at Jill. "...after that, I woke up... and I saw Joy standing by my side."_

_Jill was left dumbfounded without anything else to write, staring at Metal in awe. Did her own daughter just...?_

_"...I don't know how..." Metal uttered, as he glanced out of the window. "...but somehow... I think your daughter was able to stop Novagod... and save my life."_

_Jill tried to believe it, but this blew her mind away._

_...was she aware of what she was doing, or did she have no clue of what she did? Jill wrote; her hand may have shaken because her writing wasn't as smooth._

_"...I don't think she was aware." Metal muttered, as he looked back at Jill. "When I woke up, Joy told me that she merely assumed that I had a nightmare, and decided to sing to calm me down..."_

_Jill tried to think about this. Was...Joy developing something? She could understand that for a child, Joy might not notice if she started to gain powers, and things could start happening that were outside of her knowledge and control but..._

_...I don't know what's going on, Jill wrote, but I should tell you something. That night you absorbed Deity Novagod...when I was lying on that bed all bandaged up, I...I saw her. At 16 years old, I saw her..._

_"...you saw... Joy?" Metal uttered in intrigue. "...that is... quite peculiar..."_

_Then a few days later, I saw her again. She told me don't cry...that everything was going to be okay, Jill wrote, and she set her pen down after that sentence, her head hanging. She remembered the tragic time she had over the 5 years, and how that one thought of her daughter comforting her managed to push her forward. It was the thought that motivated her to protect herself and her unborn child then..._

_"...how curious..." Metal hummed, as he folded his arms. "...a lot certainly has happened..."_

_Jill didn't write anymore. Right now, she was trying to work all of this information into a brain that was turned into mush last night. It didn't help that this brought her thinking about the past again, and she grew glum about it._

_Seeing that, Metal stood up from the couch, placing a hand on Jill's shoulder. "...don't worry, Jill." he said reassuringly, wanting to cheer her up somehow._

_Jill nodded, but she didn't look up._

"_...Jill..._" Metal uttered slowly as he looked upon her with concern.

Jill breathed, looking down at Metal. "Wh-what's g-going on?!" She uttered, fighting through her headache.

Suddenly, Jack was pushed off and Metal was yanked up by a pale blue glow. "Go on now, Jill!" Ani wailed from behind. "Finish him off!"

Jill looked back at Ani in shock... And then at the floating Metal.

Metal merely looked back at Jill with a... surprisingly sympathetic look in his eyes. "_...Jill..._" He didn't even attempt to fight off the telekinetic energy surrounding him.

Jill slowly got up, noticing her other friends appear.

"Did he try to hurt you Brownie?" Brick uttered, glaring at Metal.

"...don't worry, Jill; he won't try anything like this again." Tails uttered as he kept his arm cannon aimed at Metal.

Still, Metal merely looked directly at Jill; as if the others weren't even there.

"...Metal...why...are you trying to do this?" Jill uttered.

Metal looked at her in silence, before his eyes slowly closed.

"_...because... I love you._"

Jill's eyes widened at that.

And in that instant...

…_should she try and explain the way she felt about him now? She still wasn't sure if the timing was even right; it felt too soon, and this sort of circumstance wasn't entirely appropriate…_

_Still, Metal tried avoiding looking at Jill, his gaze going back down at the floor._

_Jill was afraid of doing this, but went ahead. She reached out to his cheek in order to bring his eyes to hers. She just didn't want him to look away. As the two looked at each other, Jill could tell just by looking at Metal's organic eye that he seemed to be depressed, even though he tried as best as he could to hide it._

_Jill looked back in sympathy. Then she gave him a hug. Metal returned it, gritting his teeth. "...I've missed you..." he uttered._

_Jill's heart rate increased again when she heard Metal say that, and Jill discovered that she didn't have the strength to let him go as they hugged. Metal, too, didn't let go of Jill either; however, it was a conscious decision of his not to do so. "...for a while... I... feared the worst..." he uttered, his voice slightly wavering, as if he was about to break down into tears._

_Metal... __Jill thought, feeling so much for him that moment, hugging him more tightly. Somehow, that seemed to be a trigger for Metal to return the favor, hugging Jill more tightly as well. "...I'm... so glad that you're safe..."_

_Without letting go of him still, Jill brought her head back so that they could see each other's faces again. She looked at him, growing more clueless why she was doing so in the first place, but she couldn't look away for anything in the world. Metal, too, found himself unable to look away from Jill, as he eventually managed a small smile. Jill made a small smile back, nervously feeling her heart pounding in her chest. Somehow, Metal felt the same sensation in his own chest. While he wasn't sure why his body reacted this way, he figured that it had to be a good thing. Swallowing quietly, Jill got a little closer, keeping her eyes locked onto Metal. Metal also found himself slowly getting closer to Jill as well, the pounding within his chest intensifying._

_Was this really happening?_

_Jill was as calm as possible on the outside, but inside was a flurry of emotions, and like Metal, the pounding in her chest was also increasing in magnitude. She was almost afraid to let her eyes close, fearing that what she thought was going to happen was all in her imagination._

_...this feeling... __Metal thought, as he silently swallowed too. __...was this... what Jill wanted to tell me...?__ Thinking this, Metal closed his eyes. __...if that's the case... then... the feeling must be mutual..._

_Jill started to see that it really wasn't her imagination. She closed her own eyes, bracing for what would happen next._

_And finally, her lips found his._

_It was a surprising and strange sensation for him, but Metal was still bewildered by it as the two locked lips. __...such a simple action... contains that much emotion...__ he thought. Jill shared Metal's bewilderment, even if she had experienced this emotion before, because she never really thought she would feel this way about him..._

_And strongly enough that she gave him another soft kiss._

_While taken slightly aback, Metal quickly came to terms with these emotions..._

_The irony was astounding. He had gone from an emotionless machine to someone who could actually feel genuine emotions._

_Strong emotions, too, as he returned the favor, giving Jill another soft kiss, too._

_While they kissed, Jill could feel something building up inside her. It was extraordinary... It just blew her mind away. It was like with Brick, but...something different. Something new...had it been so long since she felt this?_

_Something else was building up too. It started to tickle her throat in an uncomfortable way. It got to the point where Jill actually pulled away and touched her throat wonderingly._

_Seeing that, Metal blinked. "...Jill?" he uttered._

_Jill felt a jump in her throat and coughed into her hand. Then she gasped. Even her gasp startled her. All her life, or for the 5 years she's lived at least, all she heard was breath, but she swore she could have heard something intermixed in the coughing and in that gasp, like..._

_To test this out, she formed words with her mouth._

_"...M...Metal."_

_And her eyes were as wide as ever._

_Hearing that, Metal's eyes widened, too. "...you... talked...?" he uttered._

_Then, it dawned on him. Since Jill had been gone for so long, and he had been too focused on searching for her, he had forgotten about the only means that Jill could reobtain her voice... and now, she had reclaimed it._

_Jill was too stunned to say anything else._

_It was so mind boggling that she was motionless, unable to think or do anything._

_Finally, it processed through her mind, and a smile appeared on her face; one that brought tears as well. "...I...can talk," she uttered, trying to believe it as she really said it._

_"...yes..." Metal nodded, as he smiled as well, finally letting his own tears out. "...you can talk, Jill..."_

_"...Metal..." hearing herself be able to say his name was life-changing for her. She couldn't hold it anymore, and she threw her arms around him while burying her face in his shoulder. When she did that, Metal could only smile, as he wrapped his arms around Jill as well._

_...she's gotten her voice back... it's a miracle...__ he thought._

_Even then, she wept only a little since they were tears of happiness and Jill looked back up at Metal. "...even if my voice came back...I don't know what to say," she uttered breathlessly._

_"...it's been five years..." Metal uttered, as he smiled. "...the way I see it, you don't need to worry about what to say."_

_She wiped her eyes, smiling back at him. Then after a while, she blushed while she thought about what they were doing moments ago before this._

_Noting that, Metal blushed as well, though he didn't seem to notice. "...something on your mind?" he inquired._

_"Oh," Jill wasn't expecting him to question it, and she looked a little flustered at first. Then she calmed as she stared at him. "...Metal...do you...really feel that way about me?"_

_Metal blinked, before he scratched the back of his head. "...it's hard to explain..." he uttered, placing a hand on his chest. "...but I have to say... yes... this is a genuine feeling, Jill..." he said, giving Jill a smile._

_Jill smiled when she heard his answer._

_Seeing her smile, Metal felt at peace, briefly closing his eyes to reflect upon it. __...truly... a great feeling...__ he thought, before looking back at Jill._

_Jill wasn't sure if she would scare Metal by doing this, but she couldn't resist it. She slowly leaned forward and gave him another gentle kiss. This time, however, Metal wasn't intimidated by this act, giving Jill a gentle kiss of his own. Jill wrapped her arms around him as they kissed, holding him close. Following her example, Metal wrapped his arms around Jill as well. Jill felt a warm flame ignite inside her, and the kiss grew deeper. While he was inexperienced, Metal still played along, deepening the kiss as well and feeling his emotions running rampant through his body. Jill's own emotions thrived on that warm flame inside her as it grew, and she kissed more passionately. Still trying to keep up with Jill, Metal intensified his own kiss. Jill was amazed at herself. She suddenly felt like she needed him much more than she thought she did, and she never wanted this to end._

_Before, she was afraid to admit it, but now could finally admit what she felt for him..._

_Love._

"...you FUCKING BASTARD!" Brick roared, running at Metal with a raised fist. "Don't you DARE claim that you LOVE her!"

But before he could even punch Metal, another hand grabbed the fist.

Jill.

"...J-Jill?!" Milo uttered in shock.

"...Jill, what are you doing?!" Jack uttered with a shocked expression.

Metal simply looked back at Jill.

"...don't you hurt him," Jill uttered, pushing back Brick's fist.

"Brownie..." Brick uttered in shock, stepping away. He had never seen Jill like that.

"...but... but why?" Tails uttered in a baffled tone.

"Jill, he tried to kill you!" Jack sputtered in total disbelief. "And he's a bad guy!"

Metal still remained silent; watching Jill carefully.

"I know you don't believe him...but...believe me then," Jill spoke. Then she looked at Metal. "...I don't think he's bad..."

"...but Jill! He hurt you!" Ani yelled. "He used you! What if he's just trying it again right now?!"

"He tricked us all for an entire week!" Jack yelled as well. "We can't trust him!"

Metal still remained silent, though he did glance from Jill to take note of how everyone was reacting to this.

Jill did something surprising then.

She threw her arms around Metal.

Everyone gaped upon seeing that decision; all save for Metal, who simply closed his eyes when he realized that she actually believed him.

"Y-You don't understand..." Jill uttered. "...he...he was there for me..."

"...what are you talking about...?" Jack uttered in surprise.

At this point, Jill was beginning to remember more and more. The outbreak of Corruption at Safe Haven was all coming back to her...

...and then the events that came afterwards...

"...Joy..." Tears came out of her eyes. Then she buried her face into Metal's shoulder.

"...Jill..." Tails' eyes widened upon seeing that.

Metal simply looked down at Jill with a small nod.

"Brownie..." Brick uttered, stepping toward them. "...c'mon... You don't seriously believe him, do you? Over me?"

Jill looked back at him, not letting go of Metal. Metal looked back at Brick as well; though he remained silent.

"...don't I mean more to you than that...?" Brick uttered.

Jill started to grow unsure of herself again.

_"...Jill..."_ Metal uttered, as he glanced at her. _"...you have to remember... this isn't how things turn out."_

"And just how would you know, Metal?!" Brick snarled.

Metal looked back at Brick._ "...think. If I wanted Jill dead... why wouldn't I have killed her when she was allegedly struck down?"_ he spoke in a more serious tone. _"If this is a reality where I truly am the villain... then she wouldn't even be with you at this moment."_

"...what...?" Jack tilted his head upon hearing that.

_"You can sense it, right? The logical fallacy to it all..."_ Metal's eyes narrowed. _"...none of this is reality."_

Jill's eyes widened. "...it's not...?"

Metal simply nodded.

"...don't listen to him, Jill!" Jack uttered. "Of course this is real!"

Jill grew more uneasy, looking back and forth between everyone.

_"...Jill, you have to see past it."_ Metal uttered. _"You have to-!"_

In that instant, Jack suddenly struck the Metallix right in the face. "Jill, quit listening to him!" he said, before looking at Brick. "We have to take him out!"

"Yeah, like, now!" Ani added.

"...you're the only one that can beat 'im Brownie," Brick uttered.

Jill grew even more nervous, unable to make any decision...

...then she yelped out when her headache worsened sharply.

Tails looked at her with wide eyes. "Jill?!"

Metal looked at her in concern. _"...I know it must hurt... but... you have to remember..."_ he spoke in an encouraging tone.

Jill fell to her knees, clutching her head. So many things were running through her head; so many images. They were all tragic things, heartwarming memories, back and forth memories between a kind Metal and a vicious Metal, memories of Joy screaming for help, friends dying; all kinds of images. They were so overwhelming for her.

"What are you doing to her?!" Brick screamed at Metal in accusation.

Metal looked back at Brick, with an honestly sincere look in his eyes. _"...nothing."_

"Stop lying!" Jack yelled at him. "You're hurting her!"

_"...no. It's the illusion._ It's_ hurting her."_ Metal spoke, as he slowly looked back at Jill.

"There's no DAMN illusion!" Brick screamed back.

_"Yes, there is."_ Metal murmured, as he looked back at Brick; gaze growing serious. _"And you're part of it. You all are."_

Stunned and offended silence came from the group at large, as they glared at Metal and looked at Jill in concern.

"I don't believe you!" Brick yelled.

"Of course not, but your act can only last so long, Brick-head."

Brick let out at being slashed away by a figure.

The group gasped upon seeing Brick launched away by that.

Metal seemed surprised too, but he simply looked at the figure.

Even Jill was able to look at the figure widened eyes.

The one standing there held a familiar scythe, and she looked over at Jill with a smirk. "C'mon, you're really not gonna fall for this, are you?" Callous chuckled.

"Callous?!" Ani uttered, and then Callous kicked her away, freeing Metal from her telekinetic hold.

Dropping to the floor, Metal got to his feet and gave Callous a nod. _"...strange to see you on your own."_

"I...I defeated you...you're supposed to be part of me..." Jill uttered.

"Right, and yet, I'm here," Callous replied. "That should be enough proof for you that this is an illusion."

_"...the best we can do now is to get her away from everyone."_ Metal murmured, as he gave Callous a nod. _"They'll try and stop her from remembering..."_

At that point, he winced. _"Nngh...!"_

Jill gasped. "Metal!" And then Brick grabbed her. Jill struggled. "Let me go!" But when she looked at Brick, she gasped in fright.

Brick's eyes were gone, and the sockets were oozing with black goo.

"...well shit," Callous grumbled, noticing that the others had taken a similar state.

Hissing, Metal slowly looked upwards. _"...leave... her... alone!"_

With a yell, he suddenly let several tendrils erupt from his body, which shot through everyone's heads, save for Jill and Callous. A few more tendrils were shot through Brick's head just to make him let go of Jill.

He dropped her, and when Jill broke free, she ran for Metal frantically. "Metal!"

Quickly, he grabbed her and held her safely._ "Don't worry... I'm here..."_

As he said that, he looked towards Callous; his tendrils retracting. _"We're retreating. Cover us, and then meet up with us again."_ he uttered, before he flew straight out of the clubhouse.

"Right," Callous chuckled, raising her scythe.

Jill held closely to Metal helplessly. "Metal! Why are we in an illusion?!" She uttered.

_"...I honestly don't know..."_ Metal murmured, as he looked at Jill. _"...you have to be prepared for anything. Reality in here is no longer a factor."_

Jill clutched to him dearly. "Whatever happens Metal... I just want you to know..."

Metal looked back at her. "_...what, Jill?_" he spoke slowly.

Jill looked at him. "...that I...love you too..."

Metal simply looked back at her. "_...thank you..._"

In that instant, though, something suddenly snagged Jill directly out of Metal's grip; something which startled the Metallix. "_...Jill!_"

Jill let out a yelp. "Metal!" And looked to see what had snagged her.

It turned out to be a black hedgehog, one who Jill would take instant recognition of, even given the state of his eyes.

"...P-Proxy?!" She uttered, still finding the eyes scary. Then she tried to struggle. "Let me go!"

However, Proxy's grip remained strong.

"_...unhand her!_" Metal suddenly shot right up to the android and delivered a fierce kick to his head; which momentarily forced him into releasing Jill.

This left Jill to free fall through the air, until she pulled out her wings. Metal swiftly flew by her side, as he glared at the android that slowly looked towards them. "_...we can't exactly hide; whoever's controlling this illusion must be able to locate us no matter where we are..._"

"Maybe we just have to figure out who's controlling the illusion!" Jill said.

"_That could work, but I don't know if we'll have enough time to do that..._" Metal mused.

All of a sudden, there was an explosion from the Clubhouse, and Callous was seen flying out. "Goddamn those things are vicious!" She yelled, joining by Jill and Metal.

Metal narrowed his eyes. "_...we need to retreat. There's no telling what they'll throw at us..._"

"You're telling me," Callous growled.

But when they turned to leave, they were stopped. There, hovering before them, was a lion Corrupted; black wings keeping him afloat in the air, and pupilless, red eyes gazing directly at the trio.

"_...it can't be..._" Metal uttered, as his eyes narrowed.

"...Johnny..." Jill gulped.

Even Callous widened her eyes at that.

An inhuman snarl escaped his lips, as he began building up dark energy in his palms.

"_...we need to flee._" Metal uttered. "_Right now._"

"You go," Callous growled, raising her scythe.

"...you sure Callous?" Jill uttered.

Johnny snarled further; as if he took this as a challenge.

"You can mess with her... But try fucking with me and you're just gonna piss me off," Callous growled back.

Without even waiting for a different retort, Johnny shot directly towards Callous; tackling her out of the sky.

"_...kkh... Jill, we have to hurry._" Metal uttered, as he glanced towards Jill.

Jill nodded in response. With a nod in return, Metal took Jill's hand, and shot off into the distance; eyes narrowed.

Jill followed Metal for a moment, before she yelped out again at a sharp pain in her head.

Metal looked back at Jill with wide eyes. "_What now?!_"

"...more memories..." Jill whimpered, clutching her head. "...memories I'm not even sure are real or not..."

Some more tears squeezed out of her eyes. "...they hurt...they hurt in so many ways..."

Metal grit his teeth, and held Jill's hand tightly. "_...Jill... be strong..._"

"I-I'm trying..." Jill uttered. "...but you're..." And she shuddered.

"_...I'm...?_" Metal seemed concerned upon hearing that.

Jill pulled away, holding herself, as if she didn't want to be touched. "...you're trying to..." and she didn't want to continue that sentence either.

"_...Jill, what are you saying?_" Metal seemed worried when he heard that.

"...in these memories..." Jill uttered. "...you're t-trying to..."

"...r-rape me..."

Metal reeled back out of utter shock. "_...Jill... you know I would never do that..._" He felt great anger towards whoever was manipulating Jill's memories, but he managed to mask it for now.

"I-I know..." Jill uttered. "...b-but...it's h-hard to fight it..." She looked more distressed at this point.

With a concerned look in his eyes, Metal just looked at her; knowing it would be difficult for her to accept him trying to touch her. "_...you have to try; breaking you is just what-!_"

That was all he managed to say before he suddenly clutched his own head; groaning in pain. "_Ngh... no... not now...!_"

Jill wad growing worse, sobbing. "Stop it!" she begged. "Leave us alone!"

Growling, Metal glared around him. "_Whoever's doing this, stop!_" he yelled out.

Just then, an image of someone popped into Jill's mind, and suddenly, she wasn't hysterical anymore.

"...Metal..." she uttered. "...it's Oblivion! She's the cause of the illusion!"

Metal's eyes widened. "_...Oblivion?!_" he uttered. "_But... how?! And why?!_"

"I...I don't know..." Jill uttered. "...but I saw an image of her in my mind... She didn't look right..."

_...help...me..._

That was a voice that both Jill and Metal heard in their heads.

Metal's eyes widened. "_...she's... doing this against her own will..._" he uttered. "_...but... that would mean that...!_" He didn't finish the sentence, as he feared the possibility of his assumption being correct.

Jill's eyes widened in the same horror that Metal was implying.

Then there was another explosion; this time, of Corruption, and it had been down by where Johnny had tackled down Callous.

Metal shot a glance down there with wide, shocked eyes. "_...no!_"

There, they could see Johnny gripping Callous from behind; hands brimming with Corruption as he whispered to her. "_...you want power... they can give you power... killing them will make everything better... you want to kill them for what they did... don't you...?_" he snarled in that demonic language.

"_That's just what you'd like to believe, wouldn't you?_" Callous hummed in the same demonic language.

"_...deep down... isn't it like that, though?_" Johnny hissed. "_They struck you down... robbed you of your freedom... you're a free spirit, so you shouldn't be chained down by their actions... deep down, you yearn for freedom._"

"_Tell me something I don't know,_" Callous growled, looking away.

"_...so go on... take your freedom back, Callous..._" Johnny spoke. "_Kill them both... and you'll be free..._"

Callous gave him a dry look. "_...you really think I'm that stupid?"_

"_...hmm...?_" Johnny looked back at her for that.

"_Killing them doesn't really solve anything,_" Callous muttered. "_And furthermore..._"

At that point she elbowed him in the gut.

"...I _really_ don't appreciate that you used Johnny to try and manipulate me," she snarled in regular English.

Johnny staggered back, before he snarled at Callous with a vicious glare.

Callous looked up, seeing that Metal and Jill were still there. "What are you two idiots still doing hanging around up there?! Get going!"

Metal reeled back, but gave Callous a nod. "_...right... Jill. Let's go._"

"...right," Jill answered, taking his hand to fly off.

Metal simply looked back at Callous, before he looked ahead once more. Jill suddenly stopped again, grabbing her head and wincing with pained moans. Metal looked back at Jill. "_What now?!_"

"More memories..." Jill whimpered, and this time, she looked like she was in more pain than ever.

"_...what is she trying to make you believe now...?_" Metal uttered. "_Whatever it is, please, don't give in to the illusion..._" He set a supportive hand on Jill, whilst looking at her in concern.

Jill grew more pained, whimpering more. Still, Metal held her supportively; though he truly had no idea on how to help her at this stage.

…slowly, Jill pulled away from Metal. Metal blinked. "_...Jill...?_"

Jill slowly looked up at Metal with wide, frightened eyes. These eyes didn't look sane to Metal…

_...no... don't tell me that she's..._ "_...Jill._" Metal spoke slowly, as he looked at her in concern. "_Please... remember... it's not real..._"

Jill started breathing harder, and she looked at herself, ignoring Metal.

Metal grew concerned. "_...Jill. Listen to me..._" he uttered, as he gently reached towards her.

Jill screamed, and swat his hand away. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Metal's eyes widened. "_...Jill?_" His tone grew grave. "_...just... what is she trying to pass off as a memory to you?_"

Jill didn't respond. Instead, she tried to scratch at herself, tearing some of her clothes and even her skin, making herself bleed. She was hysterical. His eyes widened upon seeing that, and in immediate concern, Metal threw caution to the wind and grabbed both of Jill's wrists; gripping tightly on them. "_Jill, stop it!_"he pleaded.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Jill screamed at him, trying to struggle. "YOU'RE THE ONE THAT MADE ME INTO THIS MONSTER!"

Metal's eyes shot wide open upon hearing that. "_...monster...?_" he uttered, before his eyes narrowed again. "_Jill, listen to me! You're no monster! I would never hurt you in any such way! Pull yourself together; you're losing your grip on sanity!_"

"But you turned me into a cold heartless _machine!_" Jill screamed back at him, in her hysterics. "You ripped out my insides! You filled me with wires and programmed me and—AND-!" She kept struggling, sobbing in insanity.

Hissing, Metal suddenly wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "_Jill... I would never, _ever_ do that to you._" he uttered; clutching to her in an attempt to make her calm down. "_Please... calm yourself... I beg of you..._"

Jill tried to struggle, but eventually, she stopped moving, and slowly quieted down. So far, to Metal, it seemed like she was calming down. Breathing slowly, Metal took the chance to slowly glance back at Jill, just to see if she had calmed herself. Jill looked like she was on her last edge, but for the most part, she had indeed calmed down.

She closed her eyes.

"…M…Metal…"

…and from that point, Jill's body fell limp.

Metal's eyes narrowed. "_...passed out..._" Still clutching her body, Metal proceeded to fly off. "_...Oblivion... if my assumption is true... please, try and control yourself..._" he murmured to himself.

Meanwhile, Callous was still fighting off the illusion of Johnny. Then she saw Jill was passed out. "...great!" she snarled.

With another snarl, Johnny took that moment of unawareness to grab Callous by the throat; digging his nails into her neck.

Callous hissed in pain.

The corrupted lion tilted his head, as his grip tightened. "_...I wonder... how you would handle yourself, if you suffered her five-year long predicament..._" As he tightened his grip, Callous suddenly felt a feeling in her throat well up before being pulled out.

Callous gagged, and choked.

"_...something the matter? No witty comeback? No threat?_" Scoffing, the lion tossed Callous to the ground.

Callous coughed when she was thrown on the ground. Slowly, the holes in her throat were sealed back up thanks to her Corruption, but when she opened her mouth to speak, her eyes widened to find nothing came out.

Johnny gazed down coldly at her; a gaze familiar to her, but unwelcome in terms of Johnny projecting that manner of behavior. "_...now... your voice is lost._"

Callous gave him the same cold glare with narrowed eyes, and got back up with her scythe. She wasn't going to let a lost voice stop her in fighting this thing.

Johnny allowed a dangerous amount of Corruption to build up around him in a devestatingly short amount of time. "_...time to meet your match._"

Callous charged for him. In turn, he threw a single punch aimed straight for her; carrying destructive Corruption energy with that punch. Callous braced herself, and with a single punch, an explosion of Corruption blanketed the area...

...enough that from where Metal had stopped, he could even see it. Eyes narrowed, he flew within a familiar tower, which was still desolate. "_...to a tee... she knows my memories far too well..._" Stepping into a familiar chamber, Metal gently laid Jill to rest on the bed he had spent days upon weeks upon months sleeping on for five years. "_...I need to think of something..._"

Jill looked worse for wear, even while she was passed out on his bed.

Taking a seat by a nearby monitor, Metal proceeded to type into it. "_...perhaps my actions in the illusion could influence the outside... I just need to-!_" Hissing, he clutched his head...

_...as he found himself standing before the underground room where the seven Chaos Emeralds were feeding energy to the whole city. "...perfect... soon, I'll raise this city to the skies, and Novagod will meet his match..._"

_Then suddenly, there was a violent jolt from behind that electrocuted him._

_A metallic shriek escaped his lips, and he stumbled forward; as if that jolt had snapped sense into him. "Guh... what was..." He swiftly turned to look back..._

_...and glaring at him were a pair of cold, blood thirsty green eyes, belonging to a certain ewe that was torn apart and beyond gravely injured, yet she stood; with a EMP cannon in her hands no less._

_Metal's eyes widened in horror. "...Jill." he spoke; stumbling backwards as he gazed upon her._

_She stumbled forward in a limp, breathing heavily. "...if I'm going down..." She uttered. "...I'm taking you with me..."_

_Metal's eyes widened, and he shook his head. "...no... no, this isn't happening... this isn't real..." he uttered in desperation._

_Jill didn't give him a chance for anything else, firing another shot at him. Metal could only cross his arms defensively..._

...and suddenly snap back to reality; eyes widened in shock. Snarling, he smacked himself across the face. "_Pull it together! You can't let yourself break!_" he uttered. Thankfully, when Metal looked back at Jill, she was still there and out cold.

Hissing, Metal closed his eyes and rubbed his temples slowly. _...damn it, Oblivion... you're making this hard on me..._As he opened his eyes again...

_...he found himself out on a desolate field out in the fields outside of Station Square; wounded from a blow to the chest, and sprawled out against the wasteland. "...what... is this...?"_

_"I was afraid of you at first..."_

_From the skies, a familiar white figure descended toward him. "But now I see that you weren't as scary as I thought," a Holy Jill stated._

_He could only gaze up at her with a defeated look in his eyes. "...well... isn't this just..." he uttered, before wincing; the wound making it tough for him to speak._

_Jill raised her sword. "...I'm going to do the world a favor, after everything your creator has done."_

_Metal closed his eyes, as if accepting this fate. "...funny... never thought you the type to... claim a life..." he murmured._

_"...I...never thought so either..." Jill uttered, closing her eyes. "...but...from what I can understand from machines... you can't feel anything...so maybe I wouldn't feel so guilty doing this."_

_And again, he was stabbed with her sword._

And he was jolted back to semi-reality. "_...this isn't good..._" Metal uttered, as he clenched his head and closed his eyes yet again. "_...was it like this to Jill as well...? Bombarded with so many lies...?!_"

Jill looked tense suddenly. Metal shot her a look, and approached her cautiously. _...is this having a toll on Jill even as she's unconscious...?_ he thought, as he settled a hand on her body out of concern.

Jill turned over, wincing in pain.

With a light hiss, Metal wrapped his hand around Jill's in concern; watching her. "_...Jill... I wish I could help you..._"

All of a sudden... Metal saw all too familiar markings grow on her. His eyes widened upon seeing that. "_...no... you're kidding me! Not this!_" he uttered, as his hands shone with Purity to attempt to keep the markings at bay. As much as the Purity fought it off, the markings kept coming.

Metal narrowed his eyes considerably. "_...calm down... this is just an illusion... it has to be..._" he murmured to himself as he kept applying Purity to aid Jill to the best of his ability; just to keep his grip on reality steady. The more the markings grew, the more pained Jill seemed to be.

Seeing this, Metal grew increasingly desperate; shining Purity to its fullest as he began panicking. "_...it's not real... it can't be... please, just be alright...! I can't... I couldn't go on if I let you...!_"

Suddenly, Jill's eyes popped open, and she shrieked in absolute pain. The markings sizzled on her skin, and even made it looked cracked a bit.

Metal's eyes widened. "_JILL!_" He grew desperate, as the Purity really didn't seem to have any effect at this point.

This only happened for a few seconds…and then Jill silenced. She collapsed back to the bed, but her eyes were stuck open, staring blankly up at the ceiling with a blind, blank stare. Metal's eyes widened, as he slowly settled a hand on Jill's neck; feeling for a pulse...

…he couldn't feel one.

"_...no... no, it can't be..._" Metal's eyes widened further, and he sank to his knees. "_...you can't... you can't be..._"

Jill was motionless, unable to respond to him. With a faint whimper escaping his lips, Metal's head sank down on her body, and he sobbed softly. "_...you can't be... dead..._"

"…she can…"

Metal's eyes widened, and he immediately shot up to glare at where the voice came from. "_...you...?!_"

Startlingly enough, standing at the door, was Deity Novagod. He looked the same as he had always been many times when Metal remembered fighting him, and somehow, he was standing there.

"_...no... no, you're not real...!_" With a rapid, almost insane breath, Metal shot to his feet and aimed his hand at Deity. "_NONE OF THIS IS REAL!_"

However, even as he tried firing a surge of Purity, nothing came out. Neither did Corruption, Unity, Chaos Energy, or even his liquid metal capabilities. "_...this isn't... happening...!_" he uttered in disbelief.

"…it looks like you've lost everything, Metal Sonic," Deity stated, walking toward him.

Metal slowly shook his head, and actually backed away from the vampire. "_...this isn't real... it just isn't..._" he uttered, as if trying to piece together what remained of his sanity.

"…face it Metal Sonic…you've lost…"

Deity was about to raise his hand, to send Corruption upon the metallix and allow him to suffer…but he stopped. Metal stopped as well; though he didn't dare speak, let alone move any part of his body.

Deity suddenly grabbed his own head, wincing and grunting in pain. Metal's eyes widened upon seeing that sight.

…then suddenly, the vampire just…shattered. Deity Novagod's body just shattered into particles and withered away. Metal gawked upon seeing that... as well as the follow-up.

Not only did Deity shatter, but so did the scenery around him. The doorway, the walls, the interior, everything was suddenly shattering into particles and withering away, which began revealing a pitch-black void...

...though the only things not shattering were Metal and Jill's lifeless body.

Gazing back at her, Metal slowly breathed, as he settled a hand on hers. "_...this... isn't real... none of it is..._" he uttered, as he closed his eyes...

...and then, he let out a massive yell; bursting out of the darkness.

The instant the dark void was left behind, Metal found himself sitting on the ground, with the moon coating the dark lands around them in an eerie glow... but that wasn't what he was looking at. He was looking straight ahead... at the perpetrator.

Just as they had figured out, it was Oblivion…but her clothes were all black and ripped, and she somehow seemed to look even paler than before, though at the moment, she was wrapped up in something else. Namely, a large pair of bat-like wings, and a figure now clutching to her figure and biting down on her neck; breathing heavily as he seemed to be sucking something out of Oblivion.

Metal's eyes widened. "...Demi."

Oblivion kept gasping every time Demi sucked from her neck, and slowly, it looked like she was gaining some color, and losing some of the darkness that had transformed her. In turn, though, Demi was growing a lot paler as well; eyes growing more bloodshot as his wings were writhing in what seemed to be pain.

Metal's eyes couldn't be wider even if he tried. "...I don't believe it." he uttered, the moment he realized _what_ Demi was sucking out of Oblivion.

"Metal!" Running up to Metal were a few others; Stella being one of them. "You're alright! Thank goodness!"

"You're alright, I presume." Lock mused as he stopped by Metal.

"...y-yes..." Metal uttered shakily, as he slowly got on his feet; still gawking at Oblivion and Demi.

"…_Goddamn it…you and your knack to get lucky…_"

Metal's eyes widened, as he whirled around to look at that voice, along with the others.

"...Mercy." Lock hissed, as he gripped his rifle.

There stood the tall, slender rabbit with her own demonic rifle, and right now, she wasn't looking too happy. _"So much for a candidate to use," _she growled. _"And she was actually doing a pretty good job too!"_

Lock narrowed his eyes, as he aimed his rifle at her.

"...so... you Corrupted Oblivion." Metal hissed, as his eyes narrowed.

"_With her power over memories, and how damn timid she was, I figured she'd be great,"_ Mercy replied. _"So much for that._"

Oblivion's clothes, meanwhile, actually withered away and turned back into her normal purple dress, further reducing the Corruption that had transformed her to a point where it was almost gone.

"…_but all that Corruption has to go somewhere…_" To this, Mercy smirked. _"…if I can't have Oblivion, then I can at least have some props for getting Patricia's nephew._"

The moment she said that, the remaining Corruption on Oblivion withered away, and Demi released his grip on her; letting her elegantly sink to the ground. Slowly, he gazed directly at Mercy with a blank gaze.

Metal looked back at Demi with narrowed eyes. "...damn it..."

"…Lock, I certainly hope this woman wasn't as blood thirsty when you had to deal with her," Violet hummed, looking at her.

"...not to this extent..." Lock hummed, as he kept aiming his rifle at Mercy. "...you've gone too far. It's time to finish this."

"_Demi, why don't you take care of your friends?"_ Mercy ordered with a chuckle. _"It'll be so much more gratifying._"

Slowly, Demi tilted his head... and then he chuckled. "...sorry, but I don't take orders from you."

That wiped off the smirk on Mercy's face.

"…_oh shit."_

"That's right..." Demi nodded, as his lips curled into a wider, toothier smirk. _**"...Demi's not the one who took in the Corruption. And I'm not weak enough to let you control me."**_

"…B…Blood…" Oblivion uttered on the ground, shuddering heavily after what happened to her.

His grin then turned into a scowl. _**"...you really freaked him out... so I've got nothin' but rage for your sorry ass."**_

Slowly, the others looked at Mercy; now that the tables had turned on her. Mercy actually stepped back a bit, thinking about retreating at this point.

"...and where do you think you're going?"

At that point, a dark presence stepped behind Mercy; arms folded as a fierce glare was directed at her back. Mercy looked back at who it was.

There, in her Corrupted form, stood Hex; arms folded as she scowled at Mercy. "You brought the fight to us, so you're not running away after that, you amateur."

"…_and you want to fight me?" _Mercy growled, raising her rifle.

Hex glanced back at the group. "Stay out of this. She's _mine._" she hissed.

"…hey, no arguing with that…" Stella uttered, hiding behind Lock. Lock simply gave Hex a nod.

Nodding back, Hex glanced at Mercy with a scowl. "Come on; I'll knock you flat on your ass, you amateur."

Mercy snarled at her and fired her rifle nearly point blank on Hex. Hex didn't even bother dodging; snagging the blast with a tentacle of darkness, before simply tossing it aside. Mercy decided to run at Hex, and try and whack her with the rifle then. Hex instantly grabbed the rifle in retaliation, and proceeded to send shadowy tendrils pummeling against Mercy's gut. Mercy took the hit, and yanked her rifle away, stepping back and keeping her distance on Hex. Hex simply glared back at her.

Mercy threw something toward Hex then, which looked like an explosive of some kind, but when it exploded, it was Corruption. Crossing her arms, Hex just braced herself through that explosive. Mercy used that explosion to blast through and try to kick Hex. Hissing, Hex swiftly grabbed Mercy's leg when it connected to her stomach; swinging her down against the ground. Mercy grunted out in pain at that. Snarling, Hex began firing blasts of Corruption at her while she was down. Mercy rolled away and ran to evade these blasts.

Swiftly, though, Hex called upon her shadowy tendrils to form a wall around them; encircling them to trap Mercy before she could get too much distance between them. Mercy then tried to scale up the wall, running around Hex to fire at her with the rifle again. Hex's response was to have dark tendrils shoot up and absorb the corrupted blasts; remaining defensive for the time being. Mercy kicked herself off the wall to fly through the air, charging up a massively large shot of Corruption in her rifle. Hex simply narrowed her eyes, as the wall of Corruption grew bigger around them; preventing the others from seeing their battle.

Finally, Mercy fired the shot down at Hex, which actually propelled her up a bit by the force of the impact. Narrowing her eyes, Hex formed a pillar of Corruption which shot up to gobble up the blast Mercy had fired; reeling back from the surprising recoil. The collision of the blasts was powerful, knocking Mercy against a wall. Hex barely managed to avoid smashing against the wall; breathing heavily. Mercy got up from against the wall, breathing as well, and she stepped toward Hex.

Hex merely looked back at her. "...is that all?"

"…_I could say the same about you," _Mercy spoke bitterly. Suddenly, she snapped the rifle in half, and they transformed into two submachine guns, which she pointed at Hex. Then they fired rapidly at her. Snarling, Hex formed a pair of shadowy tendrils that began spinning around to block Mercy's shots. Mercy tried to run around while she shot at Hex to see if she could move past that defense. However, Hex remained vigilant, and kept walking around to block the shots Mercy tried pinning her with.

Mercy mashed the two submachine guns together, and created a Corrupted rocket launcher, which she fired at Hex. Instantly, though, Hex ducked underneath that, before she formed a Corrupt lance of shadows, which she hurled directly at Mercy. Mercy deflected the lance with the rocket launcher itself, and whacked it away. Then she transformed the rocket launcher into a lance as well, and ran at Hex to swing it. Hex grabbed the lance with a tentacle to keep it at bay, before she formed a light sword to start swinging at Mercy now that she was trapped. Mercy jerked back, only enough to get a cut on her cheek from that, and she lurched forward with a punch to Hex's gut. Another tentacle shot out to grab Mercy's wrist, before Hex changed the sword into a trident, which she stabbed repeatedly at the rabbit with. Mercy yelped out as she was brutally stabbed. Hex didn't hesitate; repeatedly stabbing her now that the opportunity had shown itself. Mercy could do nothing more than take the abuse she was given.

Snarling, Hex eventually ceased; pulling back as she glared at Mercy. "...give up yet?!"

Mercy breathed, as her wounds sealed up with the black goo. _"…not…yet…_" she uttered.

Growling, Hex tossed the trident aside. "...you can't win this."

"…_try…me!"_ Mercy, though she was weak, ran at Hex to punch her.

Hex, however, just grabbed Mercy's wrist, and glared at her. "What do you think you're accomplishing here?"

Mercy just breathed, staring at Hex.

"…_I…I don't even know anymore…"_

Hex remained silent, but she still looked at Mercy crossly. Mercy pulled back her fist, and held her head. _"…I'm so caught up…with this power…that I forgot the reason why…I was fighting…_"

Hex simply looked at her; a pitying look on her. Mercy looked back at Hex for a long time. Hex simply looked back at her.

...suddenly, Mercy collapsed. Seeing that, Hex's eyes widened, and she hurried over to pick Mercy up. There were unhealthy looking markings growing on Mercy, and she winced in pain.

Seeing that, Hex hissed. "...nh..." With that, she expelled the dark walls around them; making way for the others to see them. "Metal!" Quickly, she sprinted towards him.

When Metal saw the markings on Mercy, he instantly recognized them. He grit his teeth. "...set her down, now." Once Hex did that, he set his hands on her. "...it's Corruption... if we don't treat her, she'll die."

"...die...?" Lock's eyes narrowed upon hearing that.

Stella gawked at Mercy then.

"...doesn't sound too pleasant," Violet murmured.

"...we have to hurry, though." Metal uttered. "If we don't act quickly, the Corruption's going to tear her body apart from within..."

"...so that's what would kill her..." Lock murmured, as he folded his arms. "...a cruel fate..."

Hex looked down at Mercy as well.

Stella stared at Mercy. After what happened to Oblivion, she wasn't really sure she would've personally helped out Mercy. Looking over at Oblivion, she was still lying on the ground shivering weakly.

"...well, don't just stand there and do nothing! Help her, Metal!"

Metal looked straight up at the one who said that; Hex. "...you're..."

"You're not seriously going to let her die because of what Corruption made her do, are you?!" Hex uttered with a narrowed gaze. "You have to purify her, before it's too late!"

Stella gawked up at Hex in surprise.

Eventually, Metal nodded. "...you're right." With that, he pushed both of his hands down on Mercy, and Purity shone brightly from them. "...just... pray that this works..."

Gritting her teeth, Hex looked down at Mercy in genuine concern. Mercy arched her back, hissing sharply at the pain.

"...bear with it..." Metal whispered, as he kept pushing Purity down on the corrupted rabbit. Mercy whimpered, biting her lip. Thankfully, the Corruption started to sizzle off of her into smoke. Metal just kept applying Purity to keep the Corruption away from her.

It was a long and hard process.

Eventually, like with Oblivion, Mercy's clothes changed. She wore a blue buttoned up shirt with jeans, boots, and a belt holding a couple of holsters for pistols.

Lock narrowed his eyes, and knelt down by her. "...no traces of Corruption remain..." he remarked slowly. Just as Lock stated, Mercy quit sizzling smoke, and her body relaxed, collapsing back down onto the ground weakly.

"...she's out cold." Lock observed.

"...but at least she's purified now," Violet added.

Meanwhile, Oblivion slowly tried to get back up, but she was having difficulty doing so. Demi slowly helped her up. "Are you hurt?" he uttered.

Oblivion shook her head silently, but still shivered. "...it's...c-cold..." she uttered.

Gently, Demi wrapped his wings around her to act as a makeshift cloak for the moment. "...I'm sorry... I should have helped you sooner..."

Oblivion buried her face into Demi's chest, and immediately broke down in sobs. It had been a very horrifying experience for her, and she only hoped that she hadn't hurt anyone throughout it. Demi hugged her back in support.

Looking back at them, Metal couldn't help but sigh in sympathy.

"...what did she do to you anyway, Metal?" Violet hummed curiously.

"...she... trapped me inside of an illusion..." Metal remarked, as he rubbed his head. "...and manipulated my memories... along with-!" His eyes widened. "...Jill!"

Immediately, he closed his eyes and focused. _Come on... please, Jill, answer me...!_ he thought, as he desperately tried connecting to Tails Doll.

* * *

><p>All the way back in Safe Haven, Jill's eyes snapped open with a few frantic gasps for breath, sitting up from where she had collapsed on the ground.<p>

_"...please, Jill, answer me...!"_ a figure hovering over her uttered in desperation.

"...M-Metal?!" Jill uttered, quickly getting to her feet from the floor, while she grabbed the figure.

It was Tails Doll, and he had a severely worried look on his face. _"Oh, thank heavens, you're safe!"_ he uttered; breathing heavily in relief.

Jill hugged the doll, trying to calm down a bit, especially after that horrific illusion she went through._"...Jill... I'm so glad that you're okay..."_ Metal uttered, as he held her as tightly as the tiny body would allow him. _"I... for a moment, I... I thought I had lost you..."_

"...I thought I was gone too..." Jill uttered, holding the doll tighter. "...but...it looks like we broke through the illusion in time..."

_"...well... Demi managed to stop the illusion before it claimed both of us..."_ Metal uttered. _"...I was so... afraid..."_

"...Metal...what happened over there...?" Jill uttered. "...Had Oblivion been...?"

_"...yes... but Demi managed to snap her out of it..."_ Metal responded. _"...by... letting Blood suck out the Corruption within her..."_

Jill's eyes widened at him. _"...I had the same reaction, more or less..."_ Metal mused.

"...so...is...Demi alright then?" Jill uttered.

_"...he's doing fine... Blood's keeping the Corruption at bay. I'll see to purifying him as soon as possible..."_ Metal responded.

"...good..." Jill sighed with relief.

_"...and you? You're not hurt or anything, are you?"_ Metal inquired in worry.

"...no. I seem to be okay," Jill answered.

_"...thank goodness..."_ Metal uttered.

Jill looked at the time. It was still the middle of the night, past midnight. As much as she didn't want to... "...I should let you rest after what happened," she spoke.

The doll nodded reluctantly. _"...just... make sure to get some rest, yourself..."_

"...Believe me, I will," Jill spoke.

Metal nodded slowly, as he hugged Jill tighter. _"...I love you, Jill... please be safe..."_

"...I will..." Jill uttered. "...and I love you too."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Oh man, didn't expect all of this did'ja? XD<strong>_


	48. Chapter 47

Autumn was here, and winter time probably wouldn't take much more time to follow. He could tell by the feeling of the breeze through the trees that the seasons were in the changing. The warmth wasn't going to last that much longer. Considering the changes that had to be made for the village as his new promotion in status, he didn't look forward to it. In fact, he dreaded it. There were much more important things he had to be concerned about…

Don't get him wrong, he cared about his people, and now that he was named an Elder of the village, that meant that he could possibly do better for his people than the last ones…

…but he had someone he had to take care of in the meantime…

Into the living room of his cabin, Ray Condit walked with a tray of soup. It was the same soup he would make for his daughter when she was sick…and now…it's the soup he made for his granddaughter.

She was lying on the couch, wheezing a little bit when she was resting with the warmth of a heavy quilt to keep her company. Ray sat down next to her on the couch, setting the tray of soup down on the coffee table beside them to put a hand on her forehead. Joy was burning up tremendously, and she looked pale, yet flushed in the face at the same time. The child looked sickly for sure.

He shouldn't have been surprised though…all that endless travel by herself, not even getting the chance to eat properly or even sleep, for fear of what horrible force inside of her would do should it take over her.

When Joy first came to the village…poor thing was an emotional mess…when she got through her initial breakdown, she was able to tell him as much as she could handle. As for the other details, that was left up to Ray to imagine for himself. There were so many questions about this…

…but as an Elder, naturally, he let his new Captain of the Guard know the situation. Should anyone approach the village, Ray would be notified immediately. There's no telling if it could be her group of friends that are looking for her, or those dangerous criminals that are after her. Only Ray would know…that…and whether or not said individuals suddenly attack his village without warning.

As for the whole situation, well, he hasn't quite explained that to anyone yet. The idea that the root of any danger was alive inside his own granddaughter was still too hard even for _him_ to swallow.

Joy coughed and winced in the pain of her dry, cracked throat, while sniffling her clogged up nose. She wiggled her still-blistered toes in agony, and Ray brushed back her hair softly. "…don't worry sweetheart…" he whispered. "…just rest…you need it…"

Joy cracked open her bloodshot, tired eyes, and tried to look at Ray. "…but…Grandpa…" and she coughed into the blanket.

"…Right now, you need to rest honey…" Ray told her, hushing her. "…I have soup over here for you…you think you can eat some?"

Joy tried to move her hands, but she was very weak right now. It was probably clear that she wasn't going to even be able to lift the spoon, let alone get some food in her mouth. Ray's brows arched at that, and he took the bowl, lifting the spoon with soup in it. "…it's alright honey…I'll help you." And he held the spoon to her mouth, while she took it and swallowed it down. The warmth of the soup felt soothing down her dry throat, and for a moment, it eased the pain of it. Joy let out a small sigh from that.

While Ray fed her, Joy could at least feel at peace because not only was she weak…but Malice was too.

She remembered in one dream that Malice cursed out Bulk…he had sucked out her power, and she cursed Joy for being so mindless about it. Right now, Joy could focus on trying to figure out a way to stop her when Malice was down, but the unfortunate thing was that Joy didn't have much strength herself. She had spent all of her time here resting and trying to get better from the fever she had developed…

Ray didn't want to admit it either…but it was a pretty bad fever for a girl her age. She was above a hundred in temperature, and if she rose any higher, she could actually…

…no…he didn't want to go there.

…he just had to focus on nursing her back to health. He could trust that Joy was a strong enough little girl that she could fight a sickness…it was just this entity inside of her that was going to be the hardest battle for her.

…_Goddess…I need your help…if you can…_ Ray thought in disdain. _…_Joy_ needs your help if you can…I don't even know what I can do for her…and I have been her last resort in all of this…_ he closed his eyes. _…surely there's a solution to all of this._

* * *

><p>Patricia was beaten, bruised, and swollen. Some blood was all dried up on herself, though it had been a combination of her blood and the blood of others. She managed to sneak out of that place, thanks to the dumbass shark Astaroth left in charge to watch her, and now, he was currently rotting in hell.<p>

She figured Bulk was just gonna rub this in her face anyway, but she didn't care. Right now, she was just concentrating on heading to base.

_"...Patricia..."_

Patricia stopped and turned around.

There, she could see a corrupted lion emerge from a black gate; head tilted. _"...where... have you been...?"_ he spoke in that slow tone of his.

"...I was tied up in a basement by a bunch of Leoniels; your copy's family, though I was able to slip out thanks to the guard," Patricia remarked.

_"...I don't think Bulk will be happy to hear that,"_ a feline beside the lion remarked. _"...this, along with Mercy being gone."_

Patricia's eyes actually widened. "...Mercy's gone?"

Husk nodded. _"...she is... no longer a... Corrupted..."_

"...damn it..." Patricia snarled.

_"...this... puts us all... at a disadvantage..." _Husk hummed slowly.

"...Well, I still have something, and even though it won't make up for anything, it could still help," Patricia muttered. "...just gotta talk to Bulk."

_"...do you think... he'll be happy... to hear those news...?"_ Husk spoke with a hum.

"...I doubt it..." Patricia grunted.

_"...well... best not keep him waiting..."_Husk mused.

"...right..." Patricia grumbled, walking down through the base.

_"...things are getting out of hand..." _Husk murmured to himself.

"…_yeah…they are…and I don't have a good feeling about all of this either…_" Cyrene muttered.

Husk looked back at her. _"...care to... tell me more...?"_

"…_I…don't see their plans going well…_" Cyrene muttered.

_"...at this stage... neither do I..."_ Husk glanced to the side in thought.

Cyrene looked at Husk worriedly.

_"...Cyrene..."_ At that point, he glanced at her. _"...why don't we just do as Pierce did... and abandon them...?"_

Cyrene's eyes widened at that. _"…what…?"_

_"...if we take off... on our own..."_ Husk spoke, his emotionless tone actually taking on a bit of hope. _"...then... we could start something... for ourselves... without Patricia... or Bulk... hounding us..."_

Cyrene grew nervous when Husk suggested that. _"…I don't know…"_

_"...are you... worried...?"_ Husk tilted his head somewhat.

"…_yes…"_ Cyrene nodded.

_"...tell me why..."_ Husk inquired, as he set a hand on her shoulder.

"…_I'm worried that…that plan wouldn't work either…"_ Cyrene muttered. _"…that they would hunt us down…"_

Husk nodded. _"...if they did that... then I would... protect you..."_

Cyrene looked up at Husk. _"…really…?"_

He nodded again. _"...of course... I live for you... after all..."_

Cyrene looked at the ground then.

"…_after the attack…" _she spoke. _"…if the attack fails…then we could leave…_"

Husk hummed. _"...and... if it succeeds...?"_

"…_I don't know…" _she uttered, looking back up at him.

Meanwhile, Patricia trudged around on a limp trying to look for Bulk. She found him lounging in his private quarters; reading through some documents. "...let's see..."

"…what're you looking for?" she asked curiously.

"...nothin'; I'm reviewing the battle plan." Bulk grunted. "I have to carry triple duty, because of Mercy vanishing and you getting yourself in that state. A whole lot of good those powers did ya..."

Patricia was silent in response to that.

"...geez... you talk big, show up and kick my ass, and what do you have to show for it? Bruises all over." Bulk scoffed. "Some Novagod you are..."

Patricia was still silent.

"...well? You got nothin' to say?" Bulk shot her an annoyed glare. "Then get outta my sight; I got an invasion to plan."

"...I can teach you how to absorb souls, Bulk."

Bulk blinked at that. "...come again?"

"...I said, I can teach you how to absorb souls," Patricia said.

"...no, I got that, but..." Bulk tilted his head. "...why so willing, all of a sudden?"

"...Because we'll need it," Patricia answered.

Bulk hummed thoughtfully, as he nodded a touch.

"Besides...I have to make up for fucking up anyway," Patricia grumbled, turning to walk away.

"...true enough." Bulk hummed, as he rose to his feet. "So, let's get to it, then."

"Right." Patricia opened up a portal, in the wall. "...and you want to know who we're targeting first?"

"...who?" Bulk hummed, as he approached the portal.

"..Those _Leoniels_," Patricia answered, walking into the portal.

"...hm. That'll come in handy." Bulk hummed, as he entered the portal after her.

* * *

><p>Having found a resting spot in a certain town, the black poodle found himself carelessly leaping across rooftops as he gazed ahead blankly. The dark power of Corruption still seared within him, but he knew that he couldn't exactly misuse this kind of power; given what it did to Ivory moments before she was purified, he'd rather not risk his own being...<p>

...but that left him with a problem of sorts; what would he do with himself, now that he had discarded his bonds with the Corrupted army?

Then suddenly…there was a scream.

He stopped, and quickly glanced to where the scream came from.

There wasn't just one scream. There were _many_ screams. Innocent people, humans and Mobian alike were running away from something.

His eyes narrowed. "...trouble." With a hum, he leapt towards where the screaming was closest.

When he got to it, there definitely was trouble.

Dark figures were slashing and attacking people, even consuming some of them, and horrific screams filled the air from those attacked, until they, too, became dark figures like the others.

Pierce closed his eyes. "...the Corrupted. Great."

With that sigh, he had rushed straight up to one of the Corrupted beings, and slashed his sword at him in a swift blow. That startled all the others around them…

…and instantly, the dark figures lunged at him. With rapid, fluid motions, however, Pierce rapidly slashed against the dark figures to keep them at bay.

Meanwhile, while he was doing that, all the other uninfected decided to head off and keep running, thanks to Pierce holding the Corrupted back.

All except for two others that could see this outside the window of their house. They hadn't quite decided to run yet, because of all the panicked crowds.

"...who is that?" one of them uttered; a female corgy who adjusted her glasses somewhat.

"…I don't know…" a moth answered her. "…but he's holding off the Corrupted." And he looked at her. "Maybe we should take that chance to get out of here before things get worse, Morrigan."

She let out a hum, as she glanced back at the moth. "...it seems like the best opprortunity... we should hurry then, Autumn."

Autumn nodded. "…is there anything you want to bring with us…or do you want to just leave everything behind?"

Shaking her head, Morrigan gently took hold of Autumn's hand, before settling another hand on her stomach. "...I have everything I need with me."

Autumn smiled. "…alright…let's go." And out the door they went. Morrigan made sure to keep up with Autumn. They also made sure to stay away from the huge crowds. Autumn was concerned that because of the panic, they would shove around Morrigan carelessly, and he didn't want her or their child getting hurt. For now, he snuck around back roads of the neighborhood that other people didn't go through. Morrigan remained silent for now; eyes narrowed in worry as she heard the screams of the panicking crowd.

…then suddenly, Autumn halted the two of them.

A few dark figures were standing over in the distance. They didn't seem to have noticed Autumn or Morrigan, as they were ambling about. Morrigan remained silent; growing worried upon seeing those Corrupted, but knew to remain quiet.

"…let's take another way…" Autumn whispered to her, pulling her away in another direction. Morrigan simply nodded, as she followed him.

…then he stopped again. He saw even more of those dark figures lingering about…

…and these ones noticed Autumn and Morrigan there.

"…shit…" Autumn uttered nervously.

Morrigan gulped, and slowly reached for her glasses...

...when all of a sudden, a figure landed in front of them. "...this place isn't safe." he told them.

"...uh?" Morrigan recognized the figure immediately; seeing that it was Pierce, who gave the two of them a simple nod.

Autumn looked Pierce over. He wondered how he could take out the Corrupted so fast…and then when he turned to leave, he noticed that they were actually surrounded by Corrupted. He gulped.

"...they grow by the dozen... gastly business." Pierce mused, as he looked around him. "The two of you, stay where you are."

"…I don't think we have any choice in this case," Autumn said, standing protectively in front of Morrigan in case the Corrupted might get too close. Morrigan looked at the Corrupted as well, as she reached for her glasses, just in case.

"...hm." Pierce looked around, as he cracked his neck. "...bring it on, the lot of you."

The Corrupted charged for the three of them quickly and menacingly. In that instant, Pierce's sword suddenly shone with darkness, before he rapidly slashed at all of the Corrupted that charged at them. They all fell with shrieks, sizzling with smoke, and Autumn eased a little bit.

"…So how come you can take down these Corrupted?" Autumn asked Pierce.

Pierce kept his back turned to them. "...because I am like them."

Morrigan's eyes widened. "...a... Corrupted?"

"...correct." Pierce nodded. "But I don't work with them."

"…you broke away?" Autumn was surprised at that. "…how?"

"...I just did." he shrugged. "They tried reclaiming me... but I fended them off."

"…so…you know all of what's going on!" Autumn stepped toward him a bit. "Tell me; is Joy still okay? What about Metal Sonic and the others?"

"...sadly, I can't answer those questions." Pierce mused. "I know not of Joy's whereabouts, or on how Metal Sonic and his crew are doing... I'm trying to keep away from that business."

"…oh, I see," Autumn replied.

"...so... what are you doing here?" Morrigan uttered.

Pierce shrugged. "Doing my own thing, mostly."

"…we saw you taking down the Corrupted…" Autumn muttered. "…and along with saving me and my wife…thanks."

"...don't mention it." Pierce hummed. "Just get to safety."

Autumn nodded, and looked at Morrigan. "…let's go."

Morrigan nodded, before she looked at Pierce. "...just be careful."

"...I appreciate the concern." Pierce hummed, as he began walking ahead; brandishing his blade.

Autumn took Morrigan's hand, and he headed off as quickly as he could.

Pierce glanced back at them, before he headed out of the alley; sword still brandished. "...now... come one, come all; let the battle begin."

Luckily, in only a matter of minutes, GUN troops had actually shown up to the town, and they all collected the crowd of uninfected to help. Many people already assumed they lost all their homes and their belongings, crying and whining about it.

Autumn and Morrigan were simply thankful that the military was here to help them.

As GUN troops aided the uninfected, Pierce remained in a different corner of the city; taking down the many Corrupted he had come across, whilst trying to keep collateral damage to a minimum.

"...I don't know how, but you're the first town we've actually been able to help," one troop said to one of the townsfolk. "Usually when we've caught wind of these attacks, it's too late by the time we've made it."

"That's because someone arrived to fight the Corrupted."

The soldier looked at where the voice came from, "oh! Detective Autumn!"

"It's only thanks to him that so many managed to hold out for so long..." a different voice spoke along with Autumn; that being Morrigan.

"...who?" One of the soldiers asked.

"We never caught his name," Autumn answered.

"...though we caught his appearance." Morrigan remarked. "A black poodle, wielding a samurai sword."

"...noted," the soldier said with a nod. "You two should climb into the trucks to be evacuated to shelter."

"...right..." Morrigan hummed, as she set a hand on her stomach.

Autumn nodded. Then he had one more question. "What about the Commander? Is she safe?"

"Yes, she's secure in a secret location right now," the soldier answered with a nod.

"...that's a relief..." Morrigan mused.

"You should hurry along detective," the soldier urged. "We're reserving seats for you and your wife."

Autumn nodded again, and took Morrigan's hand while they walked through the crowd of people. Morrigan simply followed Autumn.

* * *

><p>Mercy could feel herself slowly coming to hazily. She noticed that the inner torture she sustained when she was Corrupted...all of that was gone.<p>

Slowly she opened her eyes.

"...you'll feel strange for a bit, but trust me, things'll be fine afterward."

Mercy turned her head, and saw Ivory sitting on a log next to her. Sitting next to her was Lock; watching the horizon diligently.

Mercy blinked at that, and then looked at Ivory. "...where were you? I didn't see you..."

"I went to hunt down Charon's group to bring to our group," Ivory answered. "...and I'm here right now to make sure Charon doesn't try and kill you after what you did to Oblivion."

"...him and Demi both..." Lock mused with a hum.

"...I...see," Mercy uttered.

"...still... it's good enough that you're not Corrupted anymore." Lock mused.

"...but I still remember a lot of what happened..." Mercy muttered.

Then she growled. "...that crocodile bastard..."

"...you too huh?" Ivory hummed.

"...hm..." Lock glanced towards Mercy then.

Mercy turned away. "...nah, it doesn't matter. It doesn't excuse what I've done..."

"...you still need to recover. Corruption's influenced you in more ways than one." Lock mused.

"...what do you mean?" Mercy asked.

"Well... how long have you been so deeply Corrupted?" he hummed.

"...you should know. The first time you saw me was when I had been Corrupted..." Mercy answered.

"It was a rhethoric question." Lock mused. "It's been a long while since then... just Purifying you won't solve everything."

Mercy looked at the ground.

"...hm." Lock glanced away towards the horizon again. "...when you've recovered somewhat, maybe you could go and thank Metal and Hex."

"...yeah...sure..." Mercy muttered, sitting back.

"...for now... rest." Lock mused, as he kept looking ahead. "Recover your strength..."

"...I don't know if you guys know this or not...but they've finally begun to plan the invasion on Safe Haven," Mercy suddenly said.

Lock glanced at her. "...really, now?"

Mercy nodded. "...if I were you... I'd let Metal know."

Lock nodded, as he rose to his feet. "...Ivory, keep watch on her."

Ivory nodded at that.

* * *

><p>"How have you three been with your mental exercises so far?" Vanessa asked, while her group was walking on their path.<p>

"...I... think I'm getting it right..." Jack murmured as he rubbed his head a touch.

"You are," Milo assured him.

"Yeah, and I'm doing good too!" Kristine said.

"Good," Vanessa replied. "...for now, while we travel, I'm leaving you to do those mental exercises on your own. When we stop for a break, I'll see what progress you three have made."

"...okay, mom." Jack nodded.

Meanwhile, Kristine was glaring towards Guts direction. "Even if his family was threatened into making him work for them, how can we be sure we can trust him?"

"Because Ani knew him from Safe Haven," Milo bluntly answered.

"But still..." Kristine insisted.

"He seems like a nice enough guy, Kristine..." Jack noted with a smile.

"...besides, what about Jack and Vanessa?" Milo added. "You seem to trust them, even if they're Leoniels."

"...yeah yeah..." Kristine spoke.

Jack simply smiled at Kristine. "Try smiling a bit. That usually seems to help."

Kristine just blinked at Jack for that.

"...what?" Jack tilted his head at that.

"...how would smiling help?" Kristine asked.

"...um..." He rubbed his head in thought. "...well... it could take your mind off things?"

"...but we can't do that during the training," Kristine pointed out.

"He means you just need to lighten up a bit and not worry about things," Milo remarked.

"...oh," Kristine answered.

"Yeah, what Milo said." Jack said with a small laugh.

Milo shook his head a bit.

_...so, what's your take on the new gal?_

_One track mind, _Milo responded.

_Well, she's direct, I'll give ya that..._

_True... _Milo remarked._ I'm actually surprised that she wanted to take on this training._

_Think she'll be able to handle it?_

_She seems motivated enough, _Milo said, while glancing at Kristine._ Maybe..._ And then Milo found that he couldn't take his eyes off Kristine as they walked.

_...well, now, you suddenly grew interested. Wonder why that is..._

_...what do you mean? _Milo asked.

_Maybe the little lion's got a _thing_ for the newcomer, hm?_

Milo's eyes widened_. ...what?!_

_Oh, you heard me well enough._

_...I do not! _protested Milo.

_Oh, don't give me that. I see the way you're looking at her..._

_I just _glanced_ at her! It wasn't supposed to mean anything!_

_You sure that you're not checking her out, hm?_

_I'm just... _And right then, Milo actually blushed a little out of embarrassment. _...I was just looking to see how capable she might be when it comes to fighting._

_Right, capable of _fighting..._ and nothing else, huh._

Milo looked away from Kristine who thankfully hadn't noticed him staring at her._ It's not like that._

_I'm sure there's_ nothing_ like that buzzing in your head right now._

_Stop it, would you? You're breaking my concentration on my training, _Milo muttered.

_Right, right, training... I wonder how that'll turn out with _her_ right in your line of focus._

Milo grit his teeth, getting irritated.

_Oh, what's wrong? Losing your focus, kiddo?_

Milo was gonna reply to that, but then...

"Hey, we should take a break," Striker called from ahead. "Ani's a bit tired."

"Am not!" The wolf husky protested.

"You seem kinda tired." Jack remarked.

"But I..." and suddenly, Ani had to sit on a nearby boulder, huffing, "...okay...maybe I am tired..."

"Then we can take a break and rest for a bit!" Jack suggested. "And maybe train up a bit?"

"...that sounds like a good idea," Vanessa hummed, stopping. The others stopped in turn.

Vanessa looked down at her broken hand, unable to forget that it was her own father that broke it…the man she hadn't seen in years, and by dumb luck, showed up and found them.

"...you okay, mom?" Jack hummed, as he looked at her.

"…yeah…I'm just taking a minute to relax…" Vanessa muttered.

"...right..." Jack hummed with a small nod.

"…you all should take a minute to relax before we start seeing what the three of you can do," Vanessa spoke, sitting down. Without much reason to oppose that suggestion, everyone began relaxing.

Milo sighed from his earlier irritation…but then ended up looking over at Kristine again.

_...gotcha._ A small chuckle followed soon afterwards.

Milo jumped at that. _Would you stop that?!_

_Nope; it's too much fun messing with ya._

Milo ground his teeth some more.

_You know, I rarely see you this much on edge. It's really hilarious, I gotta say._

…_you done yet?_ Milo felt like growling, but he knew he'd call attention to himself.

_Hmm... let me think..._

Silence...

_...nope! You've got the hots for someone!_

_Do not!_ Now Milo was blushing profusely.

_You got red on your face. I think you do._

"Milo, you okay?"

Milo jumped, especially when he had still been staring at Kristine and now she was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "…you don't look okay," she mentioned.

Milo opened his mouth to say something, but it got caught in his throat.

_Oh, if the afterlife could tape stuff like this..._

Kristine tilted her head at Milo.

"…I-I'm fine," Milo managed to cough out nervously. "…just thinking…"

"…'bout what?" Kristine asked.

"…uh…the training?" Milo hummed, scratching the back of his neck.

"…oh," and with that, Kristine lost interest and went back to whatever she was doing, which was walking around a bit to look at the scenery.

_Not gonna tell her about the disembodied spirit tormenting you?_

Jack eventually approached Milo. "What'cha doing?"

"…eh, nuthin much…" Milo sighed, trying to calm down. _…and no, I'm not telling Kristine about you._

_Oh, because you want to _protect_her? How chivalrous._

"...thinking about training, right?" Jack hummed with a light smile.

"…more or less…" Milo answered, along with, _…no, because she honestly wouldn't have the attention span long enough to care about it._

_...maybe she wouldn't care about you either, if you brought it up to her..._

"Same here." Jack hummed, as he rubbed his head. "Doing this thing's kinda tricky, but... I hope I'm doing it right."

"You should be…do you remember the things your mom gave you to memorize?" Milo asked Jack.

…_and why should that bother me?_ He continued with Johnny.

_Because you _like _like her. Get with the program, kid._

"I think so..." Jack hummed as he rubbed his temples...

"…good…just make sure to keep remembering and that way, you can tell Vanessa when she's ready for us," Milo added.

…_look, I don't have time for something like that…_

_Didn't stop Striker and Ani... or Jack and Arsenic, for that matter._

"Sure thing." Jack nodded with a smile.

Milo smiled a bit for Jack, and eventually, sighed. He tried to alternate between two different conversations, and if that wasn't mentally trying, he didn't know what was.

"...something wrong?" Jack hummed.

_Yeah, something wrong? You're making Jack worried, kiddo._

"…just tired…" Milo said. _…of you._

_Well, get used to it, kiddo._

"Maybe you should try napping?" Jack suggested.

"…don't know…" Milo muttered.

"…alright you three, let's see what you got."

Everyone looked over at Vanessa as she stood up. "…first, I wanna hear what you guys remember from the phrases I asked you to memorize," she said, looking at Milo, Jack and Kristine.

"…Kristine, you first."

Kristine was silent for a moment. Jack glanced towards her with a intrigued look in his eyes.

"_The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others_," Kristine recited. "Is that right?"

"Yes, that's correct," Vanessa said. "…Jack, your turn."

Jack nodded, as he closed his eyes. "_...a diamond with a flaw is better than a common stone that's perfect._" he spoke, before opening his eyes. "...did I get it right?"

"Yes, you did," Vanessa replied with a nod. "…now you Milo."

"…_Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover_," Milo recited. _"…and the best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart._"

"Correct," Vanessa remarked.

"…how come Milo got the longest one to memorize?" Striker asked curiously.

"…he has a bit of a mental advantage, and so I wanted to make it more challenging for him," Vanessa said. "…and these quotes will mean something to each of you in the long run. It's another part of your training to realize these quotes."

"...wow." Guts hummed, as he tilted his head. "That's deep."

"...so... what's next, mom?" Jack hummed curiously.

"…hit that tree."

Vanessa pointed to a random tree with a strong looking trunk. "…I want each of you to hit that, and see what damage you can make on it."

Jack hummed, before nodding. "Okay."

"I'll go first," Kristine volunteered, walking up to the trunk, and promptly punching it.

…nothing happened.

"…ow…" Kristine uttered with a wince, holding her hand. "That's a tough tree."

"...whoa." Guts hummed.

"...I can go next." Jack called, as he walked up to the tree, shook his wrist a touch... and then he threw a punch against the trunk.

It left a large dent into the tree, casting out splinters from that.

"WHOA!" Ani smirked at that. "Look at that!"

Kristine even gawked. "…that's stronger than me…"

"Was he even _trying?!_" Guts gawked at that.

Jack shook his wrist a bit more, before smiling at Milo. "Your turn!"

Milo was curious to see how he'd do, so he stepped up to the tree. It already had the dent that Jack made in it, and Milo figured that he probably wasn't going to beat that anyway…

…but even then, he took a deep breath, and concentrated.

A breeze started blowing through the trees, and Vanessa felt that this wasn't a natural one. She narrowed her eyes at Milo, wondering what he would do. Jack looked at Milo curiously as well, as he took a cautious step back; almost subconsciously.

Milo, strangely enough, could feel power coursing through him…and his eyes shot open with a yell, throwing the punch at the tree.

It didn't just pound a heavier dent into the trunk…it outright _broke_ it right out of place, sending the whole tree tumbling down in the opposite direction!

Needless to say, everyone _gawked._

_...holy shit! What kinda steroids have you been pumping?! _Even _Johnny_, of all people, was surprised at that sight.

Hell, even Milo stumbled back at that. "…whah?" He didn't quite expect to do _that_ good, and when looking at everyone else, he couldn't help but feel put on the spot.

Vanessa's eyes were wide. "…wow…Milo…I'm very impressed…"

"...that... was..." Jack uttered... and then his expression _immediately_ turned giddy. "..._awesome!_ Milo, how'd you do that?!"

…suddenly, Milo collapsed on the ground.

"Milo!" Striker ran over quickly. "You okay?!"

Milo breathed a little bit. "…I…I'm okay…" he huffed. "…that just…took a lot outta me…and it all hit me at once…" and he held his head. He felt a bit dizzy.

"…I expected there would be such a drawback," Vanessa hummed.

Jack blinked out of concern as he hurried to Milo's side, whilst looking up at Vanessa. "...what do you mean, mom?" he inquired. "Do you know what he did?"

"…he can channel his spiritual energy just fine, it seems like," Vanessa said. "…but there's recoil you have to take from whatever damage you make. Leoniels have to be physically trained to handle the recoil...but Milo's not much of a fighter…"

Kristine looked at Vanessa nervously when she heard that, and then looked back at the others gathering around Milo.

Milo touched the ground…and suddenly, he didn't feel dizzy anymore. "…whew…"

Meanwhile, when Ani came over to look at Milo, her eyes widened. "Milo! The grass!"

Milo blinked, and looked down at the grass…and his eyes widened too.

Where he touched the grass…it died. The green grass had its life sucked out somehow, and it was lying dead and dry on the ground.

"...what the hell...?!" Guts uttered with wide eyes.

"...that's..." Jack gawked at that.

_...okay... you've gotta be shitting me. You mean to tell me you could do stuff like that all these past seven years?!_

Milo's eyes widened at this. He had no idea what happened…but he rubbed the patch of dead grass wonderingly. Had he done this? _…I…but I…I never knew. How was I supposed to know?_

…then suddenly, the grass grew to life with its vibrant green color again, after Milo had rubbed it a few times.

"...whaaa...?" Both Jack and Guts were equally awed by that sight.

Milo was silent for a while, trying to think through all of this.

"…all living things have spiritual energy…"

"…huh?" Ani raised her brows at that.

"…my tribe…my culture…" Milo uttered, standing up. He looked around at the scenery. "…we've always believed that all living things have spiritual energy, not just beings…"

Then he looked at his hands. "…I think I borrowed the spiritual energy from the grass to recover, and once I recovered my spiritual energy…" he looked up at his friends. "…I gave it back."

"...you... recovered...?" Nage uttered as she tilted her head.

"And... gave it back..." Guts seemed just as confused by that.

Jack, however, simply nodded as he heard what Milo had to say.

"…I don't think anyone in my family learned how to do that…" Vanessa mused. "…it could be a trick that only you can do Milo…"

"...that's... kinda cool, actually." Jack remarked as he looked at Milo with a smile.

Kristine just stared at Milo then. "…that was amazing."

"…whuh?" Milo was surprised to hear Kristine say that. Then he replied. "…oh…thanks."

_...heh; score one for you._

Milo would've scowled, but people were looking at him. Then he held his head, feeling slightly dizzy again, but managing to stay on his feet.

"Take it easy there," Ani chuckled. "Man, if you knew how to do that when you were much younger, I don't think I would've called you a scaredy-cat as much!"

"…gee, thanks," Milo chuckled.

"But isn't this cool, Milo?" Jack said with a wide smile. "You're kinda like a superhero with that kinda power!"

"Well, that's one way of putting it..." Nage hummed with a light chuckle.

"…yeah…at least it's something…" Milo said. "…I think now that we've seen what we can do, maybe we should keep going now."

"…yeah, we should," Vanessa said. "I'll let you know what you three need to work on when we stop for camp tonight."

"Yeah, sure." Jack hummed with a light nod.

"Well... what do the rest of us do while you guys are training, then?" Guts inquired as he rubbed his neck somewhat.

"…I'm not sure…" Vanessa actually admitted.

"…Oh, I'm sure we'll figure it out," Ani said. "C'mon guys."

* * *

><p>His journey back to his home, especially after having been <em>wounded <em>to that extent by his grandson, was a slow trudge for the elderly Leoniel. A small snarl escaped his lips as he cracked his shoulder just a smidge to ease the pain he felt there, when he looked ahead to see the familiar sight of his home...

...but something was off. Astaroth could smell something foul in the area. Not only that, but it was very silent from the Leoniel household. No noise whatsoever…even stepping into the front door, he didn't see or hear any activity going on.

He sniffed at the air with a scowl. A dark scent filled the air... and one thought struck the back of his mind. "...Novagod." He immediately headed down to the basement where he had been keeping the Corrupted bat...

The bat wasn't there, but the mangled body of a shark was; the one he left behind to watch her.

"...curses..." With a snarl, he headed out to search the building; a growing scowl across his face.

Down one hallway, he saw a door that was slightly ajar, and he heard whispers in there. Eyes narrowed, Astaroth slowly approached the door, before opening it.

There were gasps…and then sighs of relief. "…Astaroth…"

There were many lionesses in a room that was covered in soft cloths, pillows and seats, and the lionesses were huddled together in the corner in bathrobes.

"...the building's deserted." Astaroth spoke with a snarl. "What happened while I was gone?"

The women looked at each other nervously when he snarled.

"…These two came in with these powers, Astaroth, and sucked the life out of us…"

It came from behind him, one of the women in particular who actually didn't shudder at Astaroth. She had long hair draped down from behind, and despite being a bit older than most of the women here, she looked young and still beautiful.

Astaroth slowly looked back at them. "...was one of them a female bat, by any chance?"

They all nodded.

"…they…they targeted most of the guys…" one of the women uttered.

"…yeah…and left us and children behind, with a few stragglers," added the older one behind Astaroth. Then she folded her arms. "So where the hell were you when this attack happened?"

"...chasing down a straggler." Astaroth responded bluntly, as he looked at the female lion. "Maybe this wouldn't have happened if you would have mobilized the men to fight properly, like you _should_ when I'm out."

"Oh? So it's _my_ job to tell the men what to do all of a sudden? I thought the last time you yelled at me, you said that I have no right telling the men what to do!" snapped the female lion.

The other lionesses looked at each other. They could tell this wasn't going to end well.

"Oh, here we go again." Astaroth rolled his eyes, before he directed a fierce scowl at her. "Maybe if you would start pulling your weight around here rather than _complaining_ every waking hour, that might not have been the case!"

The female lion narrowed her eyes.

"…Ladies. Leave."

That room was emptied of everyone, all except that one female lion and Astaroth.

"Do you _honestly_ think that just because people are afraid of your temper, that it gives you a right to tell me how to do _everything?_" the lioness continued, jabbing a finger at Astaroth's chest.

"You forget your place." Astaroth snarled as he smacked her hand aside. "Need I remind you who the head of this family is?"

"And what does that mean exactly Astaroth?" the lioness snarled. "First you say I have to listen to you, but then you say I have to do everything without needing your say!"

"Oh, now you're twisting my words around; just what we need!" Astaroth snarled as he now jabbed a finger against her chest. "This is just the kind of thing that makes you a pain to deal with!"

"Oh, _I'm _a pain to deal with?!" the lioness snapped, "Why don't you try having to deal with your goddamn belligerent attitude?! Maybe that might open things up for you to think about!"

"Do _not_ test me, woman!" Astaroth snapped right back at her. "I've dealt with a _lot_ of bullshit today, and I will _not_ have a former brothel hostess mouth me off like she thinks she has authority over me!"

"Oh wah wah! Boohoo! Someone's had a bad day!" the lioness screamed at him. "Big whoop! Do you really do anything else other than tell people what to do?!"

"Of course I do!" Astaroth roared back at her. "And I could direct that question back to you! What else do you do other than complaining to me?!"

"I run a _household_ thank you!" the lioness snarled. "Things need to be cleaned! People have to be fed! Do you do any of that?"

"I don't have _time_ for that sort of nonsense!" Astaroth snarled in return. "And just to make it clear, I train the family members to become warriors! Or did that just slip your mind?!"

"Oh you think just because you do such an important job for the family by training warriors, that it excuses you for the other things that need to be done?" the lioness yelled.

"Do you honestly expect me to run through the mansion with a _mop_, woman?!" Astaroth yelled in an incredulous tone. "This is just like you; shifting the course of the subject at hand while there's graver things to consider!"

"Well maybe these grave things wouldn't happen if you were around more, instead of getting drunk, or chasing after a little bitch that you could've just let go for once!" the lioness yelled, stamping her foot at him. "I mean seriously! Are the Leoniels really too proud to let one goddamn girl alone?!"

Snarling, Astaroth grabbed her by the collar and glared fiercely into her eyes. "You've lived under my roof for longer than anyone else, and it took you _that_ long to realize that factoid?! Leoniel's can't show weakness for even a split second!"

"Does weakness include being stubborn as a mule?" the lioness spat back.

"You should know; _you're_ far more stubborn than that!" Astaroth retorted.

"Only because I learned from the worst!" the lioness barked. "Oh, and in case you have trouble on who I mean, I'm talking about _you!_"

With a scowl, Astaroth dropped the lioness. "Accursed... I don't have time for this. I have far more pressing issues to deal with than your incessant bickering."

After she had been dropped, she rubbed her temples. "…goddamn…now I have a headache because of the yelling…"

Astaroth simply turned to the side with a scowl; taking out a cigar to calm his nerves. "...hmph..." he scoffed, as he lit it.

Even the lioness took out a cigarette, lighting it with his cigar. "…well…sure has been a while, hasn't it Astaroth?" she hummed more calmly now, inhaling a drag from her smoke.

Inhaling as well, Astaroth closed his eyes. "...indeed it has, Lilith..." he murmured.

The lioness, Lilith, sat herself down on one of the torn apart seats, arranging a pillow on her back as she sat back. "…so what's going on here?" she asked.

Taking a seat across from her, Astaroth blew out a plume of smoke. "...that female bat I spoke of... her and most likely her cohort as well possess a force known as Corruption." he mused. "A dark force which prevents the wielder from being killed by conventional means... it's foreign to me, however..."

"…huh…" Lilith sighed. "…why am I honestly not surprised by these supernatural powers? I haven't seen _anything_ like them, that's for sure…but they don't seem to scare the living shit out of me like they did with everybody else when the attack happened…"

"...I wasn't exactly affected to that extent by that power, either..." Astaroth murmured. "...and this is all connected to three families... our Leoniel family... the Novagod family, of which that bat was a part of... and finally, a smaller, more obscure one... the Condit family."

Lilith looked at him. "…come again? I don't think I've heard of this Condit family…but the Novagods?"

"Indeed..." Astaroth hummed. "...I managed to get some information from that bat..."

And thus, he relayed that information to Lilith; taking care to make sure that she got all of it as he explained it in detail to her. Throughout the entire time he explained it to her, she kept the same dry look on her face the entire time. The two of them went through at least two or three cigarettes and cigars before they finally closed up all of the info.

Afterward, Lilith closed her eyes. "…really…so all this has been going on for all these years?"

"Indeed it has..." Astaroth mused.

Lilith was silent for a long time.

"...there's also an element I assume you would find most interesting..." Astaroth eventually shot in.

"…and what's that?" she hummed, looking at him.

"...after Johnny perished for the second time... he didn't pass on." Astaroth mused. "He managed to find a way to interact with the world of the living... via a host."

Lilith grew more interested to hear this.

"...a host, directly tied to our specific family..." Astaroth mused. "...you remember Vanessa, and that vile incident?"

Lilith's eyes widened very suddenly. "…she didn't…"

Astaroth nodded. "...after she fled... why... she raised the child spawned from that."

"…all on her own?" Lilith was honestly shocked to hear this.

Astaroth nodded. "...a healthy boy... and of all things, she raised him to be... a pacifist."

Lilith blinked.

"…that's…strange…" she finally murmured. "…that seems very unlike Vanessa."

"...the incident changed her..." Astaroth murmured. "...but deep down, the family bloodlust still thrives in her veins... as does it with the boy." Then, he closed his eyes. "...that's one of the reasons why I was gone... because I encountered all three of them..."

"…you're kidding?" Lilith spoke.

"No." Astaroth noted. "There was Vanessa... Johnny, or at least his spirit... and the boy himself... Jack."

His expression turned somewhat grave once he spoke that name. "...that boy... he had some lip to him..."

"…did he now?" Lilith hummed.

Astaroth nodded. "...he was _appalled_ at Leoniel traditions... and claimed that he'd form his own family... one that, in his words, 'isn't stupid'." He shook his head. "For a man-child, his tongue was sharp..."

"…hmph…is he the reason you look like this?" And Lilith pointed her cigarette up and down at him, pointing out his wounds.

Astaroth snarled, as he nodded a touch. "...yes... begrudingly enough, I have to commend his power..."

"…did Vanessa train him or something?" Lilith asked.

"...I would assume so..." Astaroth murmured. "...but... there must be something else... Vanessa could never even touch me, as skilled as she was... so training the boy shouldn't have granted him enough strength to _wound_ me..."

"…do you think Johnny might've had something to do with it?" Lilith hummed, taking another drag.

"...possibly... but I can't say for sure." Astaroth murmured. "A Leoniel possessing another is something even I've never seen happen before..."

"…well, we've got a bunch of other things that have a lot of influence right now, especially this Corruption," Lilith supposed.

"...indeed..." Astaroth snarled. "...and judging from what I heard about Corruption from that Novagod..." He looked at Lilith. "...I'll take care of those that the two of them stole away. In the meantime... perhaps you would be interested in meeting our grandson?"

"…I would…actually…" Lilith hummed.

Astaroth hummed. "...I have my doubts that he would be happy to see you... but I am curious; once you do meet him, what do you plan to do?"

"…I think I'll keep my opinions to myself; you've had enough of those for one day…" Lilith murmured, putting out her cigarette on the arm of the chair she was sitting in.

"...likely..." Astaroth murmured, as he finished off his cigar. "...I'll need to be in peak condition before I deal with the situation those two left us in..." he remarked.

"…I got to meet the cohort, the crocodile, personally..." Lilith grumbled. "…wasn't the most polite lug…but when are they?"

"...you needn't worry about that; I'll deal with them on my own." Astaroth murmured, as he rubbed his neck. "...though I'm not going anywhere until I've recovered from my injuries..."

"…I won't go anywhere until then either for that matter…" Lilith hummed. "…I have a place to fix up."

"...well... that's understandable..." Astaroth murmured, as he rubbed his head a touch. With that, he rose from his seat. "...it should only take a day at least..."

Lilith nodded, and then sighed tiredly. She had a lot of work to do.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Is it sad that arguments amuse me?<strong> **XD**_


	49. Chapter 48

Things calmed down for the two groups after what happened with Mercy, and now they were talking things out to figure out the best plan of action from this point. Mercy had decided that once she had rested enough, she left, since she knew that she wasn't wanted. No one would know where she went, but the positive thing was that she wasn't Corrupted anymore.

But the groups still had a hard time getting over that episode.

Demi, for instance, was sitting on his own and communicating with Blood, who had been silent ever since Metal had purged Corruption out of him. _...you're sure that you're alright?_

_**Positive. Though... I never imagined that it'd feel like that...**_

_...you mean Corruption?_

_**Of course... be thankful that I was there to take the load for ya, kid.**_

_Of course, Blood..._ Demi let out a sigh as he gazed towards the horizon.

"How are you doing, Demi?" That was Stella, coming by to check on him.

Demi glanced at Stella, and gave her a nod. "...I'm doing alright." he said; a half-truth, but he didn't want to worry her too much.

Stella nodded back. "...Oblivion's doing better."

"...that's good to hear..." Demi hummed as he glanced at the ground.

"...Demi...are you sure you're okay?" Stella asked worriedly, sitting down next to him.

Demi didn't answer, as he still looked down at the ground.

"...what's wrong?" Stella asked.

"...I guess I feel... guilty." Demi murmured. "I... couldn't stop Oblivion from being Corrupted..."

"...that's understandable," Stella hummed.

Demi fell silent again.

"...but at least things could be worse," Stella mentioned.

Demi looked back at Stella for that.

"...but you saved her, so there's no need to think about what would've gone wrong," Stella said, trying to smile reassuringly.

Demi remained silent, but he nodded a few times. "...right..."

"...so...um..." Stella was trying to start a conversation but couldn't find something to start with.

Demi glanced to the side. "...hanging in there?" he hummed whilst his gaze went upwards, at the sky above.

"For the most part," Stella replied.

"...able to deal with the group, I take it?" Demi continued whilst still looking at the sky.

"...a little.." Stella said.

"...some members of the troupe tougher than others?" Demi assumed.

"...yeah..." Stella answered, looking to the side.

"...Hex, I take it..." Demi murmured.

"...yeah...I guess it's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Stella asked.

"...not that I don't understand why you're cautious around her..." Demi hummed, as he glanced at the ground. "...but... isn't it time to try and let go?"

"...I've never been too sure of that myself..." Stella replied.

"...well... look at it this way." Demi glanced back at Stella. "From what I've gathered... Hex has changed. Even in the state she's in... she seems like she genuinely wants to be of use."

"...I know that," Stella sighed, burying her face in her hands. "...I just..."

Demi simply nodded, as he gently set a hand on Stella's back.

"...she..._raped_ me, Demi..." Stella uttered. "...how am I supposed to get over that?"

Demi remained silent for a while, as his gaze trailed off to the horizon again.

"...have you considered... talking to her?" he eventually suggested.

Stella looked up at him.

"...just... striking up a conversation." Demi mused with a shrug.

"...I...suppose I could try that..." Stella uttered. "...I don't know...I'd be too afraid to be alone with her..."

"...well... it couldn't hurt to try." Demi noted. "And if it makes you feel any better, you could have someone accompany you."

Stella nodded. "...I'll think about it."

Demi managed a small smile, before he glanced away.

Stella stood up. "...well, I just came by to check on you, so I'll go ahead and leave you be..."

"...right..." Demi nodded, as he glanced back at Stella. "...and... don't keep it bottled up. If you need to get something off your chest, talk to someone."

"Same goes for you," Stella responded back.

"Of course." Demi nodded.

* * *

><p>"...I'm telling the truth..." Jill insisted.<p>

Both Tasha and Sonia were with her in her house that afternoon, staring at Jill. She had explained to them that the alcohol allowed her to communicate with Spiel's spirit, and that she needed more, since Sonia previously emptied the house of any of it the night they cleaned up Jill's mess. Naturally, the two were a bit skeptical of it.

Tasha didn't want to accuse Jill of just making an excuse to hammer away her depression, since she knew Jill wasn't the kind to lie like that. Still, she was... unsure.

Sonia, however, wasn't as interested in the fact that Jill was lying or not; rather, she was worried that with enough alcohol in her system, Jill could potentially slip into another of those episodes, which was really rather the last thing they all needed at the moment.

"...I know what you two are thinking..." Jill sighed. "...if it makes you feel any better, I won't drink as heavily as I did..."

"...I dunno..." Sonia murmured, as she rubbed her chin in thought. "...not that I don't believe you, but... we don't know how much could cause another episode."

"...I guess it depends on what mood I'm in when I drink..." Jill murmured.

"Right..." Sonia murmured. "...and then there's the fact that we don't know how much it'd take for you to actually be able to talk to Spiel..."

"...true..." Jill murmured, rubbing her temples.

Sighing, Sonia rubbed her neck a bit. "...Tasha, what do you think about this?"

"...I'm not sure myself..." Tasha murmured.

Sonia couldn't help but sigh as she rubbed her temples. "...hrm... what to do..."

"...maybe...I wouldn't have to drink alone?"

"...Jill?" Tasha looked in surprise at Jill.

"...instead of just watching me chug it down alone...why not invite some of the others over here for a party?" Jill suggested.

"...a... party..." Sonia hummed, as she rubbed her chin in thought.

"...why not?" Jill hummed. "I'm sure the others could use some time to unwind."

Sonia still seemed thoughtful, as she glanced back at Tasha, to see what she'd think of it.

"Well...it would be nice to see everyone, I suppose," Tasha said.

"...yeah..." Sonia murmured, before nodding. "...alright, then. We'll do it."

Jill nodded.

"...well... we need to decide who to call over, though. Can't invite the whole island, or GUN's gonna be chewing me out all day tomorrow..." Sonia remarked.

"Right...and we'll have to make sure to keep things as orderly as possible," Jill remarked.

"Right, right..." Sonia nodded with a sigh.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at Safe Haven HQ, the Captain of GUN's naval unit was looking through some files, getting a better understanding of the history of Safe Haven. He was just doing this while he was waiting for his Lieutenants to get here, but his curiosity earned him quite a bit o knowledge.<p>

Especially regarding the leaders of Safe Haven...

"...if I had only known..." He muttered, while reading through one of the files.

A knock came at the door. "**Captain in there?**" the all-too familiar voice of Brawn called.

"Yes, come in," The Captain responded.

With that, both Brawn and Trash entered the room; Trash closing the door behind them. "You wanted to see us?" the toad inquired; getting straight to the point.

The Captain didn't look up from the file, but he continued to speak. "Things have been quiet around the island lately…I want you two to go survey around and see if there's any suspicious activity going on…"

"**...like we been doing?**" Brawn tilted his head.

Trash simply nodded. "Understood, boss."

"…now go ahead and head out," the Captain said, shooing them away with his hand, still reading the file. With a small nod, the two lieutenants left the office.

"…hm…these are something I'm going to have to share with the Admiral on…" the Captain hummed, closing the file.

As the two lieutenants wandered through town, both of them kept silent for a while, until... "...things have been quiet, haven't they?"

"**It because soldiers preparing.**" Brawn remarked.

"...for what, though?" Trash folded his arms. "You don't think those guys would...?"

"**...Safe Haven no allow them.**" Brawn replied.

"...hm..." Trash seemed skeptical. Having survived Patricia's wrath seemed to have made him take his duties far more seriously, now...

…suddenly…some of the soldiers came out of the pub, carrying boxes, as the two Lieutenants passed by the building.

Both of them stopped and looked at the soldiers passing by, before shooting each other a glance; involving raising their eyebrows. "...you ask." Trash hummed.

Nodding, Brawn looked at the soldiers. "**What you doing?**"

"Just getting ready for a harmless party, if you two gotta know," one of them answered, who was Francis.

"Yeah, nothing more than a harmless party." another one chimed in; Marco.

Again, both lieutenants glanced at each other with a raised eyebrow. "**...you ask.**"

"...right..." Rubbing his neck, Trash looked back at them. "...a harmless party involving crates from the pub?"

"Booze," Francis answered.

"...booze." Trash remarked incredulously.

"Booze." Marco replied earnestly.

"**...hm.**" Brawn tilted his head. "**...where party take place?**"

"Condit's," Francis answered, "and you're not invited."

"**...hm. Makes sense.**" Brawn remarked with a shrug.

"Whoa, wait up..." Trash narrowed his eyes. "...at Condit's? With that much booze?" He folded his arms. "Did you let the Captain know you were planning on this?"

"No," Francis said.

Trash scoffed. "Alright; then pack it up, because I'm sure as hell-"

"We didn't check with him because the Admiral gave us the okay." Marco explained.

Trash _gawked_at that. "...really?"

"Yeah; he's invited, too!" Marco nodded.

"**...huh. Makes sense also.**" Brawn nodded sagely.

"Now if you'll excuse us," Francis huffed, lugging the crate away.

The lieutenants just blinked as they walked away with the crates, before they looked at each other.

"...I didn't see anything."

"**Me no see nothing.**"

With that mutual agreement, the two of them wandered off to patrol the rest of the island.

* * *

><p>The following evening, there was quite the bash at Jill's. Already, half the soldiers there were drunk, and having an arm wrestling tournament on the dining room table, making loud noise. That left the living room for the others who hardly drank to enjoy some social time that wasn't quite as wild.<p>

Jill wasn't vey social though; she just sat in a chair in the corner drinking something that wasn't hard liquor, keeping to herself.

"...I have to say, I wasn't expecting this kind of idea from you, Condit." a friendly voice chuckled, as the Admiral took a seat next to Jill; holding a glass of scotch in his left hand.

Jill looked fairly surprised when the Admiral sat next to her. "Oh... Well, when I thought about it, I figured they all needed to unwind a bit..."

"...seems like you could benefit from unwinding as well." the Admiral mused, as he glanced around to see the others chatting amongst themselves. "You seem thoughtful."

"...just contemplating how much longer this is all going to go on..." Jill sighed.

"...I see..." the Admiral nodded, as he sipped his scotch somewhat thoughtfully.

Jill looked at her own glass quietly for a bit. Then she spoke, "...hopefully things on the island are going well?"

"...they're coming along smoothly... as smoothly as they can." the Admiral spoke with a small hum.

"...and Tasha's people are doing okay, right?" Jill asked.

"Yes." the Admiral nodded.

"...that's good," Jill murmured. "She'll be happy to know that..."

"...may I ask how she's coming along, by the way?" the Admiral inquired curiously.

"She and the baby are staying healthy," Jill answered.

"...that's good to hear." the Admiral nodded. "Is she keeping her spirits up?"

"...for the most part," Jill answered.

The Admiral glanced at Jill curiously when she said that. "...meaning...?"

"...she misses the father of her child," Jill explained.

"...aah... that's understandable..." the Admiral nodded.

"...she's even worried he won't be around to see her child born," Jill added. "I told her that by then, things should be resolved..."

Then she sighed.

"...you're not so sure at this point, are you...?" the Admiral deduced softly, as he closed his eyes.

"Sir...this whole thing started when I was 16, and has been going on since then..." Jill sighed. "...I can't possibly know if it'll end soon or not."

The Admiral simply nodded.

Jill sighed again, drinking some of her glass.

"...things always look bleakest before the dawn." the Admiral mused, as he inspected the few drops of scotch he had left in his glass. "But the sun never fails to rise..."

Jill looked at the Admiral when he said that.

"...it was a philosophy I went by when assigned as a private in the marine squad." the Admiral mused. "No matter how grim things turn out, there will inevitably be a turning point... much like how the sun rises after the dark of the night has come and gone."

"…I understand the metaphor sir…" Jill sighed, "…just…for quite a few times…I felt like the sun hasn't risen for me…" then she looked away. "…and my daughter…"

The Admiral looked back at her. "...but hasn't there been times, when there seemed like there would be nothing left to fight for... that a glimmer of hope gave you a second wind?"

Jill closed her eyes. "…yes…"

"...everything seems most hopeless just before things become better." the Admiral hummed, as he smiled a touch. "Just don't lose sight of that glimmer that aided you before, Condit."

Jill nodded slowly. "…right…"

"...so... try to chin up and smile, at least." the Admiral spoke with a small nod.

Jill tried a small smile, but it was half-hearted. Then she finished the drink in her glass. With a hum, the Admiral finished off his scotch. Then there was loud cheer from the dining room table, where one of the soldiers had practically been thrown to the ground by the arm wrestling.

"…sure are rowdy, aren't they?" Jill remarked.

"...well, it tends to happen when a group gets wasted together." the Admiral chuckled.

Jill got up from the couch and went towards where the other loud soldiers were. "Hey Will! You still owe me a drinking contest."

* * *

><p>All of Vanessa's group was tired later that evening when they stumbled on their trail, yawning.<p>

"...darn..." Guts groaned. "...how long have we been walking...?"

"…too long I'd say…" Striker moaned. "…can we stop soon…?"

"…not yet…" Kristine assured them. "…I know this trail…there should be a couple of abandoned buildings up here, and we can use those to spend the night instead of having to set up camp…"

"…look…we appreciate the offer, but I think we can handle sleeping in the dirt…" Milo muttered. When Kristine didn't respond, he sighed, figuring that she had made up her mind about this.

Jack seemed to be by far the most exhausted out of the group; as he had been playing his harmonica for a stretch of the journey, he looked like he was just about ready to collapse, even as he trudged along with the rest of the group.

"…annnnnnd…here!"

When Kristine stopped, the others immediately stopped afterward, and they all looked to see the crumbled, broken down, abandoned buildings in the area. It was a very tiny collection of buildings in this opening where they were at, like it was a much, much older town.

"…hm…I remember this place…" Vanessa hummed. "…I figured this was all still here…still surprising to see it again though…"

"…what is this place?" Ani asked.

"Yela Gulch," Kristine answered. "This is a very old town that hasn't been lived in for maybe centuries, but a lot of the teenagers sneak over here to party and whatnot. It doesn't look like anyone's here tonight though, and I figured that was the case, so we have it all to ourselves."

"…_ruins like these kinda remind me of the GUN ruins back on Safe Haven,"_ Snap commented.

"...yeah... they look similar..." Jack murmured with a yawn.

"...so... we should find a place to sleep here, right?" Guts remarked.

"…yeah," Kristine nodded. "…the pub doubled as an inn back then, so we should head there to see if there are some beds we can grab," and she headed into one of the larger buildings. "…oh yeah, and watch out for snakes."

"…okay…" Milo hummed, entering after her.

"Snakes?" Nage grinned; as she seemed like the one least exhausted, aside from maybe Vanessa and Kristine. "I'm not afraid of any snakes!" With that, she hurried inside.

"...glad to see that someone's excited..." Guts yawned slightly.

When they went inside, there was a large area that looked like the bar, with stairs heading up another floor where the room was. There were holes everywhere in the walls, where bugs could fly in and plants could grow through, and there was dust everywhere in the area.

Jack let out a small yawn. "...looks nice."

The whole group spread out and explored the area.

Ani certainly took a close look at the place. "…it's so strange seeing another pub. I'm so used to the one back in Safe Haven."

"You worked in a pub?" Kristine asked with surprise.

"Yep," Ani answered.

"She was the best bartender I've ever met, let me tell ya..." Guts remarked with a light chuckle.

"Aw, that's so nice," Ani laughed.

"Hey, I'm being serious." Guts chuckled.

"...you're also a good cook, too." Jack shot in with a smile.

"And just straight-out _awesome_ in general!" Nage shot in.

Ani laughed even more. "Oh stop it guys!"

"At least there are beds up here," Milo called down, after looking through some of the rooms upstairs.

"Good; that means we can sleep..." Jack hummed with another yawn.

There were some clunks that sounded out into the air, and everyone turned to the counter where Vanessa stood behind, holding one of the bottles. Then she popped it open with her thumb.

And she took a few gulps.

"…Vanessa…what are you doing…?" Milo uttered, once he got down the stairs.

Guts blinked at that. "..apparently... she's chugging that down." he remarked with wide eyes.

Once Vanessa was done, she wiped her mouth. "…sorry…I was thirsty."

"...you... generally don't chug booze when you're thirsty." Nage pointed out with a tilted head.

"…probably not…" Vanessa hummed. "…but admittedly, I need a drink anyway…" and she sat herself in a chair, taking another sip.

"…Vanessa…are you okay?" Ani murmured a bit worriedly.

Vanessa just kept quiet.

"...mom...?" Jack looked at her worriedly.

Milo sighed. "…it was because of Astaroth, wasn't it…?"

"…yep…"

And Vanessa took another gulp. The others remained silent.

"...I just need to relax for a bit," Vanessa said. "…don't worry. I'll be alright."

"...if you say so..." Guts remarked.

"…Well…I'm tired, if anyone wants to head to bed," Milo suggested.

Then he saw Kristine going to grab one of the bottles, which jolted him out of his tired state with wide eyes. "What are you doing?!"

"What? It's not like I haven't drank before," Kristine added, taking a few sips.

"...weren't we all supposed to sleep?" Jack commented with a light yawn.

"…I think?" Ani muttered.

"...seems like a few of us aren't gonna be sleeping, after all..." Nage hummed.

"…well in that case…" Ani chuckled, reaching for a bottle as well. Then Milo took her wrist. "Hey!"

"Ani, are you _nuts?!_" Milo uttered.

"What?" Ani shrugged. "This'll be the only opportunity to try this stuff out and not get in trouble with my dad!"

"...well... if she's going for it..." With a grin, Nage reached for a bottle as well. "...might as well try this out!"

"You too?" Guts blinked at that.

"Heck, _everybody_ should give it a shot!" Ani exclaimed, beating Milo's hand away to grab a bottle. "And this is the good stuff, that's had lots of time to age."

"...everybody?" Guts blinked, as he glanced at Striker and Jack. "Even them?"

Ani chuckled. "Why not? I actually want to see them drunk!"

Striker's eyes widened at that. "…r-really?"

"Ani, that's a bad idea and you know it," Milo muttered.

"Oh can it…nobody's gonna listen to ya…" Kristine muttered, gulping down even more.

"...well..." Groaning, Guts rubbed his head. "I didn't exactly think the night would-"

And the sound of a bottle being popped open cut Guts off, as Jack had already grabbed a bottle at this point. "...well, I'm old enough... so I could try this..." he remarked, before taking a light sip from the bottle.

The others were shocked, whereas Vanessa just glanced at him and then took another sip of her bottle. "He's right. He's old enough, and I don't have a problem."

_...huh; didn't think his first drinking binge would be that casually approved. _a voice remarked in Milo's head. _Guess that means that the rest of you are in the clear!_

"But if we're all gonna do it," Ani glanced evilly at Milo then. "_You _gotta join in Milo."

"What?!" Milo seemed stupefied, watching as everyone else was grabbing their own bottle to drink, and he just shook his head. "No, no! I can't do that!"

"Lighten up will ya?" Kristine huffed. "Your first drink isn't gonna kill ya…"

Milo grit his teeth. He was getting irritated with Kristine.

"You're not _chicken_, are ya Milo?" Ani sneered.

And Milo stopped there.

_...oooh snap. You gonna take that?_

Milo growled at that. "...fine, I'll do it," and he grabbed a bottle, taking a big swig.

Big mistake.

Milo cringed at the bitterness, nearly choking. "Yowza!"

"...it doesn't taste good, right?" Jack remarked.

"...uh... Jack?" Guts just noticed that at this point, Jack had somehow _finished _that one bottle he had started on.

"...yeah, what's up?" Jack glanced at him with a tilted head.

"...nh..." With a groan, Guts rubbed his head. "...screw it. Hangovers all around, it is." he sighed, before grabbing a bottle for himself.

Striker got a bottle and after he tasted it, he stuck out his tongue in disgust. "You're right, it doesn't taste very good. How can everybody _drink_ this stuff?"

"You just get used to the taste." Nage remarked with a snicker, as she was drinking heartily from a bottle already.

"...really? You can get used to this taste?" Jack seemed baffled, as he had just popped open another bottle. "I don't see how that works out..." And he drank a touch from that bottle as well.

Milo just gawked at Jack for that.

Jack noticed that. "...what?"

Milo just shook his head. "...must be a Leoniel thing," and he took a big drink from the bottle in his hand.

"...wow, you're just chugging, Milo." Guts remarked as he finished off a bottle of his own.

Milo let out a big intake of breath when he finished gulping down the drink, wincing at the bitterness.

Ani laughed while she drank too.

"See, everyone's getting into it!" Nage remarked with a laugh, as she chugged down a bottle as well.

For about an hour, they went on drinking like this. After a while, this is what ensued...

"Pppfff... and then I shaid '_that's_ not where it goes'! And they all started laughin' their asshes off!" Slamming his hand against the counter in laughing throes, Guts was clutching to a bottle half-finished whilst telling this to Nage, who was _surrounded_by empty bottles.

"Hah, good one!" Nage giggled with a hiccup. "Oh-hokay... now how many bottlesh do ya thinksh I can finish? I'mma up to 18 now!"

"Ffff... I figure 50?" Guts guessed with a hiccup.

"At leasht 100!" Nage laughed, as she proceeded to chug down another bottle.

Ani and Striker were snickering like mad idiots with cheerful arms around each other's shoulders and the bottles in their hands.

Kristine was woozy, trying to stand. "Hey, hey hey hey hey..." She hiccuped a minute, and stumbled. "Hey...hey, you think that's funny?"

Milo just glanced at Kristine in a daze with the bottle in his hand.

Jack just looked around at everyone with a confused look across his face; already having downed nine bottles. "...what's everyone acting so silly for?"

"That's what alcohol does to people, Jack," Vanessa answered, having gone through many bottles herself.

"...weird..." Jack hummed, as he opened a new bottle. "Because I don't think it's doing anything for me."

"You probably have the same natural tolerance for it that I do," Vanessa said. "We're built with a huge tolerance so that even alcohol doesn't affect our judgement and focus."

"...huh..." Jack hummed, as he looked at Vanessa. "...how much can you drink before you start being wacky like the others are now?"

"...much more than them," Vanessa chuckled.

"...hm." Jack simply shrugged, before drinking from another bottle. "...but if it tastes so bad... why do we keep drinking it?"

Vanessa shrugged. "Beats me... But you loosen up..."

"I'm...I'm gonna..." Kristine looked winded, breathing while her face filled with a red color.

Jack glanced over at her. "...she's gonna what?"

"...I'm gonna show the world I'm stronger than a...stinkin..." And Kristine swerved a bit with another hiccup. "...Leoniel."

"Looks like she can't hold her liquor down that well," Vanessa hummed.

"...that's not good, right?" Jack assumed.

"Sometimes, but right now, she can't do any harm," Vanessa said.

"What'd'ya talkin' 'bout?" Kristine mumbled, glaring at Vanessa. "You should be scareda me..."

"...why? You're a friend, so we shouldn't be scared of friends." Jack remarked.

"Nobody's a friend of mine!" Kristine quipped.

"Aw...you don't mean that, do you?" Ani actually whimpered hurtfully.

"C'moon, she's jusht bein' moody!" Nage snickered. "'f courshe she doeshn't mean it!"

"Yeah, Ani, don't be all sad 'n stuff!" Striker chimed in.

"But I can't have any friends; they're just gonna hold me back and…" Kristine stumbled a bit again, this time, with a burp. "…is it hot in here or something…?"

Vanessa couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. "…so Jack, what do you think?"

"...alcohol's a weird thing." Jack shrugged, as he took another sip from yet another bottle.

"Indeed it is…" Vanessa agreed.

"…anyway…I don't need you guys…" Kristine threw her arms out, and nearly lost her balance because of that. Then she threw fists in the air. "I'll take every single one'o'ya with my eyes…tied behind my back…"

Meanwhile, Milo had slowly gotten to his feet, walking toward her. Kristine saw that, and threw a punch toward him. "You wanna challenge?!"

But Milo simply held up his hand and stopped the fist without much effort.

Jack gawked at that. "...Milo?"

"…you're…too drunk to fight…" Milo slurred a bit and it was evident that he was drunk too, but he seemed to be handling it better than Kristine. Suddenly, Kristine stumbled and fell, and Milo ended up catching her.

"…you're warm…" Kristine hummed softly.

Still, Jack just gawked at this.

"…you're…going to bed…" and Milo proceeded to drag her up the stairs, although his attempt got him and Kristine to trip and fall back down the stairs, which erupted laughter from the other drunks.

Meanwhile, Vanessa sighed at this. "You need help?"

"…we're fine!" Kristine spat back, trying to get up. "I don't need no stinkin help from a Leoniel…"

"...um..." Jack looked at Milo. "...do you... think you'll handle it on your own?"

"…I…got it…" Milo uttered, trying to get back up as well.

"They're so funny!" Striker laughed, while Milo tried to get Kristine up the stairs again.

"I know; it's hilarioush!" Guts snickered.

Vanessa just sighed again. "…drunks…" and took another sip.

"...weird." Jack murmured, though before he took a sip again, he looked at his bottle. "...wonder what Arsenic would've thought of this scene..."

"…don't know…" Vanessa said. "I'm actually curious if she could handle alcohol."

"...I don't know... with her bad heart and all..." Jack murmured as he rubbed his neck a bit.

"Honey, alcohol hurts the liver, not the heart," Vanessa chuckled. "…and besides, she'll get a nice new heart, and should be perfectly healthy…you'll see."

"...oh, yeah, you're right!" Jack nodded. "Man... I think I almost forgot about that with all the mental training we've been doing..."

"…here's a challenge," Vanessa hummed with a smile. "Still wanna try your mental training even with the alcohol? You've got the advantage on that aspect."

"...we can _train_ still?" Jack blinked. "...well... okay, I'll try. I don't think the alcohol's doing much to me, anyway, so..."

"We always have to make sure it doesn't impair your focus like it does with everyone else," Vanessa said. "You never know if someone is trying to get you drunk just to hurt you…"

"...well..." Jack hummed a bit, before nodding. "...alright; let's try it."

Meanwhile, Milo finally managed to get Kristine to a room to plop her down into a bed, then he plopped down on top of her in exhaust. Drinking all the alcohol somehow just made him even more tired, and obviously delirious. Same went for Kristine, who was trying to push him off. "…get off you creep…" she moaned.

"…don't think I'm like that…" Milo groaned, rolling off of her. "…I don't even like you…"

"…well fine…I don't like you either…" Kristine grunted. "…in fact, I hate you."

"Good; I hate you too…" Milo grumbled, looking back at her. When she looked back at him, the two ended up staring.

"…still hate you…" Kristine spoke, but it was more softly now as she became more dazed.

"…same…" Milo mumbled, though he couldn't stop staring at her.

_...for hate, you're _sure_ unable to look away from her, eh?_

"…yeah…" Milo muttered.

"…what…?" Kristine looked at him oddly. "…what are you talkin' about…?"

"…I don't know…" Milo muttered, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples.

_Maybe you oughta try and keep your focus on Kristine, hm?_

Milo was going to agree, but then suddenly he noticed that Kristine was on top of him, and _that_ surprised him, especially when she pinned him down. "What're you doin'?"

"You're not gettin' away with makin me look bad…" Kristine muttered back, though there really wasn't much force behind her pin. Milo was even able to turn it around and pin her to the bed.

"You do that on your own; you don't need my help," Milo remarked.

Kristine tried to struggle, and even kicked him off, making him roll onto the bed in groaning agony. "You callin' me a klutz?" she muttered.

"That's putting it lightly," Milo responded.

_Huh; so this is what counts as foreplay for ya, hm?_

"Shut up," Milo spoke.

"No, you shut up," Kristine yelped, grabbing his collar to yank him over to punch.

Milo blocked the punch and finally got on top of her again, holding her down. "You squirm a lot…"

"…yeah…well…you smell…" Kristine muttered, growing more dazed.

"…whatever…" Milo responded, freezing again to stare at her.

_...now... what's your move gonna be?_

Milo just breathed for a bit, staring at Kristine while she stared back deliriously. She looked pretty tired, even if she didn't want to admit it…and Milo was too drunk to think clearly, so he slowly inched closer.

"…still hate you…" he whispered.

"…same…" Kristine muttered.

_You just keep telling yourself that._

Milo got very close to Kristine then, close enough that they could feel each other's breath and smell the alcohol from each other's breath. Not that it mattered to them.

Finally, Milo pressed his lips against her neck, making Kristine gasp in delight. He kissed her softly and gently, letting up on the pin he had on her, and Kristine rubbed Milo's back. Milo breathed in delight, never feeling anything like that kind of touch before, and when he kissed up to her jawline, she thrust her lips onto his. He took it graciously, feeling up her body while she moaned in response.

…then…Milo sort of passed out on top of her. Kristine pushed him away, but since she was stuck in his arms, she passed out too.

That wasn't any different from the other drunks, who finally passed out to sleep shortly after the two had gone upstairs, and the last ones awake were Vanessa and Jack, no longer really drinking anymore, but definitely relaxing a bit.

Jack was at least a bit surprised that everyone but him and Vanessa were now sleeping soundly. "...alcohol does that, too?" he hummed.

"Yeah…" Vanessa answered. "…it does a bunch of other things too, but I won't get into that."

"...right..." Jack hummed, before he looked at Vanessa. "...so... Milo mentioned that you started drinking because of grandpa. I know he's stupid, but... you must really not like him, right?" he assumed.

"…no…I don't…" Vanessa answered.

"...right... I get why you wouldn't..." Jack nodded, as he glanced aside.

"…he was hard on me a lot…" Vanessa spoke. "…and he always blamed me for Johnny going missing; telling me that I was responsible for watching him…" And she sighed. "…when he holds a grudge, Jack…he can hold a grudge."

"...hm..." Jack nodded; looking thoughtful on the subject.

"…well…we shouldn't dwell on it," Vanessa hummed. "…I expect he'll have his hands full with other things, with the things he found out…if we know Patricia, there's going to be things going on over there…"

"...right..." Jack hummed, as he rubbed his neck. "...in the meantime... we should try training, right?"

"Yes, that would be a good idea," Vanessa answered.

"So..." Jack turned to look at Vanessa with a smile. "...what should I do, mom?"

"…I need you to get me something, which is farther up the mountain here," Vanessa said.

"Okay." Jack nodded. "What do I have to get?"

"It's a relic that's hidden in the mountain, and it takes a long time to get. I wouldn't be surprised if you were gone all night to find it," Vanessa said, "but it's called the Bear Talisman. It's basically this stone with a bear paw carved onto it."

"...alright." Jack nodded. "I think I can do that."

"Good," Vanessa said with a nod. "…go ahead."

"...alright; later, mom!" With that, Jack began heading out of the pub.

Vanessa smiled, "Later…" and she sat back in her chair, closing her eyes. "…and he doesn't even ask where he needs to go…" she hummed. "…at least he's confident…"

Not like Vanessa was supposed to tell him anyway. This was a test that Jack would have to figure out all by himself.

Having heard that the stone was on a mountain, Jack seemed more than prepared to head off there right away. The mountain was visible in the distance from the abandoned city, so he figured he just had to run towards it, climb up it, find the stone, then get back down and show Vanessa that he had done it. That wouldn't be too hard, right?

"Alright; let's go!" With a grin, Jack began running for that mountain he could see; keeping his focus up. At least he had regained some of his energy from having walked earlier.

…then some objects flew at him. Sharp objects.

"Huh?" Jack managed to duck down to let the sharp objects fly over him; looking back at them in surprise. "What the...?"

Looking closer at them, he saw that they were arrows, which had hit the trees next to him. Jack blinked, before looking ahead to see who or what had fired them. Before he could see anything though, figures disappeared into the dark.

Seeing that, Jack gulped a bit, though he remained calm for now; taking a step forward. So far, nothing…

Thinking that whatever had fired at him had gone off, Jack slowly began moving forward again.

Jack traveled quite a ways up the mountain, enough that he could see the moon move enough through the sky to pass the time. He was growing exhausted from the journey, sure, but there wasn't really anything impeding his progress. With a small sigh, he kept trekking along.

Then suddenly, more objects were flung at him. "Whoa!" Immediately, Jack ducked beneath them.

It was more or less the same kind of objects that stuck to the trees, and again, before Jack could see anything else, figures disappeared.

"...who's firing at me...?" Jack remarked, as he began heading forward once more.

…no response.

Jack simply shook his head, as he continued on the path... when he heard sounds.

Footsteps.

Gulping, he backed into a stance as he could feel some dark presence approaching him...

...and there, in his path, walked a dark poodle carrying a blade with him. His body seemed steep with Corruption, and his gaze seemed directed straight at Jack.

Jack felt like panicking, but he held his ground; simply watching this poodle approach him,

"...hm. I guess you're Husk's original." the poodle mused with a shrug, as he kept walking. "Such a coincidence... lower your guard; I'm not interested in you."

Jack blinked as the poodle simply kept walking; his gaze now clearly shown to go past Jack.

Then more objects fired again; this time, at the two of them. Immediately, the poodle swung his sword at the objects to deflect them; startling Jack somewhat. "Who's there?" the poodle snarled.

No response again, and the figures disappeared.

"...they went that way." With a hum, the poodle glanced at Jack. "Follow me; otherwise, you could be ambushed." With that, he charged into the woods.

"Ah- wait!" Jack swiftly followed him; not really sure why he was following a Corrupted like that, but he seemed friendly enough...

It took even longer for Pierce to follow the figures, but when there was a moment where the two actually lost them, they ran into someone else.

She was just walking, minding her own business. She knew she had to get back to her home town, and thankfully, they hadn't been too far away from it. Just a walk down this pass and she should be there by sunrise…and maybe she could just try and forget the nightmare she went through, going back to a normal life…

…maybe instead of a cop, she could go into law enforcement…the town needed some…

…and then she stopped when she heard footsteps coming from ahead her direction. "Hm?" and quickly got her pistols out just in case.

The footsteps, in turn, emerged from the woods, which belonged to Jack and the poodle, who snarled at the one they had encountered. "...Mercy." Swiftly, the poodle drew his blade.

Seeing her, Jack's eyes widened, and he stepped back. "You're... one of them!"

Mercy's eyes widened, and she retreated her pistols. "No, stop! I'm not one of them anymore!"

"Sure; and I'm not wielding a sword." the poodle snarled, as he prepared to lunge towards her. "Thought you could drag me back to them again, you simpering-"

"Wait!" Jack shot in the instant he realized what Mercy had said, before looking towards the rabbit. "...really? You've been Purified?"

"…by Metal…" Mercy replied. "…and some samurai you are. You should be able to sense my Corruption, before you get all suspicious of me."

The poodle's eyes narrowed... before he sheathed his sword again. "...perhaps my senses were dulled by the thought of yet another ambush by Corrupted..." he murmured.

"...so... you two know each other?" Jack uttered, as he looked between the two of them.

"…he had been in the group for a little while, kid, thanks to Patricia…but he left and decided he wasn't going to help," Mercy answered Jack.

"...I... see..." Jack hummed, before looking at the poodle. "What's your name, anyway?"

"...Pierce." With a light hum, Pierce looked at Mercy with an inquisitive look. "So, free as a bird, just like Ivory... but you didn't feel like working with the group, hm?"

Mercy looked away. "…I've done enough damage."

"...so running away from it all instead, then..." Pierce mused.

Mercy glared at him. "I'm not running. I'm staying out of the way, or do you have a better suggestion, Mr. honorable warrior?"

"...no." Pierce shrugged. "To be honest... I still don't know what to do with myself at this point."

Mercy sighed.

Then she looked at Jack, "and what are you doing out here on your own, kid? It isn't smart being out here by yourself."

Jack simply looked back at her. "...I'm looking for something, up on the mountain."

"And why don't you have your friends to help you?" Mercy hummed, folding her arms.

"Because they're sleeping, and I'm training!" Jack explained.

Mercy raised her eyebrow, and then sighed. "…whatever…" she muttered, starting to walk away. "I'm leaving…"

A thought crossed Jack's mind, and he looked at Mercy. "Maybe you could take Pierce with you?"

Pierce cast a bemused, though surprised look at Jack for that. Mercy gave Jack the same kind of look Pierce did. "What?"

"Well, both of you aren't working with those other Corrupted anymore, he's looking for something to do, you want to stay out of the way of everything happening..." Jack reasoned, with a smile. "...so until you get to where you need to be, you could have him tagging along, couldn't you?"

Pierce raised an eyebrow, before actually chuckling. "Kid, you're quite the interesting character..."

"…but I doubt either of us would stand for company…" Mercy added.

"...well, what about this, then?" Jack noted. "The Corrupted could try and hunt you, Mercy; but Pierce looks like he's really strong... so maybe he could act as a bodyguard?"

"...throwing suggestions out like that to a bounty hunter and a warrior... you've got some brass." Pierce chuckled still, as he cast a glance at Mercy. "Perhaps we could wander together for a while? If only to humor the kid."

Mercy sighed. "…why not? I really don't have any other purpose…"

Then she looked at Jack. "…and kid…listen…about corrupting you before…"

Jack looked back at Mercy.

"…I don't think any of us enjoyed that experience…" Mercy muttered. "…but you enjoyed it the least…so I at least owe you a sincere apology for it…I don't know Ivory or Cyrene very well, but I'm sure they'd say the same thing…if Ivory was here, and if Cyrene wasn't still Corrupted, that is…"

Jack hummed, before he eventually nodded. "...it's good to hear you apologize for it. Thanks; I forgive you."

"...well, that was quick." Pierce remarked.

"I can't let myself be distracted by what's already happened." Jack noted, as he smiled at the two of them. "If I do, I can't keep moving forward, to more important things."

Pierce hummed in a genuinely impressed tone. "...and here I took you for a simpleton... seems like you can be deep after all."

"It's because he's naïve," Mercy remarked. "…but yes, I suppose there's some charm to that…"

Jack just smiled.

"...best of luck to you, then." Pierce hummed, as he gave Jack a nod. "May you succeed in whatever endeavors you may find yourself undertaking."

Jack nodded upon hearing that... but then something popped in the back of his mind. "...oh, wait!" He looked back at Mercy. "Before you go... do you know if those Corrupted made any sort of progress before you were Purified?"

Mercy looked at Jack with narrowed eyes. "They're planning the attack on Safe Haven now."

Jack's eyes widened. "...that's not good..."

"That's putting it mildly." Pierce mused, as he looked at Mercy. "How far into planning have they come?"

"They were simply reviewing the plan when I left," Mercy answered, "…so it won't be long now."

"...oh, that's not good..." Jack murmured. "...Jill... everyone on the island..."

"...have faith. I'm certain that they'll turn the tide." Pierce mused, before giving Jack a nod. "...but we shouldn't dwindle any further. Go and find the artifact you seek."

"...right..." Jack hummed... but then _another_ thought crossed his mind. "...wait... if Mercy wasn't the one firing at me earlier... then who was it?"

"…there was someone firing at you?" Mercy muttered blankly.

Then suddenly, those objects flew at them again. This time, Mercy quickly drew her pistols out of sheer reaction and shot every single projectile away, and when the objects stopped, she lowered her pistols. "…oh…that."

Jack blinked. "Were you shot at, too?"

Pierce narrowed his eyes. "...seems like whoever lives here does not tolerate guests."

"…must be some artifact you're trying to find, kid," Mercy hummed.

"...mom said it was called the Bear Talisman." Jack remarked.

"…a talisman huh?" Mercy muttered. "…hmph…"

"...well, I should go and find it." Jack hummed. "You guys do your thing, I suppose."

"...we will." Pierce nodded, before he began walking off.

"…watch yourself," Mercy bid, while she went to follow Pierce.

"Bye, you guys!" Jack called with a wave, as he began heading back towards the mountain.

Afterward, there was a bit of silence for Jack, as he went up the mountain…but eventually, he came to the opening of a cave. Letting out a small whistle, Jack wasted little time in wandering within the cave. The cave itself was dark and featureless, which left it hard for Jack to navigate without stumbling ever so often. With a bit of a hum, he cautiously began inching along the wall to make his way through this cave. Part of him was worried that he'd eventually find himself in a maze, but he remained calm still; after all, if he panicked here, he wouldn't be able to get the talisman, right?

When he pressed his hand against the wall, it caused a stone to move suddenly.

Eyes widening, Jack moved his hand away from that stone and looked curiously at it. "...did I just activate a trap?"

Suddenly, the cave started to shake around Jack.

"...oh, no, that was _definitely _a trap!" Jack yelped; now unsure on whether to push onward or make a safe retreat before the cave would collapse on him.

Jack would then notice that the ceiling above him was starting to descend toward him.

"...uh oh!" With a yelp, Jack panicked and charged _straight ahead_ into the cave; hoping to find a safe spot before he'd be crushed beneath the ceiling. Time slowly ran out as he ran, with the ceiling inching closer and closer…though he did see the ending of it up ahead, if he could only make it.

Gritting his teeth, Jack closed his eyes, and in a mad dash, rushed directly for the room up ahead, and when the ceiling was starting to reach the very opening itself, he leapt; diving for the exit to hopefully survive this...

Jack made it out, and the ceiling caved behind him, hitting the ground with a loud shake. This also meant that Jack was in the dark, however. Jack breathed slowly, getting over the adrenaline that had built up from that, before he began looking around. His eyes had to get used to the darkness, so he remained stationary before doing anything else. As his eyes adjusted, he couldn't see any more traps as far as he knew.

Still, with that one random rock that triggered the collapsing ceiling, he had to be careful. As he got on his feet, he began slowly advancing through the cave; though a sense of nagging doubt tore at him when he realized that he could potentially be stuck in the mountain now. Thankfully, for a while, he was able to step deeper down into the cave without any interruptions.

Still, he remained cautious just in case; glancing around him whilst proceeding down the cave, wondering just what else he would encounter in this cave...

Suddenly, he started to see light in the direction he was walking. Seeing that light, he began running in that direction; wondering what he'd find on the other side.

He arrived in a chamber that was lit up with torches, and there was a stone pedestal on opposite end of Jack with something sitting on top of it.

"...whoa..." With a hum, Jack began slowly approaching this pedestal; making sure not to make any false steps as he approached it.

The closer he got, the better he could see the object, which was a special looking stone. On it, was painted a bear claw mark on it. At first, Jack seemed to think that this was the goal, but the moment he had gotten all the way to the altar, he just recalled what his mother had said. "...hang on..." He gently brushed a finger against the rock, which seemed generally flat on its surface. "...didn't mom say that the mark was carved...?"

Suddenly, the walls around him sprouted spikes…and slowly closed in on him.

Jack's eyes widened upon seeing that, and he started to panic again. "What kinda cave is this?!" he yelped, as he looked desperately around for some kind of exit. "Oh, where, where...?!" In his panicked state, he accidentally knocked aside the stone from the pedestal; making it land on the ground next to him.

When the stone had been moved from its pedestal, the stone beneath it shifted down… and in the middle of the chamber, a trap door opened. Seeing that trap door, Jack gulped, before nodding. "...well... better than nothing!" Before the walls would fully close in on him, he ran for the trap door and leapt down it.

He fell down the shaft just as the spikes would've gotten him, and he kept falling down the shaft like a slide. Right now, the adrenaline from before had returned in full force, so Jack forced himself to just endure the ride down to where this shaft would lead him.

He landed into a dark room…and then he was taken by hands.

"…you think you can take our talisman?"

Jack let out a small yelp, as he tried seeing who had grabbed him. He couldn't really make out the figures though.

"Answer us," hissed voices.

Gulping a touch, Jack eventually nodded. "...I was just told to get the talisman... but I didn't know someone actually owned it, I swear!"

"Who sent you?" demanded the voices.

"Ah..." Jack wasn't liking the harsh tone in these people's voices. "...my mom told me to get it..." he answered truthfully.

"And who's your mother?!"

"Ah- Vanessa Leoniel!" Jack yelped in panic.

"…Vanessa Leoniel…I haven't heard that name in years…"

And Jack was released.

The moment he was released, he slowly got on his feet whilst looking at the figures. "...you know my mom?"

"…too well…"

The figures vanished away, leaving Jack alone in the room.

Jack blinked ever so softly, as he looked around a touch. He was still curious as to who the figures were, so as he began wandering forward ever so slowly, he kept his gaze fixated on the surroundings; hoping to at least see who these figures were.

"…she's the one who made us like this…"

And more objects were thrown at Jack.

"Whoa!" Again, Jack ducked beneath those objects, though this time, his eyes narrowed. "...so _you_ were the ones firing at me earlier!"

"Yes…we were…"

"...because you were guarding the talisman..." Jack uttered. "...but... what do you mean by 'she made you like this'? Would you please show yourselves?"

Suddenly, lights flared up all around Jack. He let out another yelp and shielded his eyes; the sudden flash of light making it hard for him to see now that his eyes had grown accustomed to the dark. At first, it was hard to see them…

…but slowly, as Jack noticed, they were unwrapping cloths that were covering their faces…and they revealed each and every one of their faces.

All of them were deformed, and grotesque; burn marks, scars, many looking like they were beyond the help of reforming back to normal again.

Jack's eyes widened, and he clasped his mouth in horror at that sight; unable to even speak as he gazed upon their grotesque, misshapen faces.

"…what we would like to know is how a monster like her could have a child," one of them said.

Jack was still utterly shocked at this horrific sight. To think that his mother, of all people, had been the one to do all this... he couldn't even answer their question at first.

"…at least you don't seem to be like her," another pointed out.

"...I..." Jack looked from each of them; still unsure on what to even say in reply to any of these unfortunate souls.

"…we don't care how you see your mother kid…" another said. "…you can't ignore the truth of the matter that she did this to us…and we were the lucky ones, mind you…"

"…the others that have stepped in her path have suffered far worse fates…" another added.

Jack gulped; still at a complete loss for words, especially upon realizing that there would be others who would be even worse off than these people.

"…and after all this…would you still take our talisman to her?"

Jack looked at the ground for a short while; eyes wide as he seemed thoughtful about all of this. Those around Jack were silent, waiting for his answer.

Finally, Jack looked back at the people... and he seemed apologetic. "...I think... no, I _know_ that you guys hate my mom... and you'd probably never want to forgive her..." As he spoke, he glanced to the side. "...but... she's changed. She's not like she was before, when she did..._this._" He closed his eyes. "...I think... if she were to meet you guys again... from the bottom of her heart, she'd want to apologize to all of you... even if it wouldn't do any good..."

As he said that, he looked back at them. "...so... I would like to take it back to her, even in spite of that... but if it belongs to you guys, I don't want to just _take_ it. That wouldn't be right..."

"…and how do we know we can trust your word, Leoniel?"

Jack looked at the one who said that. "...I was taught never to lie." he said with a small nod. "If that's not enough, then... say something you want me to do, and I'll do it."

"…how about this then?"

Sharp objects were pointed at Jack threateningly.

"…we would like you to leave."

Jack flinched for just a moment when the sharp objects were pointed at him... and then he nodded. "...okay; I'll leave. But... I don't know where the exit is."

They all stood aside, and pointed to an opening that looked like a doorway to more caverns. Jack looked towards that opening, before giving the people a nod. "...thanks." With that, he proceeded to walk towards that opening.

They all let him walk, while they proceeded to wrap up their faces with the cloths again. Jack cast them glances from the corner of his eyes, but he didn't exactly slow down or turn to face them; he just kept walking for the opening, without raising any sort of objection.

Once he went through the doorway, the lights went out. He had to blink a few times to get used to the darkness yet again, but he still kept walking; gazing ahead to see where he'd wander. Eventually, Jack started to tread across sand, but he was still in the cave. His eyes trailed down at the sand he treaded on, before gazing back ahead of him to see where he was going; growing curious about why there was sand in the cave.

…slowly but surely, his feet started to get stuck. Jack's eyes widened, and he suddenly looked back down again. He was sinking in the sand. For the briefest of moments, Jack started to panic again; struggling to get out of the quicksand, before he actually calmed down. "...wait... the Professor said..." he uttered, as he closed his eyes; relaxing somewhat. _...if you get stuck in quicksand... you just have to remain calm... don't struggle, or you'll sink deeper... wow, good thing I remembered that..._

So there he stood; remaining as calm as he possibly could without struggling. At first when he panicked, he sank quite a bit, but when he relaxed, the sinking nearly stopped. Relaxing still, his thoughts began crossing over to how he was going to get out of the quicksand. There didn't seem to be anything around him that he could grab, at least from what he was seeing in the dark. With a sigh, he tried looking for _something_ he could grab onto. So far, there wasn't anything…

He couldn't exactly move around to find anything around here, and he had a feeling that there wouldn't be anyone who'd want to help him around here... so Jack simply kept quiet while he looked around; narrowing his eyes to try and see something he could grab. There was something hanging down from one of the walls, just outside his reach. Seeing that, Jack tried slowly reaching for it; knowing that if he moved too much, he'd start sinking again. He got closer and closer, sinking slightly. Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes whilst reaching further towards it.

He was finally able to grab it, and it seemed sturdy enough to hold him. With a bit of a relieved sigh, he tried using this to pull himself out of the quicksand; forcing all his might into pulling himself out of the quicksand. Thankfully, he was able to pull himself out with no problem.

As he settled down on the ledge he had pulled himself onto, Jack looked back at the quicksand while finally starting to breathe out in relief. "...too close..." he murmured, as he slowly looked around to see where he could go from here, now that he was out of harm's way. The ledge he was sitting on was the only way to travel, since the rest of the area was covered in sand.

Seeing that, he eventually rose to his feet before slowly wandering along the ledge.

"…did you think we would really let you leave so easily like that…?" hummed the same voices.

Jack looked around. "...I thought you wanted me to leave." he remarked.

"We can't trust a Leoniel…"

"...but I was going to leave because that's what I had to do to make you trust me." Jack reiterated.

"…we can't be responsible for letting a Leoniel go."

And the area started to shake again. Jack's eyes widened. "Now what?!"

This time, the walls around Jack started to crumble, as the place was just plain falling apart now. "...uh oh." With another yelp, Jack just began charging down the path of the ledge as he didn't look behind him for a single moment. Rocks and stalagmites fell from above, while the ground underneath him crumbled as he ran. Still, Jack just ran; teeth clenched as he kept running for dear life.

Soon, he saw an opening that actually led outside. Seeing that opening, he wasted no time, and rushed right for that exit. When he leaped out, the cave collapsed within itself. As Jack landed, he looked back at the collapsed cave behind him. That was that. He had gotten out intact.

Jack let out a small sigh; mixed with both relief that he had gotten out alive, and dismay for the fact that he hadn't gotten the talisman, like Vanessa had told him to do.

Still... what those poor people had gone through... especially at the hands of his own mother... it was a horrible sight...

When he turned around, however, he stopped.

There was another stone pedestal, similar to the one he encountered before, and this, again, had a stone with a bear claw mark on it. This one, though, had been carved into the stone, as opposed to the one that was painted on.

Seeing that talisman, Jack's eyes widened, as he approached it. He found himself looking at it, pondering a bit. In spite of him promising to leave, the people who lived here had still tried to kill him... but he still didn't want to just take it, even if they had tried killing him... "...what to do..."

"…what to do indeed."

That was only one voice this time. Jack's eyes widened and he spun around to see who had said that.

It was the same kind of figure as the others, but much larger. He was all alone.

Jack's eyes narrowed. "...I guess you really don't want me alive, huh..."

"…on contrary, there might actually be something you can do to earn our trust," the large one said, folding his arms.

"...and... what's that?" Jack uttered.

"…go back to your mother…and kill her."

Jack's eyes widened considerably as he stepped back. "..._what?!_" That was not a surprised tone; that was an _appalled_ tone.

"Surely it can be a simple task?" the large figure suggested. "All the Leoniels have had no problem killing one of their own."

Jack's shocked expression soon turned to one of disgust; especially with the memories of Astaroth fresh in the back of his mind. "..._no!_ I'm not gonna kill _anyone!_" he said in a offended tone. "I'm not gonna do anything that _stupid_ family would ever do!"

The larger figure raised his brow at that. "…well now…that's certainly a different attitude you got there…did you split from the family or something?"

Jack shook his head. "My mom... when she bore me, she realized that the way the Leoniels act is really stupid. So she ran away from them, to raise me elsewhere... and when I met my grandpa earlier, I found out just how stupid that family is! So I would _never_ do anything they would resort to doing!"

The larger figure hummed at that.

"...so if you want me to gain your trust by killing someone, even someone who did something that horrible to you, then you can just _keep_ that trust!" Jack practically spat. "Because I'm _never_ gonna kill anyone for any sort of stupid reason!"

"…well then…how about we battle?" The larger one suggested instead. "If you win, I let you go free with the talisman…but if you lose…"

And he glared at Jack. "…you'll have to kill her."

Jack gulped, before he narrowed his eyes and clenched his hands. "...I'm not killing my mom." he said firmly; glaring back at the larger figure. "So if I lose... you can kill me instead." That last thing popped out of his mouth before he even thought about it.

"…really now?" the larger figure mused. "You'd sacrifice yourself to save her?"

What he had said just dawned on Jack, but his expression didn't waver in the slightest. "...yes."

"…alright then," the larger figure said. "I accept to the terms."

And he threw his fist to the ground, creating an earthquake that shot for Jack. Seeing that, Jack instinctively leapt away from it; keeping his eyes locked squarely on the larger being. He yanked out boulders from the mountainside and threw them at Jack. Still, Jack leapt past the boulders; as if studying what his opponent was doing before making a move.

After throwing boulders for a bit, the large figure actually jumped out at Jack, intending to throw down his fist on top of him. This time, however, rather than avoiding the attack, Jack threw _both_ of his hands against the incoming fist to grab it, to try and keep it at bay. The larger figure was surprised to find out how strong Jack was, but then he tried to push the force against him.

In turn, though, Jack pushed right back against the figure; simply glaring up at him without really going on the offensive, like one would have expected of a Leoniel.

"…you have quite the familiar face…" the large figure hummed while he kept pushing against him.

"...really?" Jack hummed, as he kept pushing against the figure.

"…you look like Astaroth," the large figure continued.

Jack's eyes widened. "...excuse me?!" Now he actually began pushing _against_ the larger figure; snarling viciously.

"…yeah," the large figure grunted.

"...you... take that back..." Jack grunted, as he kept pushing against the large figure. "...I'm not... like that... mean bully...!"

"You certainly have his temper," the large figure uttered.

Jack snarled more. "...stop... comparing... us...!"

"Why?" the large figure asked.

"...because... I don't wanna be like him...!" Jack uttered.

Now the figure tried pushing as hard as he could. And Jack, in turn, was _still_ pushing against that. The large figure slipped, and Jack ended up throwing him onto the ground. Without hesitation, Jack managed to keep the larger one pinned; still just glaring down at him.

"...I'll let you know a secret," the large figure said.

"...what...?" Jack uttered; still keeping the larger one pinned whilst looking rather fierce.

"Your father was one of us."

Jack's eyes _immediately_ widened, and his grip loosened. "...what...?"

The large figure was able to stand up, looking down at Jack.

Jack was just unable to process that, as he just looked up at the figure. "...my dad was...?" he uttered.

"...one of us, yes..." the large figure answered.

Jack just seemed baffled. "...but... the others back there didn't know... so how do you...?"

"...because I'm technically your uncle," the large figure said, untying his cloth around his face.

Jack just gawked at him with wide eyes. When the cloth was off, Jack could see that his face actually wasn't all that messed up as the others, allowing Jack to be able to identify him as a large panda bear.

Jack just gawked at this; still unable to say anything in response to this revelation.

"...and yes. Your father was a panda," he added.

Jack settled a hand on his head as he let this process. "...holy..."

The panda was silent.

"...so... you're like my uncle...?" Jack slowly glanced aside. "...I... never thought I'd find out something like this..."

The panda was still silent, folding his arms.

Eventually, Jack looked back at the panda. "...could you... tell me about my dad?"

"What do you want to know?" the panda asked.

"...I don't know..." Jack murmured. "...what he was like... what happened to him..." He looked to the side. "...why he decided to..." He couldn't even bear the thought.

"...there was a lot going on back then; things I think you might have a hard time understanding," the panda said.

Jack merely looked back up at the panda.

"…I don't think your mother really loved your father…and vice versa," the panda continued. "…but after what he did to her, and once he found out she was pregnant because of it…he was willing to take responsibility…"

Jack just looked up at him.

"…you see, if you hadn't been a lion, if you had been a panda," he continued. "He would've begged Vanessa to keep the baby so that he could raise it. Back then, your mother was very adamant that if you weren't a lion…she wasn't going to keep you."

Jack's eyes widened considerably.

"…and to him, life was still a precious thing…he wouldn't want his child to be killed just because it wasn't good enough…" the panda went on. "…Vanessa was actually considering the idea too…and then your father decided to confront Astaroth…"

"…I never saw him since."

Jack looked back down at the ground.

"…so I assumed the worst after that…" the panda continued. "…but seeing as no Leoniels came after us after that, we left it alone…the only reason your father did what he did to your mother was because of what she did to all of us."

Jack looked back at him again.

"…it was very complicated…but because of her, my brother's dead…"

And the panda stomped toward Jack. "…I can't forgive her for that."

Jack still just looked up at him.

Then he sighed. "…but taking it out on her child is not the way to deal with that…"

Jack still looked up at him.

"…look, don't kill yourself if you lose," the panda finally said. "…just leave if you lose. Got it?"

Jack simply nodded slowly.

"Good."

Then the panda threw a quick, hard punch at him. However, Jack proceeded to weave away from the punch, before swiftly and fiercely thrusting his palm directly at the panda's stomach. The panda held out his stomach and it was strong enough to block the blow. "You'd have to do better than that."

Jack simply looked up at him; still applying pressure to the strike.

The panda narrowed his eyes…and then they widened considerably with a grunt. He stumbled away, holding his gut in pain. Jack simply stepped back whilst looking up at him. The panda even had trouble breathing a little bit, as if Jack had knocked the wind out of him. Still, Jack remained completely silent.

"…you really are strong…" the panda grunted.

"...thanks." Jack hummed with a light nod.

…and then the panda collapsed.

With a small nod, Jack turned back to the pedestal. "...sorry..." he murmured, before he approached the pedestal and took the talisman, "...though... I sure learned a lot..." he mused, before he began heading for the nearest exit.

After that, no one chased Jack as he walked down the mountain.

* * *

><p><em><strong>And so now you know that Jack is half-panda...<strong>_


	50. Chapter 49

"…agh…ow…my head…" someone groggily uttered that morning, shifting around in the bed.

_And welcome back from dreamland. Sleep well?_

_Ow…Johnny…why?_

_I didn't do anything. You did more than me, I can say that much._

…_what are you talking about…?_ Milo moaned a bit while he tried to open his eyes in his agony…and then suddenly, he shot out of bed with a yelp, noticing that Kristine was right next to him in bed.

Uproarious laughter emerged. _Oh, that's priceless._

_What did I do?!_ Milo thought, and then he held his head for his pounding headache.

_You wanna know? In that case... I'm not telling._

Milo covered his face. _Oh please tell me I didn't do it with her…_

_Why don't you ask her, hm?_

Milo scowled. _Do you think either of us would really remember anything after being that drunk?!_ And then he sighed. _…I shouldn't have listened…_

_Well, that's what growing up means; doing a bunch of stupid shit you'll regret later._

…_just leave me alone…_ Milo grumbled.

Then he noticed movement from Kristine and he froze.

_Well, now; someone's awake, too._

Slowly, Kristine sat up, looking worse than Milo did, and she glanced over at Milo silently. He was just as silent as her, and actually a little timid on how she might react to waking up like this.

"…hm…" Kristine murmured, before she slumped back onto the bed with a groan at her own hangover, covering her head with the pillow.

_...doesn't seem like she cares. Welp!_

Milo just sat there, staring at her. He could understand if they did things when they were drunk that they wouldn't intend…

…but that possible statement actually bothered Milo…a little.

_...ooh, seems like someone's a bit tense._

_I said leave me alone_, Milo growled, getting up from the bed to leave the room.

_And you know just as well as I do that I'm not gonna listen to ya. Deal, kiddo._

Milo grumbled, while he walked down the stairs. Looking around, he noticed that he was still the only one awake right now, since everyone else was sprawled out on the ground asleep. With a sigh, he sat down at the foot of the stairs.

_What, now even gonna try to wake up the others?_

_No... _Milo muttered.

_Geez, someone's in a bad hangover mood._

_You think? _Milo groaned.

_Well, you're just gonna have to live with it for now._

Milo kept grumbling.

_Tsk, tsk, don't be such a sourpuss..._

At that point, the doors opened up, and someone walked in through them; yawning slightly.

Milo looked tiredly over. There, he could see that the one walking in was Jack; rubbing his eyes slowly.

"...How're you doing Jack...?" Milo mumbled.

Jack glanced at Milo with a tired smile. "...I... haven't slept a tick last night..."

"...you didn't? How come?" Milo asked.

"...I was busy..." Jack let out a big yawn. "...training."

"...I see," Milo answered.

"...mom wanted me to get this rock..." Jack murmured, as he fished out a small talisman from his pocket; showing it to Milo. "...she called it the Bear Talisman..."

Milo's eyes shot open, and he jumped to his feet, snatching the talisman out of his hands to gawk at it. "Where was this?!"

Jack blinked a touch. "...um... in a cave over by the mountain not too far from here...?"

Milo kept staring at this. "...I haven't seen this thing in such a long time..."

Jack's eyes widened. "...you mean... you know what it is?"

Milo looked up at Jack. "...this is my dad's."

Jack gawked at that. "_Really?!_" he sputtered in shock.

"...I dropped this in a river a long time ago when I was a really little kid, and lost it," Milo gulped. "...I was in trouble for weeks..."

"...really?" Jack tilted his head. "...wonder how it ended up all the way here..."

"...probably the same way we did," Milo supposed.

"...man, that's convenient..." Jack remarked. "...so... what does it do?"

"...well... My dad told stories about how it helped him win battles, but it never did anything for me when I tried it out," Milo told him.

"...weird..." Jack hummed.

"...I'm just surprised you found it," Milo uttered.

"...wait..._Vanessa knew about this?_" Milo uttered in disbelief.

"...yeah; I told you that she told me to get this from the mountain, didn't I?" Jack noted with a small nod.

Milo then stared at the sleeping Vanessa. Jack looked at her as well.

"…it's not nice to stare, boys."

Milo jumped a little when Vanessa popped open one of her eyes. Jack reeled back a bit as well.

Vanessa opened both her eyes, and looked at the talisman in his hand. "I see you made it back with it, Jack," Vanessa hummed.

"...yeah..." Jack nodded.

"…Vanessa, how did you know about this?" Milo asked.

Vanessa was silent.

"...mom..." Jack looked at her curiously as well.

Vanessa looked away.

"...mom." Jack walked up to her. "...I saw the people there... you don't have to hide it. I know..."

Vanessa looked back at Jack then with a bit of a sad look. Jack merely looked back at her, taking a seat next to her.

"…so you know that the point of the journey wasn't about the talisman then…?" Vanessa murmured, looking away from Jack.

"...yeah..." Jack nodded slowly.

Milo looked back and forth between Jack and Vanessa.

"...mom..." Jack glanced aside then, as he rubbed his neck a touch awkwardly.

"…it was better that you heard it from them…and not me…" Vanessa muttered.

"...right..." Jack nodded; though he still didn't look at Vanessa.

Milo had no idea what the two of them were talking about, but he knew it was probably best not to ask, given the mood the two of them were under. He put the Bear Talisman away on his person, now that he had gotten it back after all these years, and he slumped down onto the foot of the stairs again in slight depression. It wasn't like he was in the mood to ask what was going on, anyway.

Vanessa noticed Milo's change of mood. "…is something wrong…?"

Milo rubbed his temples. "…just the hangover…"

Jack glanced briefly back at Milo, before glancing aside again.

Finally, down the stairs came Kristine, and she just walked by Milo without even looking at him. "Alright, is it time to go yet?" She asked.

"…oh…guess not," she added when she saw that everyone else was still passed out.

"Patience, Kristine," Vanessa hushed her.

Jack still remained silent; though he did regard a small wave to Kristine. Kristine waved back at him, and then looked down at Milo. "…what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing…" Milo grumbled, looking away from Kristine.

"…huh, probably drank too much last night, huh?" Kristine supposed, setting her hands on her hips. "First the spiritual recoil, and then a hangover; makes sense."

Milo paused…

…then he glared at her. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?!"

"I'm just saying you're not used to these things; you're kinda new, that's all," Kristine reasoned, shrugging.

Jack blinked, as he looked back at the two of them.

Milo stood up and folded his arms, getting a little irritated. "I'm sorry…I thought for a minute it sounded like you were calling me weak."

"Oh, well, maybe a little," Kristine admitted. "…but there's always room for improvement."

Milo pinched his brow. "You were missing my point…and that reply didn't help."

"Well then instead of beating around the bush, you should be straight up with me," Kristine said, getting impatient with Milo.

"Okay…you want me to be straight with you?" Milo growled. "Fine. You're oblivious. Everything around you is so obvious but you overlook it because you have a one track mind!"

Kristine actually looked offended at that. "_Oblivious?!_"

"Oh dear…" Vanessa hummed under her breath. Jack just kept looking at the two of them.

"Okay bub, if you're gonna play that way," Kristine growled, jabbing a finger on Milo's chest. "You're too much of a stuck up jerk!"

"How am I _stuck up_?!" a baffled and equally offended Milo sputtered.

"You act like I don't know anything, and that you know _everything!_" Kristine replied, jabbing her finger at him again. "And then when you hear a little noise, you jump like the little coward you are!"

Milo felt his blood boiling at that. _"…excuse me?_"

In intrigue, Jack turned around to observe this argument.

"…I-I'm sorry; were you not there when I actually _stood my ground against Astaroth?!_" Milo yelled at her, getting fed up with her at this point. "And what were you doing?! You were _running _from him!"

"You only stood up to him because you were a _moron!_ Everyone knows not to try and stand up against him!" Kristine snarled back. "I mean, look at Vanessa! He broke her hand!"

"Dear, he did much worse things to me," Vanessa interjected with a sigh.

Kristine glared at her. "Oh, you knew what I meant!" Then she directed the glare at Milo. "And then you go and show off what a big, strong, tough guy you were yesterday because you could take down a tree. Woohoo!" she cheered sarcastically. "I'll let you know when we get attacked by trees!"

"Last I heard, you were actually _impressed _by that!" Milo retorted.

"Whatever!" Kristine barked.

Jack just kept watching the two in utter fascination.

Milo kept glaring at Kristine, but in his silence, he started to remember what happened last night when he was drunk. He remembered arguing with her…and then some things started happening that conflicted his emotions. "…you know what? I just don't want to talk to you anymore…" he muttered, turning away from Kristine.

"Oh now what?" Kristine spat at him. "Does this mean I'm actually _right?!_"

Milo glared at her over his shoulder. "No, you're just being oblivious again."

"There you go again!" Kristine threw her hands up in the air.

"...huh..." Jack hummed out loud, as he rubbed his head.

"…keep your voice down, you're going to wake the others," Milo continued.

"Oh, like you weren't screaming earlier too?" Kristine pointed out sourly.

Milo turned back around to her. "What's your problem?"

"I could ask you the same question!" Kristine retorted.

"...hey, guys?" Jack finally decided to shoot in before the fighting could escalate.

"…what?" They both asked simultaneously, looking at Jack.

"...you guys didn't really start fighting until just now, right?" Jack assumed, as he tilted his head a little.

"…yeah, that's right," Milo answered. "Why?"

Jack shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe you like each other?"

Milo shut his mouth, widening his eyes. Had it been that obvious that even Jack could figure it out?

"'_Like_' him? Psh!" Kristine threw her arms, glaring at Jack. "He's not a very likable guy! How could I like him?"

Then Milo gawked at Kristine for saying that.

"...well..." Jack hummed, as he rubbed his chin. "...he's really bright and understanding..."

"Oh yeah, because he seems so understanding right now!" Kristine huffed.

"...well, to be fair, all of us drank last night, so..." Jack pointed out.

"...it doesn't matter Jack; let's just let it go," Milo mumbled, heading out the door, leaving them behind.

Kristine blinked at that. Jack let out a small sigh as he rubbed his neck a bit.

"...seriously, what's his problem?" Kristine grumbled.

Vanessa sighed and sat back in her seat. Milo was right about her being oblivious, since she was able to figure out what was going on as well.

Jack simply turned back around. _...hope they manage to sort it out without fighting..._ he thought to himself.

After a few moments, Kristine shrugged and went back upstairs to go back to sleep, leaving Vanessa and Jack on their own.

Jack rubbed his neck a touch awkwardly now that just him and Vanessa were the ones who were down below without being knocked out still. He still recalled the things he had seen and heard back at the mountain... things he couldn't exactly brush aside, especially since they shed light on how Vanessa had been before she bore him...

...which brought to mind one question...

"...mom?" Jack began; still not looking at her.

"...yeah?" Vanessa hummed.

"...when you said that... you didn't wanna keep me if I were a panda..." Jack murmured, as he still didn't look at her. "...did you really mean it?"

"...I'm honestly not sure..." Vanessa murmured. "...I did a lot of changing over the years..."

Jack rubbed his neck again. "...what was it that... made you change? Going from someone who did... all of _that..._ into the mom who raised me..."

"...a lot..." Vanessa murmured. Jack looked back at her; wondering if she would explain.

Vanessa sighed. "...after your father had been killed... It opened my eyes a bit... I looked around at our family from a different point of view...and I wondered just what kind of child I would have...or what we would've done with you if you hadn't been born the right way.."

Jack just looked at her.

"...eventually... I started to think what you would be like if you had been like them..." Vanessa continued. "...and I was honestly disturbed by that thought."

Jack shuddered to think that he could potentially been like the Leoniels, though his expression remained the same as he looked at Vanessa.

"...so I left," Vanessa said. "...I told no one where I was going, and from then on, I decided that no matter how you had been born, I was going to take care of you."

Jack nodded a bit. "...was it... tough?"

"...very..." Vanessa admitted. "...I didn't know what the proper way was to raise a child was, because of the way I had been brought up...the first few years you had been born, I almost wanted to avoid you for fear anything I would do with you would've been considered abuse..."

Then she looked aside. "...it didn't help you looked a lot like Johnny either..."

Jack nodded a bit. He seemed to understand how it had to be for Vanessa; especially since he could barely recall how his first years had been like.

"...but where we lived, nobody knew who we were, and the other mothers helped by teaching me how to be a mother..." Vanessa said. Then she smiled, "...and I'd say that watching you grow up is what changed me the most..."

Jack couldn't help but smile as well, if only a little.

"...but now you know that bit at least..." Vanessa murmured.

"...right..." Jack nodded; after all, he had felt their animosity towards her first-hand. "...though..." At that point, Jack recalled other things. "...how did you know that they were living in the mountain? And that they had Milo's talisman?"

"...they travel around, but they always leave some kind of marking somewhere to indicate where they've been," Vanessa muttered. "...this marking, I've noticed in the pub here, and I also noticed that it was fresh. When you've been a trained killer, you know how to hunt down who you want..."

"...as for Milo's talisman...well, I didn't know it was his, but I knew they had it for a long time."

Jack gawked at that. "...whoa..."

"...you see...they're thieves, Jack," Vanessa said. "...they've only used that talisman as a way to lure adventurers to it so that they could corner them and steal their goods."

Jack blinked at that. "...thieves...?" He looked away with wide eyes. "...that's..."

Vanessa was silent after that.

"...did they... start thieving because of what you did, or..." Jack murmured. "...were they like that before then?"

"...they were already like that before I met them," Vanessa answered.

Jack glanced back at her again. "...I see..."

"...in fact, it was because they stole something from me that I had...messed them up so badly..." Vanessa answered.

Jack nodded, as he looked ahead. "...mh... now I don't know how to feel..." he murmured. "...were they bad guys all along, or what...?"

"...it's complicated, but..." Vanessa looked away then, "...I don't think either of us were good guys at the time."

Jack simply sighed. "...this is complicated."

Vanessa nodded in agreement.

"...guess this training's gonna be all about complications..." Jack mused.

"Oh, yes," Vanessa answered. "...especially when it comes to Milo and Kristine."

"...yeah..." Jack nodded somewhat.

* * *

><p>This morning, King's group hadn't left yet for the day, cleaning up camp.<p>

"...we ready to leave yet?" Berta groaned as she just finished packing.

"Almost." Miser murmured in response, as she glanced towards King, who was standing and waiting. "...King's waiting."

"For what?" Berta hummed.

Just then, there was a call of that familiar bird, and the hawk descended down the sky with the letter attached to it.

"That," Hunter answered.

"...it's been a while..." Queen mused as she watched King gently take the canister from the bird's leg, before he began reading.

_"Twilight..."_

_"I am doing alright, thankfully, and I have even taken residence at Jill's due to my tribe's suggestion in the changing weather. Honestly, though, I'm not sure if things will be alright."_

_"...the military, at the Admiral's request, seems to be preparing for something...I recall Sonia remarking on a calm before the storm, and I would feel as though I would have to agree. Something huge is on the horizon...and it makes me uneasy..."_

_"...it doesn't help that I only miss you that much more either..."_

_"...but you mustn't give up hope; do your best."_

_"Tasha."_

King hummed, before he took out some pen and paper to start writing a touch.

"...he's writing a letter back?" Berta remarked with a raised eyebrow.

"...give him some space; it's been a while for him, keke..." Ripper mused.

"Yeah, don't be so insensitive Berta," Crystal pointed out.

"Oh, you're one to talk Crystal," Dax murmured.

"...hmph." Berta merely scoffed, as she glanced aside.

In the meantime, King just put the finishing touches on his letter, which was brief, but he hoped that it would suffice.

_Dearest Tasha,_

_I can only hope that the letter I write comes to you as swiftly as the winds that carry us onward. I am relieved to hear that you are still alright, though, regretfully, there's really not much else of note I can add. Still we look for Joy, with little to no results so far. The other groups seem to have more luck at the moment..._

_...though I can safely say that, at the moment, I'm doing alright as well. The only thing missing would be to be in your company once more..._

_...and I assure you; I will return to you. I don't know when, but I will make it to see our son born. That is a promise._

_Twilight_

Once he had written that letter, he had it put back in the capsule, before allowing the carrier bird to fly off with the letter attached to it once more.

"Hey King, how long have you been writing these letters to her?" Crystal asked curiously.

King rubbed the back of his neck as he watched the bird fly off. "...technically, since we started this journey..." he mused thoughtfully. "...but... this ain't the first time we've exchanged letters like this..."

"...and why's that?" Berta hummed as she raised an eyebrow upon hearing that.

"Yeah, why's that?" Crystal repeated.

"...because... when we first arrived at Safe Haven, and I originally met Tasha..." King hummed as he gazed at the horizon. "...we were forbidden from seeing each other initially... but we kept in touch via the letters... at least until two years ago, when we..."

"...tied the knot?" Berta assumed, which sent a rapid blush coming over King the instant that was mentioned.

"No, not tie the knot, they only just got together," Hunter explained.

A wide, evil smirk crossed Crystal's face. "...then you have some unfinished business to take care of when you get back..."

"...uh..." King gulped without looking back at the group.

Queen smirked. "...what, you haven't thought about it yet?"

"...uh... well, of course I have, but, uh..." King stammered, as he made sure to keep his expression hidden.

Ripper couldn't help but snicker a touch, whilst Miser let out a small sigh of bemusement. "...here we go..." she hummed.

"Oh King, c'mon!" Crystal laughed. "You guys are having a kid together! You should get married too!"

"I- uh- that is- I mean- geh-" King kept stammering.

"Well, she's right." Queen chuckled. "You would have to learn your vows, we'd have to get the date set up, not to mention the honeymoon... so much time would have to be put into this, and you haven't thought that far ahead?"

King just seemed to grow even more flustered as he rubbed his head awkwardly.

"So when you get back to Safe Haven, you gotta ask her!" Crystal pestered.

"Well, I... well, yeah, but I- I need time to think about it, and-!" King groaned in flustered throes.

Berta simply hummed. "What's the big deal? Just go up to her, ask her to marry ya, and boom; problem solved."

"That's oversimplifying it, but you're somewhat on the mark." Queen mused with a chuckle.

"Exactly, so make sure you do it!" Crystal insisted.

King eventually inhaled, and... "...alright! Once we come back, I'm... I'm gonna ask her!"

Miser smiled. "That's the spirit, King."

"Sweet!" Crystal laughed.

"Well, I think we've fooled around enough now." Queen mused, as she rose to her feet. "We should head off."

"Right," Hunter laughed.

Then he stopped.

Berta glanced at him. "...what's wrong?"

"...I heard and smelled something..." Hunter said.

"...someone approaches us." Queen murmured, as her eyes narrowed.

Ripper and Miser turned to look at the two of them, as did Berta, and even King eventually.

Hunter got a better whiff. "...I think it's that poodle again," he remarked.

"...but he's not alone." Queen remarked.

"...why do we keep meeting up with that guy, anyway?" Berta huffed, as she cracked her neck a touch.

"...yeah..." Crystal grumbled.

"...get ready." King uttered, as he narrowed his eyes. "He may not be hostile, but we can't be too careful..."

Finally, after awhile, two figures emerged from the brush. They weren't surprised to see Pierce, but the other...

"Mercy!" Hunter growled.

Mercy sighed, shaking her head, "...here we go again."

Berta narrowed her eyes. "...great; we've gotta kick her ass now, huh?"

"Calm down." Pierce huffed, as he looked at the group. "She's purified. Courtesy of Metal Sonic."

"...kekeke? You're sure?" Ripper blinked at that.

Miser's eyes narrowed. "...she... seems to be purified..." She looked at King and Hunter. "...I don't think he would lie about this, either..."

"...eh...we'll believe it for now," Hunter said, easing a little bit.

"...good; the last thing we need is needless confrontation." Pierce huffed.

"...so... what are you two doing here, anyway?" Queen inquired with a narrowed gaze.

"We came to warn all of you," Mercy said.

"...warn us?" King seemed concerned about that. "About what?"

"King, the Corrupted are gathering together and planning a full-fledged assault on your warrior nation," Mercy said.

King's eyes widened. "...what...?"

Queen hummed. "...distressing... do you know anything beyond that?"

"Bulk's been wanting to plan this for a long time, but it was only just recently that they started to plan things out," Mercy said.

"...that's... not good..." Miser murmured.

"...and we have no idea if they're gonna be prepared for it," Mercy added on.

"...even worse..." Queen hummed, as she glanced at King from the corner of her eyes. He didn't seem too happy to hear these news one bit.

"...but as far as I'm concerned, that mother is still there, and if she holds the power that repels Corruption, then they still probably have a fighting chance," Mercy assured them.

"...mother...?" Crystal hummed. "...you mean Jill, right?"

"...yes." Pierce hummed.

"...but would she really be able to take on an army by herself?" Dax asked worriedly.

"...time will tell." Pierce reasoned. "We don't know how Safe Haven's preparing for this, after all..."

Everyone was silent for a while. King merely looked down at the ground with a thoughtful look on him.

"...you alright?" Hunter asked him.

"...this is... a lot to take in..." King remarked, as he didn't look at any of them.

"...understandable," Mercy remarked.

"...don't dwell on it too much, though." Pierce remarked. "It'll dull your senses, and leave you vulnerable."

"...well then, thanks for the warning," Hunter muttered. "...is that all the business you have?"

"...yes, that would be all." Pierce hummed with a nod.

"Then see ya!" Crystal waved at him.

A bemused hum escaped Pierce's lips. "...how brash."

"...what?" She muttered.

"Expecting us to leave, just like that?" Pierce actually chuckled a bit. "You're most certainly bold."

"...I think that's an insult." Berta remarked.

"I dunno; sounds like a compliment to me, keke..." Ripper mused.

Crystal just stared blankly at him for that.

Pierce hummed. "...well, whatever. You all take care." With that, Pierce began walking off. Mercy followed closely behind.

"...hm. Charming bunch." Berta huffed, as she shook her head.

Hunter looked back at King. Still, he didn't look at anyone; still thoughtful about what he had just learned.

"...hey...I'm sure she'll be okay," Hunter assured him. "...there are plenty of the soldiers that would make sure she'd be okay."

"...right..." King murmured.

"...well, lets head out," Dax supposed.

* * *

><p>It had taken a while, which was taxing on his aged body, but he soon found himself landing by the village entrance he had been led to.<em>...here we are...<em> With a hum, he approached the gates.

"Halt!" Suddenly, figures came up to the gate and stood in his way to keep him from going any farther in.

Tails simply looked at them, before bowing respectfully. "...I'm seeking someone, and... the wind brought me here, so to speak." he explained. "Tell me... can I find Ray Condit here?"

They were silent, looking at each other.

"...someone go fetch him to double check this guy," one of the men ordered, and as two saluted, they took off.

Tails simply nodded. "I do apologize for troubling you all with my visit... grave times are upon us..." he mused with an apologetic tone.

"...indeed they are..." Remarked one of the guards. "...we just lost our Elders not too long ago..."

"...my condolences." Tails hummed. "Time can be merciless, when you look back at things..."

"At ease soldiers, he's good."

Suddenly, the guards disappeared, and Ray came up. "Professor...what a surprise," he said with raised eyebrows.

Tails simply smiled at Ray. "...would it have been better if I had sent a message beforehand, Ray?" he hummed.

"No, no it's fine," Ray said. "...come...I think I know why you're here..." And he turned to walk. Tails simply nodded, before he followed Ray into the village.

He followed him all the way to Ray's cabin, and he led him inside to the living room. Ray then looked over at the couch. "...there she is."

Tails gazed down at the couch with a hum, and a small, relieved smile crossed his face. "...how long has it been..." he mused.

"According to her, a few months," Ray remarked, picking up empty dishes by the couch.

"...of course..." Tails mused, as he glanced at Ray. "...has she been here for long?"

"Just a few days," Ray spoke. "...she's caught a nasty fever, so she's just resting up right now..."

"...I see..." Tails remarked, as he took a seat. "...so many months on her own... I'm surprised, yet relieved, to hear that she suffers no other ailments..."

Ray looked over at the couch, where the sleeping bundle of blankets that was Joy was. He noticed she was tensing up while she was fast asleep, looking uneasy. Tails saw that as well, and he seemed concerned whilst looking at her. Joy then turned over, breathing a bit.

"...I'm just waiting for her fever to break," Ray murmured.

"...and after that...?" Tails hummed, as he glanced at Ray.

"...I...I honestly don't know..." Ray answered.

Tails hummed, before nodding slightly.

"...I've been her last resort in all of this...and I can't tell her that I don't know how to help her..." Ray continued. "...what do I do Professor...?"

Tails looked back at the sleeping Joy with a hum. "...quite frankly... I'm not sure myself..."

Ray sighed at that.

"...I am sorry..." Tails hummed, before he looked out the window. "...though... perhaps he knows..."

"He?" Ray questioned, and then noticed a soft breeze blow through the room. "...that's strange...I thought all the windows were closed..."

"...Sonic..."

Ray flashed a look at Joy, who was still fast asleep, but she had mumbled out that name in her sleep. Tails glanced at Joy as well. Then it seemed like Joy had relaxed a little bit.

Tails hummed. "...I suppose she answered your concerns with that, Ray..."

"…I guess so…" Ray murmured.

Then he looked over at Tails. "Would you like something, Professor?"

Tails hummed in thought, before giving Ray a slight nod. "...a cup of tea sounds delightful right now."

"Right," Ray said with a nod.

* * *

><p>"…Wow, Rudy's been surprisingly silent," Boomer remarked.<p>

"Yeah…and down too," Charmy added.

"...wonder why that is..." Newt remarked as he rubbed his neck a touch.

Cal supposed he knew why, since he spied on him the other day, and looked back at the Rudy that was staring up at the sky in daydream.

Then there was a scream nearby that shook the entire group.

Wiper's eyes narrowed, as he quickly glanced at Sage. "What are we dealing with?"

Sage narrowed her eyes as she focused... "...Corrupted." she hummed. "They're attacking a village nearby."

"Then let's go help them!" Boomer said, pulling out one of her guns.

"...agreed." Natal hummed, as she swiftly drew her sword.

"...let's not waste any time." With a hiss, Wiper ran ahead of the group, with most of them following directly after the cobra.

They reached the town quickly enough, with the people panicking and running away from the glops of corrupted figures lunging after them.

"...I'll provide cover." Sage hummed, before she suddenly launched a psychic wave at some of the Corrupted who hadn't noticed them.

"Everyone, remain cautious." Wiper warned as he charged ahead. "You know what they can do."

"Right!" Boomer looked happy for some action with a smirk, blasting some of the Corrupted back even if they generated back. It still proved useful for knocking them away from the innocents who were getting away.

The others seemed eager enough as well; Newt blasting some Corrupted alongside Boomer, whilst Natal leaped straight up to some of the Corrupted minions to cut them to pieces with her sword. Cal was alongside Natal in cutting them up, and though it was tempting to use his own Corruption to fight them, he restrained himself.

Rudy remained on the distance, making sure that Charmy was alright, since he didn't want the Captain to fight if he didn't have to. Instead, they attempted to control traffic of the innocents, but they were too panicked to listen at the moment.

In turn, Sage was lending her aid to the two of them in directing the citizens to safety, whilst tossing out psychic waves at lurking Corrupted, and making sure to shield the citizens, Charmy and Rudy. Thankfully, everyone's efforts so far for the town were a tremendous success, and even though they couldn't destroy the Corrupted, they were driving them away.

However, Wiper had gotten an idea as he charged through the Corrupted; if he could corner one of them, perhaps he could extract some intel from them. It's risky, but it's also our best bet to get some intel... With that, he swiftly threw a kick at the next Corrupted he saw; intending to pin her down beneath his foot.

The Corrupted he knocked down hissed in pain when it hit the ground.

Wiper merely glared down at the Corrupted. "Speak. What are your superiors scheming?" he hissed.

The Corrupted kept hissing in pain from being knocked down.

"...answer the question." Wiper hissed, as he applied more pressure to his foot so the Corrupted wouldn't escape.

The Corrupted just looked up at him with glowing, empty white eyes.

"...well?" Wiper hissed as he dug his foot against the Corrupted more. "Answer me."

_"%*($()_#%(*#_()#_$*# (% !#$&( _..."_ The Corrupted hissed in a demonic language.

"...yeah, I don't understand a word of that." Wiper hissed, as his eyes narrowed. "I know you Corrupted can speak properly, so make this simpler for yourself and speak up."

_"...what do you wish to know...?"_ The Corrupted murmured.

"...what your superiors are preparing for, with all these attacks." Wiper hissed.

"…_**why not ask them yourself, cobra?"**_

That was an entirely different voice, coming from a different direction. Hearing that voice, Wiper's eyes widened as he glanced towards it.

There were two dark, tall figures standing there, emitting a powerful aura of Corruption.

One of them was Patricia, with larger, more demented looking wings. The markings covered her entire body, and she had no eyes, so she stared at Wiper with an empty white stare. Her clothes were all ripped up from head to toe, but it didn't seem like she cared about it, leaving it that way.

The other was Bulk, whose body was also covered in black markings. His muscles were bulging, and his pupils were a vicious, reptilian state that seemed more like a beast than anything else.

Wiper's eyes narrowed, though he remained stationary. "...coming out to the field on your own... there must be something important here for you to show yourselves like that." he hissed.

_**"...you could say that we're...testing out some new abilities we got,"**_Patricia answered.

"...how sweet." Wiper spat, as he kept his attention on the two Corrupted. "So, this increased number of attacks recently... you must have a reason for it."

_**"Well, aren't you perceptive."**_ Bulk snarled; Corruption practically oozing from his very breath.

_**"...but we're gonna leave that as a surprise for now," **_Patricia said._** "...or at least till your mind reading friend tells ya."**_

"...perceptive." Wiper hummed, as he cracked his neck. "But I'm not usually fond of the easy option... sometimes, the tough option builds character."

_**"What, do you intend to beat the answers out of us?"**_ Bulk scoffed, as he shooks his head. _**"What do you think you can do? You're nothing but a worm beneath us!"**_

"...maybe so." Wiper remarked, as he hissed. "But this very worm once killed Johnny Leoniel. Can you make such a claim?"

_**"Even for a kid like you to do him in back then, he was weak and mortal,"**_ Patricia retorted. _**"Once he had all of his powers, you wouldn't be able make the same claim."**_

"...hmph. You clearly don't know Johnny from back then." Wiper remarked. "Besides... I've dealt with Corrupt scum like you before. This is nothing new."

_**"...arrogant snake."**_ Bulk seemed to grow impatient with Wiper. _**"You got a death wish?"**_

"Not particularily." Wiper mused. "But why stall? Show me what you got, if you think you could ever surpass him."

_**"Well, if you insist,"**_ Patricia muttered._** "...Bulk? If you wouldn't mind."**_

_**"...if you insist."**_ Bulk snarled, as he opened his mouth...

...and in that instant, a _massive_ beam of Corruption swiftly shot out of his mouth; rocketing towards Wiper. With a hiss, Wiper leaped to the side just as it was about to hit him; gritting his teeth as he saw the beam engulf the one Corrupted Wiper had kept pinned. That blast got the attention of the others, looking over.

"...shit, it's them," Boomer warned, caulking her gun.

"...and that's where Wiper is...!" Newt uttered.

"...not good." With a huff, Sage glanced at Newt and Boomer. "You two, with me. We need to keep Wiper from getting killed."

"Right!" Boomer said in response.

With that, Sage hurried to where the blast came from, with Newt and Boomer following.

At that moment, Wiper was busy dodging powerful projectiles that Bulk was hurling at him; remaining completely neutral in spite of the power behind these blasts. _**"Nimble little snake..."**_Bulk snarled in annoyance.

"...you should work on your aim." Wiper hissed. "I've dealt with tougher bugs than you."

Patricia just swung around him from behind, throwing what looked like darts of Corruption at Wiper, hoping to catch him off guard.

Wiper caught a glimpse of that in the nick of time, and leapt back from them, but found himself having to dive forward because of a blast Bulk threw at him just then. _Shit... they're working in sync. I have to remain wary..._

Patricia was about to attack, but then she ended up knocking away a shot that came from another direction, and met face to face with the barrel of a gun.

"Just because you got yourselves some tattoos, doesn't make you any stronger," Boomer muttered bitterly at Patricia, while she held that gun there at her face.

Bulk snarled as he stepped forward, only to be halted by a gun aimed at his face too; courtesy of Newt. "...you're stayin' right there, y'know."

"You're alright, Wiper?" At this point, Sage floated down next to the cobra; helping him on his feet.

"...I'm fine." Wiper replied, before glancing at the two Corrupted.

"…_**hmph…**_" Was all Patricia really responded with.

A sudden blast of Corruption erupted from Boomer that knocked her onto her back, knocking the wind out of her with a heave.

Newt turned to look at that in horror. "Boomer!" However, that was all he had time to utter before Bulk suddenly slammed his fist against the salamander; sending him rocketing into a nearby building.

Wiper's eyes narrowed, and Sage simply hummed. "...my, how uncivilized." she spoke in a neutral, yet still aggravated tone; as if ready to pounce at any moment.

"_**We can get even more uncivilized,**_" Patricia said, grabbing Boomer and holding her up off her feet. As she said that, Bulk had gone off to grab Newt by the head; snarling viciously.

Wiper's eyes narrowed. "...bastards... if you even dare-!"

"Oh, they won't." In that instant, Sage's eyes flashed white, and a psychic force suddenly slammed against the arms of the Corrupted, before Boomer and Newt were taken over to Sage and Wiper. "Not while I'm around."

"…_**your powers are only so convenient so long," **_Patricia remarked at that.

Sage's eyes narrowed. "They'll last me long enough against punks like you." she huffed.

_**"Oh, please."**_ Bulk scoffed as he began stomping towards them. _**"You can read minds and lift shit with your thoughts. Big whoop. Against Corruption, you're nothing but a worm."**_

Sage remained silent for a short while. "...hm. Wiper, Boomer, Newt... regroup with the others. Make sure to keep the citizens safe."

Wiper shot her a look. "...Sage?"

"…you sure?" Boomer coughed out.

"Positive. I can handle these rats well enough." Sage hummed.

"...alright..." Wiper seemed uncertain of that, but he complied regardless; helping Newt on his feet whilst giving the raven a nod. "...be careful."

"You know me." Sage remarked in return, as she closed her eyes. "Now go."

The three of them, Boomer, Wiper and Newt took off, and Patricia and Bulk let them go, looking over at Sage.

"_**Just what do you hope to accomplish?"**_ Patricia hummed.

"...who's to say?" Sage remarked in response.

_**"...just stalling, are you?"**_ Bulk remarked. _**"You must know that you can't hurt us."**_

"You have a point; Corruption has a nasty tendency of being the one constant I can't knock out..." Sage remarked... as all of a sudden, a barrier surrounded the area where she, Patricia and Bulk were standing in.

Patricia looked around at that, and then glanced back at her. _**"…but?**_"

"...but..." Sage remarked, as her eyes slowly began opening. "...I do rarely get a chance to go all-out."

In that instant, her eyes opened fully, and they sparked with an intense white glow. All the while, energy was brimming around her to the point where the very air was vibrating from her presence.

Patricia stood readily to see what she was going to do next. Sage didn't say a word, though she turned to look in Patricia's direction...

...and in that instant, the very earth around Patricia began just shattering into dust, just from Sage's gaze; or rather, the sheer psychic energy she was directing in Patricia's direction. Patricia was shot backward by that sheer power with a grunt.

Growling, Bulk rushed straight for Sage while her back was turned, as he threw a punch...

...but the moment his fist would have impacted with Sage, it was actually blasted apart by the psychic energy brimming from Sage's being; causing him to yelp out before backing away._** "Shit... I can't touch her!"**_

Patricia stopped herself in the air with her large wings, and shot at Sage a massive beam of Corruption. Sage's gaze suddenly turned to that, and without even moving, the beam literally parted the instant it was about to hit her; sending two separate beams shooting past her and into the psychic barrier. As for the split, Sage was focusing her energy _through_ the beam, directly towards Patricia.

Patricia managed to fly out of its range. _**"Damn…she's strong…**_"

_**"...the hell is this...?"**_Bulk snarled.

_"...what, is that it?"_ Sage hummed in a vivid tone, augmented by the psychic energy around her. _"Don't tell me that you don't have anything else to throw at me."_

Suddenly, Patricia split up, and became two, and then became four, and soon, many copies of Patricia were there, and they all tried to fire beams of Corruption at Sage all at the same time. The beams, however, only got within a foot's reach of Sage before they were being repelled by a powerful psychic force, though the sheer number of the beams showed that Sage was being overpowered.

In that instant, Bulk suddenly began amassing Corruption around his very being; growing in sheer size as he glared down at Sage. _**"Time to die."**_he scoffed, as he threw a gigantic punch at the raven...

...but just then, with a shriek from Sage, psychic energy _exploded_ around her to make the Corruption surrounding her disperse violently around her; the very ground beneath her blown away by this uncontrollable force. Patricia's numbers were scattered apart and even blown to bits, leaving the real one behind to get knocked against the psychic berrier.

Even Bulk was knocked out of the massive form he had taken; pushed against the barrier by the psychic storm Sage was unleashing.

The instant the two of them collided against the barrier, however, they were surrounded by a white aura, before being plucked off the barrier and brought towards Sage. _"...I may not be able to kill you bastards... but I know quite a few things about _pain_ that I'm sure you'll find most fascinating."_ she spoke threateningly.

"_**Like what?**_" Patricia spat back defiantly.

_"...like this."_Just as she said that, a blow like someone punched Patricia's gut struck her...

...but the real damage wasn't delivered to her body; it was delivered to her _mind_, by bringing out the most painful experience she could recall, and magnifying it hundredfold.

"_**AGH!**_" Patricia uttered, hunched over as if she had physically been hit.

And it didn't stop there. Literally blow after blow was delivered to her psyche, with Sage impassively glaring at her.

_**"...you... psycho bitch!"**_ Snarling, Bulk tried freeing himself from Sage's grip, but she immediately directed the glare at him to impart the same kind of pain as well; causing the crocodile to writhe and squirm as if he was being assaulted as well. Patricia just took the assault, unable to do anything about it.

Eventually, Sage ceased; letting the two Corrupted hunch over from the merciless assault she had imparted on the two of them. _"...tell me... how does this pain make you feel?"_

Bulk was silent; merely groaning as he weakly looked at Sage.

"…_**there's only so much you can do…**_**" **Patricia answered, breathing.

_"...maybe."_ Sage remarked. _"But who is to say that this is my limit?"_

"_**I'd like to test that,"**_ Patricia snarled.

_"Oh, is that so?"_ Sage hummed. _"We'll see how sure you'll be of that."_

_**"...the hell are you talking abo-!"**_In that instant, Bulk's eyes widened, and his mouth remained agape; silent, yet clearly in pain.

_"...in fact... I'm demonstrating what I can do, right this moment."_ Sage spoke.

Patricia looked over at Bulk. Still, no sound came from him, but he was now suddenly writhing in pain and agony, even moreso than before.

_"...right now... I am breaking his mind."_ Sage spoke in a foreboding tone. _"Bit by miniscule bit, I'm snapping the chains that bind his memories together... to drive him to insanity. I've done it before... and when it comes to you monsters, I will gladly do it again."_

Patricia just slowly glared at Sage then.

Sage, in turn, slowly looked back at her. _"...this is damage I am certain not even Corruption can heal..."_ she spoke, as her eyes narrowed. _"...and considering your gruesome deeds... it is no less than what you deserve... so, shall I break your mind as well?"_

Patricia said nothing, just narrowing her eyes at that.

Sage simply narrowed her eyes. _"...I'll take your defiance as a yes." _Slowly and agonizingly, she began the same procedure with Patricia's mind.

Patricia was silent, but the pain and agony was evident in her agape expression, similar to Bulk. Sage just focused on the two of them; even if she had done more damage to Bulk than Patricia, if she could disable both of them with enough damage, then they would have a distinct advantage over the Corrupted...

...especially given the plan they had cooked up. Oh, she knew well enough about that plan...

…suddenly…there was a large pound on the barrier, coming from outside. Sage's head turned to see who was pounding on the barrier; eyes narrowed.

It was a Corrupted, and it pounded its slimy hands against the barrier…

…slowly…more and more Corrupted started to gather around the barrier as that one pounded on it.

Sage hissed. The barrier could hold on for long enough... she just had to break their minds, and then everything would be over. It could end so easily... she just had to-!

In that instant, another intense pounding hammered against the barrier, which actually made Sage wince. She looked towards the barrier to see another set of hands pounding against the barrier now; as strong as the hands already slamming against them. _"...kkh..."_

More and more of the Corrupted started to pound on the barrier, growing in force. Hissing, Sage turned to look back at the two leading Corrupted. She lacked time... and if she stayed here, she was dead for sure. And the last thing the Corrupted army needed among their ranks was a psychic...

...so, in a desperate move, Sage hurled the two of them straight _through_ the barrier; causing it to shatter as the two were tossed into the crowd. Before the Corrupted could pursue her, though, she took to the sky.

The Corrupted continued to amble around at that point, not really seeing any other purpose…

…from where Patricia was tossed, she blasted away the Corrupted away from her to reach Bulk. _**"Hey,**_" she said. _**"Say something to tell me you're alright."**_

Bulk groaned, though he managed to glance at Patricia. _**"...since... when the fuck... could she do that...?"**_

"_**Who knows…**_" Patricia answered.

_**"Ugh... I feel... light-headed..."**_ Bulk groaned. _**"...did that bitch say what she did to me?"**_

"_**She said she was breaking your mind…and was about to do the same to me if these pests hadn't pounded on her barrier,"**_ Patricia said, looking at the Corrupted around them.

Bulk hissed. _**"...breaking my mind... feh. It must've failed, if I can still talk like this..."**_

"…_**we better hope there aren't any side effects anyway…"**_ Patricia said, helping him up. _**"C'mon…the Corrupted have cleaned out this place…let's go."**_

_**"...yeah... cleaned it out..."**_ Bulk snarled. _**"...except for the majority those ingrates managed to help escape..."**_

"_**Don't worry about them; we've almost got enough for the plan," **_Patricia said.

_**"...right..."**_ Bulk nodded.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yay! More action!<strong>_


	51. Chapter 50

Joy could feel sweat dripping down her brow, but even with that, she was starting to feel much better, and more at ease. She breathed easier, and she didn't feel so stuffed up as she slept easier. So far, she hadn't had any nightmares of the demon child inside of her, which left Joy to believe that Malice was still trying to recover from what Bulk did to her.

Slowly, Joy blinked open her eyes with a yawn.

Then she gasped suddenly.

"Professor!"

"Ah, you're awake." A warm smile crossed the old fox's face, as he gave Joy a small nod. "...it's great to see you, Joy."

Joy practically flew out from underneath the covers, stumbling quickly over to Tails to throw her arms around him. She was just so glad to see him right now. Though remaining silent, Tails did wrap his arms around her in turn to hug her back; grateful that she seemed to have recovered for now. After that, Joy felt a dizziness rush on her, and she collapsed weakly.

"Now, now..." Catching her, Tails managed to get her back on the couch; tucking her in. "You're still weak; running around isn't good for you right now..."

Joy didn't respond, breathing a bit to ease her dizziness as she was tucked in by him. Once she was tucked in, Tails took a seat once more.

"…how…how did you get here…?" Joy uttered in wonder.

Tails smiled a bit. "...I was... led by the wind."

Joy closed her eyes. She had a gut feeling about what Tails was talking about… "…Sonic…"

Tails looked at her with a slight nod, "...basically... yes."

Joy sat back from where she was lying down, growing quiet. Tails took it to assume that she was going to sleep, so he remained quiet as to not wake her.

That wasn't the reason she grew quiet though…the reason she grew quiet was because having Tails here made her miss the memories of spending time with him and the boys, and Ani…and then it made her miss her parents…

…a single sob came out of her suddenly, just unable to hold in that emotion.

Hearing that, Tails opened his eyes to look down at her. "...Joy...?"

Then Joy covered her face with the blanket and started sobbing nonstop, unable to answer to him. Seeing that, Tails sighed, as he gently moved a hand to take hold of hers comfortingly.

"…I miss them…" Joy sobbed, squeezing his hand. "…I miss Mama…and Daddy…and everybody…"

Tails simply nodded. "...I understand, Joy..."

"…I don't know what to do…" Joy uttered. Tails nodded, as he simply looked down at her.

Joy managed to quiet down from her sobs, but she buried her face into the covers, still holding Tails' hand insecurely. Tails simply held her hand supportively, without saying a word.

"..anytime…I tried to tell Malice that she's wrong…she ends up being right…" Joy uttered. Tails hummed upon hearing that.

"…the only reason I could beat Deity…was because of her…" Joy went on.

Tails looked at her with a sympathetic look.

"…I miss everybody…and I want their help…but I don't want Malice to hurt them!" and Joy, even if she felt like crying even more, just couldn't muster the strength to. She was still so weak. Tails simply nodded; even he had to admit that he didn't have any answers for how to solve this right now... but he couldn't say that to Joy's face; not while she was in this state.

"…Joy?" Ray came into the room just then, and he sighed, sitting next to her, "…honey…don't exert yourself…" and he rubbed her back. This got Joy to calm down a bit, but that didn't change how upset she was.

Ray looked at Tails. "When did she wake up?"

"...not too long ago," Tails answered.

Ray moved his hand to feel Joy's forehead, and he looked relieved. "…good, your fever's broken." Then he stood up. "Joy…do you feel hungry?"

Joy just shook her head, burying it back into the blankets.

"…do you just want me to leave you two alone?" Ray hummed.

Joy looked unsure at that. Tails looked at Joy in silence; tilting his head a touch. Joy looked up worriedly at Ray. "…I…dunno how to answer that…" she muttered.

Tails closed his eyes briefly, before glancing at Ray.

"…it won't hurt my feelings if you do want to be alone, if that's what you're worried about," Ray said to Joy, and that seemed to ease her a little.

Then she nodded. "…mkay…"

Ray nodded back. "…right…" and then he gave Tails a nod too, before he left the room. "Just let me know if you need anything."

"...we will." Tails hummed as he gave Ray a nod.

When Ray was gone, Joy buried her face into the blankets again. Tails turned to her, and held her hand again.

"...I'm sleepy again..." Joy muttered.

Tails nodded. "...you should rest, Joy... recover your strength..."

Joy looked up at Tails with a small nod.

Tails managed a smile, whilst nodding. "...I'll be here when you wake up..."

Joy managed to smile a little bit, laying back and closing her eyes, still holding tight to his hand. Tails didn't say a word; simply holding her hand gently. In just minutes, she was asleep, still clutching to his hand.

_"...poor girl..."_ Whispered a soft breeze near Tails.

Tails nodded. "...you can say that again..."

_"...not even I know if there can be anything done about this..."_ The breeze continued.

"...maybe the only one who can do anything about it is Joy..." Tails murmured. "...but the poor girl seems so conflicted... all because of Malice..."

_"...and I thought Eggman was hard to deal with..."_

"...you know..." Tails closed his eyes. "...it's at times like this... where I yearn for those days again..."

_"...you and me both, buddy..."_ The voice muttered._ "...you and me both..."_

Then the breeze was gone. Sighing, Tails simply looked down at Joy again.

She wasn't smiling anymore, but she looked at peace for the moment, still holding his hand. Tails couldn't help but close his eyes in thought over this. He was overjoyed to see Joy once more, especially with the fever gone... but then there was the matter of Malice. She seemed to have crippled Joy's self-esteem, which would make it harder for her to stand up against her... and the sad thing was, the only one who could possibly deal with Malice would be Joy herself.

_...if only... there was a way to deal with her, without endangering Joy..._ he thought solemnly.

* * *

><p>Vanessa's group was…silent.<p>

They were all trying to get over hangovers, groaning every now and then and limiting conversation to a minimum. They also weren't paying attention at all to the fact that Milo was just avoiding Kristine at this point because of the argument they had this morning. Both were really irritated with each other, but like observed earlier, no one seemed to notice this past their own hangovers.

So naturally, the only ones that noticed this factoid were the ones that weren't suffering from any hangover, which were Jack and Vanessa. Jack couldn't help but look somewhat gloomy because of Milo and Kristine's behavior. Oh, there was still the issue of the things he had learned of during the night, but this seemed more immediate; like a friendship about to be broken.

"…can we…take a break…?" Striker huffed.

"...yeah, please... I feel like my head's gonna split open..." Guts groaned.

"...uuuugh..." was all Nage managed to groan out.

"…alright, that's reasonable," Vanessa answered.

Everyone stopped and dropped to the ground immediately with a few more groans.

"…finally…" Ani moaned, rubbing her temples.

Jack simply lied down on his back and took a small breath.

The only ones standing still were Vanessa, Milo and Kristine. Milo just offered a glance toward Kristine, and looked away with a scowl. Kristine looked at him blankly, unaware that he had looked at her, and then she turned to walk off. "Gonna have some time to myself for mental training," she said.

"…alright," Vanessa answered.

"...hm..." Jack hummed, as he looked at Vanessa. "...you think I should do the same, mom?"

"If you'd like," Vanessa answered, smiling at Jack.

Smiling back, Jack got to his feet. "...alright... I'm gonna go and take a stroll around." He gave the others a nod. "Be right back!" And he was off.

A few groans from the others was his response, and Milo took a seat near a log, sighing.

_...so, how's the hangover treating ya?_

_Hangover's been gone for a while now,_ Milo answered the voice he heard.

_Ah, so you're just grumpy because you made the lady angry, hm?_

…_it's not because I made her angry…_ Milo grumbled. _…it's because she's a moron._

_Well, the pot just left a message. It wanted to let the kettle know that it's black._

Milo rubbed his temple._ And what's that supposed to mean?_

_I think it's obvious. What, they didn't teach you anything about hypocrisy back in your village?_

…_Johnny…my head can't think straight right now…I'm gonna need you to be more direct…_ Milo muttered.

_Fine, fine... what Jack said earlier? I can tell, he was _right_. You're just too stuck-up to admit it._

Milo jumped when he heard that.

_...was that direct enough for ya?_

Milo was silent for a bit.

_...I'm gonna take your stunned silence as a 'yes', just so you know._

Milo growled, and got right up, walking away.

Vanessa noticed this to some curiosity. "Milo?"

"I just need to be alone right now," He growled, heading out.

Vanessa blinked at this, and then sighed. She wondered just how Milo was going to handle what he was going through, and hoped that he wasn't going to be too drastic.

_...you can't run from the problem, and you know it, kiddo._

_Leave me alone_, Milo hissed back at him as he walked.

_Well, someone's sure full of sunshine today..._

_I said…_ Milo just couldn't take it anymore. "…LEAVE ME ALONE!"

He threw his fist at the nearest object, which was a large boulder, and he didn't intend to actually _shatter_ it, since he wasn't even concentrating, but nevertheless, he utterly broke it apart with a lone fist. At first, he was just simply too furious to even realize what he did.

Then it hit him, and when he gawked at the rubble that resulted, the weakness hit him, and he collapsed to the ground. Finally, there was silence in his mind...

"...Milo? What's wrong?"

Milo was barely able to look over at that voice. "…J-Jack…?"

"...Milo!" Jack came running up to him; eyes wide as he saw the rubble he sat by. "...did... you do that?" he uttered, whilst settling a hand on Milo's shoulder.

"…I…I think…" Milo uttered.

…but slowly, he was starting to regain his strength again…only, he knew there wasn't anything around to absorb the energy from except…

…_uh oh…_

"...nh...?" Jack suddenly grew heavy, and his eyes seemed glazed over. "...I feel kinda... funny..."

Milo managed to jump up and push Jack away hurriedly. Jack merely collapsed on his back; looking pale as he heaved for air. Milo stared at that, and then stared at his hands worriedly.

Coughing a few times, Jack slowly looked up at Milo. "...what... happened...?"

"Jack…do you remember the last time I got weak after a punch…and that grass…?" Milo muttered.

Jack blinked a bit. "...I don't follow..."

"…when you put your hand on my shoulder, I ended up absorbing your spiritual energy to recover mine…" Milo uttered, looking back at his hands. "…and I think that's something I can't control…"

"...ooh..." Jack hummed, before he shook a bit. "...you think I'm gonna be okay...?"

"…I think you should…" Milo muttered. "…but…if I take it away…I should be able to give it back…right? So…"

And he set his hands on Jack's shoulders, in return. Jack simply blinked as he looked at Milo; waiting for something to happen. Soon, Jack started to feel a little more energized, and then Milo pulled away when he saw the color return to Jack's face.

"…yeah…I return it…but…" he looked at his hands again. "…I have no control over that…at all."

Letting out a small sigh, Jack smiled at Milo. "...maybe you could train for that?"

Milo turned away from Jack with a sigh. "…I…I don't know Jack. I'm not really feeling up to it."

"...well, I didn't mean right now, but..." Jack noted, as he rubbed his head. "...the mental training, right? Maybe that'll help you to control it?"

Milo looked back at Jack. "…maybe…"

Nodding, Jack got to his feet. "...you wanna be alone so you can train?"

"…yeah…" Milo muttered. "…that would be the best."

"...alright..." Jack hummed, as he turned to walk off. "I'm gonna wander around a bit."

"…alright…" Milo mumbled, sitting down. "…you do that…"

Looking back at Milo for a bit, Jack sighed as he kept walking on; wondering if Milo was going to be okay... Milo was silent, allowing him to leave at that.

Letting out a small sigh, Jack kept walking ahead; looking around at the sights he saw. Worrying about Milo and Kristine at least got his mind off the things he had learned about Vanessa... she was still his mother, and nothing was going to change that... but he still felt uneasy that they could have a lot more enemies like those bandits, just because of things Vanessa had done before she bore him...

"…psst…hey…" a new voice suddenly called out to him.

Jack froze up, and looked towards where the voice came from. "...yeah...?"

Someone stepped out from behind, wrapped up in a long coat and a scarf around their head, but Jack was able to see their face; the face of a much, much older lioness who still had a pretty face.

A face that reminded Jack of his mother.

Jack tilted his head a bit; shaking his head a touch to see if he was seeing things from Milo sucking his energy out.

"…you're…Vanessa's son…right?" the woman asked him.

Jack's eyes widened, though he nodded. "...yeah..."

"…wow…" the woman stepped up to him in amazement while she stared at him. "…you really remind me of Johnny…and yet…you don't have that…that look of anger or bloodlust. Not like all the others."

Jack's eyes narrowed, and he took a step back; wary of this woman. "...who are you?" He had a sneaking suspicion, but he couldn't jump to conclusions, either...

"…I'm your grandmother…Lilith…" she answered.

Gulping, Jack stood his ground, but he didn't move. "...grandma..." he uttered.

The lioness, Lilith, nodded.

Jack remained wary still. "...why are you here?" he uttered.

"…I wanted to come meet you myself, with all the things Astaroth said about you," Lilith said. "…and he was right on a lot of them…"

Jack gulped, though he didn't make a move yet.

"…don't worry; I mean no harm to you," Lilith sighed. "…I don't have the same approach as Astaroth."

Jack blinked. "...you don't?"

"…thick-headed bastard he is…" Lilith spoke. Then she looked at Jack. "…so you don't like our family, hm?"

Jack glanced to the side. "...well... not really..."

"…I can't say I can't see why," Lilith said. "…you really are just as naïve and innocent as he says…"

"...and I guess you Leoniels don't like that, huh?" Jack remarked.

"…well, most of the men would pummel you down on the spot and I can already tell Astaroth doesn't approve of it…" Lilith said. "…but I'm not so quick to judge. To be honest…your innocence is actually quite refreshing…"

Jack blinked, as he looked back at Lilith.

"…someone I don't have to fight with every time I talk to them, talking smack to me like they think they own me," Lilith scoffed. "…but I suppose I choose to be treated like that, don't I?"

She opened her eyes. "…meanwhile, your mother made her choice to take you away from us and raise you herself…and I'm honestly shocked the way you came out…you _are_ aware that your mother was not such a nice woman beforehand, right?"

Jack nodded. "...yeah... I learned that the hard way last night..."

Lilith sighed.

Jack rubbed his neck as he glanced to the side. "...but it's... not like I can be mad at her for what she used to be, either... I mean, she's my mom, and... the bandits started it, I think..."

"…no, Jack…your mother was like that her entire life…being raised by the Leoniel family," Lilith said. "…course…she had to live with a lot of crap she had to deal with…some secrets too…"

Jack blinked again. "...secrets?"

Lilith sighed again. "…you see…me and Astaroth originally decided we'd just be business partners. I owned a brothel, and he had his family, and…well, to be honest, I was still disturbed with the idea of breeding…but what do you do with a man like him…? Our town wasn't the most righteous; it was pretty downright bad, full of crime…and I was used to it. We both agreed that no kids were coming from the two of us, and that the kids were gonna be breed from the other lionesses."

"…but…y'know…nobody holds their word forever…"

Jack just tilted his head at this; blinking as Lilith explained.

"From what I remember, your grandfather and I were having one of our usual arguments," Lilith hummed. "…but…maybe we were both a little _too_ angry when we had it…"

_"...out with it, woman; what did you do to allow this to happen?!" Having stormed into Lilith's office, Astaroth, whose clothes were covered in blood, was glaring fiercely at the brothel hostess._

"_What are you talking about?" scoffed Lilith, spinning around. She knew another argument was coming on, and she was dreading it. She didn't need it this morning._

_"The recent shooting at your premises," Astaroth snarled. "One of my family members was shot thrice in the leg... all to protect one of your girls!"_

_Lilith scowled at him. She heard about the shooting, but didn't realize that Astaroth was going to barge in like this to yell at her. "Yeah? Don't you want your girls to make your damn children? What's wrong with protecting them?!"_

_"We agreed to keep this at a business-related level, woman!" Astaroth snarled. "The one who protected your girl may not walk again, because he grew _attached_ to that lioness! I thought we made clear that something like that was _not _going to happen!"_

"_What the hell makes you think he was _attached _to her?!" Lilith snarled back. "What? You prefer that she had been shot and 'wasted' as you like to call it? What if it was just him protecting your interests hm? Ever ask him yourself?!"_

_"If it were me in that situation, I would have gone for the gunner before he would have fired upon her!" he snarled. "He actively shielded her with his own body, and never even considered attacking the gunner!" Astaroth then slammed his hands down on the desk. "To put it simply, you were lax and allowed those two to grow attached to each other, which is, as I've said, _not_ what we've agreed upon!"_

"_Then isn't it up to your family to keep their distance from my girls?!"_ _Lilith yelled back at him, getting really irritated with him at this point. "Shouldn't it be _your_ responsibility to make sure they don't get attached?! My girls are just doing what you want them do, and they shouldn't have to get blamed for this!"_

_"I'm not blaming them, I'm blaming _you!_" Astaroth shot right back as he scowled. "I make sure to keep my family in line; warning them not to grow attached... and then this happens! Frankly, I see it as _your_ responsibility to make sure that your girls don't get attached to my men!"_

"_And what is blaming me gonna do to solve that problem?!" Lilith yelled back, now getting unglued. This was definitely not something she needed right now, and the fact that he was blaming_ her_ frankly pissed her off. "Just because I run the place, doesn't mean I babysit them!"_

_"Maybe this wouldn't have happened if you took the time to actually check if something like this was going on!" Astaroth yelled back at her; snarling ferociously as his temper just grew worse. "I see this as a breach of trust, Lilith, and quite frankly, I'm not pleased with this!"_

"_Well how am I supposed to play counselor with them if-?!"_

_The door suddenly opened and a face peeked in._

"_CAN'T YOU SEE WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING?!" Lilith yelled at the one who opened the door. "SHUT THE DAMN DOOR AND LOCK IT!"_

_Whoever was on the other side jumped and locked the door before closing, and so it was now locked on the inside to allow Lilith and Astaroth to continue without interruptions. Lilith pinched her brows at that. "Goddamn…maybe it's because your family has _no _manners that they decide to do what they want!"_

_"Are you blaming _me_ for that?!" Astaroth seemed absolutely livid, as he glared at Lilith whilst clenching his hands. "You've got some nerve, woman!"_

"_Maybe it's because I'm not buying your tough guy act and I'm getting sick of the _bullshit _you give me!" Lilith screamed at him._

_With a snarl, Astaroth shot a hand to grab Lilith by the collar; glaring directly into her eyes. "You upstart _bitch!_ You have no idea what power you're toying with, do you?!"_

"_Power?! Hah!" she mocked him sarcastically, and then she spat, "All I see is an asshole with a nasty temper!"_

_"...you...!" With a roar, Astaroth suddenly slammed Lilith down on her desk; pinning her down as he just glared at her. "You think you can get away with mocking me?!"_

_Lilith yelped, actually surprised that Astaroth had actually thrown her on her desk, but at this point, she didn't even care anymore. She was so sick of him. "Yeah, what if I think I _can_ get away with mocking you?! Just what are you going to do to me?!" she snapped._

_"I'm going to show you just what kind of mistake you made!" Astaroth roared, as he clenched his free hand into a fist, and reeled back for a punch. _

_Lilith took that moment to swat away the hand holding her collar to tackle Astaroth. "Don't you dare, you bastard!"_

_"GAH!" With a startled snarl, Astaroth clutched to Lilith to pin her against the wall. "You upstart harlot!"_

_Lilith let out another yelp at being pinned against the wall. "GET OFF ME!" she yelled at him, pounding against him._

_Astaroth snarled as the punches knocked him back; glaring at Lilith. With a feral roar, he threw a punch aimed straight for her head. Lilith grabbed that fist, though she wasn't as strong as Astaroth, but she managed to keep him from hitting her, kicking him now.__Gritting his teeth as he was kicked in the gut, Astaroth responded by driving his knee brutally against Lilith's own gut. She yelped out in pain at that, grunting._

_With another snarl, Astaroth hurled the lioness against the wall on the opposite side of the room. This knocked her into some of the filing cabinets, destroying them and making papers fly everywhere. She was on the ground, weakly getting back up while papers scattered onto the floor around her.__Growling, Astaroth slowly stomped towards her; narrow eyes glaring fiercely at Lilith as he prepared himself to charge at her._

_Lilith suddenly yelled out and lunged at him to grab him and shake him. "YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME, YOU HEAR ME?!"_

_Growling, Astaroth immediately grabbed her arms. "SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH, WENCH!" he roared, as he managed to turn them around and brutally pin Lilith down against the desk once more. Lilith grunted in more pain._

_Snarling, Astaroth kept her pinned there. "...now... what do you have to say for yourself?" he growled, as he just glared down at her._

_Lilith had to catch her breath from the fighting they did, and so she wasn't able to say anything.__Similarly, Astaroth seemed exhausted from having exerted himself so much, but his glare remained solely on her. Slowly, Lilith just pulled her arms out from his hold, and still breathing, glared back at Astaroth. "…you piss me off so much…" she growled._

_"...and you're... infuriating..." Astaroth snarled as he just glared down at her; breathing slowly._

_Lilith still glared at him, but strangely enough, with how furious she was at him, it was fueling something else. She couldn't put her finger on what, though.__Likewise, Astaroth felt something else burning within him apart from the unbridled fury he felt towards Lilith at this moment. It was at this point, Lilith just grabbed him by the collar slowly and lowered him down so they could be face to face, still glaring at each other.__Breathing still, Astaroth just glared down at her; eyes fixated on hers as he felt that burning sensation grow stronger. Lilith started stroking her fingers across his chest.__With just a small growl, Astaroth settled a hand on her cheek. Finally, Lilith just grabbed him and pulled him in for a kiss. For a brief moment, he seemed startled, but that changed when he began aggressively kissing her back; that heated sensation swelling out of control at this point. Lilith breathed while she kissed back intensely due to the heat and the fury behind it all. Both the heat and the anger spurred Astaroth to kiss her with more intensity for each passing moment. Lilith actually started moaning in the make out, with her hands wandering into his clothes..._

"...and you can pretty much assume where that leads off to," Lilith finished, looking at Jack.

Jack nodded in understanding. "...yeah..."

"...because of that, I got pregnant with Vanessa," Lilith continued. "I didn't know how Astaroth was going to respond to that, but when I told him, he was pretty shocked...then I assumed he was going to tell me to get rid of her."

"...instead, he told me to keep her."

Jack's eyes widened. "...he did? Why?"

"...I'm honestly not sure," Lilith said. "...he just told me to go take a vacation while I was pregnant with her, and deny that I was her mother."

"...huh..." Jack uttered, as he rubbed his neck a bit.

"...I think the fact that I was her mother somehow would interfere with her growing up, somehow..." Lilith muttered. "...which I never understood..."

"...I see..." Jack murmured, as he nodded a few times.

"…but then Astaroth saw how much progress Vanessa was making…" Lilith went on. "…and for a kid that he considered an accident…she impressed him…enough that he considered the possibility of another one."

Jack's eyes widened. "...so... you guys made Johnny, then?"

"…yeah…but his approach on the idea shocked me," Lilith said.

_And she remembered that day when she dropped whatever she was holding in her hands to the ground after she heard Astaroth say what he did._

_"...what?" Astaroth raised an eyebrow at this. "You look like you've heard something truly appalling."_

_Lilith pinched her brows. "…we already talked about this when Vanessa was born…we said no more."_

_"...that was nine years ago, Lilith." Astaroth pointed out. "In that time... Vanessa has shown extraordinary progress; better than anyone before her..."_

"…_and what? That means we should make another one because this one is some _prodigy?_" Lilith growled._

_"...I would think that would be an obvious thought, Lilith." Astaroth noted, as he folded his arms. "You don't seem to agree."_

"…_it's not necessarily that I don't agree…it's just…so sudden," Lilith uttered. "Do you know how much busier I've been?"_

_Astaroth simply hummed. "All the more reason to take a few months off, I'd say."_

_"...oh? And who's gonna do my job? _You_?" Lilith scoffed._

_"You have subordinates; I suggest you put them to use." Astaroth remarked with a scoff._

_"But the past time I did that, you complained about how they were fuck ups," Lilith pointed out._

_"I would have assumed that you would have taught them _not_ to fuck up if the time came for them to take the reins again." Astaroth remarked._

_"...but then I'm too busy to do that, aren't I?" Lilith growled, setting her hands on her hips. "Now that I'm an actual businesswoman now instead of a brothel hostess, I don't have much time to myself, do I?!"_

_Eyes narrowing, Astaroth glared at her. "...and what is that supposed to mean?"_

_"It means that I'm pretty much taking care of all the things you don't know how to do!" Lilith snapped. "So how the hell could I afford to take a vacation just to bear another little brat for you!"_

_"You're questioning me now, of all times?" Astaroth growled a touch. "You'll think of something! You're the resourceful businesswoman, aren't you?!"_

_"That's not how the rest of the world works!" Lilith growled, pinching her brows again._

_"What does the world have to do with this matter at hand?!" Astaroth remarked in an annoyed tone._

_"...nevermind...I'm not talking about this," Lilith growled, turning to walk away._

_At that point, Astaroth grabbed her by the arm. "Don't you turn your back on me, Lilith; not while I'm talking to you."_

"_I told you that I don't want to talk about this!" Lilith snapped at him, slapping him across the face._

_After being smacked, Astaroth glared back at her. "...you...!" With a hiss, he grabbed Lilith by the collar and hoisted her in the air. Lilith growled, trying to struggle._ _Astaroth simply snarled as he brought her down so he could glare directly into her eyes. "...don't test me..." he growled._

_Lilith grumbled. "...alright...fine...just...let's go somewhere more private to continue this..." She muttered._

_"...I agree." Astaroth remarked. "Your office, or mine?"_

_"...your office," Lilith muttered. "...and would you let me go?"_

_"...fine." With a nod, he let Lilith go, as he turned. "Let's go."_

_Lilith followed him over to his own office, which was a large revolving chair behind a desk, and in the back, there were blinds that were shut, darkening the room a bit._

_Lilith just sighed. Astaroth was so thickheaded and wanted things right in the moment, rather than waiting for a better time to discuss things._

_Astaroth simply glanced back at her. "...well?"_

_"...well, what?" Lilith muttered._

_"Are we going to talk about this or not?" Astaroth remarked._

_Lilith sighed. "...right..." Then she looked up at him. "Look, you're asking me to make another kid of yours. I can't afford to do that right now."_

_"And why is that?" Astaroth hummed._

_"I'm sealing a deal with some people that's gonna get us a _hell_ of a lot of money; money we could use," Lilith continued._

_"...and _how_ is having another child going to hinder you from doing that?" Astaroth remarked._

_"This deal takes a long time to make, and me getting pregnant's gonna hinder me from doing that; especially if you want me to have this child in secret," Lilith said._

_"Then can't you instruct someone else to take care of it during that period?" Astaroth pointed out._

_Lilith sighed at that. "Probably..."_

_"Then there's not a problem then, is there?" Astaroth remarked._

_"Look, we agreed that we were gonna be business partners only, and Vanessa was an accident," Lilith continued, getting frustrated. "I don't want another one."_

"But your grandfather was persistent..." Lilith sighed then, still talking to Jack. Jack just listened with wide eyes.

_"...you don't get it, do you." Astaroth grunted, as he approached Lilith again. "Accident or not, Vanessa is shaping up to be one of the strongest Leoniels this generation... it can't just be a coincidence."_

_"Oh what? You think _MY_ genes have something to do with it?" Lilith growled, standing a bit defensively._

_"Possibly." Astaroth remarked. "And as far as I can tell, there's only one way to see if this is the case."_

_"...I'm not gonna do this Astaroth," and Lilith turned toward the door._

_Before she could, though, Astaroth stepped in her way; arms folded. "It's not gonna be that easy, Lilith."_

"_Are you so thick headed that you can't even hear me?!" Lilith started to get angry again. "I said I'm not gonna do this!"_

_"I'd say that you're the thickheaded one for not realizing the potential we have here!" Astaroth reiterated; his patience at its limit._

"_Oh, I'm sorry, you look at it _that_ way?!" Lilith sputtered. "Well forgive me for being the asshole in the argument!" She was heavy on the sarcasm._

_"And just what's _that's_ supposed to mean?!" Picking up on her sarcasm, Astaroth didn't exactly seem pleased._

"_All you can think about is your family and how you can turn them into an army, and you honestly aren't going to respect anyone else because of it!" Lilith spat at him. "I'm getting so sick of it!"_

_Astaroth's eyes narrowed as he snarled. "...you little...!"_

"_And what are you gonna do? _Kill_ me if I get out of hand?" Lilith supposed. "You still _need_ me! I doubt you could handle everything I do or replace me if you did kill me!"_

_"...just because you're a necessity, does not give you the freedom to insult me so freely!" Astaroth growled._

"_Oh, you think you're being insulted?!" Lilith growled. "I'm just telling you like it _is!"

_"Arrogant little..." Astaroth snarled. "...you wouldn't even be where you are now if it weren't for me!"_

"_Like hell I would!"_

_And Lilith threw a punch at his face.__The punch made Astaroth stagger back a bit, but with a ferocious roar, he suddenly threw a kick straight for Lilith's gut. That knocked her against the wall with a pained grunt.__Without hesitation, Astaroth charged directly for her with a punch aimed for her face. When Lilith took that punch, it just made her angrier, pushing Astaroth away and picking up a chair to throw at him.__The chair broke upon slamming into Astaroth, and he stumbled back in an aggravated daze. Lilith took that opportunity to tackle him to the ground and pin him down, punching his face.__Taking the punch, Astaroth outright roared in her face, as he grabbed her fist and swiftly pushed her off him; leaping to tackle her as well. Meanwhile, she tried to struggle against him.__Astaroth fought against her struggles as he glared down at her; growling vividly. Lilith then kicked him in the gut to try and get away from him.__However, even being kicked didn't keep the lion from grabbing Lilith before pinning her down yet again; snarling as he gripped down tightly on her. _

_At this point, Lilith was running out of energy to fight him with, laying there while she breathed and glared hatefully at Astaroth.__Astaroth merely glared down at her as well; heaving for air from having exerted himself as he growled._

"…_Goddamn it Astaroth…" she muttered, looking away from him._

_"...what, Lilith...?" Astaroth growled in response, as he heaved for air._

"…_you didn't have to…" Lilith couldn't really finish her sentence, given that she looked a little out of it. She was still angry at him, so much so that it almost seemed exhausting to hate him, but she knew that there was something else under all that and she recognized what it was._

_Likewise, as much as he could deny it at face-value, there was something similar Astaroth felt; even in spite of the fury directed at Lilith. "...I know..." He felt heated as he kept her pinned; still glaring down at her._

_Finally, Lilith looked back at him with a scowl.__Astaroth merely looked at her with the same type of scowl; though his grip was loosening somewhat as that heated sensation kept building. Lilith squirmed a little bit, but in the process, her leg stroked along his side.__A slight growl escaped his lips as he gazed down at her; thumb brushing against her arm as the heat was building up within him. Lilith could already tell he was going to get what he wanted, so she just looked away again begrudgingly.__The instant she did that, though, Astaroth swiftly took her by the chin to make her face him, before he thrust his lips onto hers._

"_Mhm…" Was Lilith's shocked response to that, but it excited her nonetheless, and she kissed viciously back.__Astaroth seemed to enjoy it; kissing her back with both passion and ferocity. It didn't help that Astaroth was still holding her down, which added to the intensity of it for Lilith.__Even as he kept her pinned, his hands managed to wander as he kissed her rougher now. Lilith started to moan at that.__Those moans only spurred Astaroth further; growling out in bliss as he kissed her harder still._

"…and that was that…" Lilith muttered to Jack.

"...I think I see a pattern..." Jack remarked as he rubbed his neck a bit. "...you guys really fight _that_ often?"

Lilith rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Constantly."

"...and mom and Johnny came from some of those arguments..." Jack murmured as he glanced aside. "...it's just weird to think that's possible..."

"Things like that happen..." Lilith murmured.

"...but... after Johnny was born, what happened then?" Jack inquired as he looked back at Lilith. "Up until... mom got me..."

"...your mother was aggressive...especially towards me," Lilith said.

Jack blinked at that. "...why?"

"Because...well...to be honest, I was never really sure why she was that way..." Lilith spoke.

"...then why not ask her yourself?"

Lilith's eyes widened and she turned to her shock. Jack yelped as well when he heard that voice. "...mom!"

Indeed, Vanessa was standing there, holding her broken hand while she stared at Lilith quietly. Lilith just gawked at her, for lack of a better word. Jack seemed worried about the direction this could take, though for now, he remained silent.

...then Vanessa started walking toward them, mainly aiming for Lilith.

"Now, Vanessa, it's not what you think," Lilith started a bit defensively, standing behind Jack almost as if Vanessa made her uneasy.

"...Jack, I'm going to need you to move out of the way," Vanessa said as she walked toward them.

Jack looked from Vanessa to Lilith, and then back again. "...why, mom?" He wasn't the type to disobey his mother, but he didn't exactly want the two of them to start fighting, either.

"It'll be okay; just do it," Vanessa assured him calmly.

Jack looked a bit uncertain, but he eventually nodded slowly. "...okay..." Somewhat hesitantly, he moved aside.

This allowed Vanessa to walk right up to Lilith, and even if Lilith was a bit uneasy, she still stood her ground against Vanessa as they stared at each other. Jack just remained utterly silent; watching the two of them without a word.

Vanessa lifted her working hand, and Lilith actually ended up flinching from that... only to find that Vanessa just set the hand on Lilith's shoulder. Lilith looked at her for that. Jack blinked as he kept observing the two of them.

"...Mother..." She muttered. "...I know you're not like... _him_... but I have to know...why did you still agree to do what he wanted? You just seem like more of a realist than him..."

"...you mean your father, right?" Lilith supposed.

Vanessa looked away with a hard look. "And this point...I'd rather not call him that..."

Jack remained silent still as he looked at the two of them.

"...well...maybe it was because I just didn't know any better," Lilith muttered. Then she looked down at Vanessa's broken hand. "He did that to you, didn't he?"

"Don't change the subject," Vanessa responded, looking up at her. "...and you can come up with a better answer than that."

"...mom..." Jack uttered in a slightly worried tone; he could just feel that they were going to argue about this.

"...what do you mean I can come up with a better answer than that?" Lilith uttered offensively.

"Mother... I'm saying that you can't just say you didn't know any better," Vanessa murmured. "You're a smart woman...you know right from wrong well enough." Then she closed her eyes. "...I just want to know why. I'm not asking for anything else..."

That managed to calm Lilith a bit, looking at her daughter in curious wonder.

Jack still looked at them in silence.

"...he helped me get ahead in life..." Lilith confessed. "...if he and I hadn't agreed to be business partners, I would've been out on the streets, struggling on my own. Now, I'm a very successful woman...and for as much as he prides himself, if it wasn't for him, I would've been begging for food..."

"...but it was no charity; it was either being business partners, or I would've been just another whore for him to knock up, willingly or not..." Lilith added. "...so he more or less twisted my arm to make the decision..."

"...grandma..." Jack uttered as he just looked at her.

"And if I just walked away, honestly..." Lilith didn't seem to want to finish her sentence.

So Vanessa did instead, "...he would've killed you."

Lilith nodded. Jack just gaped, with wide eyes.

"...so even _you_ are afraid of him sometimes," Vanessa murmured.

"Who said I was afraid?!" Lilith uttered.

"...never mind, Mother," Vanessa sighed, turning away. "I didn't mean it that way."

Lilith was silent for a bit...then...

"...he's right...you really have changed."

Vanessa looked back at Lilith, who just stared at her in more wonder. "You've just gotten so... polite and... mellow. You aren't nearly like how you used to be..."

Jack, eventually calming down, nodded a touch; agreeing with Lilith's observation.

"…a lot of things happened for that," Vanessa murmured, looking away from Lilith.

Still, Jack found himself just sort of unable to add to anything at the moment; as if he didn't want to interrupt either of them.

"...but how? How could you have changed so much?" Lilith asked. "I never thought any Leoniel would actually be so shaken from...well, lack of a better word, how thick-headed they are. Did one rape really have that much of an impact?"

"Don't you get it?" Vanessa started off. "It wasn't just 'a rape.' It was so many more things than that. It was being blamed for Johnny's disappearance, and falling behind the others, and losing concentration when I tried to fight, being laughed at and mocked...wondering why my own family was doing this to me in the first place...it just didn't seem fair..."

"...didn't seem...right."

Lilith was in silent surprise at Vanessa. Vanessa turned around to her with a strange look, one mixed with anger and hurt. "...all these conflicting emotions inside of me were tearing me apart, and there wasn't anyone in our so-called _family_ that I could trust...all they would do is punish me for not being good enough, and that was _not_ fair. It didn't help that I was still jealous of Johnny, not only because he had been better than me...but he didn't have to deal with our family all while he was growing up. Throughout his life, he was praised for his brutal ways, and I was always some runner up, or a screw up that needed just a little more of a beating to toughen up. I was so angry and frustrated and determined to show all of them that I was better-no, the _best_, and that no one could tell me what to do!"

Then Vanessa's look softened calmly. "...but...when I stopped to think about it, after I found out I was pregnant...I thought of something."

"...what...had my family ever done for me...?"

Lilith's eyes widened, and she stepped back a little uneasily when Vanessa walked back up to her. "If I owed so much to my own family that I needed to prove my worth, then what have they ever done for me to deserve it?" Vanessa continued.

Lilith was speechless at that.

"...mom..." Jack gawked at Vanessa with wide eyes as she spoke.

"...that was when I left," Vanessa said, fully calm again. "...I vowed that I wasn't going to let anyone else make my choices for me...I split myself away from the family...and raised Jack the way I did, because it was my choice...because I didn't want him to turn out like... _them_."

Lilith gulped, when Vanessa turned from her and walked to Jack to put a hand on his shoulder. "...but I guess the only mistake in that is that I just ran away, instead of stood my ground..."

Jack simply looked at her with a small smile. Vanessa smiled back at him. "...but I'm here now...and I don't intend to run away if any Leoniels or Corrupted try to stop us from finding that poor girl..."

Lilith stared while Vanessa looked back at her solemnly. "...I'll never really know if it was your choice or not to not become involved in my life as my mother, but I want you to know that I don't hold anything against you."

"...what?" Lilith was honestly surprised at that. "Really?"

Vanessa nodded. Jack simply looked back at Lilith with a small nod.

"...I...don't know what to say..." Lilith murmured. "...I half expected you to pummel me down...it wouldn't have been the first..."

Vanessa looked away at that. "...I know."

"...so, what, are we all just gonna go our separate ways like that? And here I was expecting something more than just a confession."

Both lionesses widened their eyes and looked over at Jack, or rather...

"...Johnny?" Vanessa muttered.

To that, Lilith actually looked a little pale.

Folding his arms, the lion simply looked right at Lilith. "...hello, mother." he spoke dryly.

Lilith's eyes widened farther in silent fear, growing more pale. "...what's wrong?" Johnny hummed, as he began approaching her. "Don't tell me that you're _afraid._ Or are you just full of _regret_? Or is it _shame?_ Tell me if I'm getting any warmer, here."

Lilith actually stepped away from Johnny, and Vanessa just watched this with a curious hum.

"Come on, don't act like that." Johnny remarked; his expression remaining neutral. "After all, you only _abandoned_ me and left GUN to _kidnap_ me while they basically forced me into becoming a _killing machine_... I thought that was the Leoniel mission statement, right? You've got nothing to fear, then."

...Vanessa's eyes suddenly widened at that too. "...what...?"

Johnny glanced back at Vanessa with a light huff. "So, you didn't even know that, did ya?"

Vanessa stared at him...and then looked suspiciously at Lilith with narrowed eyes. "...no, I didn't."

"...n-now wait a minute..." Lilith uttered.

"Well, maybe you could ask her, then." Johnny pointed out.

"...what does he mean?" Vanessa said, stomping toward Lilith. Lilith just steppe away from her in fear, but Vanessa grabbed her. "I said _what does he mean?!_" Vanessa demanded.

Johnny simply folded his arms. "Yeah, what _do_ I mean, mother?" he hummed in a tone somewhat filled with spite. "Go on; enlighten us."

There was silence in the air.

"...I...I took him...to a quiet, secluded place..." Lilith started with a gulp. "...and...and they came..."

"What do you mean you took him to a quiet, secluded place?" Vanessa growled.

It didn't take too long for Vanessa to figure it out, and her eyes widened. "...oh my god...you planned for them to take him, didn't you?"

And Lilith couldn't possibly have been any paler.

"...that only took about 22 years to resurface, didn't it, mother?" Johnny scoffed.

"...oh, and let me guess; they paid you for him, didn't they?" Vanessa was getting angrier by the minute.

Lilith was about to open her mouth, but Vanessa threw her to the ground. "Don't even bother answering that; we know that answer," Vanessa growled.

Johnny simply scoffed; merely watching this with folded arms. "...and you never told father the truth, did you?"

Lilith shook her head; at this point, she was unable to speak, looking at the angry faces of her own children.

"So, what do ya got to say, huh?" Johnny hummed, as he began approaching her. "Or are you just so guilt-ridden that you can't speak?"

Lilith just scooted away from him and Vanessa both, who was also approaching her. "And just why didn't you tell Astaroth? Afraid he was going to _kill_ you?"

"Well, that _had_ to be the reason. I mean, you weren't just bullshitting Vanessa and Jack with the sob-story you had going, were you?" Johnny scoffed.

"N-no! I wasn't-!" Lilith was nearly on the brink of panic, and Vanessa picked her up. Vanessa glared hatefully at her, making her gulp and sweat.

"...well, fess up." Johnny hummed. "Or do you want your daughter to beat the answers out of you? Because knowing her, she's gonna do it."

"And don't use that 'you didn't know any better' excuse again," Vanessa growled.

"...l-look you two..." Lilith uttered. "...I made do with what I had...and...and I just wasn't dealt the best hand from the deck of life, you know?"

"...you're pathetic," Vanessa spat. Johnny simply scoffed.

"...what...happened to having nothing against me...?" Lilith muttered.

"That was _before_ I found out that you were responsible for all my emotional baggage," Vanessa hissed at her. "...and I didn't want to stoop to your level; I wanted to show you I could be mature about it...but considering my son's not watching anymore..." She raised a fist, and Lilith flinched.

"...so, you really plan on beating your own mother, huh?" Johnny hummed. "Don't you want her to explain _why?_" As he said that, he glanced coldly at Lilith. "Was it just the money? Or..." His eyes narrowed. "...was it because I just reminded you _too_ much of father?"

There was silence, before Vanessa dropped Lilith to the ground. Johnny still remained silent.

"...she's not worth it..." Vanessa sputtered, turning away from Lilith. "...was there even a point for this visit, mother? Or was it to try and manipulate my son?"

"He's my grandson too, you know," Lilith growled.

"NO HE'S NOT!"

Lilith jumped when Vanessa had spun around and yelled at her. "You want me to believe that you came here to make a relationship with him? _Bullshit_!" She continued to yell. "You didn't even try to make a relationship with your own _daughter and son,_ and I doubt that Astaroth telling you not to would've stopped you if you really cared about us, so how can I believe that you wanted to get to know my son?!"

Johnny simply looked at the two of them.

"…I think I finally see why he wouldn't want you around us…" Vanessa muttered. "…maybe he felt like you were going to manipulate us to fight against him…maybe he actually felt threatened by your ability to coax other people into doing what you wanted…"

Lilith stared at her, and looked angry herself when Vanessa accused her of that, but she didn't say anything. Johnny still just remained silent.

"…not that it matters anyway…" Vanessa muttered, looking down on Lilith hatefully. "…get out of here…you're done with us, and we have nothing else to say to you."

Johnny simply glanced aside. Lilith got back up to her feet, dusting herself off.

"…so that's it?" Lilith huffed. "…just because I'm not Astaroth, you feel like you can push me around and tell me like it is? I'm pretty sure that's not how it went when he confronted the two of you…"

Vanessa shot a look back at Lilith, and if looks could kill…

Johnny grit his teeth a touch, as he shot a look at her.

"…but hey, if you want me to go, fine," Lilith grumbled, turning to leave. "Be lucky that I'm not like your father, and that I was still willing to let you get your two cents out without getting too offended…" and she started walking away.

Silence lingered for a moment... until...

"...wait a minute."

Lilith stopped, and looked back.

Johnny was looking at her... but his eyes were different from how they were before. "...are you... sorry?"

"…wait…what?" Lilith uttered.

"…Jack…?" even Vanessa was startled by that. "…you heard…everything…?"

Jack simply nodded; though he still looked at Lilith.

"…what do you mean by…sorry?" Lilith asked.

"...like... I don't know the context behind... the things you, mom and Johnny talked about..." Jack remarked, as he rubbed his neck. "...but... it sounds like they both don't like you very much because of that..." Then, he glanced down at the ground. "...I guess I meant... I was wondering if you were... sorry, for letting it happen."

"…kid…"

Lilith sighed at the innocence Jack had. "…I learned how not to feel any emotion long ago…especially when dealing with your family…because if I let my emotions get the best of me, I'd probably be a wreck…"

"…so in all honestly, I don't even know if I'm sorry or not."

Then Lilith turned to leave again. "…I just do what I do."

Jack simply looked at her, before glancing away. "...right..." he murmured. "...so... you're not gonna apologize either, huh..."

"…you three know that an apology from me wouldn't mean anything…"

And with that, Lilith was gone.

Jack merely watched the spot she had been on, before he closed his eyes. "...even if it won't mean anything... it's the thought that counts..." he murmured to himself.

Vanessa, meanwhile, was just trying to calm back down from the sudden rush of emotion that she had been put through, and even if now she had a newfound, but revived grudge against her mother, he made sure not to let that bother her now that Lilith was gone.

So she turned to Jack. "Are you alright?"

Jack remained silent, as his eyes opened...

...and then he glanced at Vanessa with a smile and a nod. "...I'll be fine."

Vanessa looked at Jack a little in concern. "You sure?"

Jack simply nodded. "Mhm."

"…alright…good…" Vanessa said. "…well, on another matter, do you know where Milo and Kristine are?"

"...I ran into Milo not too far from here." Jack noted, as he motioned in a certain direction. "I haven't seen Kristine, though..."

"Let's go get them then…" Vanessa hummed, turning to walk. Jack nodded, as he began following her.

* * *

><p><em><strong>No comments on anything this time...<strong>_


	52. Chapter 51

Meanwhile, Kristine had been busy punching things, only to find that she was just hurting herself more and more, and nothing was cracking behind her fists. She was getting frustrated. "Damn it…how did those two do it…?"

She groaned and sat down, rubbing her knuckles sorely. "It's not fair…I don't understand how this thing works, and nobody's telling me how to do it…I have to figure it out for myself…and it's one thing if that Leoniel kid got it…"

"…but that other lion…god…"

Kristine sighed. "How did he do it? How could someone who isn't a Leoniel figure out how to do this so quickly?" Then she grumbled. "At least he can't handle the punches he'd make…some fighter he'll turn out to be…maybe I might end up passing him up if I'm lucky enough…"

"…but it's just…trying to figure this thing out!" and she hit the ground, whimpering promptly to hold her hand in agony. "…but maybe I should take a break…that'd be good too…"

Then she sighed again. "…seriously…what was his problem? It's not like we did anything last night…or did we?" She rubbed her temple while she tried to remember what happened during her drunken state. "…nope…I can't remember much…"

At that point, Jack and Vanessa had spotted Kristine while they were walking; though rather than approaching her, Jack actually had Vanessa stop whilst they watched her.

"…I mean, where does he get the nerve to call me oblivious? All I was saying was that he needed improvement…" Kristine huffed, pacing around while she talked to herself. "And if you ask me, that's the opposite of oblivious; that's looking at the details and advising how to do better next time. He didn't have to snap at me…"

"Hm…" Vanessa hummed very quietly in curiosity as they observed her like this.

"…and why does he have to act like he knows everything? Nobody knows everything…" Kristine grumbled. "…some know it all showoff…he doesn't understand what's going on. Admittedly I don't either, but I'm gonna do what it takes to figure this out, and I don't need some stupid guy telling me what to do."

Jack just watched this as well; a thoughtful look crossing his face.

"…and now he's acting all depressed all of a sudden…he really needs to grow up," Kristine grumbled. "Whatever problem he has, he just needs to get over with."

"But the question is, do you really know what his problem is?"

Kristine jumped, noticing that Vanessa and Jack stepped out from where they were, approaching her. "How long were you standing there?" she uttered.

"...about long enough to hear you talking to yourself." Jack noted.

Kristine turned around with a grunt. "So what did he tell you, huh?"

"Actually, he hasn't talked to anyone about it; we haven't even found him yet," Vanessa said.

"…really?" Kristine hummed. "…you're looking for him?"

"Well he wandered off to be alone, same as you and Jack," Vanessa said.

"I ran into him a bit earlier, though..." Jack remarked, as he rubbed his neck. "...he seemed bummed out."

Kristine scoffed, "Probably because I'm right."

"Now, now Kristine, you have your part in the arguments too," Vanessa said. "I think you're a little too quick to judge Milo, and I don't think that's fair on him."

Kristine looked at her.

"...right..." Jack nodded. "I mean... Milo's a really nice guy. He might be the smartest and nicest guy I know... that's around my age, at least."

Kristine grumbled at that. "Then how come he wasn't so nice to me?"

"Well, let's take another look at it…" Vanessa said. "Do you know why he got angry at you?"

"…no…he doesn't even try to tell me why he's angry, he just says I'm oblivious," Kristine huffed.

"...and... why do you think that is?" Jack inquired.

"…maybe because I should know why he's upset, but I'm not a freakin' mind reader, okay?" Kristine grumbled.

"I don't think it's being a mind reader, so much as knowing that you might've made him upset in the first place," Vanessa said.

"But what did I do?!" Kristine yelled, throwing her hands up into the air in frustration.

"...well... think." Jack noted. "Can you just recall the time you've spent with us and him?"

"Yeah..." Kristine muttered.

"And is there anything that could've happened before he got angry?" Vanessa hummed.

"...well, he wasn't angry at me until this morning," Kristine muttered. "...so...maybe something might've happened last night while we were drunk..."

"...what... do you think happened?" Jack remarked. "I mean, last I recall, Milo got you up into the bedroom to get you to sleep, since you were so drunk..."

"...yeah, I remember that part," Kristine muttered. "Still can't remember anything after that, but this morning we woke up next to each other."

Vanessa hummed. "Really now?"

"No, don't worry; we were fully clothed," Kristine quickly defended, rolling her eyes. "He was probably so drunk he passed out next to me, so I doubt anything happened."

"...huh..." Jack remarked, as he rubbed his neck. "...maybe you said something to him before you fell asleep?"

"…we…argued I think…" Kristine muttered.

"…do you think that argument still got Milo down?" Vanessa hummed.

"…you think?" Kristine actually asked out of wonder.

"...it's possible." Jack noted.

"…but…I don't even remember what was said," Kristine sighed.

"…maybe you can ask Milo about it?" Vanessa suggested.

Kristine looked thoughtful.

"...Milo would probably remember it. He's smart like that." Jack remarked.

"…sure…maybe…" Kristine muttered.

"Well then, let's go find him, shall we?" Vanessa suggested.

Jack nodded at that. "If I'm not mistaken, he's over here!" And he began leading the way.

The two followed Jack…

…and they went to a more distant place with a creek flowing down, which was where Milo was standing on this own, lost in thought. Jack looked at Milo; wondering if it'd be smart to call out to him at the moment. The three of them looked at him while Milo just stared at his own hands.

And he sighed. "…how long are you guys gonna be staring at me?"

"Something wrong?" Vanessa hummed.

"…just…not sure if I can do this," Milo muttered. "…I mean, I deal of lot of damage, but I suffer a lot for it, and I can't seem to control the fact I absorb spiritual energy to recuperate." Milo looked at Vanessa. "It isn't just living plants and stuff Vanessa…not too long ago, I just absorbed Jack's energy when he touched me…"

Kristine's eyes widened. "Really?"

Milo nodded.

"…hm…" Vanessa rubbed her chin at that. Jack simply looked at Milo with a small sigh escaping his lips.

"…well then…let's work on some of that," Vanessa suggested. "Milo…do some pushups."

Milo gawked at Vanessa, "Whah?"

"We gotta work on your physical stamina, if you're going to be able to take the hits you dish out," Vanessa said.

Jack glanced at Vanessa with a blink. "...you think that'll help, mom?"

"…but…how would working out…?" Milo questioned. "I mean, I can see why you want me to, but…"

"…I need you to use just a little bit of your spiritual energy when you do them," Vanessa explained. "Get used to using very small amounts of it consistently…"

"…Ooooooh…" Milo hummed in realization, fully understanding what Vanessa meant. "Right." Then he put himself to the ground to begin some slow pushups.

"…I don't get it," Kristine muttered.

"...I don't think I do, either..." Jack remarked as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Milo seems to understand, and that's all that's needed," Vanessa said. Then she turned to the other two. "Now…what to do with you two…"

Jack rubbed his neck as he looked at Vanessa; wondering what she would want him to do in terms of training.

"…Jack…continue with some of your earlier mental training…" Vanessa suggested. "Sit at the sidelines…I think I'll need to help Kristine with her training."

"What? Why?" Kristine huffed.

"You haven't seemed to figure out how to draw out your spiritual energy," Vanessa hummed.

"...okay..." With a nod, Jack walked over to the edge of the lake before sitting down; closing his eyes as he began his mental exercises.

"...now then..." Vanessa turned to Kristine. "Let's see what your issue seems to be."

"Look, I'm not having any issues, okay?!" Kristine huffed. "I can figure out how to do this thing myself!"

Vanessa was silent for a bit, and then she hummed. "Okay then. Show me."

"...wuh?" Kristine didn't expect Vanessa to say that, but she huffed and went to punch a tree...only to yelp out and hold her knuckles.

"You're not concentrating," Vanessa pointed out. "Something is distracting you."

"Nothing's distracting me!" Kristine yelled defensively, but she looked unsure at that.

As Jack kept focusing, he couldn't help but glance in their direction from time to time; though he still kept his focus on the mind training.

"Yes, something is distracting you and I think I might know what it is," Vanessa said. "Is it because the boys are ahead of you on this?"

Kristine looked away grudgingly with a scowl.

"Yep," Vanessa hummed. "I think that's it."

Milo was already worn out by the pushups he was doing, and he sat to take a break, but he couldn't help but look over at Kristine and Vanessa. Jack, as well, glanced in their direction whilst practicing his mental training.

"We'll have to address the issue first if you want to be able to do this," Vanessa muttered. "What makes you frustrated about that?"

Kristine just glared at Vanessa stubbornly. Jack's gaze moved towards Kristine now.

"...it's not Jack...it's _him_," and Kristine pointed at Milo.

Milo just sighed at this. _Here we go, _he thought. Jack glanced towards Milo, before looking at Kristine again.

"What real issue do you have with him?" Vanessa hummed.

"How could he figure out how to do this when he isn't a Leoniel?!" Kristine complained.

Jack tilted his head a bit. "...I think it's because his tribe specialises in mystical things like spirits and stuff like that." he mused.

"Well doesn't that make him special!" Kristine spat in frustration, throwing her arms up. "So how am I supposed to beat the Leoniels if I have to work hard to get this technique when it was practically _given_ to him?!"

"Ah, so is that why you're really frustrated with Milo?" Vanessa hummed curiously.

"That, and he's a total show off and a know it all!" Kristine huffed, folding her arms.

"...uh... no, he isn't." Jack pointed out. "If anything, Milo's the completely opposite of that."

"Oh? How do I know you're not just saying that?!" Kristine scoffed at Jack.

Milo started getting angry again, watching Kristine yell at Jack.

"...because I've known Milo for the past seven years; edging on eight soon." Jack noted, as he actually got on his feet whilst looking seriously at Kristine. "He's one of the friendliest, smartest and most understanding people I know. He's not the type to show off and act like a know-it-all."

"Well why doesn't he act like that when I talk to him?!" Kristine yelled.

And suddenly, someone grabbed her collar, startling her as the one who grabbed her collar pulled her to look at the angry face that was Milo's.

"...that's enough," he said uncharacteristically sternly. "Whatever problems you have with me you need to solve with _me_, but if I see you try and take your frustration out on one of my friends, I'm not gonna stand for it; you hear me?"

Jack's eyes widened in surprise. "...Milo..."

Kristine was utterly speechless at Milo since she never saw him this way. Then Milo continued, "Look, I'm sorry you feel like I've been acting like such a jerk to you, but you need to know that I wasn't even trying to be that way. It doesn't excuse you to treat my friends like they're doing something wrong by standing up for me; you have no idea how long I haven't been able to even stand up for _myself_."

"...so knock it off," and Milo let her go after that.

Jack could only gawk at Milo for acting that way; this being a side he hadn't seen from the lion at all. Milo didn't even give regard to anyone after that; he just got back down onto the ground and started those push-ups again. Jack just looked from him to Kristine briefly, before he glanced aside to resume his mental exercises.

Kristine sat there silently, staring at Milo... And then she eventually looked back over at Vanessa.

"What is it?" Vanessa hummed.

Kristine shook her head. "...it's nothing." Then she raised a fist. "I'm gonna try again."

"Alright then," Vanessa said with a nod.

Jack simply hummed as he kept meditating.

This time, Kristine took a minute to try and relax, instead of getting frustrated. She started to see that maybe she had been getting out of control, and that moment with Milo snapped her out of it. Now, all she had to do was concentrate...

...and when she threw her fist at a nearby tree, she left a dent in the trunk, making splinters shoot out. It wasn't as large as Jack's and not nearly as monumental as Milo's, but it was a huge improvement.

Jack happened to glance over at that, and couldn't help but whistle in astonishment. "...whoa."

Kristine actually gawked at that, and then looked over at Milo who had also seen it. She smiled at him, and that caused Milo to smile in return…

…then she collapsed.

"Kristine!" Milo yelped, running to her.

"Whoa!" Jack quickly ran over to her as well; gawking at this. "What happened?!"

Milo helped Kristine back up, who was a bit dizzy. "…I'm fine…" Kristine muttered woozily. "…just…didn't…"

Vanessa chuckled. "I don't think she took the recoil into account either."

Jack blinked a touch. "...wow..." Then he looked back up at Vanessa. "...I know you trained me a bit before, but... is the reason I don't collapse after punching like that just because I'm a Leoniel?"

"Probably," Vanessa murmured.

"Hm..." Jack hummed, before he smiled down at Kristine. "...but man, that was impressive! You'll catch up in no time, I'll bet!"

"With some practice of course," Vanessa chuckled.

Kristine got over her dizziness and pried herself away from Milo to dust herself off. "Oh? And how should I practice?"

"Doing the same pushups as Milo would probably be good."

"Whah?!" Kristine shot a look at Vanessa in shock.

Jack hummed, as he looked at Vanessa. "...does that mean that I gotta do pushups as well?"

"…sure, why not?" Vanessa hummed. "Using more extensive amounts of spiritual energy takes its toll on you too…plus, when all of you are practicing together, it is good motivation."

"…so how do you want us to do this?" Kristine muttered unsurely.

"All you have to do is when you get tired, you use your spiritual energy to keep yourself going," Vanessa spoke. "You only just need an ever so slightly amount of it to keep you going, but the idea is to constantly be using it and getting used to using it, so that next time, you aren't so winded."

Jack hummed, as he rubbed his neck a touch. "...sounds simple enough..."

Kristine huffed.

"Hey, the others are still getting over their hangover, so you three have some time to kill," Vanessa chuckled.

Milo just got back onto the ground at that, and started doing his pushups again in silence.

Jack nodded, before he immediately started on his own push-ups. "C'mon, Kristine! This is gonna be easy!"

Kristine just looked at the two guys. "Wow…you two have some drive…" and she got down to do some herself, struggling at first but then catching up the pace with the boys. Out of the three of them, Jack seemed to be the one who struggled the least; even though this wasn't something he usually did, he was at least getting into it.

"Good, good….you three are gonna make some good progress," Vanessa said, nodding.

* * *

><p>…a faint grumble came from one of the bedrooms in Jill's household.<p>

"…sounds like Jill," Tasha remarked.

"...man, she woke up earlier than I thought she would." Sonia remarked.

"Good thing she didn't wake up when we were still cleaning, though," Tasha chuckled. "I'm not sure if she could handle seeing the state her home was in after that chaos."

"I'm just surprised that we didn't get any sort of noise complaints." Sonia chuckled. "I mean, sure, the Admiral was here and all, but still."

Tasha chuckled some more.

"I'll have some coffee ready for when she stumbles her way here," Tasha said, getting up with a heave to head to the kitchen, since her large belly was taking its toll on her back.

"You sure you don't need any help?" Sonia inquired.

"I'm alright," Tasha giggled sheepishly, while she waddled into the kitchen.

Shortly after that, Jill ambled and slumped down in the chair Tasha had just been sitting in, slumping onto the table tiredly.

"...so, how was your night, Jill?" Sonia chuckled as she glanced at the ewe.

"…_bleh…_" Jill spat out groggily.

"I see." Sonia remarked with a light laugh.

Jill rubbed her temples. "…please don't laugh too loudly…"

"Of course, of course..." Sonia hummed with a small nod. "...so... did you get to talk to him again?"

"…yeah…I did…" Jill muttered with a nod, rubbing her eyes.

"...did you learn anything from him?" Sonia hummed.

"…according to what they were able to beat out of Deity…" Jill mumbled. "…they're planning the attack now. It's going to be really soon…"

"...damn..." Sonia glanced aside. "...and there's no way to even delay this..."

"…no…but they're sending a scout beforehand, so once we can deal with the scout, we'll know to prepare for the battle," Jill spoke. "…I just don't know who the scout could be…"

"...hm..." Sonia nodded, as she glanced at Jill.

"…but I think that scout is for me…_that_ I'm sure of…" Jill added on.

"Hm..." Sonia simply hummed, as she rubbed her neck.

Jill looked over at Sonia. "...what's wrong?"

"...I'm just... worried, is all..." Sonia murmured. "...I dunno what we're gonna be up against... if things are gonna turn out like they did two years ago or not... there's just so many unknowns here, Jill..."

She closed her eyes. "...that, and... I'm worried that I won't be of any help at all."

"...Sonia..." Jill mumbled.

"...I'm sorry; I shouldn't be making the mood any worse." Sonia remarked as she rubbed her neck. "But it's hard not to think about this stuff, you know...?"

"…I know how you feel…" Jill remarked.

"...Jill..." Sonia sighed, as she glanced at the ewe. "...I just wish there was some way I could get my mind off this... once I start worrying, it's not easy for me to shake those thoughts away..."

"…same here…" Jill murmured.

That was when Tasha came in with the cups of coffee, and just cups for Sonia and especially Jill. Jill took her cup gratefully, and with a few sips, she let out a sigh of content. It was just what she needed. "…thanks Tasha," Jill spoke.

Sonia gave Tasha a small nod as she sipped her own coffee a touch. "...nh... that hit the spot..."

"You're welcome," Tasha said with a smile and a nod.

With a small smile, Sonia just closed her eyes as she enjoyed her cup of coffee. Jill continued to gulp down her cup so she wouldn't feel the hangover so hard.

"…I…heard what you two were discussing from the kitchen…"

Jill peered over at Tasha as she took the third seat by the table, looking a bit worried. Sonia looked at Tasha as well with a look of concern as well.

"…Sonia…if you feel as though you can't do anything…" Tasha mumbled. "…you should at least know that I feel the same…"

Sonia nodded slightly. "...right... but..." She rubbed her neck a bit more; not sure how to finish her thoughts without sounding inconsiderate.

"…I understand what you mean, though," Tasha said with a nod.

Sonia hummed a touch in response; nodding as she sipped her coffee.

"…what else would you be concerned about, Tasha…?" Jill muttered.

"…the safety of you two…" Tasha added.

Sonia glanced at Tasha for that. "...really...?"

Tasha nodded.

"...hm..." Sonia glanced to the side with a thoughtful look.

"…we should be fine Tasha," Jill spoke. "It's also your safety we'd be worried about too…"

"…I know…" Tasha mumbled.

"...not just your safety..." Sonia noted, as she glanced at Tasha. "...but the baby, too..."

Tasha nodded. "…yes…I know…"

Sonia fell silent, as she glanced aside.

"…I do wanna say there's gonna be plenty of people that'll want to protect you though, if you get into any trouble," Jill said.

Tasha nodded. "I understand…"

"...so... let's all try not to worry too much." Sonia remarked with a faint smile.

"…right…" Tasha nodded.

"…but for now…let's at least enjoy a quiet morning…" Jill sighed, taking another sip from her coffee.

"...technically the afternoon... but you're right." Sonia nodded as she glanced out the window.

"Oh wow…it's the afternoon…?" Jill muttered. "Did I really sleep that long?"

"You did." Sonia nodded.

"…huh..." Jill muttered.

Tasha just giggled at this. In turn, Sonia chuckled a touch. This got Jill to smile, and to remember the good times she had with Sonia…as well as all her other friends. Enough reminiscing, and she had a question pop into her head…

"...hey Sonia…" Jill spoke. "…I'm just really curious…what did you think of my friends when you first met them a few years ago?"

Sonia blinked, as she rubbed her cheek a touch. "...hm... that's a good one..." She smiled at Jill. "...we were kinda busy with all the stuff happening regarding Metal around that time, so I don't think I really thought much about them... but when I look back, I'd say that I thought they were a peculiar, if really swell bunch of friends."

"Yeah?" Jill hummed.

Sonia nodded. "You're really lucky to have friends like them, I tell ya..."

"You guys are pretty good friends too," Jill added.

"Aaw, shucks, Jill." Sonia hummed with a light chuckle. "Don't mention it."

Jill chuckled.

With a small sigh, Sonia looked up at the ceiling. "...it's good to just laugh and smile once in a while..."

"…yes…we need all the laughs we can get," Tasha spoke.

"Mhm..." Sonia nodded a touch.

"…wonder how all the others are dealing with their hangovers…" Jill mused curiously, finishing off her cup of coffee.

"...some are probably worse for wear than others." Sonia mused. "The Admiral was kind enough to get everyone back home so they could sleep it off, though."

Jill started laughing. "Oh, what about _him_ then?"

"Actually, the guy's gotta have the highest tolerance for alcohol I've ever seen!" Sonia noted with a small laugh. "After you had gone to bed, he actually beat Will in a drinking game!"

"Whoa…really?" Jill was absolutely amazed at that.

"Yup." Sonia nodded. "And then he just wasted anyone else who tried getting into a drinking game with him... which was the majority, come to think of it."

"My goodness, that's insane…" Jill chuckled.

"Well, the Admiral isn't your average GUN trooper." Sonia laughed. "Imagine if he were part of Safe Haven, huh? That would've been the day, I tell ya..."

Jill laughed a little some more.

"…you know…come to think of it, there really _hasn't_ been any humans in Safe Haven; just Mobians…" she observed. "…I wonder why that is…"

"Perhaps because those that enter Safe Haven are all much stronger and more unique than humans?" Tasha supposed.

"...who knows, really. It could be any reason..." Sonia mused, as she rubbed her chin in thought.

"…yeah…true…" Jill murmured.

"...well, no real reason in wondering about that now." Sonia mused with a light shrug.

"Right," Tasha hummed.

"I guess we could just relax for now..." Sonia mused, as she closed her eyes in thought.

"…yeah…just…relax…" Jill sighed in content.

* * *

><p>Metal's group was exhausted after all their travel, and so a break was very necessary as everyone sat to catch their breath. After what happened to Oblivion a couple of days ago, they traveled with Charon's group for a bit before they split ways and went on their own again.<p>

As usual, Proxy and Omega went off to patrol the surrounding area, whilst the others could catch their breath for the time being.

"...hm..." As she sat down on her own, Hex simply gazed towards the horizon; a small yawn escaping her lips as she stretched out. Stella was staring in Hex's direction nervously. She remembered what Demi suggested to her when they talked before the groups separated again, but she was just really uncomfortable about the idea of it. Sitting not too far from Stella, Lock glanced in her direction; noticing the glances she cast towards Hex from time to time.

Eventually, Stella stood up. "…I'm…gonna…I'm…"

The others eventually looked at her because she stood up and spoke out.

"…I'm gonna…be alone for a minute…" Stella muttered, finally walking off.

Hex happened to glance in her direction, before eventually sighing; closing her eyes as she laid back once more.

"…hm…she's nervous about something…" Violent hummed to Lock, watching Stella walk off.

"...indeed..." Lock mused thoughtfully.

"…has she told you anything?" Violent whispered to Lock.

"...no..." Lock mused. "...though... her gaze has fallen to Hex quite often, recently..."

"…must be something Demi said to her about Hex then…" Violet murmured.

"...perhaps..." Lock glanced back at the octopus. "...hrm... she may still fear a confrontation..."

"…in which case, how should we properly address this?" Violet mused. "Stella did mention that she wanted to try and resolve her issues with Hex…perhaps we should promote that opportunity?"

"...maybe so..." Lock mused. "...but getting Stella to gain the courage to speak with Hex would be... difficult..."

"…in that case…" Violent then turned toward Hex. "Hey Hex?" she spoke up to get her attention. "Would you like to check on Stella; make sure she's alright? I wouldn't want any Corrupted to show up and get any ideas of kidnapping her while she's alone…"

Hex glanced in her direction, before she sighed. "...knowing Stella, she'd likely try to avoid me..." she murmured, before she got up from the ground. "...but I'll check up on her, nevertheless..." And she headed in the direction Stella had gone to.

"…and now we wait…" Violet murmured quietly.

Stella didn't wander too far off; just enough that she knew she was alone. She needed a minute to get some space from the group and just think about this…she knew she wasn't quite ready to handle a confrontation with Hex, but she knew she had to try something. After all this time, so much negative emotion directed at Hex had been eating her from the inside, and it was just making her miserable to see Hex suffer just as much.

…she…really needed to do it…she just didn't know how.

"...you know, it's dangerous to wander alone, given who we're dealing with."

Stella yelped in fright, before she covered her mouth and spun to see Hex standing there. She just gawked at her with wide eyes, and froze in fright for a minute.

Hex simply looked at her, before she sighed; eyes closing. "...alright, I know how this goes. Go on; scream, berate me, say that you can't forgive me, run away... I figure there's little else you want to do right now."

Stella was dead silent, partly because she was still frozen with fright, but when she was able to move again, she didn't quite know how to respond to what Hex said.

"…n-no…that's not…that's not it…"

"...it's okay." Hex sighed, as she turned away from her. "I was just gonna check up on you, so I'll head back now..."

"N-no…" Stella uttered, gulping as she tried getting the words out. "…n-no…don't go…"

Hex stopped, and her eyes opened. She remained silent, but she didn't turn to look at Stella.

"...all I wanna do is just...talk..." Stella uttered.

"...just... talk, huh?" Hex slowly looked back at Stella.

Stella closed her eyes, "…yeah…just…harmless talking."

Hex remained silent for a while...

"...alright." With a sigh and a shrug, she turned back to face Stella; sitting down. "Let's talk, then."

Stella sat down too, looking down at the ground uneasily.

"...so... what do you want to talk about?" Hex hummed.

"…I…um…" Stella was actually a bit nervous, not really expecting that she would've gotten this far.

Nevertheless, Hex seemed patient; simply waiting for Stella to collect her thoughts.

Stella rubbed her hands nervously… "…how…how are you doing?" In her mind, she felt like that was the stupidest possible way to start things off, but she didn't know where else to really start.

Hex simply hummed, before shrugging. "I'm hanging in there."

Stella smiled a little. "…that's…good…yeah…" but she couldn't help how nervous she was.

Hex simply hummed. "...what about you? How are you feeling?"

"…I'll be honest…a little nervous…" Stella mumbled. "…but…I won't let it bother me…"

"...you do seem kind of bothered." Hex pointed out.

Stella nodded, and continued to look at the ground, not making any eye contact with Hex. So far, though, this has gone smoothly without too much of an issue.

Eventually, Hex just sighed. "...come on, let's hear it."

Stella looked up at Hex sadly. Hex being this way just made her feel worse…Hex already knew how Stella felt and was expecting the absolute worst from her, despite what she was going through. She was willing to take whatever abuse came her way if it meant Stella was gonna get it out of her system.

"...that _is_ the reason you wanted to talk to me, right? Just to get everything out of your system..." Hex murmured, as she looked straight at Stella. "...it's alright. I can handle it... so lay it on me."

Stella bit her lip, closing her eyes. "…Hex…"

"...listen; you don't have to be afraid that I'm gonna retaliate or anything like that." Hex murmured. "Whatever you wanna get off your chest... just do it. Right here, right now. Otherwise, I'm just gonna head back to camp, leave the issue be, and we'll have achieved nothing of value here..."

There was silence, until…

"…you're right…you're right Hex…" Stella stood up, feeling like she was losing her grip on her emotions. "I _do_ want to scream at you…I _do _want to berate you for what you did, and I can even go as far as saying that I won't ever be able to forgive you for what you did to me…it did some horrible psychological damage to me, to the point where being close to Lock made me fall apart, and I have you to blame for it. I wished all these years that you'd suffer and pay for what you did, and all of that…"

"…but…then…"

A couple tears streamed down Stella's face, and she covered her face with her hand to try and hide her hurt look from Hex.

"…but…when…I heard you already did suffer…when you were given a second chance from that Corruption to start a new life, only to be Corrupted again…and not only that, but you lost someone you cared about to those…those monsters and…you just looked so hurt and distraught and most would think, if they knew what you did to me, that I would've looked at that and felt satisfied with that as your punishment…"

"…but I wasn't…in fact...I felt even worse…"

Hex still merely looked at Stella; remaining silent.

"…it…didn't feel right at all…nobody should have to lose someone they care about, and I know that pain, because I lost my parents at a very young age…and even when I still hated you, I started to feel so guilty and hurt at the fact that I wanted you to just die in the deepest, darkest corner of this planet, that I started hating myself more than you. I felt like I was so selfish, getting wrapped up in something I should've just gotten over years ago, but it's so difficult for me to be able to get over trauma like that, and…and…"

Stella fell to her knees on the ground, shuddering weakly in agony.

"…I just…I just feel so messed up inside…" and more tears streamed down her face. "…I…I want to be able to forgive you because I see that you really have changed, but I can't, I just can't…and I feel so horrible because of it."

Still, Hex merely looked at Stella.

"…I've never been Corrupted, but I can only assume this is what it would feel like if I was, but worse…" Stella started sobbing. "…that just makes it so much worse, because I see the pain you went through and…"

And from then on, Stella couldn't even make any words come out of her mouth. She just kept sobbing uncontrollably, and yet, even after all that, Hex didn't say a single word; merely looking at Stella. Stella just kept weeping, letting out all of the emotion she had bottled up throughout their traveling.

"...so... this is what's been boiling inside you for so long..." Hex finally spoke, as she closed her eyes.

Stella tried to wipe up her tears and calm down when she heard Hex talk.

"...can't really blame you... after all, it must've been a living hell to have to spend time with me, of all people..." Hex mused, as she closed her eyes; a wistful smile crossing her lips, as if she felt like she had deserved everything that Stella had said she had originally wished upon her.

Stella quieted from her sobs, but she didn't look up at Hex while she listened to her.

"...you mentioned that you didn't know if you'd ever forgive me... truthfully, I doubt I'd ever forgive myself." Hex murmured, as she folded her arms a touch. "...not only did I mess up a lot of people... you included... I messed my own life up majorly..." Even as she seemed neutral, just a few subtle ticks, like gripping her arms somewhat insecurely, pointed at the possibility that she was on the verge of breaking down herself.

Slowly, Stella actually did end up looking at Hex.

"...all those people I've scarred, in more ways than one..." Hex kept murmuring, as her head sank lower. "...and then there's what happened to my body... not just Corruption, but... how I've mistreated it... to the same extent as I mistreated everyone else..."

Stella waited patiently for her to continue.

"...I've probably... made a lot of people hate me over the years..." Hex murmured, as she closed her eyes; her smile fading as she held her arms tighter. "...but... I don't think anyone hates me... as much as I do..."

Stella stood up, continuing to wipe her eyes while she stared at Hex.

"...I've tried... moving on..." she murmured, as she slumped against a tree. "...but... it seems like no matter how hard I try... the past just won't stop chasing me... hounding me... forcing me to face the fact that I was a loathsome creature..." She bit her lower lip in an attempt to choke down a sob. "...I can't stand the thought of... what I've done... I just can't..."

Stella looked away shamefully; given her own confession, Hex's was hard to take in. Hex remained silent; as if she feared that she'd just break down if she said another word. Stella eventually looked back at Hex sadly. She took a deep breath, as if trying to calm herself.

"...Hex..." Stella spoke.

Slowly, Hex looked back at Stella.

"...I know right now...we both feel a lot of things that are hard to deal with..." Stella murmured. "...but I think given some time...we both can heal from that..."

"...hm..." Hex hummed, as she rubbed her arm a bit. "...it'll take a while, though... we both have years of emotional baggage to deal with..."

"...yeah...we do..." Stella murmured. "...so...we just need some time to get used to each other...I guess..."

"...you don't have to worry about me..." Hex hummed, as she rubbed her neck. "...I'm adaptable."

"...I noticed..." Stella said. Then she sighed. "...it's me I'm worried about..." She looked at her shoulder, which has long since healed from that shot a long time ago. "...at least you can fight...I'm not able to do anything." And she closed her eyes. "When Mercy shot me in the shoulder, and I fell in a river, Lock had to save me, and it ended up separating us from the group...I'm really not any useful to anyone..."

"...don't say that." Hex said in a surprisingly firm tone. "Not useful to anyone... that's a load, and you know it."

Stella was startled by that with a jolt.

"...but what have I honestly done for the group, besides aid in finding Joy?" Stella uttered.

"Don't ask me; I'm not Sage." Hex pointed out. "...but think about this; have anyone from any of the groups told you, straight in your face, that you would be better suited to just going on home?"

"...no..." Stella answered, guiltily looking away.

"...exactly." Hex nodded. "You may not think so, but there's something you can do that no one else can do. You just have to figure out what it is on your own..." With that, she glanced to the side.

Stella looked back over at Hex. Hex didn't say anything; merely looking away from her still.

"...you don't look so sure...why is that?" Stella asked.

"...it's not that I'm unsure about you..." Hex murmured. "...I was just... thinking..."

"...about what?" Stella asked.

"...things..." Hex hummed.

"...never mind that." she eventually hummed. "Let's head back to the group; I'm sure that they're waiting on us..."

Stella looked at her for a long time...before she nodded, "right..." and turned to leave.

Watching her leave, Hex heaved a small sigh, as she began following her. _...truth be told... I think you're a lot useful to the group than I am, Stella..._

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, with Charon's group, they were just flying through the air... though no one seemed to be talking at the moment. Charon cast a glance back at those riding on his back, wondering how they were holding up.<p>

Most of everyone were doing okay. Diablo was sitting with Kiri silently, looking out at the horizon. Kiri simply leant her head against Diablo; eyes closed as she appeared to be resting. Trish seemed fine as well; simply measuring her arrows a touch with a thoughtful look on her. Demi, in the meantime, was flying after Charon; simply gazing ahead of them. Toki and Fargus were keeping their eyes peeled on their surroundings to make sure the sky was clear as they flew onward.

Lastly, Oblivion was just trying to stay easy. She was a bit tired herself, suffering a couple of sleepless nights ever since she had been Corrupted, because if the nightmares it caused. Naturally, Charon was worried for her; not only because of how she had been Corrupted, but because he had a feeling that she would likely be feeling guilty over Demi... or Blood, in this case... draining the Corruption from her body so she could be saved.

Twice. Twice had she been jeapordized by forces that surpassed even him... it made him worried that he was unable to protect her from those dark forces...

Every now and then, Oblivion slowly closed her eyes, gradually dozing off, only to jolt awake again in determination to stay awake.

When Toki noticed this, and seeing that Kiri was fast asleep on Diablo, she turned to Charon. "Stopping for the day might be a good idea, Charon," she suggested.

"...right..." Charon nodded, as he glanced at Demi. "...we'll land, now."

"Okay." Demi began descending at this point, followed by Charon.

When Charon landed on the ground, Diablo carried Kiri down to climb off of him. As the others got off him as well, Trish nudged Oblivion's shoulder. "Up, now; we're setting up camp."

"...Mhm..." She tiredly yawned, feebly climbing down to the ground.

When everyone had settled on the ground, Trish rubbed her neck. "Alright, you guys get comfy. I'll get some firewood." she murmured, before heading into a nearby forest.

When Trish did that, Oblivion ended up lying on the ground, finally allowing herself to fall asleep.

"...poor Oblivion...she seems so exhausted," Diablo muttered.

Demi simply looked at her with a solemn look. "...she's been forcing herself awake so very much..." he murmured.

"...hrm..." Fargus hummed, looking at her.

Even Charon glanced in her direction with a worried look.

Eventually, Diablo came over to place Kiri down next to Oblivion, and went to grab a blanket from their gear to put over the two girls, so they could stay warm. Kiri even nuzzled a touch closed against Oblivion whilst she slept.

"...got the firewood, guys." At that point, Trish came back with some wood on her shoulder; gently setting it down in a pile. "Anyone feel like cooking us some food?"

"Me n' Fargus'll take care of that," Toki volunteered. "Demi, you get the fire started with Trish."

"...right." Demi nodded, as he and Trish began setting the firewood up in a proper bonfire, before they lit the flame needed.

Charon simply watched them in silence, before his gaze wandered to Oblivion and Kiri slumbering.

Soon, camp was fully set up and those who were still awake ate, leaving those asleep to get rest. Then everyone just sat around the fire as the day got dark and turned into evening. No one said anything for a while; remaining in silence as they ate.

Finally, Diablo spoke up. "...how close do you think we are?"

"...I'm not sure..." Demi murmured, as he gazed at the fire they all sat around.

"...we still probably have a few days ahead of us," Toki muttered. "After all, we haven't heard anything from the other groups yet through the com."

"...there's been a drought of information all around..." Charon murmured.

"...yeah... and that's makin' me worry..." Fargus chimed in with a small huff.

"...Fargus, toss me the communicator," Toki said. With a nod, Fargus tossed it her way.

When Toki caught it, she pressed the button on it to talk into it. "Hey, how's everyone doing?"

_"...Toki. Good to hear from you." _Queen's voice responded on the other line. _"We're doing fine over here, for now..."_

"That's good…" Toki said. "How about the rest of you guys?"

"_We're not too bad over here," _spoke Charmy's voice next.

_"Things could be better, but we're hanging in there."_ Wiper shot in after him.

"…_and don't bother asking our group…"_ Ani groaned.

"Why not?" Toki hummed wonderingly.

_"...it's a long story."_ Jack cut in.

"…willing to share?" Toki said.

_"...it's kinda awkward..."_

"…_yeah…I'll second that…"_ Milo muttered after him. _"Though the update is, that we don't have Arsenic with us anymore. Now we have…_Kristine."

"Wait…what happened to Arsenic?" Diablo uttered.

_"...well... we found this doctor rooster..."_ Jack began. _"...and... he offered to give Arsenic a heart operation._

"...oh, that's good news!" Fargus hummed. "So she's gonna be fine, then?"

"_We won't really know anything for a while,"_ Milo answered. _"The doctor assured that he'd get her on the transplant list, but he had no idea how long it would take for her. Thankfully, Arsenic's tough enough to last long enough for a new one._"

"Either way, that sounds like good news," Diablo remarked.

"...indeed..."

_"...any other news to declare?"_ they could hear Metal chime in.

"_...some news spreading around that the Corrupted is finally planning their attack on Safe Haven…"_ Crystal mentioned. _"The poodle and Mercy warned us about that._"

"_But Sage actually got some good detail on that,"_ Boomer remarked. _"She's encountered Patricia and Bulk and…well…they weren't a very pretty sight either._"

_"...don't forget me." _Wiper chimed in. _"Sage had to pull me out of the fire before the two of them could kill me... or worse."_

"...you actually fought them?" Demi uttered.

_"Indeed. And I witnessed their power first-hand... honestly, I'd chalk it up as a miracle that they didn't Corrupt me somehow..."_ Wiper mused.

"…you mean they got stronger? How did they do that?!" Toki uttered.

_"...one word... Leoniel."_

Sage's input forced a sudden silence onto the group, until the silence was eventually broken.

_"...Leoniel...? What do they have to do with this?"_Miser shot in.

_"...quite a lot... seems like Patricia and Bulk have taken a page out of the old Novagod book, with being able to absorb souls..."_ Sage mused.

"…_no…_"

That was Ani's voice suddenly.

"…_.No, no, no, no, no, no, _no. _You can't possibly mean that they…_"

"…_that's what it's sounding like,_" Vanessa remarked gruffly.

_"...oh no..."_ was all Jack managed to utter.

"…that's…_not_ something pleasant to hear…" Toki muttered.

"...if anything, it's a real warning we've got on our hands..." Fargus remarked.

"…_King…hey King, you okay?"_ Hunter suddenly uttered.

_"...n-no..."_ King uttered shakily. _"...no...! If they have... and if they're...!"_

"...oh, no..."

Queen hissed in realization. _"...if they did that... and they're planning the attack on Safe Haven..."_

Diablo gulped at that.

"...kkh..." Charon growled a bit. "...such odds are against us..."

"…_no kidding…_" Stella uttered.

_"...hm..." _Metal's tone indicated that he was just as worried as everyone else, if not more so.

"_...things are getting out of hand…_" Milo remarked. _"…the situation hasn't even been about Malice anymore…we've been more worried about the Corrupted forces…"_

_"...because, at the moment, they're the immediate threat..."_ Lock remarked. _"...I realize that it sounds cold... but Joy's doing her best to stay out of this conflict, so Malice doesn't get involved in it either... which leaves the mess these Corrupted are doing as the main problem to deal with."_

"_Not only that, but they're only just getting worse and worse…_" Violet added with her son. _"At this rate, it's unclear whether or not Safe Haven stands a chance with the condition it's in right now."_

"…and…we're far away from Safe Haven…we can't help…" Diablo uttered worriedly.

"...tsch..." Trish seemed annoyed about the situation, as she glanced aside.

There was a long silence for a while.

"…_you're all not really gonna give up hope, are you?_" That was Captain Charmy's voice suddenly.

_"...Captain...?"_ King uttered.

"_You're not giving your warrior nation enough credit, King,"_ Charmy continued. _"And have we really all forgotten that Jill is there? Have you forgotten the things she had to endure on her own?"_

_"...we haven't."_ Metal spoke up. _"...as grim as things look... we need to have faith."_

"_Indeed…and I will admit that circumstances are getting worse…but we've been able to trump some pretty bad things,_" Charmy said. _"And all because we didn't lose hope or determination, so just as Metal says, we need to continue to have faith."_

_"...yeah!"_ Jack chimed in. _"The Captain and Metal are totally right!"_

"_It's not that we don't have faith…we're just worried,"_ Cal shot in. _"I mean, yeah, we've handled a lot…but just how much more can we take? And just how much more is going to come at us?"_

"_We shouldn't waste our time worrying about that," _Violet advised. _"We need to focus on whatever we're doing right now."_

_"Right..."_ Queen mused.

"…well, that was quite a conversation, wasn't it?" Toki hummed.

"...it certainly was." Fargus mused.

"_I think it's time we all take a rest for the evening,"_ Hunter suggested.

_"...right..." _Metal agreed.

"Talk to you guys later then," Toki said.

_"...later."_ Lock hummed.

Toki turned off the communicator then, and tossed it back to Fargus. "We should all think about getting some sleep pretty soon," she suggested.

"Yeah." Fargus nodded.

"...right... we need to build up our strength for tomorrow..." Charon hummed.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Just more and more build up as time goes on...<strong>_


	53. Chapter 52

After that conversation over the communicator they had with the other groups, Vanessa's group decided to make camp for the night. Now they seemed more relaxed, aside from Milo and Kristine who were both a bit exhausted from their training.

Guts let out a small yawn. "Nh... this has been a long day..."

"...and now it's over..." Nage groaned as she was lying on the ground and gazing up at the sky.

Jack simply looked up at the sky as well whilst sitting on his own.

Milo got up with a yawn, heading away from the group. "I'll be right back…"

"Alright; don't wander too far," Vanessa hummed.

"...later, then." Jack hummed with a slight nod to him.

Kristine just watched Milo walk away like that, and it was strange that no one questioned it. For a while, now, Milo had just wanted to be left alone…so maybe this would be the opportunity to talk to Milo.

So she got up and walked after Milo. "Me too…"

Vanessa watched her leave, and hummed. "…guess she's going to take that opportunity."

Striker looked at Vanessa wonderingly. "Opportunity for what?"

"...you'll see." Jack hummed.

Kristine ended up following Milo, until they were farther away from the group. "…where are you going?" she asked.

Milo turned around. "Nowhere in particular…just…well…wanted to be alone but you ended up following me…"

Kristine looked away with a grumble. "Sorry if I was just checking up on you…" she apologized with sarcasm.

Milo sighed. "…I didn't mean it like that…I just wanted to go somewhere to think, that's all."

"…oh…" Kristine muttered, looking around. "…you…never get surprised when someone follows you…and you always know when someone's around…why is that?"

"…the abilities I have," Milo said, looking away from her thoughtfully. "…I can see someone's spiritual energy…I tend to sense or see when someone is coming almost all the time."

"…that's convenient," Kristine hummed.

"…yeah…but just because I could see someone coming around, doesn't mean I could do anything about it if it ended up being an ambush," Milo mumbled. "…up until now, I wasn't a fighter…I just stood on the sidelines while everyone else did the fighting, and I was support…"

"…and to be honest…I hated it."

Kristine looked at Milo in astonishment. "You hated it? Why? I thought you'd be happy you didn't have to fight."

"…I had a lot of insecurities when I was smaller which I eventually grew out of when I got older…but it didn't change the fact that I felt useless compared to my friends," Milo muttered. "Ani has her telekinetic powers, Striker's gotten smart in robotics and he's still athletic, and even Jack…just look at him now…"

He sighed. "When all your friends can do that…and all _you_ can do is just…see spirits."

"…sounds crummy," Kristine commented.

"…but now…I can actually do something…" Milo sighed with relief. "…and I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get this technique down…it might even help Joy with Malice."

"…so all this for a little girl and an evil alter ego in her?" Kristine asked. "You guys are determined…"

"…that's because Joy didn't deserve any of this…" Milo muttered. "…_Jill_ didn't deserve any of this…" Milo looked back at Kristine. "That little girl's been out there on her own running away in absolute fright at a force that can control her, and hurt her family and friends…she ran away from her mother, leaving her stuck in a security tight place where she can't escape, and her father's frantically trying to find her…"

"…when you put it that way…I guess I never realized that…" Kristine muttered. "…a little girl by herself and scared…" and she frowned. "…I don't like thinking about that."

"…that's been going on for a while now…for a few months actually…" Milo muttered.

Kristine gawked. "…you've really been looking for her for that long?"

Milo nodded.

"…I knew you guys told me about all this stuff…but _geez_…" Kristine rubbed her arm uneasily, while trying to really take that fact in.

"Still focused on training to beat Leoniels at the time, I take it?" Milo assumed.

Kristine pouted. "That's not the only thing I think about, okay?!"

"…seriously though; how come you're so determined to beat them?" Milo hummed. "So much that you want to learn _their own technique_ just so you can?"

"Because they're a bunch of bossy assholes that run our town and I'm not gonna listen to them!" Kristine scoffed, folding her arms. "I'm not gonna put up with them just because everyone's scared of them and they think they can just take whatever they want. I got fired from a job because I tried to stop them, when my supervisor told me to let them do what they want. Chicken-shit he was…"

Milo sighed.

"What?" Kristine muttered, looking at Milo suspiciously.

"…well, you got spunk, I'll give you that," Milo said. "But I don't think you really comprehend how frightfully strong the Leoniels can be…"

"Oh not that again!" Kristine groaned. "Everyone's always talking about how scary they are, and how they could practically kill me with a flick of their finger, but I don't _fucking_ care! That's no excuse!"

"It's true that they actually _could_ kill you with a flick of a finger," Milo retorted. "But you're right. That's no excuse."

"Wait a minute!" Kristine got offended by that comment. "Are you saying that I can't…" and then she stopped for a minute. "…what did you say?"

Milo blinked. "…you're…right? That there's no excuse for them to act the way they do?"

"…wait…so…you're agreeing with me?" Kristine hummed.

"It's the same with the Corrupted; they have powers that can do so many different things, and so they act as though they can do what they want, since their powers can rip us apart from the inside out," Milo said. "But we all know that we're not gonna let that stop us from fighting them. We can't let them win, and even then, the powers don't make them superior. Corruption sometimes actually backfires on them. So it doesn't make them better than us."

Kristine just blinked at Milo. "…I still don't understand the Corruption thing…but…they're really just like the Leoniels…?"

Milo rolled his eyes with a groan. "Oh, you have no idea…"

Kristine was silent…

…and then she started laughing.

"…what's so funny?" Milo muttered.

"You guys _already_ know what it's like to deal with a bunch of tyrants!" Kristine laughed. "I thought that I was totally alone on that…"

Milo just raised his eyebrow at Kristine, not entirely understanding her. Then Kristine took his hands. "In that case, I'm gonna help you fight those Corrupted then! Not just the Leoniels!"

"…what?" Milo was baffled on that, as well as the fact Kristine had grabbed his hands.

"Guys like those really piss me off, and it's gonna be my goal in life to make sure they get what's coming to them!" Kristine said. "It's not fair the nice guy finishes last; I'm gonna make a name of myself to help any people being oppressed by a bunch of tyrants like that!"

Then she jabbed a thumb to herself. "And that's _my_ motivation to learn the technique!"

Milo was silent…then he just smiled with a hum, closing his eyes. "…I gotta admit…that's pretty admirable to want to do that…"

"I know, right?!" Kristine laughed. "Finally! Jack's right! You really _are_ understanding!"

Milo actually blushed when Kristine said that, and turned his head away so she wouldn't notice it. Kristine did see him turn his head at least, and she blinked. "What's wrong?"

"…it's nothing…" Milo muttered uneasily.

Kristine just blinked again, staring at him.

…then she remembered something she probably should ask him. "…hey Milo…what was your issue before, when we were arguing? Was it because I did something while we were drunk that I don't remember?"

Milo actually looked back at Kristine in amazement for that. "…why do you ask…?"

"I was talking to Vanessa and Jack and they suggested that instead of getting angry, I should just ask you why you were angry with me, and nothing else seemed to happen until we got drunk, so…" Kristine was finished, and she looked at Milo, awaiting an answer.

Frankly, Milo was honestly shocked that Kristine had realized what might've happened, and maybe even a little relieved that instead of getting angry with him, she was asking him what was wrong in a practical manner. The problem was, that he was much too embarrassed to tell her what happened, since he still remembered some of it and had no idea how she would react if he told her.

"… you'd…have to remember we were drunk…" Milo started off uneasily, rubbing his arms. "…and…I had no idea what I was doing…but…"

"…where are you going with this…?" Kristine muttered suspiciously.

Milo was getting very uncomfortable at this point, actually worrying what Kristine would think. Then he wondered why the hell he was so concerned about this; he just needed to tell her and get it over with. "…I remember us arguing and punching each other, but we had no idea what we were doing…we were so wasted…and…"

"…I…started kissing you, and we started touching each other and…" he sighed. "…that's…all I remember…"

"…what…?"

Kristine's response was very quiet. Milo looked at her, and naturally, he figured she'd be shocked by it. Something he noticed considerably though was that her spirit calmed tremendously from its usual activity, and he wondered if that was a bad thing or a good thing.

"…we did…what…?" Kristine repeated.

"…I know…" Milo muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "…and…even right now…I guess I'm not sure why I got so angry about it…I think it's because I thought you remembered and you just didn't care, or you were…y'know…"

"…oblivious…" Kristine assumed in understanding. "…I get it…you called me oblivious because I wasn't thinking about how you felt…"

Milo nodded, and looked away. "…yeah…that's why…but…I'm sorry I called you that anyway…it wasn't nice."

Kristine looked at the ground at that, feeling her heart flutter. This was new to her, and now that Milo finally told her, she actually started remembering bits and pieces from that night.

"…you just admitted that you liked me, you know that?"

Milo actually jumped at that and spun around, gawking at Kristine with a heavy blush. Kristine smirked at that then. "Yeah, it's pretty obvious now…I really don't know why I didn't see it before."

Milo looked away begrudgingly, but Kristine came up and put a hand on his shoulder, making him look back at her. "…I'm just sorry about the argument in general," Kristine admitted. "So let's try not to do that, right?"

"…r-right…" Milo answered.

Kristine nodded with a smile…and then she turned around to walk away.

"…wh…where are you going…?" Milo uttered, shocked.

Kristine stopped and looked at him wonderingly. "…I thought you said you wanted to be alone."

"…oh…yeah, that's right," Milo muttered sheepishly, and with that, Kristine was gone, leaving him be.

This left him to reflect on the reaction she had that he didn't suspect; he even swore that he sensed something…new in Kristine. That moment he told her sorry, he felt something from her…something amazing…

…but…he wondered she was even going to come around to it sooner or later. It seemed to him that Kristine was just interested in wanting to resolve their fight from earlier, rather than develop any feelings for him, but Milo knew what he felt for sure, and felt uneasy if Kristine might decide to reject him …especially since Kristine had figured out that he liked her.

He sighed worriedly, covering his face with a hand.

_...well, well. About time you opened up like that._

Milo's hand slipped from his face with a scowl. _…you're not gonna really leave me alone, are you?_

_Not a chance._ Johnny chuckled. _You're basically my new target, since Jack's pretty much off-bounds unless there's an emergency._

Milo sighed at that.

_Hey, you don't have to be like that. I'm just pointing out that you've come a long way from how you've been doing regarding Kristine._

…_I know, I know…_ Milo murmured.

_...so, what are you planning on doing now?_

_That's what I've been thinking about... _Milo hummed.

_...maybe do some spiritual training on your own?_

…_you know…that's probably not a bad idea,_ Milo hummed again.

_...whoa, really? Here I thought you were gonna blow that suggestion off..._

_Yeah, and not only that, but I had an idea on how to go about it, _Milo thought. _...after all, I haven't done any astral projection in a while..._

_...clever. So, what do you think you'll do with this astral projection session?_

_...I want to see if I can fight with just my spirit alone... _Milo answered_; and YOU'RE gonna help me._

_Ah, right._ Brief silence. _...wait... why?_

_Because you're still able to fight, despite only being a ghost._

_...right... but here's a different question; why would you want _me_ to train you? I mean... haven't I bugged you to the extent where that wouldn't be a thought?_

_Not necessarily... _Milo thought._ ...you heard Vanessa; you're talented in that area. You're probably not the teaching type, but still._

_...well, how do you expect me to teach you? Beat the snot outta your soul?_

Milo sighed, knowing he was going to regret his answer.

_...yeah._

_...wait... you're serious?_

_...yep._

_...huh. I never thought you'd be serious about this... _Strangely enough, he seemed... hesitant. _...well... we could give it a shot, I guess. But remember; you asked for it._

Milo knew he was asking for trouble, but then he wouldn't know just how much potential he had until he tested just his own spirit. He even pulled out the Bear Talisman and looked at it wonderingly.

_...well... on your own time. Tell me when you're ready._

_Right... _Milo responded, turning to walk back in the direction that his group was.

_...and... just make sure that you're ready, alright?_

_Yeah..._

Milo found his group, and they had all set up camp already, sitting around a fire.

"Oh, Milo, you're back!" Striker exclaimed.

"Welcome back, Milo!" Jack called with a wave and a wide smile.

"You're doing okay, right?" Ani asked.

"Yeah...I'm alright," Milo assured, coming around and sitting with his friends at the campfire.

"So, what have you been up to?" Nage inquired.

"I've been thinking about how I'd go about my spiritual training," Milo said. "…I think I'm gonna try astral projection with it."

"Not a bad idea," Vanessa agreed. "…then again, I wouldn't know what kind of effect astral projection would have if you tried to train. It is basically using your very spiritual energy of your soul as you are outside of your body…"

"...well, I'm sure that Milo has an idea in mind for this training." Jack noted with a smile.

"Yeah, I do," Milo answered. "For now, though, I think we should relax for a moment."

"Right; what he said!" Ani agreed.

"Yeah; relaxing would _really_ be good right about now." Guts noted with a light sigh.

Snap, who had rarely any interaction with the group most of the time, looked around at them. Since it wasn't necessary for him to do the surveillance around the area, because Vanessa was much more alert than him, he proceeded to sit.

"…so…um, what's the story with him?" Kristine hummed, pointing at Snap.

"Oh, Snap? I made him!" Striker announced with a proud smile.

"Yep!" Jack nodded with a wide smile. "Striker finished him two years ago!"

"Yeah! I took on to doing robotic stuff from the Professor!" Striker said. "That's not really his strong suit, but after battling Eggman, he figured out how some robots worked, and even figured out some stuff of his own. I'm the one that really dug into that research based on the files he had from Eggman's data and blueprints and stuff!"

"…wow…hearing you guys talk about that is strange…it's still really just like a fairy tale or a legend to me…" Kristine muttered.

"Not to us, nope!" Ani laughed. "We were practically raised on those stories! The boys more than me anyway…but when you talk to someone who's been through those experiences, you get used to believing them!"

"…Oh, I wasn't saying I didn't believe them," Kristine muttered. Then she smiled. "In fact, they're my inspiration!"

"Really now?" Vanessa hummed.

"You're inspired by the stories we were told?" Jack uttered with a tilted head.

"Yeah! They made me want to be…well, you know…" Kristine chuckled a little sheepishly when she looked at Milo.

Milo couldn't help but chuckle as well. "…they made you want to be the one to help the innocent and weak from people that'd take advantage of them, huh?"

Kristine nodded.

"Well, that's a really nice goal to aspire to!" Nage chimed in with a small smile.

"…and I wish I could get the bastard who offed Sonic the Hedgehog!" Kristine huffed, pounding her fist in her palm. "Sad that no one ever really solved that!"

Everyone stared at each other silently.

"…oh…if you guys are close to the Professor…then it's probably a touchy subject huh?" Kristine muttered in sudden realization.

"…_well…it isn't just that,_" Snap replied. _"We actually know who did it._"

Kristine gawked at him. "_WHAT?!_" She jumped to her feet. "Then tell me! Tell me, who was it that killed him!"

"...uh... actually..." Jack remarked, as he rubbed his neck. "...he's... kinda been killed already. Like... twice, at least."

"…what…?" Kristine blinked at that.

"…basically…it was Deity Novagod…"

Kristine froze with a stare at Milo, as he looked at her solemnly. "…Patricia's uncle was the cause of this whole thing…and he was the one that killed Sonic the Hedgehog…"

When Kristine didn't respond, Milo continued. "He was the one who created Corruption in the first place, and he was a very powerful wielder of it. This whole problem has actually gone a couple generations…all up to Jill and then Joy…in fact…Joy was the one that really stopped him for good."

"...geez..." Guts uttered with wide eyes.

"…so…in the end…even Sonic had to die too…?"

Everyone looked at Kristine while she sunk back down in her seat, a look of slight hopelessness appearing on her face and dragging her down. "…and not only that…but it was Corruption that killed him…?"

"…we found this out seven years ago…" Striker threw in while he looked away. "…all while we were still kinda fighting Metal Sonic, though at this time, he wasn't really doing anything for world domination…he was just trying to find out information he might've needed for something; don't remember what…"

"…but we were there…" Ani added. "…Me, Striker, Jack, Milo, and…Brick…we were at that Gaia Temple when we were told the secret of Sonic's murder…"

Jack simply looked down at the ground. "...told to us by Light Gaia, no less..."

Kristine was silent, looking at the ground.

"…Deity was eliminating anyone who could oppose him…" Milo said. "…but…guess that stopped with all of us, and Jill and Joy and Metal Sonic…"

"…but this is _still_ going on…" Ani huffed, getting frustrated and sad. "…this time, it's just his stupid niece! She decided that she was gonna follow in his footsteps!"

"...right..." Guts murmured, as he glanced at the ground as well.

"…you guys…really have been through a lot, haven't you?" Kristine asked, looking up at them.

Milo nodded. "…yeah…"

"…our lives were so different back then compared to now…" Ani sighed.

"...things weren't nearly as chaotic..." Jack mused.

"…at least until up to the final showdown where Jill and Metal went super anyway…" Striker added.

Kristine looked back down at the ground again.

Nage glanced at Kristine. "...a lot to take in, right?" she assumed.

"Yeah," Kristine answered.

"...I'll admit, it's kinda hard to believe, yeah..." Jack remarked, as he rubbed his neck.

"…but you guys are doing the same thing Sonic and his friends are doing…" Kristine said, looking up at them. "…you might just be doing this to help a little girl…but in reality, you're contributing to trying to save a lot of innocent people…"

Everyone looked at each other when Kristine said that.

_...well, what do you know; she has a point._ Milo heard in his head, as the others remained silent.

"…you know that if people know what you guys are doing, you'd be known all over, right? You'd all be heroes just like Sonic and his friends, right?" Kristine said. "So…why…just why haven't you guys told the public about all of what you did, and are doing?"

"…because we promised Jill…" Milo answered. "…heck, even GUN kept a lot of this stuff confidential. Jill didn't think she could handle the publicity…"

"...and given that this has been going on for the past seven years..." Jack murmured. "...it'd be even tougher to bring it up now, of all times..."

"…so…you're doing all these things…but you really don't want to get noticed…" Kristine muttered.

"...that's about right." Jack nodded.

"…that's…kinda weird…" Kristine uttered.

"...you think so?" Jack blinked.

"Yeah, I mean…anyone I've known has always wanted to help people just so they get noticed and famous and whatnot…" Kristine said. "…but then they end up getting greedy and selfish, and become the exact same kind of guys that need to be stopped from hurting people…"

She smiled. "…but…you guys aren't like that at all…you really, genuinely wanna help others."

Striker laughed. "Well, what was your first clue?"

"I can think of a couple of clues, actually." Guts noted with a slight laugh.

That ended up getting a few laughs out of the group.

_...good that you're keeping spirits high._ Johnny mused to Milo.

…_it's the only thing we can do right now,_ Milo responded.

_...hey, that's a good thing. It relieves tension... and you're gonna need it, kid._

Milo became silent at that, while everyone else finished laughing it up.

"Hoo..." Jack sighed, as he rubbed his neck. "...man... what time is it, anyway...?"

"_Precisely 9:25,_" Snap answered.

"We got some time to ourselves!" Ani laughed. "No need to go to bed yet!"

"How about some stories then?" Vanessa suggested.

"Yeah!" Jack cheered.

"Anyone got some good stories to tell?" Nage called.

"Oh…I got some fun ones to tell…" Ani snickered. "Working at a bar, I see lotsa things at Safe Haven…some of which are absolutely hilarious!"

"Oh boy." Guts hummed with a small chuckle. "Which year is this gonna be from, Ani?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out!" Ani laughed.

"Hoo boy..." Guts laughed.

"Alright; tell it, Ani!" Nage called.

After a whole evening of telling stories all around, making each other laugh, the time finally came to rest. Everyone laid their heads down and went fast asleep, including Milo…

…though he waited a bit until everyone was asleep before he pulled out his charms to wear. He also glanced at the Bear Talisman, wondering if it might have any use for him for this. Either way, he meditated for a moment, before he finally fell asleep himself…

…and he was looking down on the group, including himself in a matter of minutes.

In that instant, though, Milo was suddenly punched _straight_ in the gut.

"UGH!" Hurriedly, Milo backed away quickly, holding his gut in pain. _…guess I should've seen this coming,_ he thought in agony, as he quickly flew away.

Swiftly, however, someone flew in front of him, and swung a kick at him.

"You should try and fight back, you know; I told you that you'd need to keep your spirits high!"

Milo growled in his pain, and threw a punch forward.

And the punch was grabbed in an insanely strong grip. "...so, what's the plan now?" Johnny hummed, as he simply looked at Milo in indifference.

"…uhm…" And Milo was at a loss right now.

"...wrong answer." And Johnny proceeded to head-butt Milo.

"Agh!" Milo yelped in pain at that, holding his head.

While he was distracted like that, Johnny simply kicked him. Milo finally dodged that kick, and threw one back.

"Hah!" Swiftly, Johnny grabbed the incoming kick. "You're learning!" And he tossed Milo ahead.

Milo stopped himself in the air and lunged at Johnny with a punch.

Johnny took that to the face and briefly staggered; though he shot a hand forward to grab Milo by the head, before hurling him down towards the ground. Milo hit the ground hard. Without waiting, Johnny flew down towards him and aimed a powerful punch at Milo. Milo rolled over quickly getting back up, and he threw his hand again to either slap or punch him; whichever one would hit him away. Johnny caught both of Milo's wrists, however, and swiftly threw a kick at Milo while he was caught like this.

"UGH!" Milo grunted in pain.

"C'mon; you're not getting anywhere if you're not retaliating!" Johnny growled in impatience.

…Milo then suddenly snarled, and lunged at Johnny with a vicious punch. The punch struck Johnny dead-on, and with a groan, he stumbled back, whilst glaring at Milo. Milo kept coming at him with punches, getting angrier and angrier. That actually began forcing Johnny somewhat on the defensive; his eyes narrowing as he blocked each punch Milo was throwing at him. "...so what's eating ya?"

"The fact that they're getting stronger and we're getting _nowhere!_" Milo yelled, continuing his onslaught.

"Weren't you one of those that wanted everyone to not worry about that?!" Johnny called back whilst remaining on the defensive.

"Yeah, I didn't want anyone to worry, but the more I thought about it, the more I can't figure out a solution!" Milo screamed. "I want to help Joy against Malice, and I want to be able to stop the Corrupted, but things are getting worse!"

"So now you're freaking out about it at the worst time possible!" Johnny growled as he kept deflecting his blows.

"Think of it as trying to work my anger out!" Milo said, throwing a kick this time.

"And that's gonna cost ya!" In that instant, Johnny moved _past_ the kick, and threw a fierce punch straight at Milo's gut. It was a hard enough hit to actually cripple Milo for the moment, heaving over.

"...you could've avoided that if you'd just focus." Johnny growled. "But you can't, because you're so pissed right now..."

Milo just growled at him. And Johnny, in turn, merely glared back at him.

Milo roared then, and threw his hands. He didn't expect actual spiritual energy to shoot out from his palms, heading for Johnny. Johnny's eyes widened momentarily, and as the energy blasted against him, he rocketed straight into the woods.

Milo froze, then, and gawked at his hands, open mouthed. He had only been able to do that through dreams…not just with his spirit out here. Perhaps this whole spiritual training was actually helping him make some progress.

Then he wobbled a bit, feeling dizzy from that.

The instant he wobbled, though, a tremendous surge of energy rocketed out from the woods, and there, Johnny stood; eyes narrowed as he grit his teeth in trying to keep his boiling anger in check. Milo actually shuddered when he saw this, and then positioned in a ready stance in case he would come at him.

Then, with a thundering roar, Johnny rocketed towards Milo; throwing a punch even stronger than any one before it. Even if Milo tried to prepare for it, he still wasn't prepared. This shot Milo even farther than Johnny had been hit away. And, without even skipping a beat, Johnny shot directly after him with a fire blazing in his eyes.

Seeing him that angry, Milo tried to stop him with a few more shots of his spiritual energy. Now though, Johnny just smacked aside the shots as he snarled; glaring straight at Milo in contempt. Milo felt like panicking, seeing how fast that Johnny was heading toward him without any of his attacks knocking him away successfully, and he turned to fly away…

…only to find dizziness hit him again from the attacks.

Then, with a massive outcry, Johnny slammed his fist directly against Milo's back, with a thundering force behind it that sent Milo rocketing far ahead.

"_AAAAAAAAGH!_" That hit _really_ hurt Milo, and it also sent him rocketing so fast he didn't have any time to react to the next thing.

Heading for a random stone wall.

Thankfully, he was just a spirit, and he actually phased through the wall, plopping down onto the ground roughly. And right after him, Johnny slammed onto the ground; glaring daggers at Milo.

Slowly, Milo got back up, heaving and catching his breath from that hit, and holding his back in agony. This was rougher than he anticipated.

Then he jolted and looked up at the building before him.

It was a magnificent temple…but it wasn't just any old temple. He recognized this temple from a photograph that Professor Tails had shown him and the other boys when he was telling his stories. It was a Gaia Temple.

…really? Had they been so close to a Gaia Temple without them knowing? This was so surprising for Milo that he literally forgot Johnny was standing right in front of him in his fury.

"Hey! Don't turn your back on me, you..." At that point, Johnny glanced behind Milo... and his eyes widened. "...well, goddamn." he uttered.

"…yeah…" Milo muttered with a gulp.

"...had no idea we were this close to that temple..." Johnny murmured.

Milo looked back at the wall he phased through, seeing that it was a large wall that stood around the temple itself. Then he looked back at the temple itself.

…suddenly, Milo froze.

He saw someone standing there at the entrance to the Gaia Temple. The figure was too far away to distinct clearly who it was, but there were some features about him that Milo recognized, and considering when he sensed his spirit…

His eyes widened.

"...what's wrong?" Johnny uttered.

Then that someone turned around and entered the temple.

"W-wait!" Milo yelped, shooting for the entrance to the temple.

"Ah- Milo!" With an annoyed hiss, Johnny pursued Milo with a narrowed gaze.

Milo shot into the temple fast enough to witness the someone disappear within one of the walls on the far end of the temple, in a strange stone mural.

"Wait!" Milo yelped, though it was too late at this point when he stopped in front of the mural.

Johnny wasn't too far behind; making sure to run up to Milo before he'd do something that they'd all regret. "...geez... what's the deal, Milo?"

"…I…I thought I…" Milo was stuttering.

"...you thought what?" Johnny huffed.

"…I thought I saw Brick."

"...excuse me?" Johnny looked at Milo with a tilted head.

Milo looked back at him. "I thought I saw Brick…and he phased through this mural…"

Slowly, Milo looked back at the mural…and even reached to it. Johnny glanced at him with a narrowed gaze. "...hey, don't do something stupid." he uttered.

Milo stopped and looked at him.

"...you don't know what this thing can do." Johnny uttered. "If something happened to ya..."

"…em…you're probably right…" Milo spoke, pulling away from the mural cautiously.

"...good..." With a nod, Johnny rubbed his hands. "...now... we'd better get out of here if we want to keep training... I bet if you're _really_ curious, we could come investigate with the rest in the morning. Right now, though, we'd better not do anything rash..."

"Right," Milo said with a nod, turning to follow Johnny…

…and then he noticed something glowing behind him. "…hm…?"

"...huh?" Johnny glanced behind him as well.

As it turned out, the mural was glowing, with a green light that pulsated throughout it.

"…uh…" Milo had no idea what to make of that.

"...ah, shit..." Groaning, Johnny looked from the mural to Milo. "...kid... we gotta get outta here..."

Milo looked nervous, and ready to go, "Uh, y-yeah-"

And then the mural blasted out a tremendous power, which knocked Johnny far. "GAH!" Crying out in actual pain, Johnny slammed to a brutal halt outside of the temple. "...shit...!" Growling, Johnny glared at the temple, before he swiftly got up on his feet and just charged for it. A barrier suddenly stopped him from getting into the temple, and when he started pounding on it, he suddenly realized something.

Milo was still in there.

Snarling, Johnny began relentlessly hammering his fists against the barrier. "Goddamn temple... you let him go! Youbetter let him go right the fuck now!" he roared, as he kept pounding his fists against it. "Goddamn it! MILO!"

The temple didn't listen. Instead, a bright green light started to shine from within the temple, shooting rays through the windows as the light intensified.

Still, Johnny persisted in hammering against the barrier. "Goddamn it all!"

Then when the light was at its brightest…

…the light died down within the Gaia Temple suddenly. The barrier disappeared, and all seemed to be at a calm…

…and before Johnny went rushing in, something came stumbling out from inside the temple.

…it was a figure, glowing in green.

Johnny blinked. "...the hell...?"

The thing was, this green, glowing figure…looked exactly like Milo. It didn't seem very aware of it's surroundings; it was just weakly ambling out of the temple…

…and it eventually collapsed to the ground.

"...ah, shit!" Quickly, Johnny ran up to the figure and grabbed it; eyes narrowed in worry. "Hey, is that you, kid? What happened?!"

"…_Johnny…?"_

It was Milo's voice alright, but it sounded more…otherworldly.

"...goddamn..." Johnny just shook his head. "...what happened in there? And... what's all this?" He lifted one of Milo's arms. "It looks like... like..."

And his eyes slowly widened in realization. "...no fucking way..."

Milo slowly got back up to look at himself, which Johnny noticed he had nothing but glowing white eyes…and Milo was silent.

"...shit..." Johnny uttered, before he got up to look back at the temple. "...alright... Goddess! Cainfield! If any of you are in there, tell us what the hell just happened!"

Milo just kept looking at himself, presumably in disbelief…

…soon, he produced a glowing ball of bright green energy above his palm…and grew even more amazed.

Johnny looked back at that. "...goddamn... that really is what I thought it was..."

Milo looked at Johnny for that…and then the ball of energy dispersed.

Then Milo suddenly took off into the woods. "Ah- goddamn it, WAIT!" Johnny called, before groaning. "Goddamn it all... could someone just explain to me what the fuck just happened?!"

"…just follow him, moron…" spoke a voice behind Johnny.

His eyes narrowed. "...moron?!" He spun around. "You're one to talk!"

Johnny ended up looking at another spirit. He folded his arms. "How so?"

"Well, come on! I'm talking to a literal bullhead; I think that goes to show who the bigger moron is!" Johnny yelled.

It turned out to be Brick, who just glared at Johnny. "…whatever…it's what you suspected anyway. Yes, we gave him the ability to use that power."

"Well, ain't that just peachy!" Johnny growled. "How about you just tell us in advance?! You scared the unlife outta me!"

"Oh, c'mon, you can take it," Brick scoffed. "Seriously, were you _that_ scared for him?"

"I...!" As he realized what he had just said, he quickly glanced to the side with a hiss. "...don't get any funny ideas, Cainfield; I was just worried about taking any shit from the group if he had gotten hurt, is all..."

Brick just chuckled as he turned to walk away. "Sure thing, Leoniel…sure thing…"

With a huff, Johnny turned to look back at Brick. "...so what the hell have you been doing, anyway?"

Brick stopped and looked back at him. "We've been busy."

"Oh, busy, huh?" Johnny scoffed. "Would it kill you over again to give us a status update, if you've been so busy that you couldn't help us out before now?"

"Well, let's see…" Brick tapped his chin. "Chip heard that little complaint you made about 'not trying to do anything' so he was doing some thinking…and what just happened was the result of that."

"...oh." Johnny blinked. "...you're... telling me he _actually_ considered something _I_ said? Geez, pinch me; I must be dreaming."

Brick actually chuckled at that. "Yeah, tell me about it."

"...okay, okay, so..." Nodding, Johnny rubbed his neck. "...so, that mural exploded into light.. and now Milo can just spontaneously use it." He folded his arms. "Is this a one-off thing? Like, 'only he's bright enough to use it', that kinda crap?"

"…that's honestly something we've been trying to figure out for ourselves…" Brick muttered. "…yeah, we've been having a tough time finding other candidates, and so far, Milo's been the most ideal…but we're still trying to see if we can't have others use the same power…"

"…thing is, not many others go to a Gaia Temple these days…and…well, apparently there are so many complicated things about it I don't get," Brick grumbled.

Johnny hummed, as he rubbed his chin a bit.

"...so apparently, from what you're saying, I could have everyone in the group head over here, make sure that the giant lightshow engulfs them, and they can use it too?" he inquired.

"…eh…well…" Brick looked away uneasily. "I don't think it would work like that…"

"...why not?" Johnny noted. "Isn't it kinda unfair that you can only teach away that power to _one single person_, while the Corrupted can do the same with _ten thousand times_ the efficiency?"

"…look, I'm not sure if I remember who said this, but I remember somebody saying that 'it's much easier to be bad than good' or something like that…" Brick looked at Johnny. "It's just so much easier to Corrupt people than it is to teach them Purity, and granted, most of these guys are better suited to use Purity but…"

He sighed. "…Goddess keeps saying that it won't work…and goddamn it is that woman hard to talk to."

"...tell me about it." Johnny grunted with a light huff. "...actually... you know what? Fuck it. I'll be right back!" And suddenly, he shot off.

Brick just watched him fly off, and he sighed again.

Meanwhile, Milo had finally gotten back to his body, and one of the first things he noticed with a startle is his charms; they were all broken. Every charm was split in half…all except the Bear Talisman, that is; that stayed intact for some reason. Either way, Milo was able to sink into his body…

…and all of a sudden, Milo jolted awake with a gasp. Thankfully, this didn't wake up everyone, but he got right up to his feet, just staring at his charms and them himself.

…_is it really true...? _He thought.

Suddenly, Jack's body jolted up, wide awake... and he immediately looked towards Milo.

Milo jumped at that, since that just sort of happened, but then he realized who had the body, and he blinked. "…what are you doing…?"

He simply made a motion to where the temple was, before he began heading over there.

Milo's eyes widened at that. _…Johnny…what are you…? _To make sure he was as quiet as he possibly could, he snuck past the sleeping group to follow him…

…though to be honest, only one popped their eye open to glance over to see them run off. She sighed, getting up from where she was sleeping.

"…don't run too far off boys…" Vanessa sighed, figuring she'd stay awake to make sure they'd come back.

It didn't take too long for Johnny to finally stop by the temple; glaring straight ahead. "...alright, Cainfield... here goes nothing!" And he began running into the temple.

Milo finally saw what he was about to do, and he gasped. "Johnny, wait!"

Course, Milo didn't have to do anything, because a power knocked Johnny back out of the temple.

"GAH!" As he landed on the ground, he shook his head, before glaring at the temple. "...now what?"

There, standing in his way, was Goddess. Though she had the cloak on, she was in her Holy Form with her large, feathered wings, holding her staff threateningly against Johnny.

Milo quickly ran up to her. "Goddess, why?! He just wanted to see if Jack could use the same power!"

"...Milo." Johnny suddenly growled. "You're not gonna reason with her... her mind's made up." he growled, as he slowly got on his feet, "...unfortunately for her... so is mine."

"_He's already been Corrupted once, and as worthy as he would seem to be able to use Purity, he won't be able to,_" Goddess said.

"Yeah? Well, you were gobbled up by both Deity and me in the past, and you look like you're in great shape still!" Johnny scoffed. "Now get outta my way!"

"_I'm not about to let you just thrust everyone you know into the Temples!" _Goddess snapped back at him. "_Enough of them are getting destroyed by the Corrupted!"_

"...what?" Milo was stopped at that. "What do you mean they're getting destroyed by the Corrupted?!"

Johnny merely narrowed his eyes.

"…_Patricia and Bulk have figured out that the only places the Corrupted haven't been able to go to, are the Gaia Temples…"_ Goddess explained. _"…anytime innocent people have felt to shelter themselves into the temples, the Corrupted have been restricted…and so…they…"_

"…but Chip's power is much stronger; how could they destroy the temples?!" Milo wondered.

"…_it's not…how powerful he is…it's how _limited _he is to do anything in _this _world,_" Goddess reasoned.

"...well, if they're pulling that kinda shit..." Johnny growled, "...then all the more reason to get more people who can actually _stop_ those bastards! Or do you _want_ everyone in the world to become Corrupted?!"

"_I just said that he was limited on what he could do in this world…and it isn't us not wanting you to stop them, we want that…but…"_ Goddess grew silent on that matter, retracting her staff.

"...what, is it because there's no one in the world like Jill, huh?!" Johnny suddenly called. "That only the cream of the crop, some 'chosen end-all, be-all' people are privileged enough to handle Purity?!"

"…_no…it's not that…_" Goddess spoke. _"…it's just that…Purity is just as easy to misuse, as Corruption…they are both very powerful forces, and though Corruption thrives on chaos, Purity is supposed to be controlled stability and order…which…no one could possibly be expected of…nor does anyone use in said manner…my daughter's power flourishes from her emotions of all things…"_

"…what exactly are you trying to say…?" Milo muttered. "…are you saying that anyone could make the same amount of damage with Purity, as they are now with Corruption?"

"…_in a sense…yes…_" Goddess spoke. _"…Purity is more connected to life and the world around us, because it is the force he uses to rebuild everything that Dark Gaia destroys…but if someone with ill intentions were to possess Purity…no longer would it be pure and controlled, but knowing what kind of power it is…those thoughts provoke selfish desires…" _

She closed her eyes. _"…it's not about who's worthy…it's more along the lines of who you would trust to reject those desires, and be able to use the power for its intended purpose…_" and she looked away.

"…_I knew I didn't deserve the power I was given…I had fully believed in my heart for the things I've done, the things I couldn't prevent, and for the feelings I had…I shouldn't have been the one to be allowed to use his power…I didn't even have the strength to give birth to my own daughter…and knowing that, all I could ask was that she be given my power instead, to carry on what I couldn't do…and that in itself, was the most selfish wish I could ask for…"_

Johnny's eyes narrowed.

"...so that's it, then." he scoffed. "Just because _you_ felt bad about having that kind of power, you think everyone is gonna end up like you, is that it?"

Goddess shocked a look at Johnny. "_It's…it's not like that…_"

"…I guess I could really see your argument," Milo said. "But Goddess…when the Corrupted have gone, so have their powers, and, for Jill at least as far as I've known, her power subsides and she can't use it; through Safe Haven she's had to rely on her _own_ ability to fight through it, but I digress. It's not like they've still been able to use that power and take advantage of it, so I would think the same sort of thing would happen to anyone else with those powers. Metal's been still able to use them, but he's been able to use them responsibly."

Goddess looked at Milo.

"No one with those powers so far has misused them, as you say," Milo continued. "And…if they're going as far as destroying Gaia Temples, isn't it about time that we have to try something risky like giving other people this power? I can assure you that at least me and Jack will be able to use it for its intended purpose…"

And Goddess was silent then.

"...well? Are you gonna let me past, now?" Johnny grunted.

Goddess looked up at Johnny, still unsure looking.

Then she jolted and looked in another direction, tensing with her staff up.

Milo wasn't going to ask questions because he could sense it too. "Johnny, look!"

"Hn?!" Johnny immediately spun around to glare at whatever was coming this way.

Slowly but surely, something was coming…and that something was bringing a lot of darkness with it. It was almost as if it was blanketing the area. The figure coming their way looked like a jellyfish Mobian that could hover just a bit off the ground, and she was hovering toward them.

"...aah, shit..." Johnny growled. "...that's the Corrupted that destroyed the temples?"

Goddess nodded.

"…_remove yourselves, or I will be forced to take you along with the temple…_" The jellyfish spoke coldly.

"...Milo." Johnny uttered. "This would be a good moment to see if that power actually works."

Milo nodded, holding out his hand. At first, he wasn't sure if it would work now that he was in his body, but when a green energy suspended itself over his palm, he was relieved. He was able to use it.

Then he shot the energy at the jellyfish, and it definitely took the jellyfish by surprise, making her hiss and cower back when she got hit.

"...alright..." With a nod, Johnny looked back at Goddess. "...now let me in!"

Goddess looked down at Johnny, and she was about to open her mouth, but a shot of Corruption at her knocked her into the temple.

The jellyfish got back up, still hissing. _"...where…where did you get that power…_?"

Johnny glared back at the jellyfish with a snarl. "...damn...!"

Milo stood his ground. "Johnny, go in! I'm gonna hold her off!" as he conjured up more Purity energy in his hands.

"...fine!" With a nod, Johnny shot into the temple as well.

"…_you…child…think you can hold me off?"_ The jellyfish chuckled.

"I'm not just a kid anymore…" Milo answered defiantly, running at the jellyfish.

Looking back at that, Johnny grit his teeth. _...right... it's just a matter of getting that mural to work again..._ Nodding, he ran straight for it; hands clenched as he felt prepared to do what he had to do.

"_STOP!"_ Goddess flew up in his way with outstretched arms, stopping him.

Johnny screeched to a halt. "NOW what?!" he yelled.

"…_I…don't trust you…_" Goddess murmured. _"…and how can you be sure this will work for him, since he had been Corrupted?"_

"...oh, for..." With a snarl, Johnny began walking towards Goddess; eyes narrowed. "I do _not_ have the time for this shit!"

Goddess looked at him, and then looked outside the temple worriedly. She heard Milo yelp out when the jellyfish attacked him.

"...Goddess!" At that point, Johnny charged right at her. "I'm gonna get this to work, even if I have to go straight through ya!"

Goddess was trembling…she wasn't sure what to do…

…finally, she moved out of the way of the mural, to head outside. "_Fine! Have your way! I have to protect the temple!"_

"...well, about time!" Without skipping a beat, Johnny rushed straight for the mural. _C'mon, you son of a bitch, activate...!_

Soon, the mural started to glow with a green light.

"Alright, here we go...!" Johnny uttered...

...but as the light grew brighter, he suddenly clutched his forehead in pain. "The hell?! Why am I...?!" And then, his eyes widened. _...no... it couldn't be because of _me?! _Don't tell me that the light's hurting _me_?!_

When Goddess got outside the temple, she witnessed Milo getting beaten around by the jellyfish, having grown stingers of darkness all around that whacked him, but despite that, Milo was trying his best to fight, though he was getting breathless.

Goddess waved her staff and it knocked away the jellyfish with tremendous power.

Glancing outside, Johnny grit his teeth, as he looked back at the light. _...shit... if I'm inside the kid while this thing bursts, I might not make it... _He closed his eyes. _...damn it all... I have to find some way to wake this kid up! But if I stay here too long... fucking hell...!_ He let out a pained snarl as the light grew brighter.

Goddess looked back, noticing Johnny was having trouble, but she knew Milo still couldn't face the jellyfish on his own…

…especially when he got snatched by the stingers, and jolted with Corruption to make him scream out.

Goddess waved her staff, slicing the stingers that held Milo, which sent him to the ground weakly.

Johnny growled, as he had to take a step back from the growing light. _...damn it all, why do I still have to be a rotten bastard even at a time like this?! _At that point, though, he stood his ground. _...no. No, I gotta stay here... I gotta make sure that Jack's awake for this... even if this goddamn lightshow is gonna end up annihilating me!_

"Hey! Think _fast!_"

Suddenly, something shot out from the mural, and grabbed Johnny…in a sense…

To be honest, the body stayed standing there, but Johnny's spirit was yanked right out of Jack's body suddenly.

Johnny's eyes widened. "The fuck?!" And he looked at the one who grabbed him.

Just as they got outside the temple, Johnny could see that it was Brick, and he dumped him right outside. Then he gave a salute and rushed inside, just as the temple exploded with that green light.

Johnny swiftly shielded himself as the light exploded from the temple. "...damn... that was close..."

The three others noticed this too, and turned to look when the light died out.

"…_explain to me what that was, or I will beat the answers out of you…_" the jellyfish threatened, raising the stingers.

Slowly, Johnny got on his feet, before shooting a glance at the jellyfish. "...you know what? Fuck you." he spat.

The jellyfish hissed and raised her stingers toward him. "_You dare threaten me?!_"

Milo breathed, while slowly trying to get back up on his feet.

"I dare to mock you." Johnny huffed. "So what's your story? Patricia wanted a pet, but they were out of goldfish or something?"

"_Oh, what an original insult,"_ the jellyfish scoffed bitterly; obviously, the insult affected her. Because she was so focused on Johnny, though, Milo was able to shoot a beam of Purity at her, which knocked her backward a bit.

Panting, Milo just glared at her. "…take…that…"

Seeing that, Johnny suddenly ran in front of Milo and glared at the jellyfish. "Hey, ignore the kid; if you want a real challenge, you're looking at something that's gonna blow you clear out of the sky!"

Suddenly, the jellyfish laughed.

"…_with what power, spirit?"_

And suddenly, there was an explosion of Corruption in the direction that Milo had knocked the jellyfish.

Goddess grew nervous, and decided to slip into the temple to check on Jack, since the light was gone. As she hurried into the temple, she would see a lone person still standing completely still, surrounded in that pale-green glow... looking like Jack.

"…_Jack?" _Goddess was amazed, since it looked like it worked, and she approached him with a hand on his shoulder.

He didn't move.

Goddess took him and shook him. _"Jack?"_

Still, he didn't move.

Goddess walked around to look at him face to face. And... it turned out that, in spite of everything, he was _still _fast asleep; slumbering peacefully with a smile on his face, even while standing up.

"…_oh dear…_" Goddess sighed.

Meanwhile, the darkness started to spread around more and more, surrounding the temple, Johnny and Milo.

"Guys!"

Suddenly, from within the darkness, their friends slipped through and got to Milo. The first thing they noticed, of course, was the building Corruption fog and the fact they were near a Gaia Temple.

"Milo, are you okay?!" Striker came over to him, and of course, Johnny was still a spirit, so they couldn't see him.

"Geez, what the hell's going on here?!" Guts uttered as he looked around in worry.

Seeing all of them, Johnny grit his teeth. "...Milo, get them the fuck out of here...!"

Hearing Johnny, Milo looked at all of them. "Guys, get out of here!"

"_Oh, it's too late for you or your friends to escape…for I've trapped all of you!"_ echoed a voice with laughter, which belonged to the jellyfish.

Nage blinked. "...who's that?"

Snarling, Johnny glared around. "...hey! How about you try someone your own size?!"

Milo grit his teeth. Then he looked back at the Gaia Temple. "Everyone, get inside there! It's safe!" he yelled.

Johnny glanced back at the temple... and nodded. "...good idea! Get everyone in there, and I'll hold off squidface!"

"Uh, you sure Milo?!" Ani uttered.

"Just do it!" Milo wailed.

And everyone ran into the temple quickly, though when Kristine stopped and looked back, she noticed Milo wasn't running inside. "Wait, what about you?!"

To the others, it looked like Milo was looking away, but he looked at Johnny. "…I'm gonna stay and fight, whether you want me to or not."

Johnny glared back at Milo. "Look, if you really want to be of use, you can be the guard to the door... but leave this to me, alright?!" he yelled. "I'm not in the mood to quarrel about this, so just do as I say!"

Milo was going to argue, but he saw a large stinger come out from the fog to try and smack him. He jumped away just in time, staring at Johnny.

"Come on Milo! Just get inside!" Ani pestered. "You can't expect to take that thing by yourself!"

Johnny simply nodded at him. "...I'll be fine! Just go hide!" he called.

Slowly, but begrudgingly, Milo stepped back into the temple…and upon that, collapsed. Thankfully, Kristine was able to catch him before he hit the ground.

"Whoa, what's wrong?" Guts crouched down to look at Milo. "You look really out of it..."

"…I…tried to fight that thing…" Milo huffed. "…it took a lot out of me."

"Then take a break for a bit…" Ani suggested.

Meanwhile, Vanessa looked over, and stopped when she noticed the green glowing figure that was Jack, and Goddess, who blinked back at them silently. Still, it seemed like Jack was fast asleep, without a care in the world.

"…what have you done to my son?" Vanessa ran up to Goddess, and looked back and forth between him and her.

That got the others to look, and they, too, were shocked.

Nage blinked upon seeing this. "...is... is that supposed to be Jack?" she uttered.

"…yeah…it is…" Milo answered.

"…but how did that happen?!" Striker was baffled. "What really happened? I mean…" he was so confused he wasn't sure what to think.

Blinking, Guts wandered up to him and looked at him. "...and... is he _sleeping?_ While standing up straight?"

Vanessa glared at Goddess. "Who are you, and what have you done to my son?"

"…_please understand…no harm was done to him,_" Goddess answered.

"...that... doesn't answer anything." Nage remarked.

Goddess looked over at Jack. _"…he…may be able to use Purity._"

"WHAT?!" yelped everyone else in the room, besides Milo.

And yet, that somehow didn't wake Jack up.

"…huh…I'm surprised that didn't wake him up…" Ani mused.

Soon, everyone ran over to Jack, Kristine carrying Milo, and they all observed him. Even as he was surrounded by that glow, he remained completely stationary; eyes closed as he slept soundly and peacefully.

Striker poked at Jack. "He looks weird…"

With a hum, Nage glanced at Goddess. "...just what happened to him, anyway?"

"…_the temple granted him the power of Purity…"_ Goddess answered.

Then there were more blasts outside, making the temple shake, and Goddess yelped out painfully, collapsing onto the ground weakly.

"G-Goddess!" Milo uttered.

"…_the barrier…around the temple…_" Goddess uttered, wincing. _"…I'm trying to hold it up…but that Corruption is beating against it…"_

At that point, something only Milo and Goddess could hear shot through the air...

...Johnny crying out in pain.

In that instant, though, Jack's eyes shot open, and he seemed startled.

"That was Johnny!" Milo uttered.

"Wait, _what?!_" Ani uttered. "You mean Johnny is fighting that thing out there?!"

Suddenly, Jack turned to look in horror towards the outside. "...no!" And he suddenly charged away from the others.

"Ah- Jack, wait!" Nage called, but he was already outside.

When Jack got outside, he could see Johnny's spirit, and the numerous stingers that were speared into him, oozing with painful Corruption, and it almost looked like it was sucking the life out of him.

Growling, Johnny tried fighting against it, but the many stingers were making it hard to move.

The surprising thing about this was that Jack, somehow, could actually see Johnny being tortured like this... and with a narrowed gaze, he looked around. "HEY! Leave him alone!" he called out.

Johnny winced, as he looked towards Jack. "...holy... it worked..."

"_Oh, and who are you to stop me, child?"_ cackled the jellyfish's voice.

"...I'm his nephew!" he called. "And... and I don't like that you're bullying him!"

"_Bullying him? Well, aren't you just a treat!"_ the jellyfish laughed.

And suddenly, stingers flew at Jack.

Seeing that, Johnny grit his teeth. "Dodge 'em!" he called.

However, Jack stood his ground... and as the stingers rocketed at him, he just grabbed them. "Let him go, already!"

And, subconsciously, the glow around him actually sent a surge of Purity rocketing up against the dark stingers, without Jack's knowledge. That caused pain for the jellyfish, making her roar in pain, and actually releasing Johnny from the stingers.

Dropping to the ground, Johnny just collapsed, as he breathed out. "...shit... must be getting old..."

"...you're a ghost; you can't age." Jack remarked, as he looked around. "...come out, you bully!"

"_Why don't you try and find me yourself?"_ hissed the jellyfish.

"...fine, I will!" And Jack charged straight into the black mist.

Johnny's eyes widened. "...you idiot! That's where she wants you to go!"

But it was too late…Jack vanished within the mist.

Johnny's eyes widened, as he just gawked at this. "...shit... that Corruption is thick... is his Purity even gonna be strong enough...?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>We'll see Johnny...We'll<strong> see..._


	54. Chapter 53

Yes, Jack really was seeing just how thick the mist was, and it didn't help that it was in the middle of the night, so there was absolutely no light guiding him. Well, aside from the light emitting around him at the moment, but even that only got him so far. "...nh... so thick..." Narrowing his eyes, he trudged through the mist slowly.

"…_oh, having trouble seeing through, are we?"_

"...it's just dark." he uttered. "The mist isn't doing anything to me... so I just have to find you."

"…Jack…?"

Suddenly, Jack heard a different voice.

Jack's eyes widened suddenly. "...is that...?"

There was a figure Jack could vaguely see, wandering the mist. "...hello?" Jack called, as he began approaching this figure.

The figure stopped and looked toward him. "Jack, is that you?"

Jack's eyes widened. "...is... is that you...?" He shook his head, and he began running for that figure. "...it couldn't be... could it?"

The closer Jack got to the figure, the more he could distinguish from it…and the more he recognized it. Jack's eyes widened, and he came to a stop once the figure was just out of arm's reach. "...Arsenic..."

The figure turned again, and sure enough, Jack stared upon the face of Arsenic. She looked at him in wonder.

Jack's eyes widened, as he gawked at her. "...I can't believe it..." he uttered with a growing smile. "...wow! The operation's already over with?" He walked up to her. "And you look great! This is awesome, Arsenic!"

"…yeah?" Arsenic smiled too.

"Yeah!" Jack uttered. "Aaw, man, wait until I tell the others..." Then a thought struck him. "...wait..." He looked back at Arsenic. "...how did you get here so quickly?"

"I flew here like I usually would," Arsenic answered.

"...well, yeah, that's a given..." Jack remarked with a small chuckle. "...but... I was just wondering how you figured out where we were..."

"Well, I just flew around to look…and found you guys," Arsenic said with a smile.

"...wow... that's great!" Jack uttered with a smile, before it suddenly fell. "Oh, oh! We can't stay here; there's a Corrupted bully hiding here somewhere!"

"…Oh, really?" Arsenic looked shocked.

"Yeah... and I can't see her anywhere; she's hiding in the fog like a coward!" Jack uttered as he looked around.

"Really?" Arsenic walked up to Jack then.

"...yeah..." Nodding, Jack held a hand out to Arsenic. "C'mon; I can take you to the Gaia Temple. You can wait with the others there while I look for the Corrupted."

Arsenic took his hand with a nod. "Okay…but first, can I do something?"

Jack blinked. "...uh... okay, sure." he nodded. "What is it?"

"This." Arsenic suddenly yanked Jack forward since she was holding his hand, and she planted her lips on his. Jack's eyes widened in absolute surprise; frozen on the spot as if trying to process what was going on. Arsenic didn't pull away, staying there.

Jack blinked somewhat; this just seemed so... strange... would Arsenic really just have kissed him out of the blue? And why when she had been told that a Corrupted was on the loose? Softly, he tried pulling away so he could catch his breath a touch. Arsenic blinked at him. "…you okay?"

"...uh... yeah..." Jack uttered, as he rubbed his neck. "I just... well... isn't now a bit of a bad time...? I mean, the Corrupted could be anywhere, right now..."

"…true…I guess they could be anywhere…" Arsenic muttered.

"…_like right in front of you, boy…!"_

Suddenly, Arsenic's eyes flashed red and she grew claws that dug into Jack's arm. Jack's eyes widened, and he let out a pained cry as he felt the claws digging into him. Then Arsenic threw him onto the ground, hissing.

Jack groaned as he grabbed where his arm had been stabbed, before he glared up at Arsenic. "...you... you tricked me...!"

"_Oh, how naïve you are, you little brat!"_ Arsenic was talking, but it sounded like the voice belonged to the jellyfish.

Growling, Jack slowly tried getting on his feet. "...how... how'd you know about Arsenic, anyway...?!"

The jellyfish's voice chuckled. "_This mist brings out your heart's desire…I'm just going to have to guess that this girl is someone you really care about…_"

"...she's... a really good friend of mine..." Jack uttered, as he got on his feet. "...so stop pretending that you're her, you bully!"

Arsenic laughed an evil laugh and jumped back into the mist, disappearing.

Grunting, Jack began running after her. "Get back here, you meanie!"

The jellyfish just continued to laugh while Jack ran.

As he ran, Jack put a hand on where he had been stabbed earlier; noticing that it wasn't hurting anymore. _...is it the green glow doing that...?_

"_So she's just a really good friend huh?"_ the jellyfish chuckled. "_Just what exactly is that supposed to mean?"_

Jack's eyes narrowed, as he looked ahead. "She's someone I won't let you try to imitate; just like with all of my friends!"

"_You didn't seem to be too shocked when she kissed you…"_ the jellyfish mused.

Jack looked up at the mist with narrowed eyes. "...because I love her!" he stated matter-of-factly. "But just because I love her doesn't mean that we're not friends!"

"_So where is this girl anyway? How come she isn't here for you, boy?_" the jellyfish chuckled.

Jack looked around with a narrowed gaze. "...she's having a heart operation! Her heart's weak, so she's being operated on so she'll get better!"

"_Oh, a heart operation? Well, are you so sure she could get better?"_

What looked like a mirror suddenly appeared nearby, flashing an image on it. Jack blinked, before he approached the mirror. The mirror was looking into a hospital room, directed at a bed, and in the bed, was weak, sickly looking Arsenic. A monitor was hooked up to her, tracing her heartbeat, and specifying that it was really faint.

Jack's eyes shot wide open, as he grabbed the mirror. "Arsenic?!"

"_Yes…just what if, one day…they couldn't help her in time…?"_

Arsenic looked like she was wheezing while she was slumbering…and suddenly, the heart monitor went dead, making Arsenic silent.

Jack's eyes were wide open. "...no... NO! No, this isn't real!" He shook his head. "That can't happen! Arsenic can't... she just can't...!"

"_But what if it _were_ to happen?"_ the jellyfish mused.

"...no... no, it can't!" Jack uttered. "I know Arsenic... she's stronger than that... and we promised! We promised that she'd make it back to us when she got better!"

"_You have to realize sooner or later that there might be some promises you can't always keep, kid,_" the jellyfish spoke.

"...but this was a special promise." he uttered, as he glared at the mirror. "...and Arsenic is the kind of person who definitely keeps her promises!"

"_Not all promises can be kept, because some things happen that others can't control,_" the jellyfish specified.

"...but... she's gonna make it!" Jack uttered. "I know she will... I just know it!"

"_But what will you do if she doesn't?_"

"...I..." Jack looked down. "...I haven't thought about that..."

"…_or…perhaps something else would take her…_"

Suddenly, the mirror brought up Arsenic again, but a dark mass of Corruption lurked outside of her window.

Jack's eyes widened. "...NO!"

Suddenly, the Corruption burst into the room, engulfing Arsenic, and when she woke up, she screamed out, thrashing as the Corruption swallowed her.

Jack, in desperation, hammered against the mirror. "NO! ARSENIC! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!"

As he yelled out in despair, unbeknownst to him... the Purity surrounding him suddenly reacted to his emotions, as a massive glow began surrounding him; channeled into the mirror itself. Some of that glow surrounded Arsenic, cradling her in the glob of darkness.

"_Try as you want to save her, she's eventually going to end up all alone…and forgotten…_"

The darkness pushed against the glow harder, making Arsenic cower and hold her head. "...no!" Jack suddenly uttered, as he saw that glow protect her. "...no, she won't! She's not gonna be alone!" As he said that, the glow grew stronger. "I'm gonna be with her... and Striker... and Milo... and Ani... and mom... and everyone else! We're not gonna let anything happen to her!"

"_You really think that?_" the jellyfish hummed.

"No, I don't..." Jack retorted, as his eyes narrowed. "...I _know_ that!"

The darkness in the mirror pressed even harder, and Arsenic looked ready to cry. _"She doesn't seem to think that._"

Jack's eyes narrowed, and he began pushing against the mirror more; Purity radiating from him. "...Arsenic... hang in there...!" he called, as if he tried to push himself _into_ the mirror to save her.

Arsenic didn't hear him, feeling the pressure between the two forces get harder and harder.

"...Arsenic...!" Jack just kept trying to push himself into the mirror; focusing even more Purity than he could possibly fathom at this moment whilst trying to reach her.

So much energy built around Arsenic that it started to take shape…and almost look like an identical figure of Jack, just made completely out of Purity energy, and it held Arsenic closely.

Jack saw that, and he nodded. "Yes!"

Arsenic clung to the figure of energy, while the Corruption still continued to press against them.

Jack's eyes narrowed. "...that Corruption isn't going to get you, Arsenic..." he uttered. "...I protected you once... and I can do it again...!"

The energy around the figure got so powerful that it practically exploded out, blasting away the Corruption.

"_WHAT?!_" screamed the jellyfish.

Jack's smile grew bright. "YES!"

Suddenly, the mirror burst right in front of Jack, and the mist blew aside a moment, revealing the jellyfish who looked as if she had been knocked away.

Seeing the jellyfish, Jack's eyes narrowed, and he rushed right for her. "There you are!"

"Eep!" The jellyfish tried to get back up to get away.

However, Jack grabbed her, and gripped her tightly whilst glaring at her. "You're a big bully!" he yelled in her face. The jellyfish tried to struggle.

"So what do you have to say for yourself?!" Jack called out loudly.

"_Whatever you have to do, I can take it!"_ The jellyfish screamed back.

"That's not what I wanted to hear!" Jack called, as he held a hand to her head, which was brimming with Purity. "I want to hear you say that you're sorry!"

"_AAAAAGH!" _It caused her pain, and then… "_…you want to hear me…apologize?_" This baffled the jellyfish.

Jack nodded. "Apologize for being a bully!"

"…_I'm not gonna do something stupid like that!"_ the jellyfish scoffed.

"It's not stupid!" Jack called, as he pushed his hand further against her. "Now apologize!"

"_AAAAAGH!" _The jellyfish screamed out in pain…

…when finally, "_A-alright! ALRIGHT! I'm sorry!_"

Jack's eyes narrowed. "...you're sorry for what?"

"…_I'm sorry…for being a bully…_" the jellyfish grumbled.

"...good."

And with that, Jack actually set the jellyfish down on the ground again. The jellyfish groaned, holding her head from that pain. With that, Jack looked down at her in silence.

The jellyfish then glared at her. _"Now what?"_

"...I'm thinking..." Jack hummed, as he looked at his hands. "...for some reason, I've felt really weird... and it's all because of this glow... and it can hurt you and repel Corruption..."

Then, he looked down at her. "...so... is this Purity...?"

"_You tell me kid,"_ the jellyfish scoffed. _"I haven't seen that power before, and the higher ups never told me anything about it._"

"...I see..." Jack nodded... and then he looked down at you. "...then... I could purify you... right?"

"…_what…?_" the jellyfish looked startled at that.

"...I mean... it must hurt, being stuck in a Corrupted body..." Jack remarked. "...even if you don't seem to notice... it's dark, cold... empty... and scary..."

The jellyfish just stared at Jack…and slowly, looked away.

He crouched by her. "...I'm right... aren't I?"

The jellyfish just looked back at him nervously.

"...it's okay." he spoke, before nodding. "...I've been through the same... you can be honest with me."

"…_it's not pleasant…_" the jellyfish admitted.

Jack nodded. "...even if it tries telling you otherwise... it's just really grimy and nasty..."

"…_y-yeah…_"

The jellyfish shuddered, holding herself. _"…p-please…please heal me…_"

With a small smile, Jack simply hugged her. "...there, there... it's gonna be okay..." he uttered gently, as the Purity radiated around him; surging against the jellyfish's body.

The jellyfish shuddered, while the energy absorbed her, and she winced. It was painful. Jack simply closed his eyes. "...it might hurt, but... it'll be over soon... so don't worry..."

Dark smog oozed out from her as she uttered pained grunts, and even the black mist was starting to lift. Still, Jack just held her; making sure that even if it hurt, someone was there to watch over her.

Finally, all of the mist lifted, and so did the darkness on her, leaving a colorful, though weary jellyfish with jewels all over her. She panted, looking about ready to collapse. Jack simply looked at her with a small smile. "...are you... okay, now?"

"…yes…"

And then the jellyfish finally did collapse.

With a small sigh of relief, the glow around Jack finally dispersed...

...and then, he collapsed as well; eyes closed as he had fallen asleep once more. Those hiding in the Gaia temple ran out when they saw this, separating Jack from the jellyfish.

"I can't believe it…" Striker uttered. "He actually purified her!"

"...wow..." Nage's eyes were wide upon seeing that. "...that's... something else..."

"Let's hurry and get them inside," Vanessa suggested.

"...alright..." Nodding, Guts took the task of picking the jellyfish up. "Someone grab Jack!"

Vanessa went and picked him up. "Let's go." With that, the group began heading back to the Gaia Temple.

Milo and Kristine had been waiting for them in there, and once the others got back into the temple, Goddess reset the barrier around it. _"Hopefully, we won't have anymore unwelcome guests…_" She muttered.

With a small grunt, Johnny simply rubbed his body where he had been stabbed by the stingers; hissing in light pain. "...damn it, that hurts..."

"…alright…I want you to explain to me how my son can use Purity," Vanessa said, walking up to Goddess.

"…_not even I expected that he could…to be honest,_" Goddess spoke.

"And yet, he could," Milo added. "So you were wrong about him not being able to with being Corrupted."

Vanessa just glared at Goddess, and she trembled at that look.

Noticing Jack's body, Johnny hummed. "...let me try to explain..." he hummed to Goddess, as he began approaching the body...

...but as he tried entering it, something was keeping him from getting inside there. "...nh...?!"

Milo noticed that, and his eyes widened. "…you know what? I don't think Johnny can possess Jack now…"

"…wait, where did that come from?" Striker muttered.

"…well, Johnny's in the room with us and…em…" Milo felt like he was on the spotlight for this one…

…until Goddess sighed, and waved her staff. _"I will do this once…_" When she waved her staff, it was over Johnny, and when some sparkles cascaded down on top of him, it made him appear before the others who couldn't previously see him.

"EEP!" Kristine jumped when she first saw Johnny.

"WHOA!" Nage took a step back from that as well, along with Guts.

"...the hell?!" Johnny looked around, before looking at Goddess. "...what'd you do this for?"

"_Clearly, you can't take over Jack to explain anything…so I made you visible so you could,_" Goddess said.

Ani scratched her head. "You know…I kept forgetting he was following us…"

"…wait…WAIT…he was _following_ us this whole time?!" Kristine uttered.

"…I think it's just making things more awkward, Goddess…" Milo muttered dryly.

"...I'll say." Johnny remarked. "Like, can't you just tell them yourself?"

"…_I just see this as a better alternative…_" Goddess sighed.

"...because you're scared shitless of having to explain it yourself." Johnny huffed.

Goddess looked away uneasily at that.

"...bullseye." he scoffed.

"...look... I don't care who, but could someone just explain what's going on?" Guts groaned.

"…the way I see it, both Jack and I have been able to use Purity somehow…" Milo muttered.

Striker gawked at Milo. "Wait, you too?!"

Milo held a ball of Purity energy suspended above his hands, making the others gawk in surprise.

"...okay... but... _how?"_ Nage uttered with wide eyes.

"…this temple…" Milo looked up and all around. "One of the murals exploded with light, and both me and Jack had been caught in the blast…and because of that, we can use Purity…"

"…_Light Gaia has only been able to work through the Gaia Temples…and these blasts made by him granted you these powers," _Goddess added. _"Unfortunately, they have also proven to be safe shelter from the Corrupted, and they have been destroying each of the Gaia Temples. None other but this one remains…"_

"They're destroying the Gaia Temples?!" Striker uttered. "But that's years and years of history wasted!"

"I don't think the Corrupted care about that Striker," Milo remarked.

"...and if it weren't for Jack... we could've lost this one, too..." Johnny hummed.

"…_the reason Johnny was no longer able to possess Jack anymore was because his body was filled with Purity…and well…it repels Johnny for obvious reasons,"_ Goddess added.

"...which means that... I'm not gonna be able to properly help you guys out anymore." Johnny murmured. "...and... it might be better this way, honestly."

Nage blinked. "...wait... Jack was sleeping soundly before, so... either he ran all the way over here..." She gawked at Johnny. "...no way... you let him get hit by the Purity _on purpose?!_"

"…yep…" Milo answered.

"…wait…so you're telling me…this _WHOLE_ time…this guy could get possessed by _him?_" Kristine uttered, pointing at Johnny.

"Up until now at least," Ani answered.

"...hm." Johnny simply glanced aside.

"...whoa..." Guts uttered upon hearing that.

"…so…now what?" Ani muttered, sitting back boredly.

Johnny shrugged. "...try asking Goddess."

Goddess was only looking outside of the temple, noticing light peering through from the horizon. It was the sunrise. "…_it's morning…_" she stated.

"...already, huh...?" Nage hummed.

"…in that case, I suppose we should get ready to head out," Vanessa figured.

Striker looked over at the unconscious jellyfish. "What about her?"

"_Leave her to me; I will take care of it,"_ Goddess spoke.

"...if you say so..." Guts hummed with a slight nod.

Goddess waved her staff again, and Johnny was no longer seen by anyone, except Milo of course.

As he went invisible, Johnny sighed. _...you know... this is gonna be weird; not being able to possess Jack anymore..._

…_does that mean you don't see any reason to follow us anymore?_ Milo supposed in thought, while Kristine helped him up.

_...I'm not sure. I might stick around just in case you need more training... but now that you've got Purity, it's gonna be hazardous for me to get hit by ya._

…_if anything, you can make a good scout too…_ Milo added.

_...I hope so... we'll have to see what I can do like this..._

* * *

><p>"…okay…I think I might have figured out how Callous is going to bring back Spiel…"<p>

Jill was talking to Tails Doll one day, or, well, rather Metal Sonic through Tails Doll. She had already explained the fact that she was meeting with Spiel through dreams under the influence of alcohol, and what Spiel warned her about the Safe Haven attack; something that she was surprised to discover Metal had already known about based on a warning someone had given his group.

"…you remember…our training, right?" Jill spoke. "The training to beat Callous in that battle all those years ago?"

"_...it's... a faint memory, but... yes, I do recall it, now that you mention it._" Metal spoke through the doll. "_Why do you ask?_"

"…one of the things we were able to do was tap into the Special Zone with only two emeralds, and we talked to Sonic and his friends," Jill continued. "…what if…I built up enough Unity to break into and access the Special Zone? Infuse it with her Corruption to bring back Spiel?"

She looked away uneasily. "…he's…a _very_ powerful being, and I'm not sure if her power alone can tap into his, or that she might even be able to use Corruption while in my body."

Then she looked back at the doll. "But…I use Unity…and…it's a combination of the three…so technically, she _should_ be able to use Corruption…and the emeralds are at Metropolis, where I can't reach them."

A hum escaped the doll. "_...it sounds... like a risky move... are you sure that both of you would be able to handle such a feat without the Emeralds?_"

"…it's something to try…" Jill muttered. "…it would be more risky trying to bring back Spiel by ourselves…so it was the only thing I could come up with…"

"_...you have a point..._" Metal hummed, as the doll nodded a touch. "_...still..._" He sounded somewhat worried as he spoke.

"…I know…" Jill murmured.

"_...can you promise me... to stay safe?_"

"…Yes, I can promise that," Jill said with a smile.

A relieved sigh came from the doll. "_...great... thank you, Jill..._"

"Sure thing," Jill responded.

The doll looked back at her; looking thoughtful. "_...though... what of the rest of the island? Even with Spiel on your side... fending off all those Corrupted forces will be no easy task..._"

"…no, it isn't…" Jill muttered. "...the only thing I could really do about that is possibly bring back Krieg too…with the two of them working together, we can only hope, but then that's even more I would have to drain from the Special Zone…"

Jill held her head with a sigh. She was really nervous about all of this.

"_...I truly wish I could be there... to aid you all..._" Metal uttered.

"…I'll be honest…I wish that too…" Jill said.

The doll remained silent, though a small hum of curiosity was audible.

"…how are the rest of you?" Jill asked.

"_...they're... hanging in there._" Metal spoke.

Jill nodded at that.

"_...well..._" He hummed a touch, as he looked at Jill. "_...what about the others on the island? Are they doing alright...?_"

"They're doing fine; a lot of them manage to keep themselves occupied," Jill answered.

Then she sighed.

"…I hope this all ends sooner or later…" Jill muttered. "…either that…or I can finally join you guys. I've struggling with staying in one place and just…waiting."

"_...I hope it ends soon as well, Jill..._" Metal replied. "_...it's been turbulent... but it seems like things are in motion, at the very least..._"

Jill nodded. Then she held up her palm for Unity energy to build up. "…and I've been storing as much energy as I can…I'm going to need it…"

The doll nodded. "_...I hope it goes well..._"

The Unity vanished from Jill's palm and she looked at the doll with a smile, albeit a sad one. "...and I hope you guys stay safe."

"_...you stay safe as well..._" the doll uttered, before he hugged Jill softly.

"...of course," Jill spoke, hugging the doll back. The doll remained silent as it hugged Jill back.

Jill finally let the doll go and looked down at it. "…talk to you later then…?"

The doll nodded. "_...later, Jill..._"

And, with that, the doll shook its head. "_...man... I really miss big bro..._" he murmured now that he was in control once more.

Jill sighed. "Me too Tails Doll..." and she got up from where she sat on the couch, pacing around.

Tails Doll simply looked at her.

"…Jill, help please!"

Jill jumped at that, and ran after that voice into the kitchen. Tails Doll's eyes widened. "_Oh no!_" he uttered, as he fluttered after Jill.

When they got in there, they saw that Tasha was on the ground and she was having trouble getting up because of her large stomach. Jill hurried over to help her up. "Are you okay?!"

"I-I'm fine…" Tasha muttered. "I-I…just slipped is all…"

"_Oh goodness...!_" Tails Doll uttered in fear as he looked down at her.

"What were you trying to do?" Jill asked.

"…I was reaching for something that was a bit too high…in the cabinets," Tasha muttered sheepishly.

Jill looked up, and pulled down what was a bag of chips. "These what you wanted?"

Tasha nodded. "Thank you…" and took them.

Jill smiled a little. "Munchies getting to you?"

"…a little…" Tasha admitted embarrassingly.

"_...oooh..._" Tails Doll hummed with a small nod.

"…just make sure and ask me for help Tasha; you should be more careful," Jill recommended, with a nod coming from Tasha in response.

Tails Doll simply nodded. "_...you must be really far along now..._"

"About 6-7 months I'd think," Jill added.

"Yes," Tasha agreed, while the three of them walked into the living room.

Then there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get that," Jill said, leaving Tasha to head to the front door and open it.

When she opened it, Sonia stood there with a small smile. "...heya, Jill." she spoke with a nod.

"Oh, hi Sonia," Jill said. "Come in." and she moved aside for her.

Smiling, Sonia entered. "How's it going, hm?"

Jill closed the door behind her. "Not much…"

"...well, around this time of day, nothing much really seems to be going on..." Sonia mused.

"Well then, how about you join me and Tasha for a while? We're not really doing anything but we can chat," Jill said.

"Yeah, I guess we could do that." Sonia mused, as she smiled at Jill. "Might be good to just sit back and chat for now..."

"Yeah..." Jill chuckled, while the two of them headed into the living room.

As they entered the living room, Sonia couldn't help but cast a glance outside the window. "...today's looking to be a peaceful day..."

"Yeah, it is," Tasha agreed, nibbling on chips.

Once Jill sat down, she looked over at Sonia. "Hey Sonia, I'm curious...how's it been going with you and Wiper?"

"...well, that depends. Do you mean just in general, or while he's been out there?" Sonia mused as she took a seat.

"Well, both really," Jill said.

"...well, we've been going steady for a while, as you know." Sonia mused with a smile. "True, he might be busy with GUN, but whenever he has the time to show up... man, do we play a mean game of chess." she added with a giggle.

"You two and chess…" Jill chuckled in amusement.

"What can I say? It's an addictive game when you play opposite him." Sonia remarked with a giggle.

"You're just competitive in general, Sonia…" Jill mused.

Sonia giggled more, as she leaned back to look up at the ceiling. "...as for how it's been with him out there... well, I don't really have a way of talking to him, like you and Tasha do with Metal and King..." she mused, before closing her eyes. "...but... somehow, I get the feeling that even if he's busy with something this big... he's still doing alright."

"He should be," Tasha said with a nod. "He seems like he would be the type to stay well despite the circumstances."

"Yep; that's Wiper for ya." Sonia mused, as she smiled just a bit. "...smart and careful..."

Jill nodded in agreement, and then grew silent after a while. Sonia hummed, as she looked over at Jill.

Jill looked back at Sonia. "…you know what? We need to find a way you can contact him."

Sonia blinked, as she looked at Jill. "...wait, really?"

"Yeah, it's not fair that the two of us can talk to the ones we can and you can't," Jill said. "And he works for gun. Surely there's something Wiper has that allows any emergency contact that GUN would issue him?"

Sonia blinked, as she looked aside. "...huh... you know, I just haven't thought about that possibility..." she remarked, whilst rubbing her chin.

"Though, it wouldn't be for emergencies of course, but it would be a way to just talk to him if you needed to," Jill added.

"…I don't know if GUN would be willing to provide that contact information for her, though, given what's been going on," Tasha remarked.

"...yeah; that'd be kinda hard to get my hands on, all things considered..." Sonia murmured.

"…maybe we'll figure something out," Jill said.

"...right..." Sonia mused, as she sat herself back a bit.

* * *

><p>The day was starting to come to a sunset in the horizon. Hunter looked over to see that. "Hey King."<p>

"...hm...?" King looked over as well.

"…we've been gettin' low on supplies, and the day's coming to an end," Hunter said. "We should find a town where we won't be too conspicuous in to stock up on supplies and maybe spend the night."

"I second that idea," Dax remarked.

"...agreed." Queen mused. "Should we scout ahead to see if we can't find such a town?"

King hummed for a moment, before nodding. "...yeah, we should."

"Me n' Dax'll scout ahead then," Crystal offered. "You guys stay behind until we come back and call the coast clear!"

"...alright." King hummed with a light nod. "You guys be careful, though."

"Yeah Crystal; he said we need to be careful," Dax added sternly.

Crystal laughed, ruffling his spikes. "Oh lighten up. Things are gonna be fine," and that was the last they could capture from their dialogue before they disappeared, allowing the rest left behind to just sit and relax.

"...so who's bettin' on them getting in trouble?" Berta hummed as she sat down.

"Don't joke about that..." Miser sighed as the others relaxed.

"Ah, leave her be; she's probably relieved that Crystal won't be around for a bit," Hunter chuckled.

"That's true; they've been bickering for a while, now." Queen remarked.

"Glad they volunteered though; it's nice to rest your legs for a bit…" Hunter continued with a yawn.

"Kekeke... that's true..." Ripper mused.

"…how you holding up King?" Hunter asked, turning to the tiger.

"...I'm... doing alright..." King mused, as he looked up at the sky with a thoughtful hum.

"…'penny for your thoughts,' as Sage would say it?" Hunter hummed.

"...hm." King hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...guess I'm just wondering... how much longer this is gonna last..."

"…I'm sure that's on everyone's mind…some more so than others," Hunter murmured.

"...of course..." King mused, as he sighed. "It's just... how long have we been doing this...?"

"…months…sad to say King, I've lost count of the days," Hunter said.

"...same..." King murmured. "...I'm just... worried, you know... I promised I'd be back before she'd..."

"…she's not there yet, King," Hunter assured him. "It may have been long, but I can tell you that it hasn't been _that_ long."

"...I know." King nodded with a small hum. "But... the clock's still ticking, too..."

"…have either of you thought of any names since you found out it was a boy?" Hunter asked.

"...we've... talked a bit about a possible name..." King mused, as he rubbed his neck a bit.

"Yeah?" Hunter said.

"...I've thought of a few, like... Bolt... Blitz... maybe name him after her or my dad..." King mused, as he rubbed his neck. "...but we haven't decided yet."

"Right…" Hunter said with a nod. "…and no rush…still plenty of time to figure that one out."

"Yeah..." King nodded.

* * *

><p>So the group chattered on for the time they had to relax. At first, it was nice…but then it was getting later and later. Soon the sun was fully set and the sky was just starting to fade to darkness.<p>

"…where are they…?" Hunter muttered.

"...they're taking their sweet time." Berta grunted.

"…that'd seem like Crystal at least…" Hunter mused.

"...still... you'd think that Dax could keep her out of trouble enough to get supplies..." Miser mused.

"…Not sure if he could control her to be honest," Hunter chuckled.

Suddenly, Queen's eyes narrowed. "...someone's coming... someone hurt." she uttered.

The air grew tense for the group.

"Queen…can you tell who it is?" Hunter uttered.

Queen's eyes narrowed further.

"...it's Crystal."

Everyone jumped to their feet at that, and just as they did, a figure limped toward them. Looking up at them revealed the face to be, indeed, Crystal. She had been beaten and bruised badly, and when she saw the group, she finally collapsed to the ground.

"...oh my god!" Miser quickly rushed over to Crystal. "Crystal! What happened?!"

When everyone else rushed to her, Crystal tried to get back up, but she was weak.

"…there was a town…but…when Dax and I tried to get in, we were stopped…" Crystal uttered with a few weak coughs. "These ex-mercs have taken over the town and they're running the place…but they're holding the entire town hostage…they haven't told us anything about why…but when we tried to leave, they trounced us…"

"...you gotta be kiddin'..." Berta uttered with wide eyes.

However, that suddenly made King realize something. "...wait... Crystal. Where's Dax?"

Crystal was grit her teeth, trying to hold back some tears. "…they took him, King…they took my best friend as another one of their hostages…just so he could give me the opportunity to come back here and warn you guys about the town…"

And she pounded her fist weakly against the ground. "…we gotta go rescue him…I don't know about the whole town, but we gotta get Dax back…"

King's eyes narrowed...

...and then, he turned to start walking. "...Queen. Hunter. You're with me." he spoke. "Ripper, Miser, Berta... stay with Crystal."

Without a word, Queen slowly rose to her feet, and began walking after King.

"W-wait! King!" Crystal was going to try and get up, but she couldn't, collapsing back down.

"Don't worry Crystal; we'll handle it," Hunter assured her, walking after King as well. "We've done this before."

"...he's right..." Miser mused, as she looked at Crystal. "...you need to rest; you're too hurt to move..."

Crystal grunted in her pain. She was definitely distraught at the fact that Dax had been left behind, and how willing he was to let her go just so she could get back here…she only hoped that he was alright, or at least alive and being treated alright.

* * *

><p>Sure, he was alive, but as for being alright, or treated fairly, that wasn't the case.<p>

After getting beaten up, Dax was thrown into a room to lay weakly there, and they closed the door on him, locking it.

"...sheesh... lost one of them hostages because of this kid..." the merc who had tossed him into that room murmured after locking the door; standing guard before it.

"...yeah… now there's no telling if she went to go blab to someone about the town," another merc spoke to him. "…I'm gonna alert the boss about this. You keep guard over him."

"Right..." the merc groaned.

Dax tried to sit himself up against the wall, groaning in agony.

"Oh, and do something with the arm, will ya? It's kinda creepy how he had that thing," one of the mercs uttered, as his footsteps carried him away.

Dax looked at his socket where his robotic arm was with a depressed sigh. Not that it hurt when they pulled it off, but he wasn't sure if he was even going to get it back, and without it, there was no way he could call for help. The only thing he could rely on now was that Crystal would make it back to the group to warn them about these mercs.

"...right... the arm..." With a hum, the other merc walked off as well. "...figure the boss might be interested in it..."

Dax looked around the room he was in. The mercs had snatched the hotel in the town as their headquarters, and were currently keeping the townsfolk in each of the rooms, almost as if the hotel was a makeshift prison. He was just in another one of the ordinary rooms of the hotel.

Looks like they threw him in here by himself too, though he wasn't sure if that would've made any difference opposed to throwing him in with a couple of the other townsfolk. He would've at least liked someone to talk to instead of having to stay put in here to wait…

…it was better than having them beat him though…which they did for a while, demanding where Crystal went. He wiped his lip which had been cut open from all the hitting they did on him. Not that he wasn't used to being beaten up because he used to be picked on before he met Crystal…he just didn't want them to hit so hard. He had to play like he was unconscious just for them to throw him in here.

He was at least able to get a look at their leader though…and he wasn't a pretty sight; some raccoon guy with scars all over his face. He didn't seem to be saying anything when Dax got a glimpse of him though, and he wasn't around when they beat him up. He just only got a passing glance…the only reason he could tell the raccoon was their leader was because they were referring to him as such…

…then suddenly…he heard yelps…

They were coming from outside, out in the middle of town.

Dax perked up at that, and tried to scoot himself toward a window, despite how weak he was.

The instant he tried catching a glimpse out the window, someone suddenly _slammed_ against the glass; groaning in pain. The glass was thick enough not to shatter upon impact, so the guy in question slowly slumped off the glass and onto the ground.

Dax had jumped at that, but he sighed. He had hoped it was the rescue team he was waiting for, but he kept wary of that window.

Downtown, far, _far _away from the inn, the mercs were on a run for their money. Why? Because a trio of Mobians were currently tearing a path through them, either with pure fisticuffs, psychokinesis, or arcs of electricity. The mercs kept thinking that their guns were going to stop them, but the psychokinesis just blew the bullets back, leaving them open for the other two attacks by the other two Mobians.

"How are we going to find Dax here?" Hunter asked curiously.

"We find someone to interrogate!" King growled.

"Preferably someone we're not knocking far off, then..." Queen murmured, just as she slammed her fist into a merc coming up from behind her.

"…someone closer to whatever their threshold is, I suggest," Hunter said. "They would know more than these guys on the frontlines."

"Right..." King nodded, before giving Queen a nod. "See if you can't find anyone like that."

"I'll be quick about it." Queen hummed, as she proceeded to charge ahead; clenching her hands as she swung away at any thug that tried to hold her up.

Meanwhile, Hunter kept on his and King's defense. "These guys took over a _town?_ I feel really sorry for the people; these guys are hardly putting up much of a fight."

"Feh... they must've been intimidated by these idiots somehow." King scoffed, as he fired more electricity at the thugs coming towards them.

Eventually, they had gone on and on and on with their onslaught, until there was absolutely no more thugs that came after them. The two stayed on their toes, but refrained from their attack for now, moving through the town in hopes to catch up with Queen.

King looked around him with narrowed eyes, as if to see if he could catch any glimpse of either Queen, Dax, or possibly both of them.

"Psst!" A voice suddenly whispered out to them.

King stopped, and looked around. "...you hear that, Hunter?"

"Yeah," Hunter responded.

"Psst! Guys, over here!"

Hunter looked over, and they saw a small boy; a mongoose with messy red hair and freckles on his face with bright blue eyes. He looked young; maybe five or six years old. He looked like he had been in hiding for a while, and possibly watched Hunter, King and Queen fighting, but he didn't look afraid.

In fact, he looked relieved, running up to them. "Are you guys here to save our town?" he asked.

King merely looked down at him. "...well..." He looked around, to see if there was anyone else around them at the moment.

"…we're not sure kid; we're looking for a friend of ours those thugs took," Hunter said.

"They took everybody to the hotel across town," the boy said. "That's where my mom is too…I snuck out of one of the vents to see if I could get anybody to help us, and I was really hoping you guys could help. These mean guys have been bullying us around for a long while now."

"...the hotel, huh...?" King hummed. "...we could go and check that place out..." Then he looked at Hunter. "...first we oughta see if we can't find Queen."

"She's that bear, right?" the mongoose said. "Follow me! I can show you where she went!" and he started running off.

Hunter blinked at that, looked at King with a shrug, and ran after the mongoose. "Kid, wait up!" King simply hummed, before he followed them.

When the mongoose stopped, Hunter looked down at him. "Listen, kid, what's your name?"

"It's Augury," the mongoose replied. "Just climb up this way!" the mongoose boy, Augury, hopped and grabbed to a pipe that went up a building, and started climbing it to the roof. "I'll be able to show you where your friend went!"

Nodding, King swiftly began climbing up after him. "C'mon, Hunter."

Hunter nodded, climbing up the pipe.

Once they got to the roof, Augury looked around.

Finally, he pointed. "There. She went that way."

It was toward a town square where a bunch of military tents were set up, and heavy artillery equipment was placed around.

Seeing that, King narrowed his eyes a touch. "...hrm..."

"…guess that's why they were able to take over the town," Hunter murmured, looking at their artillery.

"…The keys to the inn are in that camp too," Augury said. "I would've tried to grab them…but then they'd catch me."

"…listen, Augury, you're gonna have to go somewhere safer…" Hunter suggested. "…this might get pretty dangerous."

"...yeah..." King murmured. "...and probably not a pretty sight, either..." King murmured, before he looked at Hunter. "...I'll try to look for the keys. You find Queen."

"Got it," Hunter nodded. Then he pointed at Augury sternly. "And most of all, you need to stay out of trouble."

"Yeah, yeah, I know; Mom said that too," Augury groaned. "I'm gonna try and find your friend then," And he climbed down the pipe. "See ya later!"

Seeing him go, King hummed, before glancing at Hunter. "...let's go." With that, he began sneaking into the camp.

Hunter followed closely behind in quiet. As he looked around, King narrowed his eyes with a small frown.

"…what's the matter…?" Hunter whispered.

"...you see anyone around...?" King remarked. "You'd think there'd be more people around here..."

"…did Queen take care of 'em?" Hunter muttered.

"...dunno..." King murmured. "...or... maybe they're hiding." he mused, as he began heading further in.

"…if they try to jump us, I'm ready…" Hunter muttered.

"...right..." King nodded. "...remember; find Queen. I'll get the key..." And he snuck further ahead.

"…we'll split and then we'll meet up at that hotel; sound good?" Hunter asked. King simply nodded in response. With that, Hunter snuck away. King began looking through this camp.

Meanwhile, over in the direction toward the inn…

"...now why would they go in there...?" Queen hummed as she watched some mercs enter the inn; likely worried about the carnage that had gone on moments earlier, only to suddenly cease. She simply observed them in silence from behind a building.

Suddenly, a couple of mercs were shoving someone out, and knocking them to the ground, pointing a gun at their head. "Okay, tell us where your boy is, and we won't have to use force."

The figure, a female, middle-aged mongoose, winced as she looked up at the mercs. "...I wish I knew myself... I swear, I don't know where he is..."

Queen's eyes narrowed. _...what's this about...?_

"Then how did he get out?!" the merc demanded, pressing the gun more firmly against her.

"I swear, I don't know!" she uttered, as she closed her eyes.

_...they're not going to accept that._ Queen mused, as she grit her teeth. _At this rate... she'll be killed._

"Somebody better go find that kid, or this woman's not gonna see anything pretty!" the merc demanded.

She just kept her eyes shut. "W-whatever you do to me... just don't hurt my son, please!"

_...damn it all..._ Queen clenched her hand slowly. _...have to intervene..._

The mercs scattered out, leaving just the one merc with the gun pointed at the mongoose. He took her by her arms, twisting them behind her back and pinned her to the ground. "They'd better bring her back in one minute, or I'm gonna shoot you and find him myself…" the merc growled at her.

She merely kept her eyes closed; teeth grit in pain...

"...you'll do no such thing, you scum."

And all of a sudden, the merc was punched squarely in the face, with enough force to knock him _straight_ into the inn, no matter where he'd slam into on the building. He ran through the building, no questions asked, knocking him out then and there to collapse on the rubble.

The mongoose blinked a bit to take in what had just happened, before looking up at her savior. "...what...?"

"...you're not safe here." Queen spoke, as she walked directly into the inn. "Go and hide."

"Ah..." the mongoose uttered, as she sighed in relief. "...bless your kind heart..."

"...don't mention it, ma'am." Queen hummed without looking back. "Just stay alive." And she looked around the area she had entered.

So far, the coast was clear thanks to the mercs scattering out, and due to slamming one of the mercs through the wall of the hotel, she had her way inside. Queen simply hummed, as she ventured further into the inn.

Suddenly, from around the corner of one of the buildings, a small figure rushed out and hugged the mother mongoose. "Mom!" uttered Augury.

Her eyes widened, and she clutched to him in a hug. "Augury...!"

"You're okay right?" Augury asked.

"...I'm fine..." she murmured, as she looked down at her son, "...but what about you? You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm okay," Augury said. "I found some guys that came to town mom; they were fighting those bad guys like it was nothing, and even though they're just looking for their friend that got taken here, I think they can help us beat these bad guys for good!"

"...you... don't say..." she uttered, as she slowly looked back towards the hotel.

* * *

><p>"Halt right there!" There had been mercs standing in the hallway when Queen turned a corner, holding what looked like tazers. Seeing them, Queen simply hummed, as she began walking towards them.<p>

"Stop! We're warning you!" The mercs were getting a bit nervous, but they tried to stand their ground as Queen approached.

Queen merely glared at them as she kept walking. "...don't just threaten. Act." she spoke.

They were frozen for a minute, and then finally, they let out yelps as they jumped on her. Queen, however, responded to their charge by simply punching them rapidly, without even looking at them. They were fairly easy to take out, since Queen was incredibly strong with each punch, and it knocked out each of the mercs.

She scoffed as he watched them go down, before she headed further into the hotel.

When she turned down another corner, there was someone standing on the very far other end of the hallway…and it was just them; no other mercs.

With a small hum, Queen began advancing towards them; eyes narrowing as she clenched her hands. The one figure on the other end advanced as well. The figure was wrapped up in black cloth, hiding any facial features, but the curves of the figure told Queen it was a woman Mobian.

Queen simply narrowed her eyes, whilst clenching her hands.

The woman finally threw a punch toward Queen. Queen weaved her head away from the punch, before throwing one of her own; straight at the woman's gut. The woman swerved around the punch, and threw a kick at Queen this time.

Queen swiftly grabbed the kick, as she looked at her opponent. "...you know how to fight..." she mused, before hurling her against a wall. When the woman was thrown against the wall, she landed on the wall by her feet…and stayed there.

"Better than those morons we put up the guard the place, that's for sure," the woman spoke harshly, kicking off the wall to throw a punch at Queen.

Grabbing the incoming fist, Queen narrowed her eyes, as she was forced back from the attack. "...true enough..." With that, she suddenly shot her hand forward to tear off the veil covering her opponent's face.

When Queen did that, she revealed the face of the woman to be a ladybug, and she backed away from Queen. "That curious, hm?" she hummed.

"There must be a reason for you to cover yourself like that." Queen mused in return. "I was simply curious as to what that reason would be." Swiftly, she then threw another punch at the ladybug.

"Would you believe me if I said it was because I was self-conscious?" chuckled the ladybug in amusement, moving around her punch.

"I'd find it plausible." Queen hummed in response, as she swung her fist against the ladybug once more.

The ladybug caught the fist, and then smirked at Queen. "…Oh…I know who you are now…you're from that warrior nation, Safe Haven, aren't you?"

Queen glared back at her. "...and who wants to know?" she mused, before taking the chance to headbutt the ladybug.

When she was hit in the head, the ladybug jumped back again, shaking her head with a wince. It hit hard. Then she smirked at Queen again. "Oh…just someone that considered joining…before that whole blockade that is," she chuckled. "…say…aren't you fugitives again?"

Queen didn't respond, as she merely observed the ladybug; as if studying her movements.

"I suppose I'm gonna take that as a yes, then?" Something ripped through her rabric, which were her wings, and she used them to fly at Queen with another kick.

Queen's eyes widened momentarily, before she weaved her head away from the kick, before proceeding to throw a punch straight at the ladybug's side before she could fly past her. The ladybug, again, jumped away from Queen thanks to her wings, and just laughed at her.

"So what could you possibly be up to?" she hummed.

Queen still didn't say anything, as she simply looked at the ladybug.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" the ladybug muttered. "I think it's polite to answer a lady's question."

"...I don't work well with manners." Queen retorted, as she merely kept observing the ladybug.

"What a shame," the ladybug chuckled, charging at Queen.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, King kept sneaking through the camp set up. He ran into a few mercs that were standing around, but he managed to knock them out before they might've called for any back up.<p>

Still, King remained as silent as he could be; glancing around with a narrowed gaze. "...hrm..."

"…looking for something?"

King's eyes widened, as he looked behind him. Behind him stood a raccoon Mobian that was taller and more muscular than him, with dark ragged clothes and scars all across his face, along with an eyepatch over one of his eyes. He was twirling a bunch of keys on a ring around his finger. Slowly, he turned around whilst looking at this Mobian. The raccoon caught the keys, and then put them in his pocket in his coat.

"What are you doing in a town like this?" the raccoon hummed.

King narrowed his eyes. "...a friend of mine got caught here. I'm gonna take him back."

"Is that so?" the raccoon said.

"Yeah." King nodded, as he narrowed his eyes. "And I think I might need those keys you got."

"How do you know they might even be the right set of keys?" the raccoon said.

"...I got a hunch, is all." King noted, as he clenched his hands. "Now... hand 'em over."

"Not gonna be that easy."

The raccoon pulled out the keys again, and pulled apart the ring, separating the keys. Then he threw them right up into the air.

Black figures quickly grabbed each of the keys, and then they vanished within the buildings before King could even react.

"…gonna have to find them yourself," The raccoon said.

King gawked up at that, before he glared at the raccoon. "...you..."

"…or why do you even need the keys?" the raccoon said. "You look strong enough that you could even break down the doors to find your friend…you just wasted your time."

"...kkh..." King hissed, as he clenched his hands. "...just who are you?"

"My name's Baltimore," the raccoon answered King.

"...Baltimore...?" King blinked a bit. "...where have I heard that name before...?"

"I lead a team of mercenaries," Baltimore spoke. "But ever since Safe Haven started…no one's really talked much about us anymore…"

"...wait a sec..." King looked up at the raccoon again. "...now I remember! Some of your flunkies were hired by GUN after our group was labeled fugitives to bring us in!"

"Precisely," Baltimore said. "Though after your names were cleared, there was no need for us…and then your warrior nation flourished, leaving mercs like us behind in the dust…but since your nation's under a lockdown, I figured we'd act up again maybe to call some attention back to ourselves."

"Unfortunately, the people in this town weren't so fond of the idea."

King's eyes narrowed. "...is that right...?"

"…you know King…" Baltimore soon approached him slowly. "You're lucky that GUN's protecting your island right now…"

King snarled, as he stepped back a small bit.

"I was actually planning to invade your nation," Baltimore continued nonchalantly. "If Metal Sonic hadn't been hiding there, I bet I could've taken it over."

King's eyes widened, before they narrowed considerably; electricity sparking from him. "...you cheeky bastard...!"

"What? I'd still train soldiers…well, more like mercenaries," Baltimore said. "It'd be like a business to me…I'd train mercs that people can just call up and hire…because that's essentially what you're doing, right King? Training others to be able to use those skills in life?"

King hissed, as he slowly clenched his hands together.

"…and if anyone stood in my way to stop me from that, and I mean _anyone…_" Baltimore spoke coldly. "…I would kill them."

King snarled. "...even... women and children...?!"

Baltimore just laughed. "Just what would children be doing there anyway? You amuse me King…" When he stopped laughing, he turned cold again. "There wouldn't be any point to keep women, children and families there…and if they tried to stop me too, then yes, I would."

King snarled. "...I see... then you're one person I just _can't_ forgive..." he uttered, as more electricity shot off him.

"And why is that?" Baltimore hummed. "…do _you _have a family there, King?"

"...that's none of your business!" King snarled with a roar.

"Even so, you answered my question," Baltimore said. "Well then…aren't you going to take your anger out on me?"

King snarled...

...and with a roar, he suddenly shot a _massive_ arc of lightning at Baltimore. Baltimore suddenly brought out something, and though the impact was powerful, the lighting hit that instead.

King's eyes widened. "...the hell...?!"

When the lightning was gone, it was emitting off of some steel rod that Baltimore was holding by a rubber handle. "…you see King, I've built this thing years ago, and started to keep this on me if we were to invade your nation…it's a special kind of lightning rod I designed myself…"

Then he jolted the rod forward…shooting the lightning right back at King. Some bolts even ricocheted against some of the tents, making them burst into flames. King's eyes widened, and he thrust his hands forward; generating enough electricity to make the otherwise lethal bolts ricochet off his palms and into two other tents; setting them ablaze as well.

"…just a curious question; why did you allow Metal Sonic to stay there?" Baltimore hummed, not even affected by the flames starting to spread from the tents.

"...none of your business!" King roared, as he charged straight at Baltimore with his fists drawn back.

Baltimore flashed the lightning rod at him again, shooting more lightning. King, however, weaved his way away from that lightning bolt, as he kept charging.

Baltimore's lightning rod ran out of energy, and he withdrew that into his coat, pulling out knives that he threw at King. King managed to dodge the knives, as he eventually got close enough to throw a punch at Baltimore. Baltimore caught the fist, admittedly being pushed back a bit, but he caught it, and pushed King back.

* * *

><p><em><strong>CLIFFHANGER XD<strong>_


	55. Chapter 54

Meanwhile, Hunter was lost in town.

"…damn it…" he growled to himself. "I'm gonna get that kid if he's been leading me on."

Suddenly, something crashed directly in front of him, whilst snarling.

Hunter stopped with a wary step back. Slowly, the figure turned towards Hunter, and he saw who it was; a towering hippopotamus, who cracked his neck menacingly. "….oh great…" Hunter growled sarcastically.

Roaring, the hippo suddenly spun around to punch at Hunter. Hunter ducked under the punch, and used his telekinesis to hurl the hippo over himself into a building.

It didn't take long for the hippo to suddenly charge out of the hole in the building; holding a barrel as he hurled it straight at Hunter. Hunter stopped the barrel right before it would hit him, and just hurled it right back at the hippo. With another roar, the hippo just smashed the barrel as it shot towards him. Hunter made sure to keep his distance while the hippo was on the offensive. The hippo simply roared as he grabbed nearby objects to hurl straight at Hunter. Hunter either deflected the objects with his telekinesis, or tried throwing it back at the hippo. The hippo proved to be exceedingly powerful, as he simply charged his way through the objects Hunter flung back at him.

Hunter grunted. "You're certainly a hard tub of lard if I ever saw one."

The hippo simply snarled, before aiming to ram into Hunter. Hunter made a barrier this time, trying to push the hippo back. "Hey, you even talk?" he asked.

The hippo roared in response, whilst hammering against the barrier.

"Guess not," Hunter grunted as he hammered against the barrier. Without letting up, the hippo kept beating against the barrier without stopping.

Hunter expanded the barrier, and finally, simply used that force to try and blow back the hippo, releasing it. With an outcry, the hippo was blown back from the sudden expansion of power; being knocked straight into a building.

"I don't have time for you!" Hunter bellowed, turning to run off.

As he ran, though, the hippo burst forth and began charging after him; snarling viciously.

"Oh sonova-!" When Hunter noticed the hippo, he just kept running, keeping his eye on him. The hippo just blindly charged towards him; roaring as he stomped down the road after him.

At this, Hunter sighed. "…I gotta get rid of him…"

And he threw more objects at the hippo to try and stop him, which was more debris from ruined building. However, the hippo merely barged through these whilst roaring. Hunter finally stopped running, gritting his teeth. "What's it gonna take to stop this guy?!"

As the hippo caught up to Hunter when he stopped, all of a sudden, something was hurled straight at the hippo; knocking him back considerably.

Hunter just blinked.

"GodDAMN that hurt!" yelped another voice that sounded like a woman. This was presumably the one that had been knocked into the hippo.

Roaring, the hippo thrashed about before tossing the woman off him; glaring at her with a roar.

"It's not my fault!" yelled the woman, who turned out to be a ladybug. "I was thrown out of the fricken building!"

The hippo merely roared at that.

"...hmph. Some elite you turned out to be." a different, though familiar voice spoke out.

"Finally, I was looking for you," Hunter huffed with relief, turning to the familiar voice.

There, standing on the edge of a hole in a building, was Queen; hands clenched as she simply looked down at the hippo and ladybug. "Seems like I arrived just in time."

"Ain't that the truth…" Hunter sighed.

When the ladybug and the hippo got up, the ladybug growled at them. The hippo simply snarled at Queen.

"...we can't waste much time here." Queen spoke, as she clenched her hands. "I'll deal with the hippo. Hunter, you take the ladybug."

"Right," Hunter agreed on.

"Oh, but they aren't the only ones…"

Hunter suddenly felt the need to duck, and the next thing he knew, a giant elephant Mobian had tried to punch him, narrowly missing thanks to his duck. Then Hunter used telekinesis to throw the elephant away, but she stopped herself on her feet.

Queen narrowed her eyes, and in that instant, leapt out of the hole, just as it erupted into an explosion behind her. "...grenades." she uttered.

"Bingo." Suddenly, another being shot in front of Queen, in mid-air; clutching to two grenades. A flying squirrel, it was; and she was hovering in front of Queen as she hurled them straight at the bear. Narrowly did Queen manage to knock them out of her way to let them explode elsewhere in the air, before she landed.

When the elephant charged at Hunter, so did the ladybug, circling around Hunter as they tried to kick and punch him. Thankfully, Hunter kept up barriers to block their attacks, while trying to shoot telekinetic blasts at them that they avoided.

Immediately, the hippo broke into a mad dash towards Queen; swinging his arm in a wide arc towards her. Without moving, however, Queen thrust her arm up against the incoming swing; effortlessly managing to block the attack, whilst glaring at the hippo.

"Holy... didn't think you'd be that strong." the flying squirrel hummed, as she kept floating in the air; pulling a red grenade from her pockets. "But you won't last against this." As she pulled the pin, she hurled it towards Queen, who swiftly caught it and prepared to toss it away...

...except the moment she took it, it erupted into flames; causing Queen to yelp in pain, before the hippo took her moment of weakness as his cue to kick her away from him.

"Queen!" Hunter could see she was starting to have some difficulty, which distracted him from the punch that the elephant threw at him, knocking him into a wall.

"Want to give up yet?" The ladybug chuckled.

"Not even close," Hunter growled, throwing bricks from the broken buildings at them.

Her hand still burning, Queen kept trying to put the flames out, but the flying squirrel was now tossing grenades all around her; forcing her to keep moving, all while the hippo madly charged towards her.

"Damn it King, where are you?!" Hunter growled, trying to evade the elephant and the ladybug.

* * *

><p>Well King, meanwhile, was still dealing with Baltimore.<p>

Breathing out, he glared at his foe whilst clenching his hands. "...damn it..."

"What's the matter, King?" Baltimore hummed, approaching King. "Getting tired?"

King's response was to grab the nearest object he could find of decent weight, before hurling it at Baltimore. Baltimore simply caught the object before he crushed it in his grip, tossing the object away while he kept approaching him.

"What happened to all that gung-ho earlier?" Baltimore sneered. "I was enjoying that, you know."

King simply growled, as he stood his ground.

"I must have talked about some pretty personal things of yours before then, if you're acting this way," Baltimore hummed. King still didn't say anything, as he merely glared at Baltimore.

"…honestly King; why are you so cold?" Baltimore spoke. "I only wanted to get to know you a bit more…"

"...I got nothin' to say to you, you bastard." King hissed in response.

"Not even about a supposed woman in your life?" Baltimore hummed. "You really reacted at that one."

With a snarl, King suddenly shot off another bolt at Baltimore. Baltimore raised the lightning rod, absorbing that. "Indeed, like that," Baltimore remarked. "So it must be true, surely?"

"Shut up!" With little regard for that, King kept firing electricity at Baltimore.

The lightning rod kept absorbing the bolts while Baltimore continued. "I bet she is a beautiful woman then?" he asked.

"None of your goddamned business!" King roared, as he fired off more intense bolts at Baltimore.

Baltimore kept absorbing them into the lightning rod, but then he realized that the bolts were starting to overwhelm the rod, so he shot back at King with all the built up electricity.

Surprisingly, though, King was shooting electricity even in spite of Baltimore's tactic; causing the two opposing electric forces to clash and struggle against each other.

"You must love her dearly," Baltimore supposed.

"...more than anything!" King growled, as he kept pushing against the electricity from Baltimore's lightning rod.

"…then you'd really do anything for her, would you?" Baltimore hummed.

"…especially if she was in danger?"

King snarled. "...if you're threatening her...!" he roared, as he took a step forward whilst forcing more electricity against Baltimore.

"And what if I am?" Baltimore spoke, stepping closer for the lightning to be even _more_ intense.

"...then I'll make you regret it!" King snarled, as he took another step forward in response.

Baltimore knew that the rod was only going to take so much, and so he ended up getting blasted backward when King overcame his power, rolling awfully close toward the flames that further engulfed the village. Snarling, King slowly stomped towards him; electricity brimming off his body whilst he grit his teeth. Slowly, Baltimore got to his feet.

"…and yet…you're here…who's to say no one will take advantage of her right now as you are here?" he mentioned.

"...no one would do that..." King snarled, as he kept stomping towards Baltimore.

"But imagine your island…taken over by GUN…" Baltimore hummed. "…so many possibilities…"

"...my men would never let something happen..." King growled. "...I know... even with the blockade, they're all safe..."

"But how do you know that _for sure_?" Baltimore asked.

King stopped, as he glared at Baltimore.

"Honestly, you can't always just trust _words_…" Baltimore continued.

King snarled more, as he growled.

"…and who knows if they aren't just…taking advantage of her in secret; the GUN soldiers…" Baltimore went on.

King snarled, as his glare grew fiercer.

"Your woman, cornered by men…and you aren't there to help her," Baltimore spoke. "…oh, I'm sorry; is this unpleasant for you to hear?"

With a ferocious yell, King shot towards Baltimore; throwing a punch at Baltimore's face. Baltimore stumbled back a bit, rubbing his lip.

"I'll take that as a yes," he muttered, throwing a punch back at King. The punch struck home, but King swiftly responded by throwing himself at Baltimore in a tackle, directly into the heart of the fire.

Baltimore managed to roll over and pin King to the ground, punching him repeatedly. "How's this now? We seem to be trapped by the flames!" Baltimore pointed out. King simply growled, as he took the punches, until he saw one opportunity to just bite down on Baltimore's fist before he could properly land the punch. Baltimore's fist jolted back and Baltimore actually yelped at that, not expecting it.

With him distracted, King swiftly grabbed him by the torso and pinned him down; beginning to rapidly punch the raccoon beneath him. Baltimore took the punches; bleeding from his nose the more he started to take from King. King remained silent, but his punches were still mercilessly hammering against him.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Baltimore took out the rod and _stabbed_ him in the abdomen with it, allowing the rod to jolt him while it was stabbed through his middle. King's eyes widened, and he hacked up blood, as his body was surging with electricity which wasn't brimming from his own being. Baltimore took that opportunity to push King off of him and throw him onto the ground, yanking out the rod as he stood over him. Clutching to his abdomen, King hissed as he kept coughing blood.

"…would you like to know what I would do…should I encounter her?" Baltimore decided more taunting would be appropriate before he'd finish him off.

King managed a small glare at Baltimore while he breathed slowly.

"…I wouldn't abandon her like you would…I would treat her right…" Baltimore said. "…at first, anyway…lull her into a sense of false security…"

King's eyes slowly widened, and he hissed lightly.

"…and then, when I had her all by herself in a place she can't get away from…" Baltimore leaned closer to King, pinning a foot against his chest to keep him down. "…Oh, I'd make her feel _good_…"

King hissed even more, as his eyes wavered somewhat in building fury; electricity sparking from his hands where he held his wound.

"I'd get her down to where she would be her most vulnerable; practically begging for me," Baltimore whispered malevolently.

King snarled more and more, as more electricity brimmed from his hand.

"…then I'd rip her frantically beating heart out of her chest…crushing it before her eyes…" Baltimore hissed coldly. "…the look of betrayed agony stained on her face as she dies."

King's eyes widened considerably, and he just glared up at Baltimore.

"I would have my way with your woman before ripping that heart out, and then tossing her to any of her loved ones to see for themselves just how foolishly manipulated she was," Baltimore spoke, no longer sounding sane at all. "And those bold enough to try and jump me for it will also suffer a painful death…until there's no one left."

"...b-bastard..." King hissed, as he clutched to his abdomen now, with electricity sparking wildly from his hands.

"…and all after I'd kill you…" Baltimore spoke. "…so don't worry about your grieving girlfriend…I'll make sure she won't have to think of the pain you would cause her again."

That tore it. With a sudden burst of energy, King suddenly shot up onto his feet; grabbing Baltimore by the head whilst glaring at him. As Baltimore would see, the wound he had inflicted had been cauterized; likely by the constant flow of electricity King had sparked. Baltimore had been totally taken by surprise by that. King glared directly into Baltimore's eyes; clenching his hands down on his head as he snarled ferociously. Due to the electricity jolting from King's hands into his head, he was unable to move or even speak. Still, King remained silent, as he just glared darkly into Baltimore's eyes, as if gazing into his very soul... but then, he did say something; a lone word...

"..._**burn.**_"

Gradually, the electricity output from his hands seemed to grow stronger, but very slowly; as if intentionally making this as painful as possible. Baltimore could only utter out screams as he felt the pain of his brain being fried by the electricity. Still, King's grip only grew tighter, as he kept forcing electricity within Baltimore; glaring at him like a demon hunting its prey.

So much electricity was pumping through Baltimore that he actually burst into flames all around his body, which only made him scream out more as the fire burned his body. Even as the heat was spreading onto King's hands, he paid it no heed; all he could do was focus his hatred, and therefore his electricity, against Baltimore with no hint of mercy. Baltimore suffered greatly as King put him through this…at this point, he couldn't even think straight anymore…the longer this went on, the more a vegetable Baltimore had become, only screaming in his agony. Not even when the smell of burning flesh pierced his nostrils did King stop; so deep was his hatred that he could only focus on causing this person as much pain as possible, and _boy_, did King really cause him pain.

Baltimore couldn't even move anymore; he was still screaming, but the life was being torn out of his body from the torture, continuing to further tear apart his mind. It got to the point where sparks of electricity shot from King's own eyes as he kept building this force to tear Baltimore apart; brimming with electricity as he still glared at the burning mess that he was torturing. It was absolutely unbearable for Baltimore, and perhaps, King went a little too far.

The electricity was building up so much in his head that it was overwhelming…and forcibly compacted enough that it was finally ready to burst.

Which meant that Baltimore's head pretty much exploded at that point, silencing his screams for good while a shower of blood splattered onto King's face, and the rest on the ground, as if he burst a water balloon full of blood. It was the pop and the splatter of hot liquid across his face that finally snapped King out of it but by then it was already too late. His eyes widened considerably, and the electricity output rapidly diminished, as he slowly looked down at the burning carcass before him that had fallen to the ground.

The realization slowly set in for King that he had actually _killed_ him.

"...I..." King's eyes were wide, and he looked at his hands with a betrayed look on him. "...I..." His entire being trembled, and eventually, the shock of it all just got to him. He spun around and fell onto all fours; heaving, and subsequently vomiting.

He found himself just gazing at the ground as this all just set in... but by this point, the fumes from the flames around him were getting to him; and being in a daze from just having killed someone, he collapsed to the ground; breathing as his body desperately tried to calm itself down... but he couldn't.

"...what have I... done...?"

It didn't help that the flames were growing farther and farther, getting closer and closer to King, making the heat more and more extreme.

* * *

><p>It was so bad that even the other warriors on the other end of town were starting to take notice. Hunter had stopped, smelling smoke, and when he turned, he could see a fatal glow of orange in the distance with sparkling embers.<p>

"…the town's on fire…" he uttered.

Queen stopped and noticed that as well. "...hn..."

The flying squirrel glanced in that direction with wide eyes. "...that's... the camp! What happened?!"

"…King went over there…" Hunter uttered, and then he grew uneasy. What if King was still there?

"The boss was over there too!" the elephant yelped.

Hunter shot a startled look at the elephant. The hippo roared out.

"...shit... shit!" The flying squirrel quickly took to the air to shoot towards the camp.

Queen closed her eyes as she seemed deep in thought. That got the ladybug and the elephant to run in that direction too.

"…Queen…you gotta go free those townsfolk!" Hunter said. "Before the fire gets to the hotel!"

"...already on it." Nodding, Queen rushed back towards the hotel; jumping up into the hole before she ran through it to get the townsfolk out.

With that, Hunter took off into the air with his telekinesis. "I gotta find King!"

In the meantime, Queen swiftly rushed through the hotel; tearing open the locked doors she came across; eyes darting about as she could see some townsfolk scattering out of those doors.

Suddenly, one of the doors she flung open revealed only one hostage, and the precise one she was looking for.

Dax perked up suddenly at the door being ripped off its hinges with a gasp, and became thoroughly relieved. "Queen!"

Queen gave him a small nod. "...words can wait. We have to evacuate the town."

"Wait!" Dax tried to shoot up to his feet, but his weakness knocked him back down in a painful reminder of how much he had been beaten. "They took my robotic arm! I have to find it!"

Queen walked over to him. "That will have to wait... the town burns, Dax."

Dax's eyes widened. "It's on _fire?!_"

Queen merely nodded, as she helped him on his feet. "...I suspect that something happened while King was searching for a means to free you..."

"…a-alright…" Dax uttered.

"...now come on... we have to get out of here." Queen uttered, as she led Dax out of the room.

"…wh-what about all the other townsfolk?" Dax uttered, as he limped down the hallway with Queen.

"I've gotten the hostages out of the hotel." Queen spoke. "We need to lead them out of town... Hunter's retrieving King, so hopefully he'll find your arm while he's at it."

Dax sighed with relief at that.

Meanwhile, Hunter was flying above the blaze, shielding his face with his arm from the sparks and embers that fluttered up at him. "King! Where are you?!" he yelped.

No response... though eventually, he could spot the unconscious tiger surrounded by flames; though thankfully, the flames hadn't reached him yet.

"King!" Hunter descended down to the ground right next to the tiger, looking him. For the most part, he wasn't hurt, though the strange wound on his chest concerned him a bit.

Then he noticed a burnt carcass near him, bewildering him. "…what in the…" and looked back at King. Did he have any kind of struggle with someone? If so, it looked like it didn't end very well.

Gritting his teeth, he picked up the tiger onto his back. "Hang on King! We're getting out of here!" King remained silent; he didn't look like he was waking up any time soon. With that, and a protective barrier of telekinetic energy around the two, Hunter flew out of the way of the flames. King eventually started to cough as he was pulled away from the smoking fumes.

"King? C'mon, speak to me," Hunter muttered, getting farther and farther away from the flames.

King coughed a bit more, and slowly, he opened his eyes.

"...Hunter...?"

"Good, you're awake," Hunter sighed with relief.

"...nh..." King groaned, as he briefly closed his eyes. "...my head..."

"We're gonna meet back up with Queen and then hopefully get out of here," Hunter told him, "so hang on."

King merely groaned. "...nh..." He blinked a bit. "...Dax... is he...?"

"Queen went to go get him," Hunter answered. "My best guess is that we'll see him when we find Queen."

King closed his eyes. "...but... the town..." He then grit his teeth. "...because... of me..."

"Don't worry about it King; you'll strain yourself," Hunter warned, finally landing in an area of town that was not caught in flames to start walking, still holding King on his back.

King coughed more, as he slowly looked back at the towering inferno behind them.

"…did you fight someone King?" Hunter finally asked, and though he wondered if he really should ask or not, he was still curious.

At that point, King fell... deathly silent.

"…not pleasant, was it?" Hunter hummed.

"...I... killed him." King eventually uttered.

Hunter looked at him in silence.

"...he just... made me so angry... I wasn't thinking straight..." King uttered, as he closed his eyes. "...so I... I killed him... fried him alive... watched him _burn_... a-and then he..."

"…hm…" Hunter mumbled. It's not that he wasn't ignorant of what King was telling him, but he didn't seem surprised for some reason.

"...after so long... I thought I could get away from all that..." he hissed. "...but then that guy just... had to make me..." He gripped his own head in frustration; gritting his teeth.

"…he attacked the most personal thing you had…didn't you?" Hunter assumed.

King blinked. "...y-yeah..." Slowly, he looked back at Hunter. "...how'd you..."

"…King, I want you to think back on those unpleasant years when we were being trained," Hunter told him. "…you remember that time you found me? I was pretty freaked out about something, but I never told you what it was…there was a lot of reason I didn't tell you what it was…"

King blinked a touch, as he thought back...

…He and Hunter went on a mission, just the two of them, and this was just when they were able to really only stand being around each other; nothing more. King and Hunter had a pretty rocky start when they first met, and it was only years after working with each other that they developed the friendship they did…but during this mission, King had been separated from Hunter…

_He only turned a corner before he finally found the wolf he was looking for, trembling in the corner. He was used to seeing him hiding, since he only did that to keep himself from transforming, but tonight wasn't even a full moon to hide from…_

…_this felt like a different type of anxiety that Hunter was going through, to King._

_King blinked, as he approached the wolf. "...hey... what's wrong with you?" he uttered._

_Hunter just looked up at King shakily.__"...geez, you look like hell." King uttered, as he tilted his head. "What happened?"_

_Slowly, Hunter helped himself back up._

"…_n-nothing."_

_"...you sure?" King uttered. "It doesn't look like nothin', if you ask me."_

_Hunter suddenly just glared at King. "…I'm not talking about it and that's that."_

_King stepped back. "Geez, alright! Man, what crawled up your back, anyway...?" he murmured, as he glanced around. "...now, we've gotta finish the mission. We wasted a lot of time because you had to go and get lost, ya know!"_

"_Whatever…" Hunter shoved him aside to walk past him, shaking off his uneasiness finally.__With a huff, King followed._

"…you and I have always killed during those times, but you've never really seen me make any sort of reaction to any of them…" Hunter said.

"...well... no..." King murmured, as he looked away. "...honestly... killing was kinda second nature after a while... no thanks to what that colonel put us through..."

Hunter looked at King then, solemnly.

"…yeah…I never made any reaction…except that one time."

King's eyes widened in realization. "...what happened...?"

"…when we got separated, I was confronted by some bastards giving me some smack talk, but it wasn't really anything I couldn't handle…" Hunter said.

"…at least…up until they said something about Ani's mother…"

King blinked. "...oh, yeah; you knew her even during the training days, huh..." His eyes narrowed. "...you didn't..."

Hunter was silent then.

"...Hunter..." King murmured, before he looked away.

"…it's not something to be proud of…I know…" Hunter muttered. "…I couldn't tell you not only because it had to do with her, and saying anything about her would've endangered her…but…well, you know I had a lot of issues back then."

"…I guess I know how you feel…but there's a difference," and Hunter looked back at him. "That was back in a time when we got used to that thing…but…we've been able to leave that behind for a while…"

King remained silent.

"…but remember this King," Hunter said. "…whatever he said to you, whatever he might've threatened to do…if you didn't stop him, then he would've lived up to his word, and haunt you later. Sometimes…you don't have a choice. You know that as well as I do."

King merely nodded.

"…now let's get out of here and find Queen," Hunter said, trudging on. Nodding, King merely looked back at the inferno.

Little did the two of them know that back in the inferno, the four elites were still trying to put out the fires in a desperate attempt to find their boss.

"Goddamn it, where the fuck is he?!" the flying squirrel hissed.

"Calm down, we'll find him," The elephant assured.

The hippo let out a roar as he tore away debris around the area.

"Is there any way we can get rid of this fire faster?" yelped the ladybug.

"Nh..." Looking around, the flying squirrel hissed... and she noticed a nearby water tower. "...I think I got it." Swiftly, she took a couple of grenades out, before hurling them at the hippo. "Toss 'em!"

Grabbing the grenades, the hippo roared as he pulled the pins, and hurled them straight for the water tower's support beams; intending to make it collapse right on top of the fire. That did the job just fine, and the elites ran out of the tower's way as it tumbled down, shattering and showering water all over the fires. Smoke came from what was left of the inferno, and thus the elites were able to hurry farther through.

Finally, they came to the wreckage of the camp, looking all around.

"...what a mess..." the flying squirrel murmured as she narrowed her eyes from the stench.

"I'll say…" the elephant muttered.

The ladybug was a bit farther than the other three, and suddenly, her foot tapped something. When she turned her neck down to look at what her foot hit, her eyes widened, and she let out a shriek in horror. The hippo glanced in her direction, and with a growl, hurried ahead.

"...oh shit... that ain't good..." With a huff, the flying squirrel flew over as well. The elephant hurried too.

The ladybug backed away from what she was looking at, still looking horrified when the other three showed up, and when they saw what she was gawking at, they stopped too.

The hippo just growled in stunned surprise, while the flying squirrel's eyes widened. "...what... the... fuck...?!"

"…it…can't be…" The elephant uttered, walking over to it. This, which was what the four were staring at, was the burnt, headless carcass on the ground that had been here all alone in the inferno. It hadn't been burned by the flames too much; enough to know it was a body.

The elephant examined the body, and after enough examination, her head hung low.

"…it's…it's him…" she spoke solemnly.

"...fucking hell..." the flying squirrel uttered, "...is... is his head... and... oh _god_..." She clasped her hand in front of her mouth in horror and disgust.

"…who…who _did this?!_" the ladybug uttered.

The hippo snarled, as he knelt down by the figure to place his hand upon it... and with a roar, pulled back as a residual spark of electricity emitted from where his hand had rested against the carcass.

Their eyes widened at that.

The elephant's eyes then narrowed. "…there's only one guy who can use electricity…"

The flying squirrel hissed a touch at this revelation. "...King..."

The ladybug clenched her hands into fists, shaking in her anger. The hippo merely let out a roar of pure hatred at this sight.

"…what do we do now…?" the elephant uttered.

"...what else can we do...?" the flying squirrel murmured, as she looked down at the body. "...we've... gotta bury him. After that... we've gotta do some thinking..."

They nodded at that. The elephant picked up the burnt carcass, and with that, they started to walk away. Though the hippo momentarily stopped to glance behind him, but as he saw nothing but the torched wood that the fire had burnt down in the center of the town, he turned back to follow his comrades.

It wasn't until they were farther away that someone stepped out, which turned out to be Hunter. Once he met up with Queen, he handed King over to her and promised Dax that he would find his robotic arm, only to stumble upon the scene of the elites discovering their dead leader. He found it foreboding, to say the least. Would this mean that if they came across these guys again, would they want some revenge?

…this was _not _something they needed.

"Hm?" When Hunter caught something out of his peripheral, he saw something on the ground. Quickly, he fished it up with telekinesis and brought it to him. He lightened up, recognizing the object as a certain robotic arm he was looking for. "There you are."

With that, he scurried off.

* * *

><p>Sage's group needed to stop for the night, since everyone had been pretty tired. Already, Rudy, Charmy and Boomer were asleep in the tents. Wiper and Sage were patrolling the area for the moment, which allowed the others, like Newt, to slumber as well. However, one person found herself unable to sleep; simply gazing up at the starry sky with a thoughtful look.<p>

"…you doing alright?" hummed another voice next to her, as Cal came over and sat down beside her.

Glancing at him, Natal simply nodded. "...I'm fine. Just... thinking about things."

"…thinking enough that you can't sleep, huh?" Cal assumed.

"...yeah." Natal mused, as she glanced back ahead again.

"…same here…" Cal answered, looking over at where she stared at.

They sat there for a while, with Natal looking thoughtful as she gazed ahead.

"…Natal…" Cal muttered. "…I've been thinking for a long time about something…"

Natal blinked somewhat, as she looked back at Cal. "...about what?"

Cal was uncomfortably silent for a long while, not looking at Natal.

Then…

"…when…you ran into my blade to stop me…to keep me from being overtaken by Corruption…"

Cal looked like he was trying to select his words carefully.

"…you did that…because…it wasn't the first time Corruption overtook me…was it…?"

Natal's eyes widened. "...Cal...?"

"…you…were really frightened…" Cal muttered in disdain, not enjoying the memory of what he accidentally did to her one bit."…almost as if…you've seen it before…"

With a slight gulp, Natal glanced aside awkwardly. Cal looked at Natal, and noticed how awkward she was. This only added to the tension in the air between them.

"…so…then it's true…?"

Initially, Natal didn't respond. She simply glanced down at the ground with an uncomfortable look on her...

"...yes."

Cal bit his lip, and looked away from her.

"...I'm... honestly not surprised that you didn't remember... it happened a few months after Deity was finished off..." she mused. "...I'm the only one who remembers what happened that day..."

"…at first…I didn't remember anything…but now…"

Cal held his head in agony. "…I'm starting to remember images…every now and then…"

"...it must be because of the Corruption..." she murmured, as she closed her eyes.

Cal looked over at Natal worriedly.

"…what…happened…exactly?"

Natal looked back at the sky. "...it happened... during one stealth operation. It was just the two of us, since GUN didn't want to risk a certain crime syndicate catching wind of their involvement... so, I posed as a candidate for a secretary, while you planted a bug in their system..." She sighed. "...and then... things went wrong... _very_ wrong..."

_"...and that is why I believe that I'm suitable for this job." Sliding a resume across what seemed to be a standard office desk, Natal, clad in a black suit and wearing sunglasses, was speaking with who appeared to be the figurehead of the crime syndicate that GUN was digging up information about. Around this time, she figured that Cal would have planted the necessary bug before heading for the rendezvous point._

_Not only had he already planted the bug, but he also was hiding in the vents with cloaking, making absolutely no sound whatsoever. He trusted Natal and her ability to work, but even then, he surveyed to make sure the mission didn't go wrong._

"_You don't say?" The figurehead was a weasel, who scooped up her resume and glanced over it._

_Natal simply nodded. "I'm sure during this time of year, the amount of applications must be overwhelming." she mused, as she adjusted her sunglasses. "As such, I am grateful that you took my application in for review as soon as you did."_

"_Yeah, well, don't get your hopes up," the weasel said. "We only take about two or three to look at…" and he continued to browse through the resume._

_"I completely understand; and with all the applicants..." she mused, as she simply nodded. "...still, I'm grateful that you decided to look over mine first."_

"…_hrm…" The weasel continued to look over the resume in silence._

_Cal in the meantime adjusted himself to be more comfortable. He had to make sure that this went according to plan. Still, Natal simply remained silent as she waited for the weasel to send her off._

"…_alright, everything seems to check out just fine," the weasel said. "You can—!" and then the door suddenly opened, interrupting him._

_"Boss!" A slug ran into the room; holding out a small object for him to see. "We found this planted in the offices! Someone's spying on us!"_

_"...oh dear." Pretending to be surprised by this, Natal looked back at the slug. "That sounds serious..."_

_Cal grit his teeth, gripping the hilt of one of his katanas while he was still cloaked, but he waited._ That's it, stay cool Natal…they haven't found you out yet…_ he thought, hoping that they could salvage some of the situation at hand._

_Even so, he was prepared if anything went wrong._

_The weasel growled, grabbing the small object, which seemed like a tiny microphone. "I thought I told you to make sure and watch for any suspicious activity! How could this have possibly happened?!" and he glared at the slug. "Answer me that!"_

_"I-I dunno, boss!" the slug yelped. "Security hasn't seen any suspicious folk roamin' around the place!"_

_"...a security breach sounds serious..." Natal noted, as she tilted her head somewhat. "...is this a bad time? Should I just take my leave for the moment?"_

_The weasel looked at Natal, and nodded. "That's probably for the best. Until we decide to hire you, I don't want to involve you in any of our issues."_

_Cal eased a bit with some relief. Being dismissed like this was the least bad thing that could happen to them. Natal nodded in understanding. "...then I'll take my leave. Good day." With that, she rose from her seat and began walking for the door._

_"...uh... we'll try and find the spy ASAP, boss!" the slug sputtered, as he swiftly turned to head for the door; but as he ran for it, he accidentally bumped into Natal, causing her sunglasses to bounce off her face. "Oh, shit! Sorry, miss; dunno what I was doing!" With a slight mutter, he bent down to pick up the sunglasses... and he froze. "...wait."_

_Natal stopped the moment he said that; eyes momentarily widening. Cal's eyes widened too. _Oh no…

"_What is it?" the weasel demanded._

_"...boss... check this out." And the slug tossed the object towards the weasel... a similar microphone to the one they had discovered earlier._

_Without moving, Natal just stood there; slowly closing her eyes as she braced herself. The weasel looked it over... And slowly, he narrowed his eyes, looking over at Natal suspiciously. "...well now...what do we have here?"_

_Natal remained silent._

_"...answer me! What is this?!" The weasel demanded._

_Natal still didn't say anything... but..._

_"...I'm afraid our time here is up." With that, she suddenly pulled out a small sphere, and tossed it to the ground; creating a massive, blinding flash of light._

_"GAH! Boss, I can't see!" the slug yelped out as he covered his eyes._

_"Get security! Follow her!" The weasel yelped._

_At the same time, Cal slipped quietly through the vents with the intention of making sure Natal got out safely._

_As for Natal, right now she was racing down the halls; grabbing a couple of janitor brooms as her eyes darted rapidly about for an exit. _Have to get out of here...

_"Hold it right there!" Suddenly, a bunch of burly looking thugs appeared and surrounded Natal._

_Stopping, Natal looked around at them; clutching the brooms like a pair of swords. "...don't do anything foolish..." she whispered._

_"We could say the same about you!" And the thugs all tried to grab her._

_In that instant, though, Natal began rapidly slamming the brooms she held against the thugs; weaving past their grip as she simply looked for a way past them._ _Just as she had knocked down those guys, more showed up to chase after her._ _With a small hiss, she simply leapt away from the incoming thugs, as she ran through the halls. And thy charged onward after her._

_Rounding corners, Natal narrowed her eyes as she kept charging... and eventually, she just found herself at a dead end. "Shit..." Hissing, she spun around..._

_...and she saw the thugs cornering her back into the dead end._

_Narrowing her eyes, she spun the brooms around. "Anyone who wants it, come and try your luck." she spoke in a threatening tone._

_They all smirked menacingly at her as they stepped forward..._

_...then suddenly, a noise from above startled them, as a vent cover fell to the ground. They looked up at an open, empty vent in confusion._

_Seeing that, Natal narrowed her eyes. "...nh..."_

_...and suddenly, the thugs were getting beaten and thrown about in the air, startling them._

_She simply hummed. _Took you long enough..._ she mused, as she looked back at the thugs. "...I warned you."_

_When all of the thugs had been beaten to the ground, Cal appeared from nowhere, turning to Natal with his hand stretched out to her. "Let's get out of here."_

_Natal simply nodded, as she took his hand. "Lead the way." Then she giggled. "Next time, we should make our bugs less visible."_

_Cal smiled. "Yeah, I'll make a note of that."_

_Just as he turned though, something jumped out at him and hit him in the abdomen, jolting him and making him yelp out in pain as well as releasing Natal's hand._

_Natal's eyes widened. "No!" Swiftly, she swung the brooms at the one who had struck Cal. She had whacked away a thug who held in his hand a taser. Thanks to that, Cal was hunched over with electricity sparking out of his cybernetic parts in stunned pain._

_"Kkh..." With a hiss, Natal grabbed Cal, and began running. "Hold on; we'll get out of this...!" she uttered._

_Just as she turned a corner though... they were ambushed._

_More thugs came from all around grabbing them and separating them from each other. Not only that, but they beat on Cal while they restrained Natal away from him. Natal's eyes widened, and she thrashed against the thugs to try and escape their grip. "Let go of him!"_

_"That's enough."_

_In came the weasel, and once he had spoken, the thugs stopped beating up on Cal. Then the weasel walked up to Natal. _

_"So there wasn't just one, but _two_ spies from what it looks like," the weasel hummed. Natal just glared at him; still struggling in the grip of the thugs._

_"Tell me girl; who do you work for?" The weasel asked her._

_Natal remained silent._

_"Don't make me ask again or you're going to regret it," the weasel growled._

_"...you really want me to tell you?" Natal uttered, as she looked at the weasel._

_"I would like that, yes," the weasel replied. _

_In that instant, Natal just spat in his face. "Tough shit."_

_The weasel growled even more, wiping his face where she spat, and brought out something; another taser. "I said... WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?!" and he drove the taser into Cal's abdomen, making him scream out in pain._

_Natal's eyes widened, and with a yell, she shot her tongue out from her mouth; grabbing the weasel by the throat to pull him back. "Don't you dare touch him...!"_

_"ERK!" The weasel gulped when he was jerked back. "Restrain her!" He snapped at the thugs that held Natal, whom grabbed her tongue to hold away from him. Hissing, Natal glared at the thugs, before looking back at the weasel._

_"...hrm...maybe the monkey will talk..." The weasel hummed, grabbing Cal by his hair to hold his head up, making him look up at the weasel. _

_"Look..." Cal huffed from the abuse they were giving him. "We're not going to tell you what you want...you're wasting your time questioning us."_

_"Oh really now?" The weasel hummed._

_"...he's right..." Natal spat. "...you won't get a word from either of us..."_

_"...well, your partner requested quite bluntly not to touch you, so perhaps I might respect those wishes," the weasel begin. "But what about her...hm?"_

_Cal glared deadly at him. "You're not going to hurt her, you hear me?"_

_"Oh no, I wouldn't hurt her, don't worry," the weasel hummed. "...I'm thinking of _other_ means of persuasion..."_

_Natal's eyes narrowed. "...you wouldn't dare..."_

_Suddenly, the barrel of a pistol was pointed at Natal's head, courtesy of one of the thugs._

_"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way," the weasel said, turning to Natal, "And I'm sure there's no need to go into detail about what the hard way would be."_

_Cal tried to struggle, "No!" But then he got shocked by the taser again._

_"And if you try anything, monkey boy...she'll suffer for it all the same," hissed the weasel._

_Natal just grit her teeth, as she glared at the weasel. "...and what could you possibly do to make me say anything you'd want to hear...?"_

"_Oh, it's not _you_ that I'm going to make talk," the weasel spoke, approaching Natal. "If the monkey boy knows what's good for the two of you, he will tell me all the information I need to know."_

_Cal grit his teeth. "I'm not talking."_

"_Very well."_

_The weasel took the front of Natal's suit and started unbuttoning it._

_Natal's eyes widened, and with a shocked expression tried yanking herself away from the weasel. "Hands off!"_

_The thugs slammed Natal against the wall of the hallway, still holding her tongue and all, and the weasel simply finished up the unbuttoning of the suit, opening up for a buttoned up white shirt underneath. "Now then, who do you work for?" the weasel asked, directing the question at Cal even though he didn't even look back at him._

_Cal started to get worried. He didn't like where this was going, and he didn't want to put Natal through this experience, but he knew that she wouldn't want Cal to give up for her sake. "…I'm not saying anything."_

"_Next article of clothing then," and the weasel reached for the white shirt._

_Natal simply glared at him as she clenched her hands into fists. Cal gulped. He was getting angry, that's for sure. He didn't want anyone touching her like this…but he was pretty helpless, because if he did anything, they were going to use that gun against her head, and it wasn't going to be pretty._

_The weasel finished with the white shirt, opening up to find Natal's upper body with a bra. "I do say, your partner is actually quite an attractive woman," the weasel commented._

_Natal just hissed. "...it must say quite a lot that you can't see a woman's body unless you hold them at gunpoint." she sneered._

"_Well now, such sharp words for someone," the weasel hummed. "Now then, if you would monkey boy, before things get drastic…"_

_Cal grinded his teeth nervously. He didn't want to show that he was nervous, but it was hard to hide it._

_Still, Natal's expression remained spiteful. "...don't tell him anything." she spoke in a calm tone. "I can handle whatever this creep can dish out..."_

_Cal shut his eyes. _…but that's the thing Natal…I don't know if I can handle it…_he thought._

"_I'm going to take that silence as a no," the weasel spoke. "Next, the skirt." And he reached over to that._

_Still, Natal just glared at him. "...sure taking your sweet time. What, is this your first or something?" she taunted; though her tone was still as ice cold as the first taunt she had given him._

"_You're lucky I'm patient with your words, girl; otherwise, that gun to your head would have spilled your pretty face to the floor," the weasel hummed, and once he undid the skirt, it fell from Natal's legs, showing her figure in her undergarments._

_Cal couldn't watch this, but when he turned his head away, the thug simply took it and made him look back. When this happened, the weasel actually looked back to observe Cal and how nervous he was in this. "…hm…what kind of relationship do you have with this woman, exactly?"_

"_E-_Excuse_ me?!" Cal uttered._

_When the weasel specifically looked back at Cal, Natal's eyes narrowed. _...Cal...

"…_what…what brought up that question?" Cal uttered._

"_I see quite a reaction out of you when I do this to her, so I don't take you as any ordinary partners,"_ _the weasel mused._

"…_even then…I'm not saying anything about that any less than who we work for…" Cal growled._

_With a small hum, Natal nodded. _...good, Cal... just hold on...

"_Well then…" The weasel hummed, turning to Natal. Then he pulled out a knife. "I guess I'll continue then."_

_Then he used the knife to snap apart Natal's bra, releasing her breasts. This made Cal shudder even more.__Though she winced a touch, Natal remained stoic in expression. The weasel reached over, then, and groped her. "…hm…soft," he hummed._

_Cal started to lose a little control, struggling in the thug's hold, but they knocked him back down firmly. Not sparing a glance to the weasel, Natal just looked at Cal whilst wincing at feeling the weasel's hands._

"_You have a couple more chances," the weasel hummed at Cal. "Tell me who you work for, or I might be forced to take the last piece of clothing…and even if you don't talk then, I might have to do some…_humiliating_ things to your partner."_

_Cal growled at that. This was making his blood boil now…_

_Natal looked back at Cal with a concerned look. _...Cal... compose yourself...

"_No? Well then…"_

_He sliced the last bit of clothing Natal had, making Cal gasp as the ripped underwear fell to the ground.__Natal closed her eyes, but she still didn't react at all. Cal could feel something inside of him growing, and it didn't feel pleasant. Inside, all of his anger and anxiety was welling up into something strong…almost like a beast in a cage inside of him that was rampaging and struggling inside; with only a matter of time before the beast was released._

_This could be quite visibly expressed as severe tension as the weasel looked at him. "Now what's wrong? You were doing fine a minute ago," he pointed out._

_Blinking, Natal looked at Cal... and her eyes widened. "...what...?" It was as if she could sense what was wrong... and it actually struck fear in her._

"…_touch her one more time…I dare you…" Cal didn't even nearly feel like himself anymore. He was ready to tear out this weasel's throat for what he was doing._

"_Oh, feeling bold are we?" The weasel hummed._

_Natal kept looking at Cal in worry, before she looked at the weasel. "...don't do it... you'll regret it..." Surprisingly, her tone wasn't spiteful... it was honestly worried._

"_Is that so?" the weasel murmured._

_And he reached toward Natal._

_Natal's eyes narrowed. "...I mean it... do this, and you..." She looked briefly at Cal again, before looking at the weasel. "...you won't even live to regret it..." What she said was what she thought would be the worst-case scenario... but with how Cal was acting._

"_Oh…well, if he knows what's best for him, he wouldn't do anything that could put you in danger," the weasel hummed, tilting his head at the gun. _

_Then when he even simply touched Natal…_

…_Cal snapped._

_He let out a roar, and jerked his arms away from the thugs that held him down with significant strength. This actually startled the weasel with his head twisting around to witness him thrash out. Then Cal lashed against the weasel and threw him against the wall by his throat, growling._

_Natal's eyes widened, as she witnessed this. Even if she had been expecting the worst... she hadn't expected _that. _"CAL!"_

_The thugs were skittish, but they held the gun firmly against Natal. "Stop, or we'll-!"_

_Cal just screamed out, shooting a certain dark energy out which knocked away the gun, as well as some of the thugs. The weasel just shuddered at this. "What _are_ you?!"_

_With the thugs knocked aside, though, Natal took this as her chance. Wresting out of the grip of the remaining thugs, she rushed up to Cal and grabbed him from behind. "Cal, snap out of it!"_

_Cal just slammed his arm against her to knock her away. There was a dark aura that grew around him, and he roared, throwing away the weasel against some of the thugs to send them flying into the walls. Then he started rampaging around, slamming into walls himself while he held his head in agonizing misery, screaming. The Corruption inside of him was reacting very negatively to him._

_Natal's eyes were wide, as she just gawked at this. She almost felt a sense of... endless despair as she watched him rampaging like this..._

_"...Cal... STOP!" Out of desperation, she swiftly lashed her tongue out to try and yank Cal away from where he stood and over to her; hoping that she could hopefully try to calm him down. She managed to yank him to her, but he only ended up ripping off the tongue and pinning down Natal, revealing to her as he growled at her that his eyes were red and demonic._

_He no longer seemed like himself._

_Natal's eyes were wide as she just gawked up at him; her entire being trembling. "...C-Cal..."_

_He yanked himself away from Natal again, screaming out. Spikes shot out from his body, especially around his arms, and he charged at the thugs, proceeding to rip them apart with his spiked hands. __Natal could do nothing but just sit there; eyes wide as she watched Cal basically slaughter the thugs._

_Meanwhile, the weasel collapsed weakly, crawling away as Cal stumbled toward him menacingly. "…n-no…" the weasel uttered._

_Seeing that, Natal hissed. Even as violently as Cal reacted to this... she couldn't let him kill the weasel; they needed him for the mission... "...CAL!" she yelled, as she quickly grabbed the broom and hurled it at him desperately; just to try and get his attention towards her._

_Cal stopped, turning around and growling at her, stomping toward her instead as the weasel shuddered in fright. __Natal's breath was rapid out of fear, but she tried keeping herself composed as she kept walking backwards; motioning towards Cal. "...that's it... come here..." she uttered; determined to distract him long enough for him to regain control._

_Cal stumbled more and more, and suddenly, he stopped growling._

"…_Natal…?"_

_Her eyes widened, and she took a small step towards him. "...Cal..."_

…_and suddenly, Cal just collapsed onto the ground. __Seeing that, Natal rushed over to Cal; kneeling by him with wide eyes. "...Cal..." She swiftly checked his pulse, to see if he was still conscious. His pulse was fine, and he was breathing heavily; wheezing even. He didn't sound too good._

_Gritting her teeth, she just held Cal closely. "...don't worry... I'll get you some help..."_

…_and with that, Cal passed out._

"...after that..." Natal murmured. "...I had the figurehead arrested, and you sent in for a hospital check-up." She adjusted her glasses. "The casualties of the mission were swept under the rug... I made sure to leave out your... outburst... from the debriefing following that mission."

Cal just stared at Natal in disbelief at what she told him.

She closed her eyes. "...it must be hard to imagine, but... it's the truth..." she murmured. "...I've tried blocking it out from my memory, to focus on the present... but I still recall that visage... that... _feral_ sight of you towering over me..."

Cal just stared at her for much longer after that. Then he looked away.

"…you were…_that _afraid…?"

Natal didn't say anything in response, at first at least...

"...yes... I was..."

Cal bit his lip. "…I'm sorry…"

"...don't be..." Gently, Natal settled her hand against his. "...it was... so long ago..." She smiled at him. "...besides... I could never blame you, Cal..."

"...I know you wouldn't blame me Natal..." Cal said, holding her hand. "...but to...to traumatize you like that...to realize I could hurt you any time I lose control over myself..."

"...Cal..." she uttered, as she just looked at him. "...don't blame yourself..."

Cal just looked at the ground, not responding to Natal. Natal, in turn, just looked at him in concern. Cal finally just looked back up at Natal solemnly.

"...Cal..." she uttered.

Cal simply put his arms around Natal and hugged her closely. With a small sigh, she wrapped her arms around him to hug him back.

"…I don't want to know that I can hurt you…" Cal muttered, hugging her tightly. "…what if…what if Corruption changes me? Changes how I act entirely to the point…where I'd take advantage of you? Even enjoy that I would…?"

"...no... don't worry about that..." Natal uttered. "...we've been through worse... something like that won't happen again..." she added, as she hugged him back.

Cal trembled at the thoughts, but Natal managed to reassure him for the most part, calming him down. Noticing him calming down, Natal smiled a touch.

"…we should try going to sleep," Cal recommended. "We'll need the energy…"

"...right..." Natal hummed with a small nod.

* * *

><p><em><strong>I'd be pretty scared too...<strong>_


	56. Chapter 55

_"...hm... at the very end of the road... I see one side prevailing... though I can't make out which; they're both very similar..."_

_"...and... oh, dear... it seems that the struggle will claim someone's life... whose, I cannot say; it's too unclear..."_

_"...and the last confrontation... will take place where it all began..."_

Bismark's words of foretelling haunted Joy in her sleep that evening, looming in her mind with a foreboding feeling inside of her. These words she couldn't entirely understand, no matter how much she tried to contemplate them. She could understand the part where both sides would fight and one would prevail, but it worried her greatly on what side _would_ prevail exactly…and coupled with the fact someone might lose their life, she had a really bad feeling about all of it. Sure, lives were being claimed here and there because of the Corruption, but for some reason, Joy just had the feeling Bismark was talking about someone _close_ to her…

…the thought of one of her friends dying…or possibly even her Mommy or Daddy—no, not them, not ever…she would never allow Malice to let that happen, and even then, her Mother and Daddy were strong. They wouldn't get themselves killed…

…nevertheless, this pressed against the child's mind greatly, and it strained her. Even as she was healing from her sickness, she wasn't at all feeling her spirits rise from any of this. Rather, she was just getting more and more depressed and discouraged. She still hadn't seen hide or hair of Malice at all these past few days, and it put her at an anxious edge. She knew Malice was waiting for the right moment…she was just biding time to build her strength when Joy was weak… and she was definitely being quiet on purpose to put Joy on that kind of edge…Joy may not understand some things for her age, but this she knew for sure…

She couldn't stand it any longer. She got up, opening her eyes, and simply sat there on the sofa she had been sleeping in for the past few days, looking around the cabin. It was far too late for her grandfather or Tails to be up at this hour, so it wasn't even like she had anyone to talk to. Given her low spirits, she had missed so much to interact with someone, and the time she spent with Tails and her grandfather she enjoyed, so neither of them being up at this late night put her more at unease.

It's been long enough that Joy needed to figure out her plan of action. It was obvious she was the only one that would be able to fight Malice…somehow… it wasn't just a matter of standing up to her, it was a matter of figuring out how to beat her; how to make sure that Malice couldn't ever hurt anyone else again. So far, nothing has come to mind. Malice was a part of Joy herself, and doing anything that might stop Malice for good could possibly harm Joy too. She didn't want to have to hurt herself, but she also didn't want Malice to hurt the people she cared about.

Joy was conflicted.

Around this point, a door slowly opened up not too far from where she was resting, as someone slowly walked out from it. It startled Joy with a gasp, diving under the covers timidly.

"...still up at this hour?" an old voice remarked.

"…o-oh…Professor…"

To some relief, Joy uncovered herself from the blanket to look up. Walking over to where she was, Tails let out a soft yawn as he adjusted his glasses a touch. "...can't sleep, hm?"

Joy shook her head.

"...something on your mind?" As he spoke, Tails took a seat as he looked at her.

"…I…" Joy looked down from Tails, unable to finish.

Tails simply smiled at her. "...if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine..." he hummed.

Joy just looked at Tails uneasily at that. Tails blinked a touch. "...is something wrong?"

"…I still don't know how to fight Malice…" Joy mumbled.

Tails hummed, as he nodded. "...I see..."

"…Professor, how come you're up?" Joy asked.

"...I was..." Tails began, as he let out a small hum. "...thirsty."

Joy just blinked. She wasn't sure if Tails really was thirsty or not, and whether or not she should get a drink of water for him.

Tails just chuckled. "...you should try and go to sleep, Joy..."

"…I don't know if I can," Joy said.

"...do you think I could help you go to sleep somehow?" Tails suggested, as he leaned back a touch in the chair.

"…do you…wanna tell me a bedtime story?" Joy asked.

"...of course." Tails nodded, as he closed his eyes. "...now let's see... what story would you like to hear?"

"…can I hear the story with Chaos, the god of destruction, when you and Sonic fought him?" Joy asked, a slowly growing smile on her face.

"...well... that's a good one..." With a nostalgic smile, Tails closed his eyes. "...Chaos... the god worshipped by the ancient Echidna Tribe; said to have created the Chaos Emeralds, and the anchor that hosted him, the Master Emerald. At first, he was a peaceful god; content to care for the budding race you know as Chao..."

As he continued the story, he looked up at the ceiling. "...however, the Echidna Tribe, prideful and greedy for power, sought to harness the might of the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald. A young echidna girl, Tikal, tried stopping them... but even her compassion couldn't save the echidnas from the wrath of Chaos..."

Joy did pay attention to the story for the most part, but her thoughts eventually wandered to the problem at hand with Malice. She still really wanted to try and figure out how to beat her…or at least how to prepare herself the next time Malice might try to take over her.

She wished she knew exactly what to do, instead of Malice taking advantage of Joy's vulnerability, which only made Joy feel worse in a lot of ways. She had to figure out what to do…otherwise…

…she tried to avoid thinking those unpleasant thoughts. They would only make her feel worse.

So much of her wished she hadn't run from her friends and family. Even if she didn't want Malice to hurt them, she knew that if she gave them the chance…there was a chance they could help her. She wasn't sure about helping in the fight against Malice…but whenever she thought about her mother and father, she was comforted. Whatever experiences they've had with those powers…it would've helped for all of the questions Joy had.

That's when something very abruptly occurred to Joy, and she no longer realized that Tails was still telling his story because she blurt out. "Mama and Callous!"

Tails stopped, as he looked at Joy with a tilted head. "...hm?"

Joy shoved the blankets off and hopped down, going right up to Tails and taking his hand. "Mama and Callous…Mama and Callous fought!" She yelped in her epiphany. "They fought all the time! Even when she was split from Mama or together in the same place, they still fought…and Mama beat Callous!"

That's right. She'd remember the story that Metal would tell her about when he was training her mother to fight Callous, and that she managed to stop Callous. Metal didn't go into too many details, but she knew that if she could figure out how her Mama beat Callous…

…then maybe…_maybe_…she could beat Malice!

Tails' eyes widened as he looked down at her. "...Joy..."

"…Professor…do you know how Mama stopped Callous?" Joy uttered in growing hope. "You gotta tell me how she did it…maybe I can stop Malice the same way!"

Tails' eyes grew heavy with concern, and he settled his hand on hers. "...Joy... doing what your mother did to stop Callous... it isn't something I would advise..."

"…but why not?!" Joy uttered, feeling a little disheartened and bewildered by that.

Tails just didn't know how to break this to Joy, as he stroked her hand to try and comfort her. "...when she did stop Callous... Jillian had to pay a... heavy price..."

For some reason, Joy became uneasy again…and it had to do with what the answer might have to be to what her mother did exactly…just how heavy was this price? Tails closed his eyes. Telling her this... he simply couldn't bring himself to break the news to her, the news of what her mother had done to end the threat of Callous...

"…Professor…" Joy was even afraid to ask again, but she just _had_ to know. "…what did Mama do?"

Tails looked away. "...I can't say..." he murmured; this was still something the young girl likely couldn't handle hearing, if she wanted to do the same to bring down Malice...

"…was…was it really bad?" Joy uttered.

"...yes..." Tails nodded, as he kept looking away. Joy looked up at him sadly. Still, he didn't look down at her.

"…Professor…" Joy uttered. "…did…Mama…hurt herself real bad…?"

Tails grit his teeth, and closed his eyes. "...yes..."

Joy looked down at the ground at that. She didn't like hearing that at all. Suddenly a nice bedtime story that Metal told her turned…kinda dark. She didn't exactly understand what her mother might've done…but clearly it was drastic if she had to hurt herself…_really_ bad…

…and Joy only now realized that even Metal wouldn't seem right when he finished off the story of when he and her mother were training. He'd simply tell Joy that she had defeated Callous and that was that…but…something was off with Metal when he touched off the story like that…like…he didn't want to talk about it.

Almost like how Tails was acting right now.

Tails just sighed. "...I'm sorry, Joy..."

"…so…whatever Mama did…I shouldn't do then…?" Joy asked.

"...none of us would want you to do it, Joy..." Tails noted. "...especially not your mother..."

"…but…if Mama got hurt…" Joy muttered. "…then…what did Daddy do…? He never said Mama…well…did anything…he just said that Mama beat Callous."

Tails closed his eyes. "...he... tried to help her..." he murmured; a half-truth, as he wasn't sure if Joy could handle hearing how Metal had originally dealt with that situation.

Well, at least for Joy, it must have worked, because her Mama was still around and she was just fine…though she probably wasn't doing too well recently with Joy having run away. Joy snuggled up against Tails worriedly as she thought about what her mother was probably doing right now. Tails simply closed his eyes as he sighed a touch.

At this point, Joy had worried to the absolute extent that she could, slowly sagging against his lap while she was drifting toward sleep. Seeing her drift to sleep, Tails let out a small sigh once more, before he gently lifted her up and nestled her underneath the blankets on the couch once more.

"…_time's running out…_" spoke a voice gravely beside Tails while he tucked Joy in.

"...hrm..." With a narrowed gaze, Tails glanced towards the voice.

"…_they're finalizing their plans…"_ It was Sonic beside him, looking over at Tails. "…_it's worse than we originally thought it was…"_

"...can they be halted in any way?" Tails uttered.

"…_no…there's way too many…_" Sonic said.

Tails' eyes narrowed in concern. "...then we need a miracle..."

"…_yeah…you're tellin' me…_" Sonic muttered, looking down at Joy.

"...so much trouble..." Tails murmured. "...things sure grew complicated after you died..."

"…_they sure did…_"

And Sonic was gone, just like that. With a sigh, Tails rubbed his temples as he walked down the halls; off to get that drink he had originally intended to get.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Charon's group was also getting settled into their own camp. With a small yawn, Charon simply looked down at the group getting ready for the night. For the most part, everyone was just tired, but fairly cheerful.<p>

All except…well, Oblivion of course. She's still had a few nights where she's struggled to sleep because of nightmares. Of all the memories she erased from all the deranged people she's encountered, and only Corruption is what gives her the shivers in her sleep. Demi simply looked over at Oblivion with a worried look in his eyes, as he let out a small sigh.

Oblivion suddenly stepped up, garnering looks from everyone. She just stood for a while…

…then, she spoke, "I'm…going to spend some time alone…"

And off she walked away from the group. Watching her walk off, Demi let out a small sigh. While the others watched, they grew worried too.

"Someone needs to go with her; we can't leave her by herself," Toki recommended.

"...yeah... no telling what kinda hoodlums are wandering 'round here..." Fargus huffed.

Demi's eyes narrowed... and he stood up. "...I'll go."

Diablo nodded at that. "Right…just make sure to watch out for anything suspicious."

"...I will." With that, Demi followed after Oblivion.

It honestly didn't take very long for Demi to catch up with Oblivion. She just seemed to be wandering aimlessly, and with how much she's had trouble sleeping, she was lacking any kind of energy. Really, she seemed like an ambling zombie. She also didn't notice Demi following her while she was lost in depressed thoughts. Demi narrowed his eyes in concern, and kept following her out of concern.

Eventually, Oblivion just stopped, and rubbed her arms insecurely. Demi eventually walked up to Oblivion from behind her, and gently wrapped his arms around her. "...Oblivion..."

Oblivion gasped and jumped, but then she relaxed. "Oh, Demi…it's just you."

"...Oblivion..." Demi murmured, as he closed his eyes. "...can we... talk?"

"Yes, of course," Oblivion answered.

With a small nod, Demi looked at her. "...Oblivion... I'm worried for you... we all are..."

"…you are…?" she fidgeted about uncomfortably, but not in a way that struggled against Demi's hold; in fact, she seemed comfy in that.

"...yeah..." Demi responded, as he simply held her softly. "...ever since... what happened..."

Oblivion buried her face into Demi's arms. Demi still held her. "...you're barely getting any sleep... Oblivion... we're all worried for you..."

Oblivion shuddered a bit. "…I…I can't sleep…"

"...because of... nightmares...?" Demi assumed.

Oblivion nodded, and heard a sniffle from her, as if she was about to cry. "…I've…I've experienced a lot of things…but those nightmares…they're very frightening…"

"...I see..." Demi murmured, as he held her closer. "...please... talk to me... bottling it up isn't going to make it better..."

Oblivion turned and held to Demi, bursting into tears in his shoulder. "It's horrible…" she uttered. "…I'm doing such horrible things to everyone…just like…what happened when I was…when I was…" and she kept sobbing.

Still, Demi held onto her; eyes closing. "...don't worry... even though the nightmares remain... it's no longer there..."

"I-I know b-but I…" and 'Oblivion couldn't even hope to continue she was so upset. Closing his eyes, Demi stroked her back comfortingly to try and calm her down. Oblivion simply just cried her heart out in Demi's chest. Demi remained silent; allowing her to weep.

Finally, Oblivion calmed down, hugging Demi closely. Demi remained silent, as he hugged her in return.

"...I…I don't know what I would've done if Blood hadn't stopped me…" Oblivion uttered.

"...don't dwell on the past..." Demi whispered in a comforting tone. "...what's done is done... there's no sense in worrying about that now..."

Oblivion nodded. Then she asked, "…is he…still doing alright?"

Demi slowly nodded. "...he is strong... keeping Corruption at bay is no mean feat, and... well, he manages it neatly..."

"…that's good…" Oblivion murmured.

Demi still held onto her; humming in silence.

"…Demi…" Oblivion muttered. "…there's…something I need to get off my chest…" and she looked up at him. "…I met him…"

Demi's eyes widened, and he looked down at her. "...Oblivion...?"

"…I…I met your great uncle, Deity Novagod…" she spoke quietly.

Demi's eyes widened. "...you... did? How...?"

"…you see…" Oblivion closed her eyes. "…when you left Safe Haven…and Metal Sonic came to the island, Diablo and Kiri had developed an interest in Jill. One day, Diablo, with Raider's help, actually kidnapped Jill."

Demi's eyes widened, and he held his mouth. "That's dreadful..."

"…they did…_horrible_ things to her…and all of that torture they put her through was because of her other personality, Callous. They wanted to draw her out…" and Oblivion actually shuddered.

Demi's eyes narrowed in concern, and he settled a hand gently on Oblivion's shoulder.

"…it got to the point they involved me, and on that day they tried to force my powers to their use, by erasing Jill's memories so only Callous remained…Charon was able to come to the rescue and we were able to break Jill free. I erased all of the memories of her torture, because she didn't deserve to remember them…though the whole thing caused such a commotion that we disrupted some dormant explosives that were planted around the island. Charon and I had to relocate to another hiding abode since he had been seen when the explosives went off…"

Demi merely nodded, as he rubbed his neck a touch.

"…since then…I learned much about her past, especially when we met Jack and he told us stories," Oblivion said. "…but…"

She looked away uneasily.

"…I didn't learn as much as I did…until that fateful night of the outbreak of Corruption."

Demi kept looking at her in silence, as he tilted his head whilst taking this information in.

"…there was a raging fire in the jungle, and I had only stepped away for a moment…" Oblivion closed her eyes and shuddered some more.

"…then…there was Diablo again…"

Demi slowly narrowed his eyes. "...what... happened then...?"

"…it…it wasn't really Diablo…it was…" Oblivion didn't seem like she was able to speak out the rest. Then she tried to breathe and looked up at Demi. "…do you know…why…Diablo panicked when he saw you…? What made him so…afraid like he is now…?"

Demi blinked... and slowly, his eyes widened in realization. "...wait... you're not saying that..."

Oblivion looked at the ground.

"…that night…the spirit of your great uncle…had possessed him."

Demi's eyes widened considerably.

"…while your fangs have the properties they do because of blood, your great uncle…" Oblivion trembled. "…he can…feed on the very life and spiritual energy of someone…and not that alone, but whoever he does feed on…he can control…"

Demi's eyes widened as he looked at Oblivion. "...no... he didn't..."

Oblivion bit her lip and looked up at Demi in silence.

With wide eyes, he just looked back down at her. "...did he... take control over you...?"

"…he…did…" Oblivion muttered, rubbing her arms insecurely. "…I…didn't feel like I was in my body…yet…I remember what he tried to make me do…he was going to make me corrupt Charon…but…Jack was able to stop me…"

"…then I blacked out…"

Oblivion shut her eyes again and held to herself tightly.

"…and…_so_ many memories…filled my head…"

Demi gently held her as she continued; looking down at her in concern.

"…your great uncle…did…so many things to so many people…" Oblivion uttered. "…and…I felt as if…I was the one doing those things…so when I think about when I was Corrupted…how similar that felt I…"

And Oblivion couldn't continue.

Demi just kept hugging her as he closed his eyes. "...Oblivion..."

Oblivion hugged Demi back. Throughout this, Demi remained silent; hugging her as he could think of nothing but to simply try to comfort her.

"…but…even if people have mistaken you for him…"

Oblivion looked up.

"I want you to know Demi," she said. "…that I see_ nothing_ like him in you…"

Demi looked back at her with a soft smile. "...thank you, Oblivion..."

Oblivion smiled back and hugged him tighter. "…you manage to make it easier to deal with this…"

As he hugged her in return, Demi just smiled. "...anything to help you out..."

Oblivion continued to hug him for a bit longer.

"…though…could you…sleep next to me tonight…?" she blushed a little bit in embarrassment. "…I'm still…afraid…"

Demi blushed slightly as well, but he didn't waver. "...of course, Oblivion..." he nodded.

* * *

><p>Jill gave a yawn, getting up pretty early in the morning before the sunrise, and she made herself some coffee. Tails Doll gave Tasha company last evening when they went to sleep, so she was alone for a good portion of the morning as she simply sipped coffee and watched the sun rise in the horizon of her window. She was gathering her thoughts together to think before she'd have to push them aside again to get through the day. Tasha was struggling a little bit now and then since she's been staying here, and Jill has provided her with the support she needed, along with Sonia whenever she was over, but for the most part, Jill was caring for Tasha when she needed help.<p>

She sighed. Tasha had someone here for her during her time of need, but when Jill had been pregnant with Joy… it was anything but easy. It was probably one of the hardest times for Jill, along with the year she spent being tormented by Deity in her teenage years.

Then Jill shook those thoughts aside. She didn't want to grow bitter against the ones who were giving her just as much support in her time of misery. Besides, it was her own fault running away. She had the choice to stay with Tails and the boys despite what happened, and could've had support…

Anyhow, at that point, a knock on the door came that interrupted her thoughts. Jill looked over at the door, and tilted her head. Who would be coming over this early?

She stood up and went to answer the door. When she opened it, she stopped…and then gave a dry look. "…oh…it's you."

"...well, good morning to you too." With a huff, Trash folded his arms, as he stood in the doorway. "The Captain wanted me to check up on ya."

Jill sighed, and turned to walk away. "…come in then, I suppose…"

With a huff of his own, Trash entered the apartment. Jill went back to her seat by her window, sighing again as she sipped her coffee.

"...so, how are the days going, hm?" Trash hummed, as he took a seat a smaller distance away from her.

"…decent…" Jill answered.

"...well, guess that's good." Trash remarked.

Jill just sipped her coffee again in silence.

"...so... what's your take on this whole thing?" Trash eventually remarked.

Jill simply glanced at him long and hard.

Then she turned away. "…you don't want to know."

"...no, you know what?" Trash hummed. "I think I _want_ to know. All this business going on... especially after that stunt Novagod pulled off back then... I wanna know what the hell we're gonna have to deal with."

"…You didn't seem willing to listen to anything I say before…is what happened really what calls for it now…?" Jill hummed, sipping more of her coffee.

"...if it weren't for you, me and Brawn would've died... or worse." Trash remarked. "...y'know there's a reason I haven't been harassing you like I did when this whole... thing started. I've been thinking, and... yeah. I was a dumbass for doin' what I did." He huffed. "...funny how almost dyin' forces ya to just look at yourself, huh..."

"…_actually_ dying is even worse…" Jill hummed nonchalantly, sipping more of her coffee.

Trash blinked, as he looked back at her. "...is that supposed to be sarcasm or something?" he assumed.

"…I'm actually being honest; dying is worse…" Jill murmured.

Trash just looked at her...

...and then he glanced aside. "...well... yeah, that should be a given. Once you die... that's just it; game over. You don't get a second chance..."

Jill actually chuckled at that, but made no other response, sipping more of her coffee. If only he knew.

"...but still..." He glanced seriously at Jill. "...I'd like to know more about... whatever the hell Novagod's got cooked up wherever she's hiding. You seem to know, so..."

Jill quieted down, setting her cup of coffee in her lap between her hands.

"…you're not aware of this, but she's not the first Novagod to be doing this."

Trash tilted his head. "...really?" He folded his arms. "I knew the Novagods were a bunch of occult weirdos, but... not to this kinda extent..."

Jill tensed a bit, holding the cup tightly.

"…_none_ of them…compare to this one…"

And she held the cup so tightly she actually shattered the cup in her lap. This startled her, though thankfully she had finished her coffee and none spilled on her when she shattered the cup.

Trash reeled a touch back. "Geez! You okay, there?"

Jill just closed her eyes. "…I'll be fine."

"...well... if you talk more about this Novagod creep, chances are you might not be." he remarked, as he rubbed his neck.

Jill hissed a little through clenched teeth. "…oooh…you have no idea…"

Then she sighed. "But for the most part, I can rest easy…so I'll be able to keep my composure for the most part."

She looked at Trash. "Deity Novagod. He's either a great uncle or just an uncle to Patricia Novagod, but I'm pretty sure that name isn't going to ring any bells for you. He was probably the least well known Novagod to exist to the public."

Trash hummed. "...no kidding. I've only really heard about Patricia and her brother, Bismark before."

"…but Deity's the one who invented that godforsaken power…"

Jill looked seriously at Trash. "But before I really go any farther, I hope you know this is actually classified information. Only the Commander herself actually knows all of this info…"

Trash blinked. "...seriously? Not even the Captain or the Admiral know this shit?" he uttered.

Jill shook her head. "The Admiral has…some idea…but he doesn't know the full brunt of it; not like the Commander."

"...right..." Trash murmured.

"…Deity Novagod created what is called Corruption. It's a destructive force that tears you apart from the inside out, and it doesn't stop there…it's been known to bring out the dead, bring out the absolute worst in those that have been infected…it can manipulate others with darkness and illusions…and it just all around gives you nightmares if you've ever come into contact with it…"

Jill closed her eyes again. "…which…I have plenty experience of…"

Trash was silent, though he looked at her with wide eyes as she explained.

"…but Corruption isn't alone…there are other forces out there that combat it."

Jill looked up at him. "One is the complete opposite of Corruption, called Purity. It's a holy power that can heal, and for the most part, undo whatever taint the Corruption has done. It's also unstable in its own way, just like Corruption, and both powers need very able users to keep themselves from being overtaken. The only upside is that with Purity…it's less destructive…but just as difficult to control under stress…"

"…and then there is Unity. It was created by somehow mixing the two powers together, with Chaos Energy as its anchor to keep them together and balanced. It's much easier to control since there's so much at work…but even Unity has its flaws…"

Jill looked down at her hand. "…I wield Unity."

Trash's eyes narrowed. "...so... that darkness shit that Novagod threw around was Corruption... and you used Unity to repel her, right?"

"Right," Jill answered.

"...are there others who can use these different powers?" Trash hummed, as he rubbed his neck.

"…That…would take a while to explain…" Jill mumbled.

"...I can settle for the cliff notes." Trash noted.

"…you've met Callous…" Jill murmured. "…but believe it or not, we used to be two _separate_ beings. She came about because Deity tore a part of my soul out, and with Corruption, concocted her up. She used to use Corruption, but now that she's a part of me, she can use Unity the same as me."

"...huh..." Trash just tilted his head a touch.

"…Metal Sonic…but I don't even trust you knowing any more than that," And Jill glared at him.

Trash just looked back at her with a small nod. "...alright."

"…and….and my daughter can use Purity…"

At that, Jill placed her face into her hand to hide any expression she made from Trash, which was quite a hurt one. Seeing this, Trash narrowed his eyes in concern. When Jill regained composure again, she sighed and looked at him with a serious look again.

"As far as I know, they are the only ones that wield any of those energies, besides Patricia and her growing army," she went on.

"...wait... did you say _army?_" Trash uttered with a surprised look.

"…yes," Jill answered.

"...son of a..." Trash rubbed his head with narrowed eyes. "...how many are we talking?"

She sighed. "…at this point…countless numbers…"

"...son of a..." He grew worried. "...and if they all got that crazy ability... and they know about Safe Haven..."

Jill just looked at him in solemn silence. She had already known this fact for a long time.

Trash just hissed as he realized this. "...shit... this isn't good at all..."

"…you're telling me…" Jill mumbled. "…and there's no real way to stop them, unless you can use Purity or Unity…which…well, no one else can use."

Then she closed her eyes, "…or if you were a warrior like Spiel."

Trash blinked. "...Spiel? Who's that?"

"…He was a co-founder of Safe Haven, but he passed away two years ago," Jill mentioned. "His tombstone is by the harbor."

"...is that right..." Trash just folded his arms.

"…he didn't use any powers…but he was more than capable of fighting the Corrupted…that's all I can say," Jill said.

"...I see..." Trash seemed thoughtful.

"…is there anything else you need to know?" Jill hummed, deciding to pick up the pieces of her coffee mug that she had shattered earlier.

"...well... can't really say I can think of much else..." Trash murmured, as he closed his eyes. "...but... does anyone but you know about this army... and that they could probably overrun this island?"

"…only my friends, who are currently busy with something else at the moment…and they would be too far away to come to our aid…" Jill spoke, standing up with the shattered pieces of mug in her hands. "…we will have to defend ourselves when the time comes…which, I might add, is quite possibly soon…"

"...damn..." Trash glanced aside with a narrowed gaze.

Jill left to throw the pieces of the mug away, figuring that she wasn't going to tell Trash she had a plan, or, was at least working on one. At the very least, Trash wasn't going to harass her anymore…which was relieving, quite honestly. The last thing she needed was him to be an irritable liability to whatever she needed to do.

"...well... I should head off, now..." Trash murmured, as he rose from where he had been sitting.

"…right…" Jill spoke.

* * *

><p>After a long day of traveling yesterday, many of Vanessa's group had slept in for a good part of this morning. They were all pretty exhausted the day before, and considering no one had gotten much sleep the night before last, they needed it. The only ones who were actually awake this early in the morning were Snap, since he was a robot that did not require sleep, and Vanessa, since she kept watch around camp while Snap surveyed the farther perimeters outside.<p>

Eventually, one of those asleep woke up with a yawn, and Kristine sat up drowsily. This was a bit early for her, but she had a strange dream that caused her to wake up fairly early, and the more awake she became, the more bewildered she was by the dream. While she rubbed her eyes, Vanessa glanced over to notice she was up.

"Sleep well?" Vanessa hummed.

"For the most part…" Kristine got up and sat on the log next to Vanessa, sitting by the fire to warm up.

Vanessa smiled, and just tended to the fire to bring up the flames a bit more, adding more heat.

"…I had a weird dream…"

Vanessa looked over to Kristine, and saw she was definitely confused. "About what?" Vanessa asked.

"Well…hm…how do I explain it…?" Kristine scratched the back of her head. "…you remember when Milo wandered off to think on his own and I followed him?"

"M-hm," Vanessa answered curiously.

"…he admitted that he, y'know, had these feelings for me."

"Really now?" Vanessa hummed again, smiling as she looked over at Kristine. "And where is this going to go?"

"Well, I think I had a dream based on that…" Kristine said, looking over at Vanessa. "I remember him being there, and I was walking around with him talking about…something…I don't remember what. We started walking to somewhere actually really pretty looking…"

There was a distant look in Kristine's eye that Vanessa noticed while she continued. "It kinda felt like it was underwater…but we both could breathe. Everything felt so light, and everything was basked in this beautiful blue glow; again, like everything was underwater or something…and we were wandering around these ruins of some kind…don't know what that was really about but I felt at…peace…"

"…I remember Milo saying something along the lines of…anything can happen in dreams…once you realize it's a dream, you can control it…and make it anything you want to be…which is what turned into that underwater looking place I wandered with him."

Kristine sat her chin on her palm, looking even more dazed as she continued to talk about the dream she had. "…there was some glowing energies that were floating around, and when I followed them with my eyes, I remember looking back at Milo and I just stared at him while those energy things fluttered around us…" she closed her eyes softly.

"…it's…kinda blurry at that point, but I remember feeling…a strange bliss."

Vanessa just smiled more watching the way Kristine was just lost in thought as she described her dream. Slowly, a smile crept across Kristine's face too and maybe even a faint blush across her face. She felt warm all over without realizing it exactly, still lost in thought about that dream filled with soft, tender sensations. She had never felt anything like that dream before, and though she couldn't remember much of the images, she still remembered the feelings from it, which warmed her up far more than the fire was.

"So, I'm guessing that you enjoyed the dream then, despite how 'weird' it was?" Vanessa asking that snapped Kristine out of her day dream startlingly.

"Uh…y-yeah—I mean…" Kristine yawned, and rubbed her eyes again. "…dreams mean something, right Vanessa?"

"I'm no expert on that, but from what I hear, they are a result of the things we tuck away into our subconscious," Vanessa replied, poking at the fire with a stick again.

"…does the dream mean that I might…y'know…like him back…?"

"Well, I think that's up to you to determine, isn't it?" Vanessa figured, looking back at her. "I can't answer that; you're the only one that would truly know the answer for yourself."

Kristine nodded, looking at the fire unsurely.

"…just as long as this doesn't interfere with your training, think on it; no need to make any snap decisions," Vanessa added as advice.

Kristine looked over at Vanessa for a long time.

"…what about Jack's father? Did you love him?"

Vanessa jolted at that question, and gawked over at Kristine for what she asked. Kristine actually flinched when Vanessa reacted like that, wondering if she shouldn't have asked. "I-I mean…uh…"

Vanessa just blinked, and then looked at the fire. Her mood dampened a bit on the depressed end, but not too much to really put any kind of tension in the air. "…that's…a complicated thing to explain… Kristine…" and she closed her eyes. "…us Leoniels don't exactly know what… 'love' is. The only ones that know are Jack, because of the way I raised him…and apparently my dead brother because it sounds like he had died the second time because of love…"

"…but…I'm asking you…" Kristine pointed out.

"…no…I don't think I loved Jack's father, unfortunately…especially when his idea of revenge was to rape me for what I did to his clan, thus in turn conceiving Jack…" Vanessa admitted. "…but…then again, I was a very confused type of person back then, so I can't really answer that question…"

"…but…I can at least admit that I feel guilty for his death at…my father's hand."

Kristine looked at Vanessa while she grew solemn, and lost in her own kind of thought. "…if I had run away the same way I did…but with his father…both of us intent on raising the child to be nothing like the Leoniels…I've always wondered how things would've gone…if Jack had a father to look up to and to connect with. Throughout the years I've raised Jack, I've always thought about if his father would've been proud to see him grow up the way he did…or to see how Jack would've turned out with his influence…"

It was Vanessa's turn to look at the ground this time. "…I've even wondered what that would've meant between me and him to be honest…we weren't exactly on friendly terms…but he was willing to take the child if it had not been a lion…at least he still saw life as a precious thing…something that baffled me, as a trained killer from my own birth."

"…at the very least…I know we'd stick together for Jack's sake…and who knows…maybe over time, we could've ended up growing to love each other, or he probably would've left when he felt Jack didn't need him anymore…" Vanessa mumbled in supposing.

"…but to answer your question," Vanessa finally looked up at Kristine then, trying not to seem so serious, "I don't think I loved his father…to be honest, I've never had the benefit of loving someone in that aspect. The only love I've ever known is a motherly love for Jack."

As the two of them spoke, one figure that had woken up a while ago, but hadn't budged from where he laid, was Jack; simply lying there as he heard them talking about this.

"…but instead of wasting time getting caught up wondering about that, I did what I had to do to raise Jack…" Vanessa answered.

"…I see…" Kristine answered.

Jack just remained silent as he listened in on this. Kristine looked at Vanessa for a moment longer, and stood up, walking over to Vanessa. Jack glanced towards her, but made sure that it seemed like he was still asleep.

Vanessa simply looked up at Kristine with a hum.

"…I'm sorry…" Kristine finally said, looking rather sad.

"Sorry for what?" Vanessa asked curiously.

"…for…your childhood…" Kristine murmured, looking away from Vanessa.

Vanessa actually smiled warm-heartedly, and she chuckled. "Oh, that's alright Kristine…there's no need to apologize for something like that; it's all in the past now."

Still, Jack remained silent, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

"I suppose we ought to start getting everyone up," Vanessa suggested.

Hearing that, Jack closed his eyes again to pretend to be asleep.

Kristine then went around to everyone. "Okay guys, time to wake up!"

"...already...?" moaned Striker, rubbing his eyes.

With a light groan, Nage slowly sat up.

"...haah... that time, already...?" Guts murmured as he rubbed his eyes a bit.

Ani groaned, but was able to get up. Then she went over and shook Milo. "Hey, time to get up."

At first he didn't even budge.

Ani blinked. "…Milo?" She shook him harder, yelling in his ear. "Hey, wake up sleepy head!"

"…hrm…?" Milo finally hummed groggily, twitching a bit.

Yawning softly, Jack eventually 'woke up'; rubbing his eyes as he sat up as well. "...nh..."

"Good, everyone's getting up," Vanessa said. "In a little bit, we'll cook up breakfast."

"...sounds good to me," Milo hummed, and then he looked over at Kristine. For some strange reason, they stared at each other...

...and then, Kristine blushed and turned away. "I'm gonna find firewood!" And like that, she took off.

Jack just rubbed his eyes more. "...nh..."

"Guess you didn't get lots of sleep last night, huh?" Nage assumed as she glanced over at Jack.

"Have a bad dream, Jack?" Striker asked.

"...I dunno..." Jack remarked in response.

Vanessa hummed wonderingly at this.

Blinking, Jack glanced at Vanessa. "...something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong, son," Vanessa said with a smile. "Now, who wants to help cook breakfast this morning?"

"...I could give it a shot!" Jack suggested.

"I'll help too," Milo offered.

"Wonderful," Vanessa responded cheerfully.

"Alright! Let's get to it!" Jack said with a grin.

_...well, I guess cooking's a good substitute for giving girls good dreams. _a familiar voice remarked in Milo's head.

_Wh-Wha? I-I... _Milo was silent for a bit. Then...

_...I don't know what you're talking about..._

_Clearly you should. Did you even hear anything Kristine told Vanessa?_

_No, I was asleep...wait, Kristine was talking to Vanessa?_

_Yup. Told her about this dream she had... and _you_ were in it._

Milo gulped then._ Well...er... _And he started to blush. _...what...was the dream about?_

_Well, you guys were walking and talking, and then it seemed like you were underwater, and glowing energies surrounded you as she gazed at you... and, if I'm not mistaken, she said that she felt 'a strange bliss'. I'm sure you know what that means._

_...um... _And Milo's blush worsened.

_Oho? Don't tell me that you know what the dream was about? Do tell; was it some kind of metaphor, hm?_

_N-no! It's not that! I-uh..._

_Well, if it isn't that, why are even your thoughts getting flustered, hm?_

_I-I… _And Milo was blushing so badly that everyone else started to notice to some wonder.

_...hey. People are staring._ And a chuckle followed.

Milo jumped and tried to mind his own business, with everyone just tilting their heads at him.

"Milo, you okay?" Ani asked.

"I'm fine…" Milo insisted.

"...are you sure?" Jack uttered with a tilted head.

_You know, I'm not so sure that you are._

"…Yeah…I just…y'know…have a sunburn…" Milo muttered.

Striker blinked at that…and then a small smile grew.

_...ooh? I think someone's onto ya._

Milo just looked away and went back to his work. Striker also didn't say anything, but he continued to smile.

Noticing that, Jack blinked. "...Striker? What's up?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Striker said, but he kept smiling.

"...okay..." Jack blinked, as he tilted his head a bit; his gaze not leaving Striker.

Meanwhile, with Kristine, she kept wandering, half-heartedly looking for the firewood, but mainly thinking about that dream she had, and why she felt so awkward looking at Milo. It was the first time she was silent while she was by herself; usually she would talk to herself aloud, but this time, she was deep in thought.

So deep in thought, in fact, that she wouldn't yet notice the dark figures slowly slithering up after her...

She kept wondering if she actually felt something for Milo or not...

...and then suddenly, she felt uncomfortable.

"...end of the line, toots." And suddenly, dark figures erupted around her; surrounding her.

Kristine stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening nervously. Surrounding her were lions; their eyes a golden, wicked hue as darkness oozed off their bodies. They weren't just any lions, though; they were Leoniels, the very same that had once hounded her before she had met Vanessa's group. She backed away slowly, growing more uneasy.

"Aaaw, look at that; the little girl's afraid of us." one of the lions sneered, as they began circling her.

"Well, she better be... she couldn't even look at Astaroth without breaking into a wild dash." another of them chuckled.

"…stop it…" she growled.

"And what're you gonna do about it, huh?" one of them laughed.

"Hey, how about we turn her?" another remarked, as he stepped closer to Kristine. "I'm sure she'd love it once we introduced her to this stuff..."

Kristine stepped back even more. "No! Don't try me! You'll regret it!"

"Oh, listen to the tough girl, huh?" The lions laughed mockingly as they kept stepping closer to her.

"What're you gonna do to stop us, huh? Oh wait, you _can't._" With a mocking chuckle, one of the lions suddenly pushed Kristine roughly to the ground.

Kristine yelped when they pushed her down.

"...y'know, I honestly can't decide..." As they surrounded her, the lions all smirked. "...do we just corrupt her right away... or do we catch up on old times and warm her up a bit?"

"I'd think that'd be obvious..." another lion chuckled in response. "...we just do both at the same time. I doubt she'd mind once we've started..."

A scream got caught in Kristine's throat, choking her. These guys were more intimidating, and because she didn't have the power to combat Corruption…

…suddenly, though, a beam shot out at them. "Back away from her!"

The lions suddenly ducked away from the beam, as they glared at the one who had shot at them. Two other lions jumped in front of Kristine; one of them was Milo, and he looked down at her worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"…y-yeah…" Kristine uttered, ashamed that she had to be saved.

The other was Jack, who glared at the lions whilst clenching his hands. "...more Leoniels... and they're Corrupted, too!"

"...hey... what's with this kid?" one of the lions hissed, as he looked Jack up and down. "He looks like he could pass off as one of us... but I've never seen anyone like him..."

"...y'know..." another lion chimed in. "...he kinda... reminds me of Astaroth..."

Jack's eyes narrowed as he glared at them. "...you don't wanna make that comparison." he warned.

"Yeah, I wouldn't do that," Milo agreed. "Now back off…or we'll use force."

The lions just hissed. "...you're just kids! The hell could you do to us?!"

"...lots of things." Jack noted, as he glanced at one lion... and he hurled a small spark of pale-green energy towards him.

The spark, as it turned out, suddenly combusted into a flare of Purity which knocked that lion back; causing him to yelp in pain. "SHIT! That hurts, goddamn it!"

"Again, we're gonna warn you; don't try us," Milo said firmly.

The lions looked among each other... and then they just glared back at them. "...try THIS!" And they suddenly leapt straight at Jack and Milo; throwing powerful punches.

The ones going for Jack, though, were met with his own palms blocking the punches; though just narrowly. "...don't take them lightly, Milo! They're still gonna be really strong!" he warned, as he had some Purity seep through his palms to make the lions stagger back, before he kicked them away.

Milo tried blocking off the punches, and staying by Kristine, trying to keep her away from them. That meant that Jack had to knock the lions back; and even with Purity, he still had to face off against lions that had been trained under Astaroth's watchful eye. The blows exchanged were powerful, but neither side would budge a single inch; Jack trying to push them away from Milo and Kristine, and the lions attempting to knock Jack out of their way. Jack seemed to be faring better than Milo, because they were slowly overpowering him, as well as tiring him out.

He was still determined, though, to keep them away from Kristine.

However, one of the lions dealing with Jack noticed that Milo was tiring from this... and with a smirk, he had made a feint to make it seem like he was going to strike Jack from the side, so when he blocked, he dashed around him from the other side. Jack couldn't react in time to stop the lion from rushing over to Milo, and brutally swinging a fist at his face while he was occupied.

Even if Milo had seen him coming, he was unable to stop him, and the punch at his face sent him to the ground harshly.

"Milo!" Kristine actually gasped when she saw Milo hit the ground.

However, that soon led to the lions swarming Kristine; grabbing her before holding her up so Jack could see her. "Alright, kid, end of the line!"

Noticing that, Jack stopped, as his eyes widened. When he did that, though, two of the lions quickly pinned Milo down as well, while the rest of the lions circled around Jack. "...don't you hurt her..."

"Oh, we're not gonna..." one of the lions chuckled, as he held his hand close to Kristine's cheek; his palm having Corruption ooze from it. "...but if you put up any kind of fight, well... we can't guarantee her safety."

Milo looked at that in fear, and though he wanted to struggle, he stayed put for Kristine's sake, who was nervously eying the goo in the guy's palm.

Jack slowly clenched his hands as he looked back at Kristine... but with a sigh of defeat, he just closed his eyes...

...in time for one of the lions to harshly punch him in the gut; making him keel over as his eyes widen. "Hah! That's for that weird flashbang ya did earlier!" the lion who punched him sneered, before the surrounding lions all began harshly beating on Jack.

"…J-Jack…" Milo uttered weakly. He didn't like seeing him get beaten down like this.

Jack just took the blows without a single sound escaping his lips; even as he was visibly pained from the brutal pummeling.

"Hey, hey, this kid's got some guts!" one of the lions laughed, as he threw a harsh kick at Jack's back. "Let's make him scream! Crack some bones and cut him up a bunch!"

"…s-stop!" Milo uttered. "Look, don't beat up on him! If you need someone to beat up, beat me!"

Kristine just gawked at Milo for volunteering like that.

The lions just laughed, as one of them shot a look at Milo. "Well, why didn't you say so to begin with?!" And a few of them suddenly ran up to start beating Milo up too, while a group still kept beating Jack up.

The ones holding Kristine just laughed at this. "What a dumbass... the hell does he think he'd accomplish?"

Kristine just bit her lip, watching as the two boys were being wailed on.

With a chuckle, the lion glanced back at Kristine. "...so, what to do next, huh...?" With a smirk, he moved his hand closer to her. "...maybe we just corrupt the lot of ya, and then have you guys corrupt those other guys you're traveling with?"

Kristine shook her head with widening eyes. "…N-No…"

"Aaaaw, don't be afraid... it only hurts for the first couple of seconds. Then you get used to it, and then... _man_, is it a rush." the lion chuckled.

"Hell, that one lion guy?" One of the lions motioned to Jack was he was beaten up more. "I've seen someone else like him back at HQ... guess that means he's been corrupted before. Why don't we see how well he takes being corrupted again?"

"And what about the pipsqueak?" The first lion suddenly grew a wicked smirk. "Oh, I get it... how about we corrupt him first, and then have him corrupt you, eh?"

"No!" Kristine yelped.

Then suddenly…there was an explosion. Nearby.

It didn't hit anyone, but it was near enough to steal attention away. It also served to stop the beatdowns, as the lions glanced towards what could have caused the explosion. Milo coughed from the rough beating they gave him, but he was still able to look up.

Suddenly, another explosion happened…and this was _much_ closer; nearly blowing away the Leoniels.

Quickly, the lions began backing away; though they stuck closely to Jack, Milo and Kristine. "The hell?! Is someone firing rockets?!"

Jack's eyes, though they were dull from the pain, lit up somewhat as he gazed ahead.

When the explosion cleared…someone was standing there. Someone that Milo and Jack instantly recognized.

And Jack's expression brightened intensely as he saw this figure. "...ah... Arsenic...!"

The lions growled. "...hey!" one of them called to Arsenic. "The hell are you playing at?!"

"Who does this guy think he is, playing with explosives like that...?" another lion chimed in with a growl.

Arsenic simply stood there, not really looking at anyone.

Then, a smirk crossed across her face. "I could say the same thing about you dweebs messing with Corruption. It isn't something people should play around with."

With a snarl, one of the lions stepped forward. "...watch it, pal." he remarked, before he hurled a sphere of Corruption straight at her.

Arsenic's hand shot up, deflecting the Corruption up into the air by some strange force. And this made the lion just gawk. "...the hell...?!"

"…You guys think you control everything by Corruption?" Arsenic hummed. "Well, I know how to control the particles that make up everything in our world. I'd say I still might have more of an advantage than you."

She shot a few firebolts at the Leoniels and blasted them away with explosions. Milo put up a barrier of Purity that protected him and Kristine from the explosions. Jack just crossed his arms as the explosions blew away the Leoniels; scattering them around the area.

"...kkh... this guy's tough...!" one of the lions uttered, as he glared at Arsenic. "Fuckin' ratboy...!"

"Oh yeah, newsflash," Arsenic said, suddenly vanishing somehow.

Then she reappeared behind the Leoniel that was talking to her. "I'm a girl."

And with that, she socked him from behind. "GAH!" And he fell to the ground; gritting his teeth.

Jack just shot a look back at her with wide eyes. "Wow... Arsenic! How'd you do that?!" he sputtered with wide eyes.

"I've always been able to do that…but I couldn't exhort too much from myself," Arsenic said. Then her smirk grew. "But now…you bastards are in for it if you don't bail now."

The lions all glared back at her; growling in silence.

Arsenic's smirk fell, becoming an angry look directed at them. "You Leoniels think you're high and mighty…but not even Corruption is going to stop you from killing each other in the end; in fact, it's going to speed that process up. Corruption's just going to consume you from the inside out, without you knowing about it until the very last second."

"So do yourselves a favor by prolonging the time you have to live and not wasting ours."

One of the lions growled. "...shut your goddamn mouth!" he roared, as he shot towards Arsenic... but his hand was suddenly grabbed before he could even throw a punch.

"...you get away from her." Jack uttered as he looked seriously at this Leoniel; hand firmly clenched around the lion's arm.

Milo gawked at that. So did Kristine.

"...you get your hands off-!" the lion began, but when Purity began shining from Jack's palm, he cried out.

"...I'm not warning you a second time." Jack noted, as his eyes narrowed. "Leave."

Milo walked closer to Kristine, watching the lions carefully.

Finally, the lion managed to push himself away from Jack; backing off. "...kkh... this ain't over, kid..." he growled, as the Leoniels began sinking into the dark. "...not by a long goddamn shot...!" And with that, they were gone.

Watching them vanish, Jack just breathed out, as he closed his eyes. "...phew..."

"…Milo…I'm sorry…"

"Huh?" Milo looked over at Kristine, who was looking away shamefully.

"…I didn't try to fight them. I just sat there and let them talk at me…" Kristine muttered. "…they would've Corrupted me if you hadn't come along."

"Don't blame yourself," Arsenic suddenly spoke up.

Jack simply nodded. "...I'm sure they were scary... you don't have to be sorry, Kristine..."

When Milo set a hand on Kristine's shoulder, she looked up at him finally. "It's okay…you don't need to be embarrassed," Milo assured her.

"…o-okay…" Kristine uttered.

Smiling a bit, Jack eventually looked away from Milo and Kristine; looking towards Arsenic. Arsenic turned to Jack, smiling. "…Jack…"

"Hrm?" Kristine looked over to watch them, and so did Milo.

"...Arsenic..." With a bright smile, Jack just ran right up to her, and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "...it's great to see you again, Arsenic!"

"Oh Jack…" Arsenic hugged Jack back dearly and just as tightly.

"…uh…" Kristine looked at Milo. "…what's their story?" she whispered.

"…I'll tell you later…" Milo whispered back.

Looking back at Arsenic, Jack smiled brightly. "...wow... you look great!" he spoke. "Did the operation go well, Arsenic?"

"Yeah, I feel…so much better." Arsenic said, holding her chest. "There's even a cool looking scar on my chest from it!"

"Wow, really?" Jack's eyes widened a bit. "Man, that sounds so cool!" he uttered with a growing smile.

"It definitely seems like you have more energy," Milo noted.

"I _feel_ like I have more energy," Arsenic added.

"Alright!" Jack uttered, as he just looked at Arsenic. "...man... I really missed you, Arsenic."

Arsenic hugged Jack. "I missed you too." And Jack hugged her back in return.

Milo and Kristine just kept watching them. Kristine especially started blushing when she looked at Milo when he wasn't aware of it.

"...aah, man!" With a wide smile, Jack looked at Arsenic. "We have to let the others know that you're alright again, Arsenic!"

"Are you planning to come with the group again?" Milo asked Arsenic.

"Yeah. I'm gonna help you guys out now," Arsenic said. "So having the others know I'm okay would probably be a good thing. Let's go."

Jack grinned, as he took her hand, before leading her away. "C'mon, they're over here!"

Arsenic followed Jack, and Milo took Kristine's hand to help her up, which made Kristine blush even more.

"…um…Kristine…are you alright?" Milo asked.

Kristine stared at him, and blushed even more. Milo started blushing too, and he didn't even realize that he was still holding her hand.

"Guys, come on!" Jack called from further away.

"Oh, r-right!" Milo and Kristine both jumped and then headed off where Arsenic and Jack went.

When they returned to the camp, the first one to spot them was Nage... and her eyes shot wide open. "...holy...! GUYS! Guys, you've gotta see this!" she called out. "It's... it's Arsenic! She's back, you guys!"

"Arsenic?!" Both Striker and Ani jumped up, and they brightened. Then they came over and threw their arms around Arsenic.

"Wh-whoa..." That surprised Arsenic. "I didn't realize I was _that_ missed."

"Are you kidding?!" Nage uttered with a grin as she ran over to hug her too. "We've been waiting for you forever!"

Jack just smiled as he rubbed his neck. "They're right, too. We've all missed you, Arsenic."

"Yes, we have," Vanessa said with a smile. "Welcome back."

"Thanks," Arsenic chuckled, while she was getting hugged.

With a small grin, Guts rubbed his neck. "Guess the band's all back together, huh?"

"Yeah!" Striker laughed.

Milo just smiled at all of this, and Kristine simply stared.

It was about time for Arsenic to notice Kristine too, as everyone finished hugging her. She walked up to her afterward.

"…so…um…it's good to see you?" Kristine murmured.

Arsenic just stared at her. Then she sighed. "I don't think you remember me."

"Huh?!" Kristine jumped at that. "Sure I do!"

"You didn't seem to notice me very much the first time you joined the group though," Arsenic pointed out.

"...w-well, uh... there was lots of things happening around that time..." Nage noted with a small cough as she glanced away.

"…and…maybe I was focused on something else then…" Kristine muttered sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.

Arsenic just chuckled. "Don't worry about it…I don't take offense to it."

And Nage heaved a small sigh of relief.

"Besides, you guys should know I'm used to being ignored; I'm still getting used to actually having friends," Arsenic mentioned.

"...well, you got us." Jack noted as he hugged Arsenic. "With us, I'm sure you'll get used to having friends really fast."

Arsenic chuckled at that, hugging him back.

"You're just in time for breakfast too," Vanessa said.

"Yeah, we were just setting things up." Guts hummed. "It's more than enough for everyone."

"Sounds great; let's eat," Arsenic said.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yay! Arsenic is back!<br>**_


	57. Chapter 56

With a small hum, Queen simply looked out to the horizon; eyes narrowing somewhat as she was scouting for potential threats against the town they had saved the day before.

Hunter was in the main camp area, surveying around. After what happened to the town last night, all of the townsfolk ended up staying at their campsite and right now, a lot of them were still asleep. An occasional few were up and about, but they stayed quiet.

Hunter sighed to himself. "…what did we get into…?"

"...we helped people out, Hunter." Miser mused next to him, as she wandered towards him with a light yawn.

"I know but…at the same time, it's kind of our fault their town got burned down…" Hunter reasoned.

"...whatever happened at that battle, we can't say for sure..." Miser murmured. "...besides... only material goods were actually destroyed in the flames. They can rebuild..."

"…yeah, I guess that's true…" Hunter muttered.

Then he looked over at King in the distance. He simply sat with his back turned away from the group; looking down at the ground with a narrowed look in his eyes.

"…he hasn't been the same since last night," Hunter murmured to Miser.

"...something really bad must have happened back there..." Miser murmured.

"…something pretty bad did happen…" Hunter sighed, closing his eyes.

Then he noticed a certain boy walking toward King. "Hm?"

This boy turned out to be Augury, the one that led them around the town in last night's raid, and he walked up to King. "So…your name is King, right?" he asked.

King didn't respond.

Augury just looked at him, and eventually, he sat down next to King. "…what's wrong?"

King didn't look back at him. "...I... did something really bad..."

"…what did you do?" Augury asked.

"...something..." King closed his eyes. "...I can't say. You're too young..."

Augury looked away from him. There was a long moment of silence.

Then…

"…you killed that bad guy…didn't you?"

King's eyes widened, as he looked back at Augury. "...h-how did you...?"

Augury looked back at King. "My mom likes to think that she protects me from things I might not be able to handle…but ever since my dad died, I've been able to handle more…I feel like I gotta take care of my mom just as much as she's gotta take care of me…so…I figured that you had to kill that bad guy to stop them from hurting any of us…"

For a while, King looked at Augury with wide eyes, before he eventually looked away, as he held his own hands together. "...I... got really angry... he was threatening my island... my people... my..." He closed his eyes and grit his teeth. "...Tasha..."

"…who's Tasha?" Augury asked.

"...someone... really close to me..." King hummed, as he still looked down at the ground.

"…yeah…?" Augury muttered.

"...she's far away right now, but..." King hummed, as he gazed towards the horizon. "...she's waiting for me... to finish this mission we're on... so I can come back to her, and... our boy..."

"…so you're a dad?" Augury asked.

"...I'm gonna be one." King hummed. "A few months left..."

"Oh, I get it…" Augury said. "She's gonna have a baby…"

Augury looked away from King.

Then he looked back at him. "Say…what mission are you guys on? I hear your friends talk about looking for someone…"

"...it's... complicated." King murmured. "...we're looking for someone... trying to get her back home... before some bad guys get to her first..."

"…who is this person you're looking for?" Augury said.

"...a little ewe girl..." King murmured.

Augury's eyes widened. "Really? Honestly?"

"...yeah..." King looked back at Augury when he reacted like that. "...what's up?"

"I-I think I saw her a few days ago!" Augury said.

King's eyes widened. "...you did?!"

"Y-Yeah…" Augury muttered. "…she…she was really sad…"

King just gawked down at him with wide eyes.

_Augury was walking home from the grocery store one evening. He didn't have much in terms of groceries; just some quick things for his mom for dinner tonight. The town was a fairly safe neighborhood so his mother trusted him wandering around as long as she was aware of where he was._

_Then Augury stopped when he heard the sound of someone crying. It was nearby. "Hm?" And he looked around, keeping his ears open. He wondered who'd be crying._

_He wandered around some houses, down in a few alleyways of town, and sure enough, he found his answer. A little girl was sitting in the corner of the alleyway, crying her eyes out. It was a little too dark to make out just who it was or what they looked like._

_Augury stepped closer. "Hey…are…are you okay?"_

_The crying stopped, and the girl sitting there turned around with a sorrowful look. Joy Meredith Condit stared at Augury, not even bothering to wipe away her tears or stop crying. Augury didn't recognize her as anyone from town, and judging by her dirty clothes, she must have come from somewhere away from his town. She also didn't look very healthy._

"…_um…" Augury set down his groceries and dug through them. This left Joy a little perplexed, but she looked away from him while she cried a bit longer._

"_Here."_

_Suddenly, Joy was presented a loaf of bread. Joy stopped altogether, looking up at Augury in surprise._

"…_you should eat something," Augury said. "You look like you need it."_

"…_but…but shouldn't that be for your…family…?" Joy uttered with a few sniffles._

_Augury smiled. "If I told my mom someone was hungry, she'd understand." And he offered her the bread. "Take it."_

_Joy took it and started nibbling a bit on it, significantly calming down from her outburst. Augury watched her eat for a bit, and eventually sat down next to her, watching her eat. Joy felt a little awkward being watched by Augury, and she looked away from him nervously._

"…_are you lost…?" Augury asked, in which Joy shook her head no in response._

"…_so…I guess you're running away then…?"_

_Joy gawked at Augury. "Well, you're all dirty, and I don't know you from around here," Augury explained. "And if you're not lost, you're going somewhere…and since you're not with your mom and dad…I figured that you were running away…"_

_Joy looked away from him nervously, nibbling on the bread more._

"…_well…" Augury looked at the ground. "…gosh, I wish I knew what was wrong so I could help…but I don't wanna ask you because I don't wanna make you cry any more…"_

"…_it's not something you can help me with…"_

_Augury looked at Joy who looked utterly miserable. "…nobody can help me…I'll just get someone hurt if I let them try to help me…" With the bread in hand, Joy stood up. "…and I gotta go again, or I could hurt people you care about too…"_

_Augury stood up. "W-wait…can't I…"_

_Joy looked at him wonderingly._

"…_are you sure…there's nothing I can do to help you…?" Augury uttered awkwardly, feeling a bit of guilt for just making her walk away like that. "…I…don't like seeing people sad."_

_Joy closed her eyes, and tried not to cry any more. "…I…don't wanna run away…I miss all my friends and family…but…I don't wanna accidently hurt them…" she covered her eyes. "…I miss them though…I want to be with them…I feel so lonely…"_

_Augury looked at the ground for a bit when she said that._

_Then he came over and hugged Joy. "…well…I can be your friend for now…until you have to go…so just right now…I'll be a friend."_

_That was all Joy needed. She hugged Augury back and cried a bit in his shoulder, and Augury just hugged her, letting her cry. He didn't understand at all what could be going on for her, but he knew that she just needed something from someone to help her._

"After that, she just…left," Augury muttered in guilt to King. "…I felt like I should've done more...and when I told my mom about it, she said I could've brought her to the house but I…" his feet shuffled nervously. "…and…you guys are looking for her…I should've asked her to stay so that you guys could help her when you got here…"

King looked down at Augury with wide eyes. Of course, if she had stayed here, they could have found her sooner and gotten back to Safe Haven before that attack could occur... but on the other hand, the mercenary attack could have caused Malice to emerge and potentially endanger everyone in the town...

"...well..." King rubbed his neck as he looked down at Augury. "...do you... know which way she went?"

"That way."

Augury pointed up in a direction, which King noted, was toward a mountainous region. "I followed her far enough to see her head that direction…"

Seeing that, King nodded slowly. "...I see..." He hummed. "...then I think that's where we're going..."

"…can I help?" Augury asked.

King looked back at him. "...it depends on what you mean by that. Coming with us would be too dangerous..."

Augury opened his mouth…and then closed it, looking away. King just looked at him.

"…I…guess I wanted to come with," Augury said, looking back at King. "But if you say it's too dangerous, then, I'll stay."

"...that's good..." King hummed, as he rubbed Augury's head. "...I'm sure your mother wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"Right," Augury said, chuckling.

"...maybe you should see if she's woken up yet, huh?" King hummed, as he glanced aside.

"Nah, I'll let her sleep for a bit; she needs it," Augury said. "That whole thing really scared her…" and Augury looked up. "…I know you guys didn't really intend to save us, but thanks…"

"...well..." King rubbed his neck. "...don't mention it..."

Augury smiled up at him. "…and…I think you'll make a good dad."

Hearing that, King blinked as he looked back at Augury. "...wait... why?" he uttered with a tilted head. "What'd I do to give off that impression?"

"…You help out, even when you feel like you don't need to or have to," Augury said. "And I think you're fun to talk to…the other kids think you're a little scary, but I think if they got the chance to talk to you, they'd like you."

Augury smiled even more. "Plus…you remind me of how my dad was…and I'd say he was a pretty good dad."

King just blinked a bit as he looked down at Augury.

"…Dad's teach kids how to be strong, and how to protect people, but at the same time, they're just as nice and just as willing to help anybody," Augury said. "My dad helped me be a strong person, even if he wasn't around my life for very long…so if my Dad was able to do that, then I think you're gonna be the best dad a kid could have."

King couldn't help but smile a touch, as he rubbed his neck a bit. "...gee... never really thought about it that way..."

"I don't know what it's like to be a dad, so it might be tough," Augury said. "But yeah; I think you'll be a good dad."

"...well..." And King rubbed Augury's head again. "...thanks..."

"...sure thing," Augury said with a smile.

Hunter smiled when he saw that. "Guess he was cheered up." And then he tilted his head. "Y'know, it's kinda cute to see King talk to a kid."

"...guess he'll be doing alright..." Miser mused with a smile.

"...yeah...it's weird..." Hunter said, closing his eyes. "...King, being a dad...we joke about it but when you think about it...it's a miracle."

"...yeah..." Miser hummed with a growing smile.

"...we should probably check on the others..." Hunter recommended, though he couldn't take his eyes off King and Augury talking.

Miser simply nodded, as she looked at the two of them with a smile still. Crystal suddenly came over by the two of them, and then smiled when she saw Augury and King. "Aw, that's adorable…"

Returning from her scouting duties, Queen glanced towards that with a small smile. "...hm."

Even Dax, who was still recovering from his injuries from last night, came over and smiled when he saw that. "…well…look at that."

As he came up to the group as well, Ripper glanced at the scene with a small smile. "...kekeke..."

"...nh...?" As she woke up around this hour, Berta just lazily rubbed her eyes as she glanced towards King and Augury too.

They just all ended up watching King and Augury interact and even see King cheering up quite a bit.

Then Augury glanced over. "…um…your…friends are staring."

Blinking, King glanced at the group. "...what're you all staring at?"

Everyone that had been staring jumped, and scrambled away from each other to separate and get back to whatever business they had.

The only ones that still remained were Hunter and Miser, and Hunter simply looked away. "N-nothing…"

"...we most certainly weren't staring at you and him talking..." Miser murmured as she glanced from side to side to not appear inconspicuous.

"...right..." King uttered with a raised eyebrow.

Augury started laughing. "Your friends are weird."

"...well... you get used to it." King remarked with a smile. "They're friends I wouldn't trade for anything in the world."

Augury just chuckled some more.

Hunter smiled a bit longer…

…then…the smile just faded from his face. Instead, what replaced that expression was a strange one…one of a grave look. Even the cheerful sight of King talking with Augury had no effect on him all of a sudden.

Miser looked at him with a surprised look. "...Hunter...?"

"…I don't know why…" Hunter muttered.

"…but…I suddenly have a really bad feeling about something…"

Narrowing her eyes as she returned to her post, Queen slowly hummed. "...well, now... it's coming to this, at last..."

* * *

><p>"...nh...?"<p>

With a small hum, Demi rubbed his head a touch as he glanced up at the air. "...weird..."

A faint growl escaped Charon's lips as he glared ahead; snarling a touch with a narrowed gaze.

Oblivion clutched to Demi uneasily, still in her slumber, but she seemed to share the same tension with Charon and Demi.

Even Diablo for that matter woke up, looking around in paranoia. "…D-don't tell me…"

Kiri gently held onto Diablo as she looked around. "...the time... it's now..."

* * *

><p>Hex, with her group in turn, stirred considerably, as she grit her teeth. "...son of a..."<p>

"…hrm…" Ivory had the same kind of dread deep down in her gut. She noticed Hex twitch earlier, and knew that it couldn't have been a coincidence.

"...nh..." Closing his eyes, Proxy breathed out a bit. "...evil... approaches..."

"Lock…I can't find Metal," Stella uttered. "And Ivory, Hex and Proxy are all saying they're getting a bad feeling about something…they seem really serious about this…"

Lock simply adjusted his hat, as he looked back up at the sky. "...I can't blame them... I feel it, too..."

Stella's eyes widened a bit, and she rubbed her arms. "…wh-what do we do…?"

"We prepare ourselves for the unthinkable," Violent threw in, loading up her rifle with ammo.

* * *

><p>Cal, back with his group, simply opened his eyes and sat up, looking around. "…what…is that…?"<p>

"…feel that too…?" Charmy was awake as well, who had noticed Cal sit up suddenly.

"…yeah…" Cal murmured.

Charmy simply closed his eyes. "…something is definitely amiss…"

As she sat on her own whilst patrolling, Natal narrowed her eyes in growing concern.

As she gazed ahead of the others, Sage's eyes narrowed considerably.

"...you feel something... big... don't you?" Wiper hummed, as he approached Sage.

"...yes... it seems we've run out of time." Sage murmured.

"...I had a feeling..." Wiper hissed, as he settled a hand on his chest. "...seems like this old wound... still feels their charge..."

* * *

><p>"…Vanessa…um…is something wrong…?" Striker suddenly uttered, since with their group, they had all been chatting quite lively until a few of them feel very dead silent.<p>

There was a serious glimmer in Vanessa's eyes, one that could make most shudder, and it was definitely enough for the others to immediately know that something was amiss.

"…kids…you're going to need to be prepared today…"

"…wh-what do you mean?" Kristine muttered nervously.

"...something's... gonna happen..." Jack murmured, as he grew a nervous look on him.

_...you feel it too, right kid? _Johnny's voice spoke in Milo's head.

Milo looked down at the ground with a narrowed-eyed glare. _…yeah…I do…_

_...it's gonna happen... they're making their move._

From the high mountaintops they sat upon, Mercy winced a bit…and hissed. "…you feel that?"

"...I do..." Pierce's eyes narrowed, as he settled a hand upon his sword. "...they're moving..."

"…what plan of action do we take?" Mercy asked, reloading one of her pistols.

"...we continue protecting..." Pierce growled. "...and when things calm down... we move to strike at their core..."

"Sounds good to me," Mercy replied.

* * *

><p>After the evening of restless sleep, even Joy herself awoke easily enough. She was silent for the longest time, clutching the covers of her blankets very uneasily. She stared up at the ceiling in timid silence, trying to determine the very bad feeling she had inside of herself. It was very much the same kind of feeling she had gotten before Malice appeared before her and caused this entire mess in the first place.<p>

An overwhelming dread of an impending disaster.

"...Joy...?" Walking out into the living room, Tails looked towards her with a concerned look.

Joy jumped when she saw Tails, and threw off the blankets, running to clutch to him frightfully.

Holding her carefully, Tails looked out of the window; narrowing his eyes. A terrible calamity was to come... and he felt that it was bigger than anything before it.

"…Professor…I'm scared…"

Looking down at Joy, Tails sighed. "...so am I..." he murmured, as he rubbed her head gently. "...just... be strong..."

* * *

><p>Away from his group, Metal gazed towards the horizon with a narrowed expression; gritting his teeth as his hands clenched. Every part of him could feel it... it could feel such a terrifying force building up...<p>

"...so you're finally making your move... Patricia... Bulk..." He closed his eyes with a frown as he breathed out. _...Jill... please... overcome this..._

* * *

><p>In that split moment, Jill flinched, and looked around, as if she was suddenly in another place, only to discover she was still in her home. Where else could she possibly be?<p>

But this feeling inside of her…it was a feeling she was quite familiar with, and could not at all mistake it for anything else. A familiar premonition inside of her that something was amiss. It was the kind of ominous feeling she had always gotten when…he terrorized her years ago.

This was all in the middle of having lunch with Tasha and Sonia too, so Jill's sudden change of behavior tipped the two of them off.

"…Jill? Are you alright?" Tasha asked.

Jill didn't respond.

A knock suddenly came to the door.

"...Sonia...would you go answer that?" Jill asked.

"...sure thing..." Sonia uttered, as she walked over to the door, and opened it up.

"**...sorry for intruding...**" There stood Brawn; rubbing his head as he entered the house. "**Admiral send me here.**"

"...why is that?" Sonia uttered; but Brawn's reply was a mere shrug.

Tasha looked at them, and then she looked at Jill, who grew more solemn. Sonia noticed that as well, and folded her arms a bit.

"**...so... how are things?**" Brawn spoke, as he looked at the three of them with a simple look on his face.

"...um...things are well," Tasha mentioned.

_...I'd say it's about that time_, spoke a voice in Jill's head.

Getting that confirmation, Jill suddenly stood up.

"...I have to go."

Sonia glanced at Jill. "...why? What's wrong?"

Brawn glanced over as well.

"...there's something important I have to do," Jill spoke.

"...but... what could that be?" Sonia uttered.

At that point, Brawn happened to glance outside... and his eyes widened. "**...COVER!**" The moment he said that, he grabbed Tasha and got away from the windows...

...just before the balcony _exploded_; shrapnel blasting into the apartment as if someone had fired upon the house with a cannon.

Jill put up a barrier of Unity to protect the four of them from any of the damage. Thankfully, there was only shrapnel that blasted against the barrier, and nothing else.

When Jill let down the barrier, she looked at the others. "Everyone okay?"

"I-I'm alright," Tasha uttered out, still startled that Brawn had so suddenly grabbed her.

"...that was..." Sonia uttered.

"**...someone attacking...**" Brawn uttered, as he let go of Tasha, before stepping closer to the balcony.

"Brawn, step away," Jill warned, walking up with him.

"**...I here to protect.**" Brawn uttered. "**I no stand back.**"

Jill wanted to argue, but she knew it wouldn't do any good. Instead, she stood near Tasha protectively, looking to see what might've caused the explosion.

And if she were to look outside... there was the answer.

Standing out on the field outside of her house stood a vividly familiar lion; Corrupted markings completely covering his body, with a demonic red crystal shining brightly on his forehead, all as he gazed at the building with a cold, lifeless gaze.

"**...who attack us?**" Bulk called out to the lion as he walked out onto the ruined balcony.

_"...I have come... for Condit..."_ the lion spoke slowly. _"...move aside... or I'll take you too..."_

"...Brawn, stand by Tasha," Jill said, her look darkening when she saw the lion. "...this is my fight..."

"**...I fight too.**" Brawn spoke. "**I no afraid.**"

Narrowing her eyes, Sonia stepped by Tasha. "...I'll look after Tasha. You two... be careful, alright?" she spoke.

Jill looked at Sonia and Tasha worriedly, but eventually, she nodded.

"Let's go Brawn," Jill said, taking a flying leap down to the ground. With a nod, Brawn leapt down as well; glaring at the lion.

_"...well met... Jillian Condit..."_ the lion spoke slowly, as he slowly and gruesomely cracked his neck. _"...for her sake... I will kill you..."_

"...for _whose_ sake?" Jill uttered.

_"...the... only one left..."_ the lion spoke, as he glared directly at Jill. _"...Cyrene..."_

"...Cyrene...?" Jill was confused at that.

_...cute...he's making a stand for some girl,_ groaned Callous in her head. _Makes me want to barf._

"**...leave.**" Brawn spoke, as he stomped towards the lion with a snarl. "**You no welcome here.**"

_"...a being like yourself... has no place here..." _the lion spoke, as he slowly raised his hand; gazing towards Brawn, but didn't seem to be looking at him. _"...begone..."_

Jill held out her hand, and drew out her Unity blade in a glow of light to ready herself. "Brawn, keep your distance," Jill warned. "If you're gonna fight, then you have to be careful..."

Brawn simply looked back at Jill.

_"...bring out everything you have... against the power I wield... it will not hold..."_ the lion spoke, as his eyes briefly narrowed. _"...I wield... the greatest... power..." _The moment he said that, he fired an arc of pitch-black lightning upon Jill.

Jill slashed the lightning bolt away with the sword, glaring at the lion.

"Well guess what? I'm also the most pissed off..."

_"...so... who speaks now...? Jill... or Callous...?"_

"...who do you think?" and Jill's eyes turned red; allowing Callous control as she whipped out the scythe in the other hand. She propped the scythe on her shoulder with the blade in the first hand, and he approached the lion in a walk. "You put up some noble talk about a girl, and also think that you're all that just because of a little power. Well guess what, jackass?"

"That song and dance routine is really getting old, and take it from a couple of girls that have been there and done that."

The lion remained silent as he simply watched her approach him.

"And I mean, hey, you got Sage's powers; you should know," Callous said with a shrug. "But seriously; you think _I'm_ pissed? You should think about what you put _her_ through. She's only too polite to really let on how furious she really is."

Still, the lion remained silent.

"But who am I kidding? You're only more focused on saving that little _whore_ you seemed to latch onto," And for this, Callous smirked.

The lion simply narrowed his eyes...

...and then, he seemed to smirk as well. _"...funny... especially coming... from you..."_

"I know, right?" Callous laughed. "Now c'mon; let's duke it out."

_"...bring... it... on..."_ And the lion simply stood there.

Callous twirled her scythe and ran at the lion with both weapons. And still, the lion didn't even move; simply watching as she charged at him. Callous finally lunged with both of her weapons, throwing a slash with the scythe and the sword. The moment they would have struck him, though, a blue aura surrounded the weapons, and they were pulled away; keeping Callous bound in place at the moment.

Callous frowned at that, glaring at him. "So…what stupid name were you given, hm?"

_"...I am... Husk..."_ he spoke, as his eyes took on a bright glow. _"...remember... this name..."_

The instant he said that, a jagged, dark fist erupted from the ground before him to _brutally_ slam into Callous' gut. Callous grunted in pain.

Tasha was startled by this as she watched. Sonia's eyes were wide. "...geez... this guy's something else..."

_"...any... more... quips...?"_ Husk spoke slowly and coldly, as another fist shot out from the ground to slam into Callous.

After Callous grunted from that, she spat onto the ground. "…please sir…can I have some more…?" And Callous smirked again.

Even Husk smirked at that. _"...you're... funny..."_ The moment he said that, _two_ fists shot out from the ground to slam into Callous with unbridled power.

As he watched this battle, Brawn remained silent with narrowed eyes.

After Callous was hit, she just spat on the ground again; this time, spitting out blood. "I know I'm funnier than those higher ups you're taking orders from, that's for sure."

"…why is she taking the beating…?" Tasha uttered.

"...maybe she's... building up to something...?"

Husk just smirked. _"...that's right... but when I'm done here... I won't... have to deal... with them... and neither... will she..."_

"Oh really? What makes you say that?" Callous said, in-between beatings.

_"...we'll... leave them... let them... destroy each other..." _Husk spoke. _"...they can't... cooperate... they bicker... they fight... eventually... they'll kill..."_

"Then what makes you think you two are going to last?" Callous hummed.

_"...we are... different... we... understand each other..." _Husk spoke, as he gazed directly into Callous' eyes. _"...just like... you... and... him... did..."_

"…yeah…but look at where we went…"

Callous glared up at him. "You're not gonna last, kid. The best you could do is just walk away now before you get in too deep."

Husk's eyes narrowed. _"...I've... already... gone too far... I only act... for her sake..."_

"…then you SOL, because if I don't beat you…you're gonna lose everything in the end. Even _her._"

Husk narrowed his eyes. _"...what... do you mean...?"_

Callous just laughed suddenly. "Don't you get it you idiot?"

Then she gave Husk a…very dark grin. It almost looked angry, but at the same time, it looked amused. "Even if the darkness can't consume you because of what you are, it's gonna consume her…and _destroy _her."

Husk's eyes widened. _"...no... no, that's... that's not..."_ he uttered, before his eyes narrowed dangerously. _"...you __**lie...**__"_

"Oh, trust me, I ain't joking," Callous laughed in an almost insane way, especially since she knew it was getting on his nerves, but it was also the hard truth. "All that hard work to try and save that poor little bitch…and in the end, the darkness is gonna swallow her up…"

"…and you'll never know what became of her."

Husk slowly grit his teeth. _"...you're... not funny anymore..."_

All of a sudden, he shot dark electricity at Callous; eyes burning with rage. _"...tell me... how can I save her...?"_

Callous let out a yelp at the pain…but then she started laughing. "Only way to do that is to purify the darkness outta her, but guess what? My counterpart can't do that! Something about some damn ability to forgive and see the good in people; shame she can't do that!" And she grinned. "Only two that can are the Toaster…and Joy."

Husk's eyes narrowed, as he kept forcing dark lightning against Callous. _"...then I'll... find either of them... and make them save her... I will __**not... let... her... die...**__"_

Callous laughed more, despite the pain. "Oh?! Why not leave right now?! Isn't she _that_ important to you? Important enough to drop some lame-brained scheme hashed up by a bunch of morons who think they're hot shit just to make sure she's saved in time?"

_"...if we leave... right now... they'll know... they'll chase us... endanger her..." _Husk snarled, as he glared at Callous whilst inflicting more pain upon her. _"...they have to... be drunk... with victory... then... they won't notice us... leaving them..."_

Callous cringed, but she still grinned.

"Then you'll be sentencing her to the inevitable…and it'll be all…your…_**fault**__._"

At that point, Husk's eyes widened... and with a roar, he suddenly threw a powerful punch against Callous' gut; though it blazed with such a stunning heat that her skin would sizzle against his fist upon the moment of impact. Callous let out a pained cry, and this time, she wasn't joking around anymore. Husk simply glared at her, before he suddenly began throwing punch after vicious punch against her gut; each punch fueled by the same heat from before to inflict as much pain as he could. Callous kept letting out cries from the pain she was experiencing, and she could do nothing else other than take it.

_"__**...I... won't... let... her... die...!**__" _Husk roared at her as he kept brutally punching her; eventually getting to the point where he actually pinned Callous down and threw harder and stronger punches at her.

"...no..." Sonia just held her mouth in utter shock as she looked down at this.

Tasha rose to her feet, clutching to Sonia. She could feel something ominous building, and Sonia could feel her shudder. "…S-Sonia…"

This was the same animosity she felt…all those years ago…when Jill and Metal originally thought that Joy had been smashed to death by a titanic Spiel during the outbreak.

_"__**...I... can't let... anyone... take her away...!**__" _Husk snarled as he kept viciously punching Callous. _"__**I... won't... allow it...!**__"_

Callous was silent for a long time, not moving, just taking the punches…

…then suddenly, flames burst up around her, and ended up engulfing Husk with them. They were bright green flames of Unity, and to Husk, it burned him tremendously just as much as his punches had burned her stomach.

"…_**then how do you think I feel when you chase my little girl…?**_"

Husk let out a shriek, though he glared down at the ewe with widening eyes. The ewe's eyes opened to show green eyes, revealing it to be Jill.

And she glared _quite_ hatefully at Husk.

She let out a shriek of rage, and blasted Husk off of her; enough to send him flying as he burned in flames of Unity. Shrieking as he was engulfed in these flames, Husk suddenly glared down at Jill, before he suddenly _rocketed_ towards her; throwing a flaming fist fueled with electricity upon her. Jill threw her hand to stop the fist, and the sheer impact of that recoiled back at Husk in a burst of more Unity. Even as it burst against him, Husk just _roared_, as dark hands shot out from all around them to slam into Jill. Jill put up a barrier against the hands, and then made the energy shoot out just to push Husk away from her by sheer power.

Husk was knocked back, but he stopped himself; breathing as he glared straight at Jill. Jill stood, and breathed just as hard as he did, replying that same kind of glare at him.

"…whoa…" Tasha uttered, wide eyed at this.

"...unreal..." Sonia uttered in response.

As Husk glared at Jill, Corruption and flames began blazing around him like an aura, whilst his eyes flashed dangerously. Jill had something similar happen to her; flames of Unity burning brighter and brighter around her like a growing aura, while her eyes flashed as well.

Both these auras were growing so large and intense…others on the island took notice.

"…oh…my…" Belinda uttered, glancing in that direction.

"...well... that's not something you see every day..." Caitlin mused with a narrowed gaze.

"...whoa..." With wide eyes, Lin looked towards that direction in awe.

"…dude…I'm not liking that mojo…" Jam muttered.

Flamenco frowned at this; he didn't like it either…and when he glanced over, he saw someone disappear into the brush. No one else noticed but him, and not only that, but he thought he saw…

…with that, he took off from the docks.

"...what... the... hell...?" Trash gawked at this sight from the HQ with wide eyes... until he realized just where the auras were emanating from. "...Condit's... that's where Brawn...!" With a panicked look, he broke into a mad dash for that area.

"…Admiral…" The Captain was awestruck by a sight like that, calling over the Admiral to come see.

As the Admiral caught sight of this, he narrowed his eyes. "...hm... seems like it's early..." he murmured, before he walked off.

"Admiral?" The Captain questioned what he meant, seeing him walk away.

"...distribute the special packages among the men. We'll need them before the day ends." the Admiral spoke, before he was gone.

Finally, the two auras were growing so immense that, even though neither Jill nor Husk moved, the auras were basically colliding; fighting for supremacy as the two glared at each other.

Jill finally screamed out, and charged madly for Husk. With a thundering roar of his own, Husk broke into a wild charge towards Jill; leading to the inevitable clash...

"**...ENOUGH!**" In the _very instant_ the two would have clashed, however, a third figure had suddenly gotten between them, and with a roar, managed to catch both Jill's and Husk's fists; the ensuing shockwave blasting across the _entire island_ as the two forces were stopped by this wall separating them.

Jill's eyes widened, startled that someone stopped her. Even Husk seemed surprised, as he gawked at the one who had stopped them...

...and there, standing between them, suffering the flames of both Corruption and Unity scorching his very being as his body quivered from the sheer power he had quelled... stood Brawn.

"…B-Brawn…why?!" Jill uttered.

Brawn simply remained silent, as he kept a firm grip on both of their hands. "**...this fight... pointless...**"

_"...p-pointless...?"_ Husk was, at this point, far too stunned that someone could actually have stopped the raw power from the two of them to even attempt to break free.

"**...Condit mad... worried for daughter... Husk mad... wants to protect Cyrene...**" Brawn grunted, as a trickle of blood actually ran down from his mouth whilst he spoke. "**...I not understand... but I know... this fight only fuel more fight...**"

Jill just stared at Brawn and what he was doing to stop them from fighting…

…suddenly, she pulled away from him, so she wouldn't hurt Brawn. Even Husk pulled away; stepping away from Brawn as he just looked... conflicted. _"...the fight... is pointless...?"_ he uttered, as he just looked at the komodo dragon. _"...but... why risk yourself...?"_

"**...I dumb...**" Brawn murmured, as he breathed heavily. "**...I no know lots of things... but... I part of GUN...**" Slowly, he looked at Jill. "**...I do... what I think right...**"

Suddenly, he collapsed; groaning as the flames dispersed, revealing nasty burns all over his being, as his arms hung limply from his being.

"Brawn!" Tasha yelped out worriedly.

Jill grit her teeth seeing Brawn collapse like that…and she looked up at Husk. However, Husk didn't return the look. He just... gazed at Brawn with a bewildered look. _"...why would he...?"_ he murmured, as he just seemed completely out of it.

Jill suddenly realized something she needed to do; something really important, and now was the best opportunity.

She suddenly ran off. However, Husk didn't even seem to notice. He still just looked down at Brawn with a bewildered look in his eyes.

"Brawn!" Tasha hurried down from the building as carefully as possible to run to Brawn.

"Ah- no, wait, Tasha!" And Sonia followed her.

Brawn just breathed slowly, as he looked towards the two running towards him. "**...Sonia... Chieftain...**"

When Tasha got to him, she knelt down to him, looking at him worriedly. The burns covered a good portion of his body, and he seemed quite weakened, but he didn't seem like he was faltering in any way. "**...get back... inside... danger...**" he noted slowly, whilst wincing.

"...well, we're not going inside without you." Sonia uttered, as she grabbed Brawn's arm to try and hoist him up... and even she couldn't lift him. "...geez! You're as heavy as Spiel was...!"

Tasha tried to help a little, even though she was struggling because of her own weight she was carrying within her stomach. Then realizing that she couldn't even lift him, she looked up at Husk. "…please…help us…"

Husk looked back at them with wide eyes. _"...why... ask me...?" _he uttered, as he looked down at the ground. _"...I... I'm an... enemy..."_

"…neither of us can lift him…" Tasha uttered. "…at the most…please…lend us some strength…"

"C'mon, just a simple yes or no would do!" Sonia called to him.

Husk just looked at the three with a tilted head, before he looked at the ground. _"...I..."_

Suddenly…a beam shot out, and hit Sonia in the back.

"GAH!" With a cry, Sonia stumbled forward onto the grass; gritting her teeth in pain.

Husk's eyes widened, and he looked up with widening eyes. _"...you..."_

"Sonia!" Tasha was going to go to her too, but then a sword was held to her neck, stopping her with a gasp.

"_Don't move…"_ hissed Cyrene, not even acknowledging that Husk was currently standing there.

Seeing that, Brawn's eyes widened. "**...you... don't hurt Chieftain...!**" With a growl, he slowly tried getting himself on his feet again; glaring at Cyrene.

Then Cyrene quickly slashed her sword across his back. "_And you don't move; otherwise, I _will _hurt her."_

With a roar of pain, Brawn sank back down to his knees.

"...sh-shit...!" Growling, Sonia looked back. "...Cyrene... they got you too...?!"

"_And you shut your mouth if you know what's good for you!" _Cyrene snapped at Sonia. Then she glared at Husk. _"Why were you just standing here? You could've corrupted these guys to help us out."_

Husk just looked back at Cyrene. _"...I... I was... fighting Condit..."_

"…_Condit…" _Cyrene looked around. _"…then what happened to her? Where did she go?"_

_"...she..."_ Husk uttered, but stopped, as he noticed Brawn groaning in response.

"**...I... fend him off...**" he spoke, as he slowly glared back up at Cyrene. "**...let... Condit... escape... I fight lion... take burns... he too busy with me... to chase...**"

"…_you WHAT?!_"

And for that, Cyrene lashed against his back with her claws covered in Corruption.

Brawn roared out, as he grit his teeth in absolute pain.

"BRAWN!" Sonia cried out, as she winced. "Argh... damn it... leave him alone! He's done nothing to you, Cyrene!"

"…hm…still as heartless as ever, chica."

Hearing that voice, Cyrene's eyes widened. She knew that voice somehow…she couldn't quite pin point who it could be, or where she might've heard this voice, but her ears recognized this voice.

She spun around in shock to see the toucan, Flamenco, simply observing what was going on from a small distance. He didn't seem shocked or frightened to see Cyrene in her state; in fact, he almost looked like he figured he'd see Cyrene the way she was right now.

Sonia looked towards him with wide eyes. "...Flamenco..."

Husk glanced in his direction as well; blinking slowly as he tilted his head.

"…_wh-wha…?_" Cyrene actually dropped the sword on the ground, stepping away a bit.

"…hm, is there something the matter?" Flamenco hummed, approaching.

Husk looked from Cyrene to Flamenco with a tilted head. _"...who... are... you...?"_

"An old amigo of hers, if you will," Flamenco answered to Husk. Then he hummed again. "But she doesn't seem to respond as openly."

"…_but…I…I don't…_" Cyrene shook her head worriedly. She felt like she knew him…but…her mind was foggy.

"Ah, you must not remember…" Flamenco supposed. "Well, Corruption has the most adverse side effects."

Husk's eyes widened a touch. _"...side effects...?"_ He looked back at Cyrene. _"...you... you forgot about...?"_ His tone seemed... genuinely worried, even amidst the usual dullness. Cyrene looked at Husk nervously, and then at Flamenco.

"Well, perhaps, there's something that might jog your memory?" Flamenco supposed, walking right up to Cyrene.

"…_like…what…?_" Cyrene uttered.

"This."

Flamenco suddenly took Cyrene and planted his lips on her. Upon seeing this sight, Husk's eyes widened. Tasha just…gawked at that.

Cyrene was frozen in place because of that for a moment.

Then suddenly, she slapped him.

"Flamenco Romano, you tell me why you did that!" Cyrene suddenly barked at him. "The nerve! Why, I wouldn't be surprised if you're just trying to work your way out of trouble like you used to!"

Flamenco simply smiled at this in relief. He definitely remembered that attitude. And when Cyrene suddenly realized what came out of her mouth, her eyes widened.

Husk blinked out of surprise. _"...Cyrene...?"_ he spoke as he slowly tilted his head.

Cyrene just blinked. "…I remember him now…he's…"

Husk just blinked, before he slowly looked towards Flamenco. Cyrene just looked back and forth between Husk and Flamenco nervously. She had no idea how to address the situation.

Meanwhile, Flamenco helped Sonia up. "You alright, chica?"

"...nh... yeah, I'm fine..." Sonia murmured, as she glanced behind her. "...but... I'm not too sure about him..."

Brawn simply breathed as he tried to overcome the pain he felt searing through his being at the moment; though he didn't seem like he was in danger of being Corrupted, the pain still lingered.

"...hrm..." Flamenco rubbed his hands together. "...allow me."

And he grabbed Brawn to lift.

However, the komodo dragon proved exceptionally heavy; to the point that he could only get him halfway up on his feet.

"...wait... lemme help..." Sonia uttered, as she hurried over to Brawn; taking his arm and lifting him up; the two of them both managing to get Brawn on his feet.

_"...you..."_ At that point, Husk looked back at Flamenco. _"...what... are you... to her...?"_

Flamenco looked back at Husk. "We are close, she and I. We grew up with the same fencing instructor and have had quite a past together." Then he started pulling Brawn toward Jill's broken home with Sonia. "Come. Let us not be out in the open."

"**...nh...**" Brawn grunted as he closed his eyes, while they led him inside.

Slowly, Husk looked back at Cyrene. Cyrene watched them walk as Tasha followed closely. She sighed, and closed her eyes, feeling shameful and guilty.

_"...Cyrene..."_ Husk spoke as he looked towards her in concern.

Cyrene turned to Husk. "...Husk...I..."

Husk just slowly looked back towards the building, before looking back at Cyrene.

_"...I suppose... we won't... run away... together..." _Husk spoke, as he just gazed at her.

Cyrene sighed sadly, looking at the ground. "...it seems that way..."

_"...so..."_ Husk closed his eyes. _"...now... there are none..."_

At that point, someone stumbled out from the woodworks; gawking at the two Corrupted. "...son of a... more of them?!" Trash uttered, as he glared at the two of them. "And this soon...!"

"...Husk..." Cyrene looked up at him sadly, and that's when she noticed Trash with widened eyes.

Swiftly, Trash grabbed a communicator on his belt. "...HQ! We've got hostiles on the island! Everyone has to go on the defensive!"

Husk perked up. _"...he's... warning them..."_

Cyrene just stood there, frozen.

With a nod, Trash put the communicator away, and glared at the two Corrupted. "...shit... what did you two do to Brawn?! And to Condit?! Talk, or I swear, I'll...!"

_"...they're... aware..."_ Husk uttered.

That got Trash blinking. "...aware? Aware of what?"

"...Husk...?" Cyrene questioned, looking at the lion uneasily.

And Husk looked at Cyrene with wide eyes._"...they're... here..."_

In that instant, a thundering stomp rang through the air. "...well, well, well... I wondered where you two might have gone off to."

Cyrene's eyes widened with fright, frozen where she was standing.

There, towering before them, stood Bulk; sneering at them whilst cracking his neck. "...thought you'd alert the island to the plan, huh? Figured I couldn't trust that no-good shell..."

Husk simply stood where he was, looking back at Bulk.

"...well, no matter." Bulk hummed. "...preparations are already complete."

"...preparations?" Trash took a step back. "For what...?"

Trash bumped into someone, but he did't have time to look at who it was before a hand clamped down on his shoulder firmly.

"Why not use your peanut-sized brain to figure it out?"

Trash grit his teeth, as he slowly looked behind him with widening eyes. "...you can't be... an invasion...?!"

The one behind him chuckled, turning out to be Patricia. "And I doubt your pathetic military can stop us..."

Trash hissed, as he squirmed in Patricia's grip. "...you... underestimate GUN..."

"...feh... let them try." Bulk chuckled, as he perked. "...listen... they're coming. I wonder how long it'll be before they storm your pathetic HQ and wipe out all opposition..."

Cyrene just looked at them, shaking her head in fear. She didn't want to be here anymore...

...so she took off running away.

"Well now; someone's chicken," Patricia chuckled.

And at that point, Cyrene was slammed down against the ground. "Whoa, there, where do you think you're going?" Bulk laughed, as he pushed her down on the ground.

Trash just hissed as he kept squirming in Patricia's grip.

Cyrene started squirming, with actual tears in her eyes. "Stop! Let me go!"

"Oh no, I'm not..." Bulk snarled, as he smirked viciously. "...I'm gonna make sure to pump enough Corruption into you to make you a loyal little _bitch_ that'd never think of going against me ever again... and this time, there isn't a single damn knight in shining armor that can save you, you hear me?!"

"...but...Husk..." And she craned over to glance at Husk helplessly.

Husk just looked back at her.

"Hah! What do you think that shell's gonna do?!" Bulk snarled. "After I'm done with you, I'm personally going to annihilate that little shit, so we don't have to bother with any worms like him again!"

Cyrene's head fell, and tears dripped to the ground in defeat.

"Now then, where's Condit?" Patricia demanded, clenching her nails into Trash's shoulder.

"Agh... how the hell would I know...?!" Trash hissed. "...if you wanna know, ask-!"

In that instant, though, something _powerful _slammed against Patricia's face, to knock her far away from Trash.

"Agh!" Patricia landed on her feet, glaring at the one who punched her.

And there stood Husk; eyes narrowed as he glared at Patricia.

"...huh?" With a snarl, Bulk looked over. "What're you-?!" And suddenly, an arc of dark lightning slammed against him and knocked him off Cyrene.

Cyrene gawked at Husk for that. Husk just looked back at her.

"H-Husk!" Cyrene suddenly got up to run to him-

-only to be suddenly stabbed through the abdomen. "!"

Husk's eyes widened.

"Forget pumping her full of Corruption; she's just too much trouble," it turned out that Patricia was the one to stab her and with Cyrene's own sword to boot. "By the way, I think you dropped this."

Cyrene choked in agony on black goo that ran down the corner of her mouth.

_"...no..."_ Swiftly, Husk charged right for them; throwing a punch to knock Patricia far away.

Once Patricia was knocked away, Cyrene fell to the ground, with the blade still through her. Husk ran to her side, kneeling by her._"...Cyrene... don't die..."_

Cyrene didn't look at him, with more black goo draining out of her.

_"...Cyrene..."_ Husk whispered, as he gently took hold of Cyrene's hand. _"...please... you... still have a reason to live..."_

Cyrene slowly looked up at Husk with tears rolling down her face. "...but...I...My past interfered with us...and..."

_"...Cyrene..." _Husk gazed solemnly down at her. _"...I am... a shell... you've... already met someone... someone who... could help you..." _He closed his eyes. _"...I... I do not... deserve... to be with... you..."_

"...but even if you're a shell...you have feelings..." Cyrene spoke. "...and...I broke your heart..."

_"...Cyrene..."_ Husk kept his eyes closed._"...there was... no heart to... break..."_

"...you know... I'm gettin' _really_ fuckin' sick of this melodrama bullshit."

Husk looked up to see Bulk slowly stomping towards them; eyes narrowing considerably. Cyrene clutched to Husk out of fear of his approach.

"Engarde'!"

Someone suddenly jumped in front of Bulk and slashed at him with a sword. The slash cut him across the chest, but it didn't even seem to faze him, as he glared down. "...hn...?"

Flamenco stood there with his sword drawn, glaring at Bulk. "Stay away from her," the toucan snarled.

"...Flamenco..." Never in her life has Cyrene ever seen Flamenco this angry before; he was always so very cool-headed and relaxed even in the most stressful of situations. Husk just looked at this in awe.

"...are you fucking kidding me?" Bulk growled. "You think that little toothpick of yours is gonna stop me?"

"I know I stand no chance against your powers but that does not excuse me to idly stand around and watch you hurt my dear friend," Flamenco hissed.

...and all in full English too.

Bulk just scoffed. "...I don't have time to deal with a little shit like you." And he swung his arm straight at Flamenco.

Flamenco swept around it gracefully. "Indeed, you really don't have time to waste. The longer you spend here, the more of an advantage you give Jillian."

"Wait, what do you mean?!" Patricia uttered.

"That is for me to know...and for you to find out," Flamenco spat.

Husk blinked upon hearing that.

"...kkh... damn bird." As Bulk hissed that, he crossed his arms, before suddenly uncrossing them; unleashing a wave of Corruption that rocketed at Flamenco.

Flamenco scoffed at that, maneuvering around the wave effortlessly, almost as if he was dancing.

Bulk growled. "Patricia, the hell are you standing around for?!" he called out, as he began tossing more of those dark waves at Flamenco.

"Oh!" Patricia added to the onslaught of Corrupted energy blast directed toward Flamenco, but the bird simply kept dancing around the beams.

"..._Flamenco la Rapida y Elegante._.." Cyrene murmured. "...he's called that for a reason..."

_"...wow..."_ Husk uttered.

Bulk just snarled... but with Flamenco dancing around their blasts, he noticed that both Cyrene and Husk were wide open. "...die..." With a snarl, massive amounts of Corruption gathered in his mouth.

"...oh no, you don't!" Suddenly, a glob of some kind was hurled straight in Bulk's face; a vicious sizzling coming from it as Bulk roared out in pained surprise. Patricia snarled at Trash for that.

"Take this you little snot!" And she hurled Corruption toward him.

Though Flamenco swiftly jumped in and deflected the energy with his blade efficiently.

"Damn it!" Patricia roared.

"Two annoying flies...!" Bulk snarled.

"...I'd say that the flies around here were you two!" Trash hissed, as he glared at them.

Husk just gawked at this. _"...why... why are they... protecting us...?"_

Patricia snarled, but turned to Bulk. "Forget about them! We gotta find Condit and stop her from whatever she might be doing!"

"...agreed...!" With a snarl, Bulk turned around. "...not that it'll help; the army's already on the island now..."

In that instant, though, a fist suddenly tore _straight_ through Bulk's body; a fist glowing red-hot, as a figure breathed right behind him.

"Bulk?!" Patricia gawked at what happened.

_"...you're... not... going... anywhere..."_ Slowly, a pair of lifeless eyes turned to glare at Patricia; showing Husk having been the one to thrust his fist directly through Bulk like that.

"Get off of him!" And Patricia shot more Corruption at Husk.

However, dark hands erupted from the ground to catch these blasts, and then hurl them back at Patricia. _"...I... will not... let you pass..."_

_"_Shit..." Patricia muttered.

Quickly, she jumped around the blasts as quickly as she can, trying to get closer to Husk.

With a swift roar, Husk suddenly hurled Bulk straight off his arm and towards Patricia.

Patricia took to flight to avoid him.

Meanwhile, Flamenco turned to Trash. "Brawn is inside Jillian's home, with Sonia and Tasha," he told him, making sure his voice was low enough to that the others wouldn't hear him.

"...in there, huh...?" Trash hummed back with the same volume in his voice, as he glanced back at the battle. "...but damn it... I don't like those two being this close to the building..."

"...if only there was some way to lure them away..." Flamenco murmured.

"...hopefully without endangering the inhabitants of the island." Trash murmured... and then his eyes widened. "...shit! I dunno if you heard, but... they've got an invasion force incoming. I don't know where they'll end up... but HQ and those rebel soldiers are in trouble if those Corrupted get near 'em..."

"Oh, no Senor..." Flamenco chuckled. "...we knew something like this was gonna happen for some time now, according to the Admiral."

Trash blinked, as he glanced back at Flamenco with a look of disbelief. "...you... knew? And... the Admiral did, too?"

"Si..." Flamenco spoke. "...and we prepared."

* * *

><p>With thundering roars, the dark army rushed towards the nearest haven of civilization they could encounter on the island; the rebel village, conveniently blocking the way to the less prepared native village... and the dark army was subsequently met with powerful blasts that actually served to wound them; multicolored shards stabbing into their beings as they keeled over.<p>

"...wow; didn't think these things were actually gonna work!" Lin uttered with wide eyes, as she hurled one grenade at a cluster of Corrupted.

"At least they work for the most part," Francis hummed. "Better than nothing!"

"Don't slack off, you kids!" Caitlin called from where she stood; ripping the pin out of one grenade. "We've got darklings to keep out of our camp!" And she hurled it at another cluster of Corrupted; scattering them as the emerald shards caused their bodies to burn and sizzle.

"Oh man, I've been waiting for some action for a REAL long time!" Bruno laughed, blowing up quite a few of the Corrupted with the grenades.

"Well, don't get too excited, you guys!" Ruki called out as she hurled grenades about as well. "We all oughta know what these freaks can do if they get too close!"

* * *

><p>Jill had been running as fast as she could through the island, sparing no attention to anything else at all but her destination. She had to get there at all cost before everything started happening.<p>

Finally, she burst out from the brush and there were the docks. Her eyes spotted right where the tombstones were, and she made a frantic dash toward them. "Dear god, I hope this works!" Jill huffed.

_It's the only option we got; it better fucking work,_ growled Callous in her head.

When Jill got to Spiel's grave, she hunched over to catch her breath, with her heart thudding against her chest painfully. She hadn't been out and about in months and wasn't in top shape. Either way, she couldn't stop. _It's up to you now, _Jill thought.

Her eyes flashed to red, handing Callous control, and she summoned up her scythe. Then she looked at the air around her, gripping her scythe firmly. She made slashes into the air with quick precision.

At first, nothing happened...

...but then, suddenly, some torn gashes opened in the air, revealing holes into a blue, glowing, luminescent realm. This had to be the Special Zone.

"Alright, no turning back now!" exclaimed Callous, withdrawing her scythe to raise her arms. With a bit of concentration, she was able to pull out some of the energy from the torn holes into the realm, and start absorbing it into herself. When Callous felt the energy from the Special Zone seep in, she realized just how powerful it was...and how unstable it felt. It hurt her.

Gritting her teeth to keep from uttering any pained noises, she knelt down on Spiel's grave. "This one's for you big fella!"

And she dug her fingers into the ground to course the energy from the Special Zone through, along with some Corruption to her surprise. So she really _could_ use it all along...

From the corner of her eye though, she started to see Corrupted forces head toward her.

"…shit…" she muttered bitterly.

Before they could get to her, though, a barrage of machine gun fire would fly through the air, stunning the Corrupted for a bit.

"...you know, usually I would question why you breached the house arrest..." As it turned out, a small garrison of GUN soldiers, led by the Admiral himself, approached her whilst keeping a sharp eye on the Corrupted. "...but considering the circumstances, I'll be willing to look past it for the time being." the Admiral spoke with a small smile and a nod to her.

"Gee, that's generous of you," Callous chuckled with a grin. Then she cringed as her energy was quickly being drained out of her in agony.

Seeing that, the Admiral's smile fell, and he stepped closer to her. "...what... _are _you doing? If you're in pain like that..."

"It'd take too much effort and time to explain…" Callous groaned. "And besides…it's impolite to leave your company waiting." Of course, Callous was referring to the forces that were starting to regroup again and head toward them.

"...well..." With a small hum, the Admiral took a grenade from his pocket. "...when it's unwanted company, I tend to ignore the act of courtesy." With that, he pulled the pin and hurled it towards the forces, while the other troops fired upon the forces not amidst the cluster that were about to feel the searing sensation of emerald shards digging into their bodies.

Callous finally uttered a yelp, and grit her teeth harder. It was taking more out of her, but she had a feeling that it should start taking some kind of effect too. Some of the energies she dug into Spiel's grave were slowly starting to leak toward Krieg's grave too, and both tombstones started to glow with a mixture of green, blue, and black energies.

But even with the energies surging around their tombstones, nothing seemed to be happening yet.

"Sir! They're still approaching!" one of the soldiers called as he kept firing upon the Corrupted slowly gathering themselves after the grenade blast.

"...keep them away." the Admiral uttered, as he drew a pistol to fire as well. "We don't have that many grenades on us, so do not squander them."

"C'mon big guy, don't leave us hanging like this!" Callous growled, still trying to keep at it while she was very quickly running out of energy. But still, nothing seemed to happen.

Slowly but surely, the mobs of Corrupted were growing in numbers and beginning to overwhelm some of the soldiers. They managed to keep the Corrupted away enough so they couldn't be infected, but it wouldn't be very long before they couldn't even manage that.

With a small hiss, the Admiral kept firing, until the clicks from his gun indicated that he was out of ammo. "...kkh..." With narrowed eyes, he glanced at Callous.

Callous finally couldn't take it anymore, letting out a scream. "IT'S NOW OR NEVER YOU DEAD-BEAT BASTARD!" But she was finally at her breaking point. The energy was overwhelming her to the point she was just about to collapse.

But, still, nothing seemed to be happening...

...until suddenly, a _massive_ shockwave erupted from the two graves.

This wiped away all of the Corrupted at such a sudden strength they had no time to retaliate. Thankfully, somehow, the shockwave only affected the Corrupted, leaving the soldiers and Callous unharmed. This shockwave also undid the energies and what they were doing, releasing Callous from her hold.

She only barely held herself up with shaky arms…and finally, she collapsed, trying to catch her breath. That took a tremendous amount of power and energy out of her, and frankly, she was surprised that she wasn't unconscious yet.

But even after that mighty shockwave... nothing seemed to come out from the two graves.

"...my..." the Admiral uttered with wide eyes.

Callous was far too exhausted to do anything…but when she felt and heard stomping...she slowly looked up in bitter annoyance.

Standing there was a giant Corrupted, shaped as some kind of creature with jagged teeth and large arms, roaring down at the soldiers that it towered over.

"...well... that's disconcerting..." the Admiral uttered, as he took a brief step back. The other soldiers stepped back as well, readying their weapons albeit uneasily as they stared up at the Corruption titan.

Callous just lay there, unable to do a thing about it because of all she wasted on what she was doing.

The Admiral narrowed his eyes, as he slowly took out a grenade and reached for the pin. The Corrupted titan roared again, and lunged it's large arm toward the Admiral. The Admiral narrowed his eyes, preparing to dodge...

...but suddenly, the titan's arm was stopped; a towering figure having grabbed the massive fist to keep it at bay. The soldiers gawked up suddenly at this.

Callous could only smirk with a weak chuckle.

"…took you long enough."

* * *

><p><em><strong>DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNN!<strong>_


	58. Chapter 57

"...well... it's good to be back." a certain voice chuckled, as he kept a firm grip on the titan's arm.

The titan certainly didn't expect it being stopped, and it roared at its competitor.

"What's wrong, big guy?!" he called to the titan with a roaring laughter. "This can't be all ya got, is it?! Gimme your best goddamn shot!"

The titan pulled back its other arm and then shot it toward its challenger. With a battle cry, he proceeded to thrust his other fist against the titan's arm...

...and the subsequent impact of fists created another shockwave; though this time, the force was applied _directly_ to the titan's arm; reverberating throughout it until it would summarily explode from the sheer force of the challenger's punch. The titan roared, this time in pain, and stumbled backward.

The soldiers just gawked at the challenger, who simply looked up at the titan with a wide grin. "...well? Is that all ya got, you overgrown punching bag?"

The titan started to build up Corruption energy within its mouth.

Meanwhile, one of the solders looked at Callous in shock. "…just…what did you do…?"

Callous slowly tried to push herself up off of the ground, struggling. She managed to look at the soldier who asked her that question though, and she smirked at the look on his face.

"I got ourselves a fighting chance."

The titan finally had built up enough Corruption energy to shoot at all of them; primarily the new challenger.

In response to this blast, the challenger suddenly unleashed a roar... and a massive, crimson aura erupted around him; actually serving to keep the beam of Corruption at bay, as the ground beneath him quivered. Shocked, the creature tried to strengthen the blast of Corruption to blast it away.

Despite that, all around the island…heads perked.

"…hey…you feel that…?" Ed uttered, while he was with his group fighting off some of the Corrupted.

Will perked up with a narrowed gaze. "...that's... odd..." he uttered.

Marco cast him a glance. "What do ya mean?"

"...this... feels familiar..." Will hummed, with widening eyes. "..._really_ familiar..."

Flamenco's head turned too, and he started to grow uneasy. "…that can't be…."

Lin's eyes widened as she looked to the side. "...that's... _oh my gosh_, that's... there's no way...!"

Inside Jill's house, Tasha stopped while she was in the middle of tending to Brawn, just…baffled. She felt something strong, and…very familiar. "Sonia!" She felt as if she need to tell Sonia.

Sonia's eyes just shot wide open, and she dropped what she was holding. "...n-no way..."

Brawn hissed, as he slowly looked up at Sonia. "**...what... wrong...?**"

"...did she really...?" Sonia uttered.

Even back at the site of the battle, Bulk came to a complete stop when he felt that surge of power. "...what the fuck...?"

Husk stopped as well, as his eyes widened slightly. _"...great... power..."_

"…I'm not liking the feeling of that power Bulk," Patricia growled. "What if this is something Condit pulled?"

Bulk's eyes narrowed. "...it... doesn't feel like Corruption, or anything like that." he uttered. "...it couldn't possibly be a threat, could it?"

Little did he know how very wrong he would be proven quite soon.

With a thundering yell, the challenger clenched his fist before _punching_ the beam hammering against his aura; actually forcing it directly back towards the titan at a tremendous speed. It was so incredible that when it hit the titan, it shrieked, and the beam frankly _obliterated_ it from any existence.

The subsequent explosion was actually visible from all over the island... including by Jill's house.

Upon seeing this, Bulk's eyes were as wide as saucers. "...holy _shit._" he uttered.

Even Husk stepped back in awe at this. _"...such... raw... power..."_

Patricia grit her teeth. "I…_really_ don't like that power."

Cyrene just…gawked in silence.

"...uh." And Trash just stood there, gawking.

Suddenly, Flamenco started chuckling.

"…what's so funny?" Patricia asked suspiciously, turning to Flamenco with a glare.

"…I know only one soldier with that kind of power…" Flamenco chuckled with a smirk. "…and now that he's back…_Usted está en serios problemas_."

"...the hell is that supposed to mean...?!" Bulk snarled, as he looked from the toucan to where the explosion had happened.

"This soldier didn't need Purity or Unity to fight the likes of you," Flamenco said.

Bulk's eyes shot open. "...the fuck are you saying...?!"

_"...so... Condit had this... as a backup plan...?"_ Husk uttered as he gazed towards that field.

"…goddamn it…" Patricia growled.

As the challenger simply stood there and watched the area where the titan once stood, he simply grinned. "...nothin' to it..."

The Admiral's eyes were wide, as he looked at the towering being. "...just... who are you...?"

At this point, Callous allowed Jill back control, and when her eyes flashed green, she tried as hard as she could to get back up on her feet…suddenly collapsing again.

Though a different figure suddenly took hold of her arms; helping her up. "...you did well. Allow us to take over." he spoke.

Jill smiled wearily. "…thank goodness it worked…" And she looked up at the one who helped her up.

Though they did not gaze back at her, a pair of eyes did indeed look in her direction... even though it was clear that they were not capable of actual sight. "...when this is over... remind me to take you up on that shake you promised me."

"…sure thing…Krieg," Jill said, smiling more.

Standing over her was indeed that warthog, nodding slowly before his gaze trailed towards the other being. "...we mustn't delay. Let's move... Spiel."

With a growing chuckle, the pig just cracked his knuckles and neck as he inhaled. "...mh... fresh air... been a while since I felt that..." With that, he began stomping ahead, leaving the others behind for the moment.

Jill slowly looked toward the soldiers, who simply stared at her in shock. Krieg glanced at her as well.

"...Condit..." the Admiral uttered. "...who... are these two?"

"…they are former soldiers of Safe Haven…and I use the term "former" lightly," Jill mumbled, slowly limping toward them.

"...I see..." the Admiral uttered, as he looked at Krieg. "...your eyes..."

"...yes..." Krieg simply nodded, before glancing away. "...Jill... do you recall where my swords are?"

"…if I remember correctly, they might be at your camp," Jill spoke. "…but I think most of the Safe Haven soldiers are currently over there."

"...I see..." Krieg spoke. "...first, though... we must get you a place to rest." As he spoke, he set a hand on Jill's shoulder. "You and her have done enough... you needn't risk yourself."

Jill nodded, closing her eyes as her head lowered. "…right…" She tried to take a step too, but she stumbled.

"...lean on me." Krieg hummed, as he stepped next to Jill and stood still, waiting for her. Jill threw an arm around his shoulder, letting her weight off her own legs for Krieg to help carry. With a nod, Krieg began walking down the path; carrying Jill to support her.

At this moment, Husk's eyes narrowed, as he looked from Patricia to Bulk; both of them still frozen due to the powerful being approaching. Cyrene slowly pulled herself back up, since she had been lying on the ground this whole time. Slowly glancing towards her, Husk simply looked at her; hands clenching slightly as he gazed at her. Cyrene simply looked back at him.

_"...Cyrene..." _he uttered, before his gaze fell upon Bulk and Patricia. _"...stay... with Flamenco... allow me... to protect you..."_

The instant he said that, two massive, dark hands erupted from the ground and grabbed Bulk and Patricia. "Wha- what is this?!" Bulk snarled, as he glared at Husk. "Why, you...!"

"Let go!" Patricia screamed, trying to struggle against the hands.

"…Husk…" Cyrene's eyes widened at this.

_"...farewell..."_ With that, Husk suddenly shot up into the air, with the dark hands extending after him; taking Bulk and Patricia after him.

"Wait!" Cyrene tried to follow him, but Flamenco grabbed her.

"Don't, chica; you cannot handle it," Flamenco warned.

Trash just watched them fly off with a narrowed gaze. "...idiot..." he grunted. "...I've seen this kinda thing before... that lion's prepared to die..."

Cyrene gawked at Trash. "What do you mean?!"

Flamenco simply kept silent with a solemn look on his face.

"...you don't get it, do ya?" Trash huffed, as he looked back at Cyrene. "He's gonna keep those two Corrupted from pulling any fast moves and hurting anyone... even if it costs him his life." He glared back at where they had vanished to. "...I dunno how strong he is... but he's not gonna be able to handle both of those guys... and he knows that."

Cyrene just gawked at him, and eventually, her head fell, with a couple of tears dripping to the ground.

"…it's all because of me…"

Flamenco looked down at Cyrene sadly. Trash looked back at Cyrene as well.

"…I…" Cyrene couldn't even speak, because she was so pained from all of this.

"...hm..." With a hum, Trash just looked away. "...let's hurry on inside..."

"Si…" Flamenco agreed, taking Cyrene with him.

* * *

><p>Metal's group set out, and were fully armed, as well as fully wary of their surroundings. They all hoped the bad feelings they were getting earlier were just paranoia…but they had to at least make sure. The only other thing they could do at the moment was to hurry as fast as they can. Surely, they didn't have very much longer to go to find where Joy might be next, and each of them was hoping that she was alright at least.<p>

As they ran, they headed out from the brush of the forest…and suddenly stopped.

"…what…is _that_?!" Ivory uttered in shock as they stared.

For before them stood what appeared to be some kind of…junkyard. It was stacks and stacks of all kinds of machinery for miles ahead of them, towering over them like they were ants.

"…hrm…I never expected to encounter anything like this," Violet hummed, mounting her rifle on her shoulders.

Once Metal laid eyes upon this... his eyes widened. "...no way..."

"...what's the matter?" Hex hummed as she gazed out at this.

"...this is..." Metal's eyes narrowed. "...unbelievable... this survived for that long...? I had no idea..."

"…so you know what this is?" Stella asked worriedly.

"...yes..." Metal began walking ahead slowly. "...this... is Eggman's former junkyard."

Lock glanced back at him. "...really? I thought something like that would be far closer to Metropolis..."

"...he kept it out of the way, to keep his base free of cluttered messes." Metal murmured. "Sonic tore apart a lot of robots, after all..."

Stella looked at the junkyard nervously. "…well…do we walk around it? Or try and walk through it?"

"...I doubt Sonic tore through a lot of robots after Eggman's death." Metal murmured, as he kept walking. "I know a shortcut through it. Follow me."

"...well... we don't have much else of a choice..." Proxy mused, as he and the others eventually began following Metal.

Stella still looked up at the junkyard as they headed toward it. She was far enough away that no one heard what she muttered afterwards.

"…it feels more like a graveyard than a junkyard…to me…"

And after that, she hurried to catch up with the others.

As the group traveled through this junkyard, they remained silent; simply following Metal as he glanced around from time to time. Stella looked around. Sure, this place made her feel uneasy…but despite that, there was a lot of interesting things here for her to look at. In fact, maybe the more she looked at everything here, the less nervous she was.

Violet observed this with a hum. "So…curious about the things here?"

"…er…sort of…" Stella muttered, trying to mask her uneasiness when she realized she was being watched. "…it isn't just robotic parts out here; there are many other things."

"You can tell from all this junk?" Ivory scoffed.

"…well, yes?" Stella murmured.

"Really now?" Violet was only more curious. "Such as?"

"Well…there are some broken tools out here too, some broken appliances, and some computer parts too. I've even seen things used to make generators, and surprisingly enough, parts that are used for Extreme Gears," Stella mentioned. "I suppose I could go on and on about the things here if I had some time to explore around…but we aren't really sightseeing so..."

At that point, Hex's eyes widened. "...Stella, back off!" And she grabbed her to push her out of the way.

Hex was just in time pushing Stella out of the way to avoid a large robotic hand suddenly slamming down on the ground where Stella once stood.

When they were out of the way, everyone gawked up suddenly.

They recognized the energies of Corruption swirling around a gigantic mass of technology which slowly pieced itself together to create a large, makeshift robot. Further surveillance of their surroundings indicated that the same thing was happening to other piles of broken parts, forming mass amounts of robots in a matter of a few minutes to surround the group.

"…I didn't know Corruption could do that…" Ivory muttered.

"...great; they're learning." Lock huffed.

"...we should run, guys!" Hex called out, as she looked back at Metal, who simply gave her a nod.

"She's right... we're surrounded and outnumbered. Follow me!" With that, he turned to keep running down that path, with the others following.

The others followed quickly, with the robots tumbling after in slow pursuit. As the group kept rushing, Hex shot a glare back at the tumbling robots. "...hn..."

As they ran, Stella kept looking around the junkyard. There were still plenty of parts that the Corrupted weren't using for the robots they were piecing together...and she started to feel as if she could use those to her advantage against them.

Suddenly, two robots stomped down in front of the group, cutting them off. Seeing them, Metal's eyes widened, as he brought everyone to a halt. "...damn..."

"...allow me!" Swiftly, Hex shot forward and unleashed tendrils of Corruption upon the robots to knock them down. "Everyone, take cover! I'll distract them!"

They took Hex's advice and all scattered to different hiding spots. This allowed the robots to focus mainly on Hex, as they slowly got back up from being knocked down by her. Then they started attacking her.

Deflecting their attacks with her own being, she just narrowed her eyes as she kept attacking the robots.

From his hiding spot, Lock narrowed his eyes. "...she won't be able to last against them on her own..." he murmured.

_**"...what can be done?"**_ Omega hummed as he stood by Lock as well.

Ivory looked at Metal. "Shouldn't you back her up?"

"...I should, but..." Metal's eyes narrowed somewhat. "...from the looks of it, the Corrupted would've anticipated something like Purity or Unity attacking them... do you see it?"

Proxy glanced over, and blinked. "...yeah... there's not really any parts of it that seem like a viable weak spot..."

"...meaning that even if I blast them with Purity, they wouldn't be more affected by it than by a simple blast... and this is Eggman's technology; virtually impervious to being outright shattered." Metal hummed.

"...and if more of those are ready to lunge out at us..." Lock hissed.

Stella bit her lip at that…but then looked around at all the junk around them. Violet observed Stella looking around, and could tell there were gears turning in the bird's head.

In the meantime, Hex kept fighting back against the robots; aggressively trying to demolish the attackers by launching powerful blasts of Corruption upon them. "C'mon...!"

Stella glanced back at that. "…we gotta help her!"

And suddenly, she started grabbing some things, along with some rusty tools that looked like they _might_ be able to work.

Metal glanced over at her. "...how?"

Proxy couldn't help but draw a small smile. "...trust me... Stella knows her machines." he remarked.

"Metal, tell me…how were Eggman's robots generally destroyed?" And Stella started taking some of the pieces, putting them together as fast as she could; which was surprisingly quite fast.

Metal's eyes narrowed, as he glanced aside. "...generally a powerful impact delivered with high velocity to build up enough force..." As he said that, his eyes widened as he glanced over at her in surprise. "...wait... how would you expect to generate enough force to muster that kind of impact, with just the junk surrounding us?"

"I've got a couple of ideas," Stella answered.

"What do you mean?" Ivory uttered, but at that point, they had lost Stella. Her mind was much too busy at work, and her hands almost just as quick as her mind.

"…hm…I've never seen her like this before; it's intriguing," Violet mentioned, rubbing her chin.

_**"When it comes to machines, her mind is absolutely focused."**_ Omega hummed.

"...being on the Ark for five years taught her a lot." Proxy mused.

With a curious look on his face, Metal approached Stella as she worked; taking in what she was doing.

Lock simply hummed, as he looked back towards the fight; seeing that Hex was still holding her own, even as more robots came to reinforce those she was already dealing with.

"…better help her out in the meantime then!" And Ivory ran out to aid Hex.

"...right!" And Metal swiftly ran out as well.

* * *

><p>"C'mon, we gotta hurry!" Rudy uttered out, hopping ahead of the group.<p>

"Don't go hopping too far, now!" Sage called out, as she and the rest of the group followed closely after.

Charmy was huffing, since even he was running out of energy while Rudy hopped ahead. "…doggone it, I'm slowing down."

"You, slow down?" Boomer laughed at that. "C'mon Captain. That's just not possible."

"Yeah; you've still got energy left in ya, y'know!" Newt called with an encouraging grin.

"...hm." As he hurried along, Wiper just gazed ahead as if scouting the area. Cal was doing the same, remaining as vigilant as he could. He still had that bad feeling from this morning, and he felt as if he should be watching for…anything. Natal stuck closer to Cal as she glanced around periodically.

Boomer looked back at them, and gave a dry look. "What's with you guys?"

"...what?" Natal glanced back at her.

"You guys've been really cautious today, y'know." Newt remarked. "Somethin' up?"

Cal made no response. He just looked around.

"...hn..." With a small hum, Sage glanced back at them before looking ahead. "...Rudy, slow down." she called; though her tone had taken a rather serious turn now.

"Oh, okay," And Rudy halted, allowing the group to catch up. "Something wrong?"

"Not necessarily," Charmy chuckled. "I just think that there's…" And Charmy stopped midsentence.

"Captain?" when Boomer looked over at Charmy, she saw he had a solemn, and yet nervous look on his face. At first, he was silence…

…but then…

"…we're not alone," Charmy spoke, his look darkening.

At that point, a deafening shriek rang through the air, as a colossal shadow flew over the group.

Sage's eyes widened as she looked upwards. "...aerial attackers!"

"Duck!" Rudy wailed, shooting to the ground while shots of Corruption fired through the air at the group.

However, as the shots grew more plentiful in number, they just bounced off the very air, as Sage formed a psychic barrier around them. "Everyone, think of a way we can bring them down before we're pelted! I can't hold off their shots for long!"

Boomer reloaded one of her handguns quickly. "Newt, let's go!"

"Right!" With a nod, Newt pulled out a blaster of his own, ready to tear down the attackers.

"...hm..." Wiper swiftly approached Charmy and Rudy whilst glaring up at the giant shadow. "...we're not going to be able to do much here..." he murmured.

"Too bad I can't fly!" Rudy huffed. Then he looked over at Cal and Natal.

Cal stood there, looking up at them with a glare. Natal just looked up there with a narrowed gaze.

Rudy leaned toward Charmy. "…okay…now they're _really_ getting kinda…creepy."

Charmy could understand why Cal and Natal had ill feelings toward the Corrupted. He had heard various many conversations between the two of them regarding their situation in the past.

Just then, Cal walked outside of Sage's barrier.

"What are you doing you idiot?!" Boomer uttered.

"Get back inside before ya get hurt!" Newt called out.

Natal just looked towards him. Cal looked back at Natal.

Then he suddenly took off into the air using his jet-pack thrusters.

"That moron!" But if Boomer tried stepping outside of the barrier after him, she'd get fired upon.

Sage grit her teeth. "...I could pursue him, but..." She knew that if she left for too long, the Corrupted could take advantage of that and attack those who wouldn't have any means of defending themselves.

Meanwhile, Cal simply deflected the beams of Corruption that were being shot at him, enough to figure out just what in the air shooting at the group. As he observed, the massive shadow belonged to a gigantic avian creature; burning dark flames of Corruption as it screeched violently. The shots came from its back, where hordes of Corrupted troops were amassed.

Cal growled. "…is that the best they can send us?"

His katanas flared up with flames of Corruption, and he flew toward the bird to slash it down.

The moment he slashed down upon the bird, however, the katana bounced off. Its dark feathers were like steel; possessing incredible durability, even against a burning blade of Corruption.

With that brief moment of weakness, one of the troopers lunged straight for Cal; grabbing him to try and weigh him down to send him toppling down towards the ground. Cal decided to then stab the Corrupted straight through the chest coldly. With a hiss, the Corrupted shook; but in defiance, his arms wrapped around Cal tightly, as he used his dying breath to try and keep Cal's boosters from functioning.

It managed to yank a particular wire that made Cal's thrusters start malfunctioning, sending him about in the air. Finally, he simply retracted the boosters, and with a yell, threw the Corrupted off of him as he fell through the air.

The moment the Corrupted was thrown off him, countless bolts of Corruption were hurled upon Cal as he plummeted.

Cal felt energy building up inside of him. All the turmoil and anger that was locked up inside of him for everything that's happened…and all because of this cursed power.

Because of this building energy, it rocketed to such a high level that it actually exploded out of him, and he roared in anger. This explosion blasted away the bolts that were fired at him.

At this…Boomer gawked, with her gun lowering. Newt gawked at that as well.

"...Cal..." Natal whispered with widening eyes.

"…Captain…" Rudy was nervous when he saw that. "…what's…Cal gonna do…?"

Charmy closed his eyes. "…I suppose he needs to vent some of that anger he's been holding back."

"Anger from what?" Boomer asked.

"…anger for what happened to Natal," Charmy simply responded.

Hearing that, Natal looked back at Charmy with a widening gaze, before it returned to look up at Cal.

When the energy dissipated, Cal revealed himself. He had flaming black eyes of Corruption, more flames of Corruption around him which became these flaming black wings behind him. They carried him back up toward the bird, roaring with more anger.

The forces on the back of the bird actually backed away as they gazed upon the horrific form Cal had taken...

...but at that point, the bird spun around to glare upon Cal; unleashing a thundering screech that actually produced pounding soundwaves that rocketed down upon him. Cal used a barrier of Corruption against the soundwaves to keep advancing toward the bird.

But as Cal kept pushing onward, the soundwaves just grew in strength; growing to the strength of a typhoon.

"…You're not…holding…_me…__**BACK!**_"

Cal just screamed again, shooting Corruption from his body to overwhelm the soundwaves. But the soundwaves from the bird proved enough to counter against the Corruption enough to keep them at a standstill...

...and with Cal kept at bay by the soundwaves, a bolt of Corruption was shot down from the bird's back, directly against Cal. Cal kept building up his Corruption, shooting more and more from his body to blast back any attacks. The Corrupted, in turn, kept firing back at Cal to knock him back...

...and suddenly, the soundwave shifted into a concussive blast of Corruption that rocketed straight for Cal.

Cal just…screamed some more.

Corruption shot out of him insanely, almost engulfing him, and it expanded dangerously far, toward the bird.

The concussive blast slammed against the massive aura of Corruption that rocketed from Cal, as the bird screeched further.

Looking upon this, Natal narrowed her eyes. "...enough..."

"Hm?" Boomer looked down at Natal.

"...I can't... watch this anymore..." she murmured, before she drew her sword out. "...I have to stop him..."

"N-Natal, are you sure?!" Rudy uttered in shock.

"Positive." Natal uttered. "I just need to get up there..."

They all just looked at each other nervously. They weren't sure if they should tell her to stay behind or to find a way to help her up there.

"...Natal..." Sage looked towards her. "...you're deadset on going, right?"

"Absolutely." Natal spoke.

"...in that case..." Glancing at her, Sage focused her energy around Natal in an aura. "...get ready... I'll launch you up there."

Charmy looked at Sage for that, and then at Natal. "Good luck."

Natal simply nodded, before she looked up. "...let's do it."

With that, Sage focused energy around Natal to the point that she was launched straight out of the barrier; rocketing up towards Cal.

"…I really hope she knows what she's doing," Boomer muttered.

As she rocketed up towards Cal, she narrowed her eyes, clutching her sword with one hand... and when she reached Cal, she set her free hand on his shoulder; as she prepared to leap up further using his shoulder as a springboard. "...Cal..." she spoke in a tone meant to help him relax.

Cal looked up at her. "…Natal?"

"...don't let your anger direct you." she spoke, as she looked up at the giant, Corrupted bird. "...stay back... I'll fight as well."

With that, she suddenly leapt off Cal towards the bird; lashing her tongue out to grab onto one of its feathers when she stopped ascending.

Cal's eyes widened at that. "Natal!"

With a narrowed gaze, she reeled herself in towards the bird; using her sword to deflect the bolts of Corruption that were hurled her way. Cal shot toward the bird, since Natal was distracting it, and he shot Corruption at the bird. The Corruption only bounced off it, as it screeched down at Cal.

By that point, though, Natal had managed to reel herself onto the back of the bird; holding her sword ready as she glared at the Corrupted troopers on it. Cal stood on the ready in case the bird was going to shoot anything at him, or the soldiers.

In the meantime, Natal readied her sword; breathing as she glared at the various attackers on the back of the bird. "...bring it."

* * *

><p>Vanessa's group was just finishing up from cleaning camp up, with a mild tension in the air. After getting the bad vibes, they all concluded that they should get to traveling as soon as possible.<p>

"...you guys sure about this?" Guts remarked, as he rubbed his neck a bit.

"Yeah... we don't wanna be around here for long." Jack noted with a small hum.

"Otherwise?" Striker asked.

"…you…just don't want to know," Milo muttered.

"...well, whatever you say, guys." Nage hummed, as she looked over at Arsenic. "You feel ready to head off?"

"Yeah, let's go," Arsenic said with a nod.

The moment they all started walking though…Vanessa suddenly stopped.

"Vanessa?" Ani uttered worriedly.

"...now what...?" Guts uttered with a worried look.

Jack glanced around with narrowing eyes as well.

"…it's too late…" Milo muttered, standing near Kristine. "They're here."

"…wh-who?" Kristine uttered.

"...those guys." Jack uttered.

The instant he said that, a wall of Corruption erupted all around them; wicked laughs coming from this wall, with eyes glaring at them all.

"…what guys?" Ani uttered, looking around at the wall around them.

"They ambushed Kristine earlier," Milo answered.

"...they're Leoniels... even worse now, because of Corruption..." Jack remarked, as he looked from side to side. "...hey... Arsenic? Are there more guys here than there were before?"

"…why do you ask?" Arsenic muttered.

"...I... think they called for serious backup." Jack responded.

"…hm…" Vanessa simply looked at the wall with a glare. "That's certainly not like you guys to hide…why not come out and show yourselves?"

On cue, Corrupted began emerging... far, _far_ more than just the small group that had ambushed Kristine. This was an entire gang; several of them lions, as Vanessa and Jack would recognize, but a lot of them were different species altogether; looking ready to straight-up wipe the floor with the smaller group.

"...yo, check that out... that's Astaroth's daughter, isn't it?" one of the lions remarked to the others. "Better not get cocky, guys."

"Now, you're much better than this, aren't you? Allowing yourself to fall to Corruption?" tsked Vanessa.

When Arsenic looked around, she suddenly stopped. Her eyes fell on a pair of the Corrupted that made her eyes widen.

Seeing that, Jack blinked. "...Arsenic...?" And he looked over at those two Corrupted as well.

One was a male mole Mobian, while the other, was a female rat Mobian. Arsenic just gawked at these two older Mobians, even covering her mouth in horror. "…it's them."

Jack's eyes widened a touch as well. "...your... parents..." he uttered in realization.

One of the Leoniels scoffed. "What, the rat-boy's got a weak spot? That's just adorable." he spoke mockingly.

Arsenic glared at the one that said that. "…for the record, I'm a girl."

He blinked. "...huh; could've fooled me."

"Who cares?!" another Leoniel snarled. "You're all dead meat, anyways!"

Jack simply narrowed his eyes, before he briefly looked at Milo. "...hey... think you could keep on the defensive for a bit? Just hold them off..."

Milo nodded, "Yeah."

Ignoring them, Jack looked back at Arsenic. "...don't worry, Arsenic..." he uttered, before he looked at those two Corrupted, "...I'm gonna help save your parents. That's a promise!" And he gave her a slight nod.

"…you will?" Arsenic looked in amazement at Jack.

"Don't assume the outcome of a battle; I thought you weren't going to be cocky?" Vanessa reminded the Leoniels.

"...kkh... just like the old man, huh..." one of the Leoniels huffed.

"Oh…I'm not like the old man _at all_…" Vanessa assured them coldly.

"You say that... and yet you got that cold gaze in your eyes." one of them remarked with a light sneer. "The gaze of a killer... it's like staring Astaroth dead in the eye."

Jack simply smiled at Arsenic with a smile. "Yeah, I will." And he looked back at her parents. "I can't make a pinkie promise right now, but... trust me, it's a real promise." As he said that, Purity began glowing from his hands.

"But it's my choices that made me different from him," Vanessa reasoned, and then she noticed Jack glowing. "Hm?"

That's when Milo jumped out and shot out Purity all over suddenly, taking most of them by surprise.

"GAH!" Most of them staggered back as they glared at Milo; clutching to their chests in pain.

"Now!" With that, Jack lunged forward, and grabbed both of Arsenic's parents; hands glowing with Purity as he dragged them a bit away from the Corruption walls. "This is going to hurt a bit, so I apologize!"

Both of Arsenic's parents screamed in the agony.

Seeing what Jack was doing, Ani quickly put up a psychic barrier around him so that none of the Corrupted would try to get to him.

Immediately, the Corrupted sprung towards the barrier and hammered on it, but to little effect.

Jack just winced, as he looked at them. "...I know it's really painful... but I want you to try and think about pleasant things... it might not help much, but... it might help take your mind off things..." he uttered as he kept applying Purity to them.

They winced, but some of the Corruption started to smoke out of them.

Milo started shooting some Purity toward the Corrupted, and even Striker whipped out Snap with his cannon, shooting Purity energy at them.

With the Corrupted scattering and snarling in pain, they began hurling Corruption at those who didn't have any Purity to defend themselves with.

"Whoa!" It was worse for Guts than the others, as he didn't have any kind of advanced training or special power to get him through; he just had to dodge to and fro out of desperation.

Nage, on the other hand, gracefully evaded the blasts as she whipped out her chains; launching one end at a Corrupted so she could vault him against a stacked crowd of them.

Ani tried to help out Guts with her telekinesis, putting up some barriers as well as concentrating on the barrier around Jack.

Arsenic played as a protector to Ani, shooting explosions at anyone that tried to get near her.

Kristine, meanwhile, stuck close to Milo, looking around to make sure no one would try and tackle Milo.

As everyone kept on dodging, Jack still focused Purity against Arsenic's parents. "...c'mon... tell me it's getting better..."

Arsenic's parents soon stopped writhing in agony, laying on the ground with the last of the Corruption seeping out of them.

Jack just breathed as he looked down at them. "...there... that should do it..."

Arsenic looked over, and when she saw that her parents were alright, she smiled in relief.

With a small nod, Jack rose to his feet. "...alright... now, the rest of you, stop!" With that, he thrust his hands out, as Purity rocketed from his hands to burst against the wall of Corruption; causing it to burn away.

At that, all of Vanessa's group actually stopped, looking at Jack in awe.

Breathing out, Jack just looked straight at one of the Corrupted Leoniels; eyes narrowing. "...I'm gonna count to three... and anyone who hasn't gone away by that point, I'm gonna heal. Got that?"

There was silence.

…and then…

"Fat chance!" The Leoniel Jack stared at was actually bold enough to run forward and attack Jack with Corruption coated claws. Jack's eyes widened, and he thrust his hands forward to grab the Leoniel's wrists mere moments before the claws could touch him. That Leoniel tried pushing against Jack to try and hurt him. Gritting his teeth, Jack narrowed his eyes a bit... and then he began focusing Purity through his hands. "...I... warned you...!"

The Leoniel yelped, and jumped away from him. "What IS that power?!"

"It's the opposite of yours." Jack responded bluntly. "And since you're drenched in Corruption, this hurts you a lot!"

"I would think your superiors would tell you about this power," Vanessa hummed. "…or were they too busy planning their assault that they forgot to tell you?"

One of the Leoniels snarled. "That's..."

Jack's eyes narrowed, as he clenched his hands together. "...like I said... if you don't wanna be healed, you'd better get outta here."

The Leoniels all just growled.

Eventually, they gave a roar, and charged at the group. Ani put up another barrier around Arsenic's parents.

Jack just sighed. "...I warned them." And he charged back at them.

* * *

><p>Soaring through the sky, Charon's eyes remained narrowed as he glanced around. Diablo was trying as hard as he could to keep calm, taking deep breaths, but he was having a bit of trouble. He knew this dreadful feeling very well. Kiri just kept looking ahead in silence.<p>

Oblivion was observing Diablo, and she was nervous herself, though not nearly as on the edge as Diablo. She turned away from looking at him, looking all around.

"You guys are awfully quiet," Toki hummed.

"...something's wrong, right?" Fargus hummed with narrowed eyes.

Oblivion looked at them worriedly. "…it just…something doesn't feel right…"

"...something's... off." Demi murmured as he soared next to Charon.

Diablo kept looking around…and soon, he started to get more and more uneasy. "…i-it's…gonna…"

Kiri's eyes widened. "...it's coming!"

There were a series of roars in the air suddenly. Charon snarled as his eyes narrowed.

Suddenly, up from below, all of these dark Corrupted dragons about the size of Charon appeared, and charged toward the group in the air. Charon's eyes narrowed, and with a roar, he shot a blast of fire upon them, before diving. "Hold on!"

Demi shot down after them as well.

Everyone aboard Charon's back held for their dear lives.

The dragons swerved around Charon's fire, and shot their own flames of Corruption toward the dragon/hydra. Charon proved more maneuverable, though, as he avoided their flame. Everyone held tighter to Charon nervously.

However, Trish was simply glaring up at the dragons. "...Fargus. Get me some plastic."

Realizing what she meant, Fargus dug into his pocket to get a small ball of goop that he tossed towards Trish. Without hesitation, she wrapped the plastic gently around the arrow, before taking careful aim and shot towards the closest cluster of dragons.

A huge explosion hit one of the dragons, knocking them away, but they simply got back up in the air, continuing their onslaught on Charon.

Throughout all of this, Oblivion slipped off Charon with a yelp.

"Oblivion!" Before she could fall too far, Demi had shot down to grab her.

Oblivion held tightly to Demi when he caught her, but that left the two of them open to some attack from the dragons as well. Being a smaller target than Charon, Demi could more easily avoid the dragon's flames, all as he saw Trish firing more arrows upon them.

"What do we do Demi?" Oblivion yelped.

Demi's eyes narrowed. "...I'm not sure..."

* * *

><p>"…what are we going to do with these people?" Hunter sighed, looking around.<p>

"...we can't stay for long... but at the same time, leaving them on their own during this period..." Queen murmured as she looked around.

"…and I can't shake this bad feeling I've got…" Hunter growled.

"...you felt it, too?" Queen hummed.

"…yep," Hunter answered. "…hopefully Crystal, Dax and Berta come back from scouting soon."

"...right..." Queen murmured.

Suddenly…someone popped up in front of the two of them. "Hunter, Queen!" It was Crystal, and she looked out of breath, sweating.

Queen looked down at her. "Crystal? Where's Dax and Berta?"

"…B-Berta's…tryin' to hold 'em back…and Dax is running to get King…" she huffed. "…there's thousands of 'em…heading here!"

"Thousands of what?!" Hunter uttered, growing tense.

"Corrupted!"

Queen's eyes widened. "...Corrupted...!"

"You gotta get the others rounded up and the townsfolk to safety!" Crystal uttered.

"...leave it to me." With a nod, Queen ran off. "Hunter, get Miser and Ripper ready!"

"Right!" Hunter glanced at Crystal as he ran. "Help Queen with the townsfolk!"

"Okay!" Crystal uttered, running off in the direction Queen headed off.

King perked, as he glanced behind him as he heard something peculiar. "...nh?"

"King!" Dax ran out from the brush. "King, it's Corrupted! They're headed here, and Berta's trying to ward 'em off!"

King's eyes widened. "...seriously?! And she's fighting them on her own?!"

Dax gulped, saying nothing, though that gave King the answer he needed.

"...son of a...!" With a growl, King began running. "I'll back her up! Dax, help get the townsfolk out of here! If even one Corrupted gets past us, we could have an epidemic on our hands!"

"Right!" And with that, Dax hurried off.

In the meantime, King kept running through the brush as he heard the sounds of combat. "...Berta, hang in there...!"

He also heard growls…and lots of beings zipping around in the brush very quickly. Hearing that, King's eyes widened. "...damn it!" With a growl, he fired some arcs of electricity at the figures.

Some of the figured hissed upon impact of the electricity, but kept running around King in hiding.

King didn't fall for it, though. "Come on out, you cowards!" he spoke, as more electricity brimmed from his being.

But they didn't. They just kept running around him.

With a growl, King thought of a different tactic. Closing his eyes, he slowly pushed his hands together; forming a circle with them, as electricity began building within it.

The beings kept running, observing what King was doing.

With a snarl, King's eyes suddenly opened, and with a thundering roar, he shot his arms outwards to make the sphere of electricity expand; surrounding him and extending far enough to envelop and stun the figures around him. There were many snarls and yelps out of the pain King inflicted, shooting the beings.

Hearing these grunts of pain, King snarled himself. "...scum... you all stay down!" As he said that, he looked straight ahead, to see if he could spot any inkling of the Corrupted that Berta would supposedly hold off.

He could hear her fighting them in the distance…giving off the same kind of sounds as the creatures that had been chasing around King. With a snarl, he charged straight for the battlefield.

When he arrived, he saw Berta trying to ward off these four-legged creatures that were like giant wolfs with jagged teeth, and wide, hollow white eyes, oozing off Corruption from their beings. Each one of them lunged at Berta to try and bite at her.

Thankfully, in spite of her girth, Berta proved agile enough to avoid the ravenous jaws of these creatures; punching and hurling away those creatures trying to assail her. "Goddamn mutts! Get the fuck outta my face!"

"...Berta...!" With a roar, King charged towards the horde, and unleashed violent arcs of electricity on the creatures.

When they were jolted, the wolves all jumped away with whimpers, and then snarled at King. King snarled back at them; electricity sparking around him like an aura.

Berta cast a glance back at King, and huffed. "Good thing you showed up! I was wondering if I had to take care of these bastards on my own!"

Suddenly, the wolves rounded up and lunged at King. King roared at them, as he prepared to punch them...

...when a sudden powerful blast of energy rocketed against the wolves, blowing them away from King. "...I'm sorry for letting you wait!"

King blinked, and looked behind him, to see Miser wielding her railgun, and Ripper standing by her side; both of them looking ready for combat. "...guys..."

"Kekeke... let us help you, King!" Ripper called as he slashed his scythe-arms about.

The wolves hissed and snarled at their arrival. King just snarled, before he roared back at the Corrupted.

* * *

><p>Ray was up with Tails and Joy, and given Joy's state of fright, she didn't do anything. She was very unresponsive, and stuck to Tails like glue. This state concerned Ray very much.<p>

So much so that he notified the guard to stay on extra watch today. If there was anything going on with his granddaughter, chances are, something was bound to happen. Even with Joy so close, Tails remained wary as he gazed out of a window; humming slighty as he held his hands together.

"…hopefully, I will get notice at the soonest moment possible if anyone tries to enter the village," Ray mentioned, looking over at them.

Tails simply hummed. "...I hope so, too..."

Ray became more worried, especially when he looked at Joy and she still hadn't moved since this morning. Tails looked down at her as well.

Joy was shuddering a little bit…but still silent, and not looking at either of them while she shivered frightfully. Tails just sighed.

…_heheheh…_

Joy suddenly gasped, hearing that voice in her head. It made her suddenly all that more afraid. Tails noticed that, as he looked down at Joy.

"Joy, what's the matter?" Ray uttered, seeing as this was the first thing Joy's ever done in a long while.

Before she could say anything, though, the front door burst open. "Sir!" uttered one of the guards. "We're being attacked!"

Tails' eyes narrowed. "...so they've come..."

Ray looked startlingly at Tails. "Who's come?"

Slowly, Tails stood up, and pulled Joy gently away from him. "...you two stay here. I'll need my gear for this..." And he walked down the hall.

Joy looked startled too. "P-Professor?!"

Tails just walked over to the equipment he had brought with him up to the village, before putting it on.

"Tails, what are you-?!" Ray was about to walk toward him, but then he heard screams outside. "…tch…they must have gotten into the village…"

Tails simply hummed. "...I'll ward them off." With the equipment properly put on, he walked outside.

"P-PROFESSOR!" Joy was going to run right after him to try and stop him, but Ray grabbed his granddaughter and she tried to struggle against him.

With that, Tails slowly walked out into the village; eyes narrowed as he clenched his hands.

Creatures of all shapes and sizes were approaching Tails, though one thing was for certain; they were the Corrupted. The very energy oozed off of them as they approached him.

Tails just hummed, as the chest-piece slowly took on a pale-green glow. "...leave." he spoke calmly.

The creatures hissed and growled at him, still slowly advancing.

Tails just sighed. "...no reasoning with you, hm..."

With that…they jumped at him.

With a hum, Tails thrust his hands forward, and unleashed blasts of Purity upon the Corrupted lunging for him. This blasted away all of the creatures with a tremendous impact.

With a sigh, Tails folded his arms behind his back whilst glaring at the creatures. "...that was a warning. Take it into consideration."

The creatures hissed, taking their time to gradually get back up.

Tails simply looked at all of them. Then they all charged at Tails again; this time, from different directions. Narrowing his eyes, Tails stepped away from the attackers and thrust his hands out to blast Purity upon a couple of them. One by one he got each of them, and yet they persistently kept trying to attack him. Narrowing his eyes, Tails focused on attacking them; though the energy on the chest piece slowly took a slightly darker shade, and Unity began firing out at the Corrupted trying to tackle him down.

This had more of an effect on the creatures; in fact, some of them were obliterated from it.

Tails just sighed as he kept attacking. "...you brought this upon yourselves..."

Tails kept on going and going...and then soon, there weren't any more Corrupted.

The villagers all peeked over at Tails from inside their houses.

Looking around, Tails just heaved a small sigh. "...that should be the end of it... for now..."

"Thank goodness..." Ray had finally walked out with Joy, and Joy broke away from him to run to Tails.

"Professor!" She threw her arms around him.

Tails simply looked down at Joy, and gently hugged her back in return.

"...I was scared..." Joy muttered.

Tails simply rubbed Joy's head. "...don't worry... it's over now."

Joy smiled up at Tails, and then took his hand as they walked back into the village.

"Do you think more will come later?" Ray asked Tails.

"...possibly." Tails spoke, as he looked at Ray seriously. "If more of them show up, I would recommend evacuating the village, while I hold them off."

Ray nodded at that. "I agree."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Well, at least Tails had some luck...<br>**_


	59. Chapter 58

It had taken a while, but eventually, Krieg came to a stop outside of Jill's shop; looking around with a thoughtful hum escaping his lips.

"...what is it?" Jill asked him.

Krieg simply hummed. "...I can smell the hints of a battle here... and it seems like it's moved..."

Jill's brows arched worriedly. "...question is if that would be a good thing or a bad thing..." And Jill managed to limp inside. "...c'mon...we have to check on them."

Krieg simply nodded, as he followed to make sure that Jill wouldn't collapse.

Jill made it far enough that she reached her apartment. When she walked in, she saw Tasha by Brawn on the couch, and Cyrene sitting in a corner, while Flamenco had a chair pulled up beside her.

As Krieg entered the apartment after her, Sonia and Trash came out of the kitchen, both of them carrying supplies to treat Brawn with. Trash stopped momentarily when he noticed Jill. "...geez, you look awful... did ya run into those Corrupted on the way back?" he assumed.

Sonia looked over as well, and seemed genuinely worried, unti her gaze fell upon Krieg; her eyes widening in shock as she saw him. "...Krieg... wow... it worked..."

Tasha gawked as well...

...and Cyrene too for that matter. "...I remember you..." She uttered while she stared at Krieg.

"...no, we didn't run into any Corrupted, thankfully," Jill said, answering Trash's question while she dragged a chair over by the couch to sit next to Brawn.

Currently, Brawn was resting, so he didn't even notice Jill and Krieg while he slept.

"...look, whatever you accomplished, you'd better lie down and rest, Condit." Trash remarked, as he walked over to Brawn to put a bag of ice on the komodo dragon's head, so he wouldn't start heating up. "Though since that lion sent those two nutjobs flying, I guess we got some reprieve..."

"...lion?" Krieg tilted his head upon hearing that.

"...Husk?" Jill jolted. "He took them where?!"

"...I dunno..." Trash replied. "It looked like he was heading up for the mountain..."

"...what is he trying to do?!" Jill uttered, wondering just why Husk would take on Patricia and Bulk by himself.

"...he's..."

Jill looked over when she heard Cyrene, and saw the distraught look on her face. Krieg heard that tone, and turned his head towards Cyrene to show that his attention was on her. Sadly, though, Cyrene couldn't continue, turning away.

"He took Bulk and Patricia away to keep them from finding them here in the house," Flamenco answered instead. "...and he's going to fight them on his own."

Jill gawked at Flamenco. "...but...that's insane."

Trash just huffed. "...seemed to me like he didn't exactly have any other plans than to fight 'em..." he murmured.

Jill grit her teeth at that. Then she shot back up to her feet, stumbling weakly.

"Jill! You must rest!" Tasha uttered out of the shock of seeing Jill jump up like that. She came over and helped Jill to her feet. She was also going to help Jill to her chair if Jill hadn't yanked her arm from her grip.

"What's he going to gain from doing that?" Jill uttered angrily. "Is he really going to try and hold them off all by himself?!"

Cyrene gawked up at Jill.

Trash just looked at Jill in surprise. "...huh... didn't think you'd be concerned for one of those guys, Condit..."

"...Jill..." Sonia looked at her with a worried look.

"...Jill." Krieg spoke somewhat firmly, as he simply folded his arms. "...it seems to me like... he intends to protect those he can... even if the odds are insurmountable." His blind eyes narrowed a small touch as his brow furrowed. "...as long as the one he intends to protect is safe... he wouldn't mind if he was..."

Jill grit her teeth, looking away. "...but...there doesn't have to be needless sacrifice in all of this...I just spent all of my energy bringing you and Spiel back from the dead so that no one would have to be sacrificed..."

Krieg simply hummed upon hearing that, as he simply had his head turned in Jill's direction.

Jill finally turned to Krieg. "...at the very least...when you get your swords, can't you help him?"

Krieg simply hummed. "...perhaps... though if he's still alive by that point, no one can say..."

Jill looked at him in silence, and eventually, she sat back down. "...you should hurry then..."

"...I'll need a guide through the woods." Krieg spoke.

"...I'll come along." Sonia spoke as she rose to her feet, before she looked at Flamenco. "You coming along? Or..."

Flamenco nodded, standing up from his seat. Cyrene looked up at him worriedly, and he simply looked back down at her. "...stay here," he told her. "I'll be back."

Sonia nodded, before she began heading out; taking Krieg's hand. "C'mon, let's hurry!"

Krieg simply nodded, as he began walking down after Sonia. Flamenco followed, which left alone the others in the room.

Tasha looked toward Brawn. "...it's so strange...seeing Krieg again..."

"...hn..." Trash rubbed his head. "...I'm not sure what's going on... but right now, I'll look past it."

Jill sat back and tried to relax in her chair...

...then she suddenly realized something. "...where's Tails Doll?"

Trash blinked. "...I dunno, actually."

"...Sit here with Brawn; I will look for Tails Doll," Tasha said, getting up to walk out of the room.

"...right..." Trash murmured, as he just sat down by the komodo dragon.

* * *

><p>An explosion of Corruption erupted against the mountainside, as Husk glared upon the craters he had formed the instant he had landed in this area; where he'd fight to the last in order to fend off these two for as long as he possibly could.<p>

"God, you're stupid..." Patricia sneered, approaching Husk.

With a grunt, Bulk stomped towards him as well.

Husk didn't respond to Patricia's taunt, as he merely glared at the two of them.

"So what should we do with him now that we got him all by himself?" Patricia asked.

"...we waste him." Bulk snarled. "Make sure to totally crush this goddamn shell."

_"...we'll see... about... that..."_ Husk spoke slowly, as he simply glared at the two of them. _"...you two... will lose..."_

Patricia waved her arms, making one of her hands into a long sword, and the other hand wielding Corrupted energy. She charged at him to swing her sword, and try to jab at him with her claws imbued with Corruption. Husk swiftly grabbed her incoming sword arm, and weaved to the side so the claws could only barely scratch his shoulder. In that instant, Bulk charged with a powerful swing of his arm against his head. Without flinching, however, Husk swiftly snapped his teeth around Bulk's arm; causing the crocodile to yelp out as he drew his hand back momentarily.

Patricia started throwing her sword at him again. With a hiss, Husk kept avoiding the sword arm, all whilst repelling the many punches that Bulk now proceeded to throw at him.

"You're outnumbered, you bastard, and we're gonna take you down!" Patricia started to shoot Corruption at him.

Dark hands shot out from the ground to grab these blasts; absorbing them as Husk eventually just grabbed Bulk's arm._"...disappear..."_ With a huff, he hurled Bulk straight towards Patricia.

Patricia ducked underneath, catching him with dark hands of her own that sprouted from the ground, setting Bulk back down. Then she lunged at Husk with punches and kicks.

Weaving past those, Husk drew immense heat into his own fist, before thrusting it right towards Patricia. Patricia jumped away from that, keeping away. With a snarl, Husk began sending dark hands rocketing from the earth; though now they blazed with a powerful flame that rocketed straight for Patricia.

Patricia kept flying around these.

Shortly…she smirked.

"What a shame your girlfriend already had someone."

Husk momentarily stopped, as he simply glared at her.

"…so this whole thing you're doing; holding us off…it's a lost cause, buddy," Patricia sneered.

_"...what... makes you say that...?" _Husk spat as his glare remained fixated on her.

"It probably doesn't matter to her that you're gonna sacrifice yourself for her," Patricia went on. "Now that she has someone else to be with, she's gonna forget all about you."

Husk still just glared at her; though his body seemed to relax a touch.

"…so…that whole ordeal while you tried to make a deal with me to keep her safe?" Patricia's smirk grew. "That was all…for nothing."

Husk's hands clenched.

"Who knew the one thing that was empty could actually feel emotions?" Patricia went on, just to egg at him. "And yet…she just shot them down because she ran into her old boyfriend. I gotta say, that was pretty cruel, despite that stupid drama going on between you two."

Slowly, Husk began stumbling towards Patricia, though he made no indication that he'd stop Patricia from taunting him.

"…but no; she just rejects you like that. Ain't it pitiful?" Patricia chuckled. "At least…that's if her darkness doesn't swallow her up, like that Callous bitch was talking about."

Husk eventually came to a stop, a small distance from Patricia, as he still glared at her.

"So all in all…you're wasting your time, effort, and even your own life for some worthless bitch," Patricia continued. "…how pathetic."

Silence... until...

_"...are... you... done...?"_

"That depends…" Patricia said. "…are you going to tell me I'm wrong?"

_"...yes... and no..."_

In that instant, Husk shot forward to grab Patricia by the throat; hoisting her up into the air. _"...as long... as Cyrene is... at peace... then I do not... care... what happens to me..." _His eyes narrowed, as his grip tightened around her neck. _"...I do not... expect... to live... but I... will... not... allow you... to harm her..."_

While Patricia choked, she started to chuckle. "…then you really _are_ stupid."

_"...maybe... I am..." _His grip tightened, to the point where he was slowly crushing her windpipe. _"...but... I will not... let you insult... her..."_

Patricia winced, feeling less air. "…and what're you gonna do…if I keep talking?"

_"...I... will... rip out... your throat..."_

"…even then…it still won't change…the fact…that you don't mean anything to her now," Patricia wheezed.

_"...I... don't-!"_ In that instant, Husk's eyes widened, and Corruption sprayed out from his mouth like blood.

"...and in a couple of seconds..." sneered a foreboding voice behind Husk, as he had thrust a hand through his abdomen, clutching what seemed to be a dark heart in his grasp. "...you're not gonna mean anything to _anyone._" Bulk growled, as he chuckled darkly.

Patricia took that moment to grab the jewel that was on Husk's forehead, yanking out his hand from her throat as she clenched her fingers onto the jewel. Then she drove Corruption into it.

As she did that, Bulk took the opportunity to dig his claws into the heart, as he was actually absorbing Corruption not just from it, but Husk's entire being.

Husk's eyes widened as he let out a choked gasp, as both the surge of Corruption leaving his body, and being forced into his jewel, was rapidly draining his strength; to the point where the Corrupted markings on his body were just leaving him; shriveling away as his eyes began glazing over.

"…so much for all of that," Patricia chuckled, just making sure Husk was kept weakened so that Bulk could absorb him.

Husk just weakly glared back at her as the Corruption kept leaving his body, until he soon just seemed like an ordinary lion; even his eyes had lost the golden radiance that seemed to indicate his status as Corrupted.

Finally, Patricia released the jewel. "Later, sucker."

And with that, Bulk tore his arm out of Husk's body; clutching his heart with a sneer on his face.

With a small groan, Husk slowly began falling backwards. _"...Cy...rene..."_ was all he could utter before he slammed against the ground; eyes closing for the very last time.

Patricia scoffed at this. "Good riddance…"

"...I'll say..." With a small chuckle, Bulk just tossed the heart right on the fallen body. "...alright, back to Condit." He flashed a dangerous grin as he looked back at Patricia. "...I'll let you take care of Condit... but I'll take care of Cyrene, just to spite the wasted effort this shell put up."

"Works for me," Patricia hummed. "Question is, where the fuck they are."

"...true..." Bulk snarled as he looked around. "...he launched us a fair distance... but I think we just have to plow through the woods to-!"

Suddenly, a brief light momentarily flashed before their eyes, which silenced the conversation. "...the hell?!" Bulk uttered in surprise.

Patricia stopped too, hissing when that light flashed. Another light suddenly flashed, but this time, Bulk noticed it. "...that thing?!"

As it turned out, the jewel resting on Husk's forehead was emitting this light; slowly flickering even faster as it began trembling.

"What the hell is that thing doing?!" Patricia yelped.

"I dunno, and I don't plan on finding out!" With a roar, Bulk shot his arm down and gripped the jewel; tearing it off Husk before he hurled it far up into the sky...

...and in that instant, the jewel suddenly erupted; creating a shockwave that _blazed_ across the island; though ironically, only causing harm to any Corrupted that were struck by it.

"AAAAAGH!" And it didn't help that Patricia and Bulk were the very first to get struck down by it.

"GAAAH!" As they were knocked down, Bulk shot a glare towards the body... but it was completely unaffected. "...son of a... he had this kind of backup...?!" Meanwhile, Patricia was down on the ground, weakened by that.

Finally, as the shockwave subsided, Bulk snarled at the body. "...goddamn bastard!" With a roar, he lunged for it...

...and suddenly, a figure punched him directly in the face; knocking him through the air and straight on top of Patricia.

"Oof!" Patricia, getting crushed by Bulk, looked up at the one who punched Bulk.

"...who the hell...?!" With a snarl, Bulk looked at the figure as well.

"...yo." Standing there was a towering figure who simply smirked down at them; fist clenched. "You must be the guys in charge of this invasion."

Patricia just stared…and slowly, she could sense the power from this individual. It was the same as the power they had sensed earlier. "…who're you?"

The figure smirked. "...the name's Spiel... and I'm here to kick your asses."

In that instant, a massive aura began surging around the towering pig, as he shot a deadly, almost _insane_ grin down at the two of them.

Patricia's eyes widened. "…shit."

With a laugh, Spiel suddenly shot for both of them, and swung his leg at the two of them to kick them away. When Patricia landed on the ground harshly, she pushed herself back up on her feet, hissing.

Bulk pushed himself up as well; glaring straight at Spiel with a huff. "...first that shell... now this tub of lard...?!" he growled. "...these distractions are getting annoying...!"

"…and he's tougher…" Patricia warned.

"...how...?! He's not using Purity or Corruption! How the fuck is he that strong?!" Bulk snarled.

"I don't know how, or why, but he just….is…" Patricia uttered.

Spiel just laughed. "...you guys done chattering?" he spoke, as he cracked his knuckles. "Or do you wanna get up and fight, now?"

Patricia grit her teeth, shooting Corruption at Spiel. With a laugh, he knocked the blast of Corruption away, before charging at them with a punch. Bulk tried clambering to his feet to grab the fist... but it knocked him quite a distance away once the fist connected to him. Patricia grit her teeth, seeing Bulk get knocked away like that.

Slowly, Spiel looked back at her. "...your move."

Patricia just stared at him…and slowly, that stare became a glower with narrowed eyes.

With a yell, she charged at Spiel. With a laugh of his own, he charged straight towards her.

* * *

><p>"Got it!" Stella finished up whatever she was doing, and looked over to see how the others were faring against the Corrupted robots.<p>

Currently, Metal, Hex and Ivory were holding off a large horde of these machines; with more swarming towards them by the minute.

"...so, what does that do?" Lock inquired as he narrowed his eyes whilst observing the fight.

"…you'll see…" Stella then grabbed something else; an Extreme gear she threw together while she was busy with her other part. "This will help add some speed to the impact," she said. "…don't think I've really flown on an Extreme Gear before, but now's the best time to learn."

Lock hummed upon hearing that. "...do you need a hand with this?"

"…I should be able to handle it," Stella said, hopping onto the gear. "…now…to give this a try."

"I'll cover you," Violet said, whipping out her rifle.

"...a moment." Swiftly, Lock set his rifle down on the ground, before he began shuffling its parts about. "...if you're going out there... I'll offer myself as an additional target. Distracting them, so to speak." As he said that, he quickly made sure to turn his rifle into its custom Extreme Gear mode.

"Sure thing," Stella said, gaining a sensible balance on her gear.

As he stepped on his gear, he set a hand on Stella's shoulder. "...take it easy." he spoke, before he shot off; circling around the robots to distract them away from the ones on the ground. Violet then took cover behind a pile of scrap metal, opening fire.

"Proxy, Omega, stay with Violet and aid her!" Stella said, taking off on her gear. Both of them nodded, as they began firing at the robots together with Violet.

Ivory noticed Lock swooping in on his gear to pull away from of the robots from attacking her. This allowed her to also notice Stella on a gear of her own, heading their way. "'bout time!"

Lock simply remained silent as he weaved around the robots; taunting them into focusing their attacks on him whilst he flew around them.

"...now what do they have in mind...?" Hex hummed as her gaze happened to fall on Stella.

"Take this!"

Stella pulled up what she had worked on, which was some manner of launcher hoisted over her shoulder. When she pulled the trigger, it shot a ball of scrap metal right at one of the robots, and the hit was strong enough that it broke apart the robot in an explosion.

Needless to say, the robots were startled.

"...well, I'll be..." Hex uttered with wide eyes and a growing smile. _...she actually found a way to beat them!_

But suddenly, the robot that she had shot? It pieced itself back together in a matter of minutes, eyes blazing toward Stella.

"Eep!" It seemed like that plan didn't work, as she narrowly swerved around one of them shooting at her with a laser.

Before it could attempt to strike her again, a blast shot out at it to knock it back, having come from Lock on his Extreme Gear. "Admirable effort..."

Metal's eyes narrowed as he looked up at Stella, and the launcher she was wielding.

Stella saw that more of the robots were charging after her, and before she knew it, she had taken the gear and zipped around them, getting more and more the hang of riding one. Still, Lock kept flying around to try and get their attention away from Stella.

As he watched her, Metal's eyes narrowed. _That launcher... maybe..._

Lock managed to get the robots away from her, while Stella managed a safe stop by Metal. "Darn it...it didn't work," Stella huffed.

Metal simply looked over at her. "...I think I got something that will work." he spoke.

Stella looked at Metal in surprise. "You do?"

Metal nodded, before he held his hands up and focused; forming a small sphere of metal within his hands, but imbuing it with Purity. As he did that, he glanced at the launcher as if to measure the size of the sphere, so he could expand it accordingly. "...alright... load this in, and take a shot. I think that'd do the trick."

Stella installed it into the launcher, and then looked toward one of the robots.

Metal looked towards it as well; seeing that it was distracted with Lock flying about.

As they looked towards the robot, Hex kept her eyes on Stella. _...is this gonna work...?_

Stella pointed the launcher at one of the robots, and fired again, compensating for the recoil on her gear.

When one of the robots were stricken down, this time, not only did it break it; it exploded in a combustion of Purity and Corrupted energy, and this time, the robot didn't regenerate.

"Yes!" Stella exclaimed.

"...that's it!" With a small nod, Metal began forming more spheres to hand to Stella. "Let's finish them off!"

"Right!" Stella grabbed as many of the spheres she could from Metal to load into the launcher, and then she took off, shooting them at the robots while she flew around on her gear.

Glancing over towards her, Lock cracked a small smile. _That's good, Stella..._

The more Stella flew on her gear, the easier she was able to maneuver it. There were times she was close to getting hit by one of the robots, but she narrowly evaded in growing skill.

Observing this, Violet hummed. "...she seems like a natural..." And then she chuckled. "Given her lineage, I shouldn't be surprised."

Hex glanced in her direction. "...what do you mean?"

"Lock told me that a while ago, she had found her family," Violet said. "Apparently, she is Jet the Hawk's granddaughter."

Hex blinked at that. "...seriously?"

Violet nodded. "Mhm."

"...well, color me surprised." Hex uttered as she looked back up at Stella.

* * *

><p>"…damn…they're going to town," Boomer commented.<p>

"...we can't do anything to stop them, either..." Newt remarked.

"…a lot has built up on them," Charmy remarked.

"...and now it's all being brought out." Wiper hummed.

"…thank goodness isn't all being directed toward us," Rudy muttered.

"...let's just hope that they can handle themselves..." Sage mused.

"…hrm…" Charmy murmured.

Currently, as the bird's screech and concussive breath rocketed against Cal to keep him at bay, Natal was still carving a swathe of destruction on top of its back; cutting asunder the Corrupted whilst making sure to stay out of their reach. Cal, for the most part, kept the bird distracted, while Natal did her work.

Then he turned…and grit his teeth.

"…Natal…there's more of them."

"...what...?" Natal uttered, as she glanced behind her.

Two—no, _three_ of those birds all approached them from the horizon, carrying more of those Corrupted soldiers on their backs.

Natal's eyes widened. "...no way..."

Cal hissed. "…this is too much…they're trying to overwhelm us."

"...how are we going to take them out...?" Natal uttered.

Cal looked at Natal nervously. He wasn't sure if they should just keep fighting them, or take everyone away to safety and try to outrun these guys. As it stood, they were getting outnumbered, and only the two of them could fight the Corrupted.

Then suddenly, Cal got gunned down from behind, and he gave a cry of pain as he fell through the air.

"CAL!" Seeing that, Natal's eyes widened in terror.

Thankfully, after he fell a certain distance, a psychic aura wrapped around him to safely pull him within the psychic barrier; allowing Sage to put him down. "...sorry, Cal..." Sage uttered as she looked up at the approaching birds.

…_hm…someone wasn't paying attention very well…_

There was suddenly a thought in Natal's head that felt more as if someone was talking to her…but they were her own thoughts. Her eyes widened, as she glanced about; wondering if it was someone like Patricia trying to purposefully make her lose herself again. _...at least Sage managed to save him... thank goodness…_

_Yeah, but he's out cold now, it seems._

_...that means... I'm the only one who can fight them off..._

_Yep…and just how are you going to do that?_

Suddenly, the birds charged toward her, and all of the soldiers on each of the birds opened fire on her.

Natal grit her teeth, and swiftly began deflecting the shots with her blade.

_If I must fight... then I'll obviously have to fight!_

_Well, sure…but fight them how?_

_...I... haven't thought that far ahead yet..._

_Well here's a thought…how about giving them a taste of their own medicine?_

Natal stopped. _...their own medicine... wait... Corruption?_

_Yep._

The Corrupted started to unleash more and more on their attack on Natal. Natal vividly slashed away the attacks that descended upon her.

_But... I couldn't... what happened to Cal, I..._

_But I don't think you'll have any other alternatives here._

_...so I should just blindly toss Corruption at them? What if it backfires? I cannot trust it for a moment...!_

_You're not supposed to blindly toss it stupid…it takes a bit of concentration, but you'll have a good grip on it if you don't fight it._

_...but... if I don't fight it, what if... what if it consumes me?_

_Well…then I guess that leaves your teammates doomed, doesn't it?_

_...you're not exactly a beacon of hope. _With a bitter hiss, Natal just looked at the advancing Corrupted; still contemplating on how to deal with them. Corruption seemed like the only way, but... she wasn't sure how to go about it.

_The point is to give just enough not to fight, but not too completely give _in.

_...how very zen... _Closing her eyes, Natal gripped her sword slowly as she breathed; brow furrowing as she waited for some of the Corrupted to get close enough.

They didn't know what she was doing, and they all swarmed toward her, ready to take her down. Slowly, she raised her sword; drawing breath as she waited for them to get closer.

Finally, they leaped at her for the kill.

However, a different kill was reaped instead.

With a lone slash of her blade, searing, deep cuts struck all the Corrupted that had lunged at her; felling them as Natal just kept breathing slowly.

And there she stood; eyes closed as she held her sword with both of her hands; the blade completely wreathed in pitch-black flame.

Charmy hummed gruffly at that. "…she's wielding the Corruption inside of her."

Wiper's eyes narrowed. "...Natal..."

"...wait. Something's... off." Sage hummed with a curious look. "...it... doesn't look like it's tearing on her."

Without a word, and even without opening her eyes, Natal began making a run for the head of the bird; letting the sword's edge grind against the bird's back as she dashed towards the head, before suddenly slashing straight upwards. The timing of it all caused the bird to briefly ascend with a pained cry, as it accidentally smashed into a different bird. When that bird ran into the other, it knocked off the soldiers on both of their backs. The Corrupted wouldn't have time to rest, though, as Natal swiftly began using the burning blade to slash against the birds; leaping from one to the other as she carved a swathe against the birds, specifically to bring them down. The birds cried out in pain, and all of the other Corrupted either fell off or were caught in Natal's raid. And throughout her vivid charge through the Corrupted, Natal didn't once say a word or open her eyes; just swinging her sword with impeccable timing and accuracy; as calm and composed as possible.

"…phenomenal," Charmy commented when he observed this particular detail.

"...unreal..." Wiper remarked with wide eyes.

"…such control…" Boomer muttered.

"...is that even possible, y'know?" Newt uttered whilst gawking.

Sage let a small hum escape from her, as she nudged Cal. "...I think you need to see this..." she spoke, her voice clear enough to wake him up.

Cal trembled when he woke up, still weak from all of the energy he exerted…and slowly, he looked up. His eyes widened. "…Natal?"

"...she's handling it better than expected..." Sage mused.

Still, Natal kept cutting down the Corrupted, both troopers and the giant birds, all without a single sound.

Eventually, the sliced bits of the Corrupted started to combine with one another and meld together. It became a large, beastly phoenix made from black Corrupted flames, and it shrieked at Natal.

Natal just stood where she was; remaining immobile as she just allowed the phoenix to screech.

It shot out Corrupted fire at Natal then.

Cal jumped at that. "Natal!"

With a breath, Natal simply charged at the flame, swinging her sword against it... and as the two forces clashed, the phoenix's flame was actually drawn into the pitch-black fire that coated the blade of her sword.

Cal gawked at that.

"Now's she's actually absorbing the Corruption from her enemy," Boomer muttered.

"...the question is... what happens to the excess...?" Wiper uttered.

Without a single word, Natal kept running towards the phoenix; blade gripped tightly in her hands.

The phoenix continued to try and shoot fire at Natal as she came for it. However, with every blast of fire, Natal just slashed her sword to draw it into the pitch-black fire as she eventually made a leap towards the phoenix. The phoenix screeched in its shock that it couldn't take down Natal.

In that moment, as she shot towards the phoenix, she lashed her tongue out to wrap around the hilt of the sword, before she began spinning and twisting around whilst rocketing up towards the phoenix; the dark flame actually surrounding her in a twister of black fire that shot like a drill towards the phoenix's gut. The bird screeched again, this time, when Natal shot through its gut in that fiery blaze of Corruption.

After tearing her way through it, Natal came to a stop; eyes still closed as the flame returned strictly to the blade which allowed the sword to be brought back to her hands. Slowly, the phoenix fell through the air, since she had defeated it.

Likewise, Natal began falling as well; though it was less a fall of defeat, and more like a graceful descent, as the black flame slowly dissipated from her blade. The group watched not only as Natal descended, but as the phoenix crashed in the distance, bursting into a forest fire of corrupted flames. And finally, as the black flame completely faded from her blade, did Natal land on the ground; using her free hand to steady herself the moment she made impact.

"…nice!" Rudy exclaimed.

"Hell yeah! You sure showed them, Natal!" Newt called out.

Wiper, however, narrowed his eyes. "...she's... not moving."

Indeed; Natal simply remained in that position without even moving a single muscle.

"…N-Natal…?" Cal slowly got himself up on his feet, limping toward her.

She made no response.

"...let's go check up on her." Sage recommended, as they all began walking towards her.

"Natal!" Once Cal got to her, he stared at her. Then slowly, he reached toward her with a hand. Still, she was unresponsive. Cal tried to shake her. "Natal!"

Still, however, no response...

...until Natal's eyes suddenly shot open, and she heaved as if she just emerged from the depths of the sea. Gasping for air, she collapsed on her knees and gripped the ground beneath her for support. "Natal!" Cal knelt next to her. "Are you alright?"

Still heaving for air, Natal soon grabbed Cal and held him closely; breathing still. "...so deep..." she whispered.

Cal held to her. "…what happened to you?"

"...the Corruption..." Natal uttered. "...I had to fight with it... but rather than fighting _it_, we... cooperated..." She shuddered a touch as she regained her breath. "...it was... like I could understand the darkness... but the more I understood, the harder it grew to come back from it... like waves repeatedly pulling you underneath the surface of the sea..."

Cal closed his eyes while he held her. "…yeah…it's like that…"

"...a step too far... and I fear I wouldn't be talking to you right now..." Natal whispered softly.

"…It's alright now," Cal hushed her. Then he looked up at the rest of the group. "We need to get going, _now_, before any reinforcements show up."

"...I agree..." Sage nodded as she looked at Natal. "...we need to hurry... I get a feeling that the others are having just as much trouble as we just had..."

* * *

><p>Sage's statement was definitely spot on. Vanessa's group was having a heck of a time keeping back the Corrupted on their end, but that didn't mean they were losing.<p>

Having two people on their side who could use Purity was definitely a plus, as they were decidedly holding the Corrupted back from getting to the others.

Still, the Corrupted were putting up a pretty mean fight; especially considering that the Corrupted were Leoniels. Granted, there were Leoniels on the other side fighting as well; meaning that Jack and Vanessa were both keeping the lions away from those who generally couldn't deal with them.

Finally, some of the Leoniels stepped away to catch their breaths. "Man, they're really tough…"

"...'course they're tough... they've got Astaroth's daughter on their side... and her kid, too..." one of them responded.

"…there's gotta be something we can use against them…" another one whispered.

"...yeah, but what? That kid's got that green stuff, and it's kicking our asses..."

"…unless we figure out something, they're gonna continue kicking our asses…"

"Now what are you talking about over here?" Vanessa had kindly interrupted the talk when she stepped in, throwing a punch at one of them.

"GAH!" He staggered back from that.

"I'm amazed Astaroth hasn't hunted down your sorry ass!" growled another Leoniel.

"I'm surprised he didn't teach you any better," Vanessa quipped back.

"...why do you even care about Astaroth?" Jack uttered. "I mean, you're corrupted, so you guys don't have anything to do with him now."

That's when all of the Leoniels stopped completely, in the event that they had never, _ever_ thought of that question.

_...wow. And here I was thinking that Vanessa was a blockhead when I was still alive._ Johnny remarked in Milo's head. _I was clearly wrong._

The Leoniels all just looked at each other, and then at the group.

"…I don't think it's that they care about him," Vanessa said. "…I think it's because they're afraid of him."

"Coming from the chick that ran away from the family?!" snapped one of the Leoniels with a growl.

"...that doesn't make her afraid." Jack remarked, as he glared at the Leoniels. "...that just makes her a decent person!"

"…but you know, he does have a point. Why are you so intent keeping with Astaroth's traditions if you're following the Corrupted now?" Vanessa added. "It only makes you a bunch of sheep y'know."

"...but they're lions, mom." Jack noted.

"Watch it!" one of the Leoniels roared. "We're not sheep!"

"Yeah, that's what I said." Jack noted again.

"Oh, for the love of- it's a metaphor!" the Leoniel snapped back at Jack.

One of the Leoniels blinked them, as he briefly whispered something hushed to one of the Leoniels, so Vanessa couldn't catch wind of it. The Leoniel he whispered to, nodded.

Then he walked up. "Then why would your mom call us sheep if we're lions, huh?"

Jack blinked. "...you know, I don't know." He tilted his head. "I mean, unless you guys have just been pretending to be Leoniels and are wearing disguises to hide the wool..."

"But then that would make you a sheep too, since you come from the family," the Leoniel went on.

Vanessa narrowed her eyes suspiciously at this. Something was going on here.

"...no, that doesn't make sense; I _know_ I'm a lion." Jack noted.

"How do you really _know_ that?" the Leoniel asked.

"...well... I just know." Jack noted. "I've never had any wool anywhere, really."

"Okay, so you're a lion…but still, why would we be called sheep?" The Leoniel continued.

…_what are they doing?_ Milo thought.

"...um..." Jack rubbed his chin in thought; thinking about what they could have in common with sheep...

"...because you eat grass?" he guessed.

The Leoniels looked at each other…with snickers coming out every now and then.

Finally, they all started laughing at Jack.

He narrowed his eyes. "What's so funny?"

They couldn't answer Jack because they were laughing so hard. Jack just looked at Vanessa then. "Do you know what's so funny?"

Vanessa didn't answer Jack. She just kept staring at them suspiciously.

And then...

"GAH!"

"Alright, enough with the yucks!"

Jack's eyes widened, as he looked behind him, to see one of the Leoniels with Guts in a headlock; claws aimed straight at his face. "First one who raises a finger is gonna be responsible for a corrupted fish!"

"Shit... sorry, guys... got careless...!" Guts uttered as he struggled in the Leoniel's grip.

Vanessa gasped when she turned, feeling incredibly stupid for being sidetracked like that.

"Whatever happened to your super-sharp senses?" one of the Leoniels chuckled.

"Must've been distracted by his _super-sharp_ detective skills!" another Leoniel cackled.

Vanessa grit her teeth at this.

"Hey! Don't make fun of Jack!" Striker yelled.

"Oh, you're right, we should be singing his praises!" another Leoniel sneered. "Because he's such a _dumbass_ that he let us grab your buddy as a hostage!"

"Oh, you son of a-!" Nage hissed as she took a step forward, but a grunt from Guts stopped her as the Leoniel tightened his grip on him.

"…guys…watch it…" Milo warned.

"Oh, what're you gonna do about it? Scowl at us?" the Leoniel laughed. "Remember, we've got your friend! One wrong move, and he's a goner!"

"…how about you trade hostages then?"

"Vanessa?" Ani looked over at Vanessa in shock.

Jack looked towards her as well. "...mom, no...!"

"…Jack…hush," Vanessa said calmly.

"What? You sayin' that you'd trade yourself over shark bait over there?" one of the Leoniels asked.

"…what do you think?" Vanessa muttered.

A low chuckle escaped the Leoniel that held Guts. "...and how do we know that you're not just gonna start kicking us about the moment shark bait here's let go?"

Vanessa lowered her hands by her sides. "…I swear by the family name that I won't do anything."

The Leoniel sneered. "...alright, I'll bite... tie her up." he told one of the Leoniels. "Tightly."

They grabbed Vanessa and pulled her over, fastening Corruption as a kind of rope to tie down her hands, and then the rest of her.

Smirking, the Leoniel shot Guts a grin. "This is your lucky day, you useless sack of shit." With that, he kicked him forward to make him crash straight against the ground.

Milo hurried to help Guts up, while the others stared helplessly at Vanessa.

Jack especially looked really distraught as he looked at her. "...mom..."

"Okay…so move…and we pump this bitch full of Corruption," one of the Leoniels said.

Jack just kept looking at her, gritting his teeth. Vanessa closed her eyes…and smiled.

"…no need to hold back, children."

"…V-Vanessa?!" Milo was honestly shocked at this.

"Mom?!" Jack seemed even more shocked.

The Leoniels gawked at her. "...the hell are ya talking about?!"

"…whatever happens to me…don't stop fighting them," Vanessa said. "…and don't worry about them trying to hurt me…"

"…but…but Vanessa, we can't!" Ani uttered.

"We can't let them Corrupt you!" Nage swiftly said.

"…I'm not afraid children…I have gone through worse things," Vanessa said.

"…look, they're not gonna attack us; that's been obvious here," one of the Leoniels said.

Jack just looked straight at Vanessa; hands clenched as he tried keeping himself from crying.

"…I don't wanna risk hurting Vanessa either…guys…"

Milo looked back at Arsenic, who sat with her parents beneath Ani's barrier. At first, no one could tell what expression she had on her face. "…I don't want to feel like I have to hurt her…but…we're just gonna be stuck in this stalemate until those Leoniels pick us off one by one…"

"…Arsenic…but we…" Kristine didn't have anything to interject, looking back and forth between Arsenic and Vanessa with the Leoniels.

Then Arsenic stood up. "…we gotta do it."

"Nh... but..." Nage uttered, as she looked towards Jack.

Still holding back his tears, Jack just looked right at Vanessa. "...m-mom..." he sniffled.

"…we all have to do hard things Jack…" Vanessa muttered.

"...I know..." Jack murmured, as he closed his eyes. "...I... I love you, mom..."

With that, he cried out as he charged towards one of the Leoniels; grabbing him and forcing Purity directly into his being. This startled the Leoniels, and before they could utter any kind of remark to that, Milo hurled globs of Purity at them. Then Arsenic shot bolts of fire which exploded in their faces. Nage swiftly began lashing her chain at them, while Guts even charged straight at one of the Leoniels to tackle him against the ground and punch his face in.

Ani gawked, and so did Kristine. Striker, while he was shocked, also added cannon fire from Snap to aid in the fight, but that left the two girls to stare in disbelief.

"...son of a bitch!" The one Leoniel who wasn't being assaulted by the gang just gawked as well, before he glared at Vanessa. "...this is all your fault!" Swiftly, his hand began brimming with Corruption, resonating with the ropes.

Vanessa hissed, but tried her best not to show that she was feeling any pain to discourage them from their fighting.

The Leoniel gawked. "...damn it...!" He kept focusing Corruption on the rope. "Why aren't you-!"

Suddenly, another Leoniel slammed into him from behind, knocking him to the ground.

"...how's _that_ from a useless sack of shit, huh?!" Guts yelled at the two Leoniels; fittingly, as one of them had been the one who had caught him to begin with.

Vanessa was then snatched away by another Leoniel, and this time, he wasn't going to let it slip.

"So…been through worse, huh?"

He took one of his nails, and sliced Vanessa's throat, Corruption oozing from the nail as it sliced her. A mix of black goo and blood drizzled down from Vanessa's throat while she choked on pain, and yet, still tried to tough it out.

However, Jack just noticed that. "NO!" Rather than get discouraged, however, he just ran straight at that Leoniel and tackled him to the ground, before he actually began _hammering_ his fists down on him; a look of utter desperation, fear and anger apparent on his face. Jack really pummeled the guy that hurt Vanessa, and in the meantime, his mother collapsed, still trying to keep it together, but steadily losing a grip on reality.

Deep down, Jack wanted to keep beating the guy who did that to his mother, but noticing her collapsing from the corner of his eye, Jack swiftly turned to grab her; Purity cutting through the ropes. "Mom... mom, can you hear me...?" he uttered.

"…Jack…" her response seemed faint, and she finally passed out weakly, as the Corruption started to take effect on her.

Seeing that, Jack's eyes were wide. "...mom... mom, no!" As he grew desperate, he focused Purity in his hand, and focused it on her wound. "I'm gonna save you, mom... I'm not gonna let this take you over... I'm not gonna let you go through what I did!"

For the most part, Jack was able to fight back the Corruption, but Vanessa was still passed out.

The Leoniel that Jack knocked down for hurting his mother was slowly climbing back up to his feet, just to sneak up behind Jack in order to attack him.

Milo saw him though, and punched him right back down to the ground, keeping Jack from getting hurt. Jack didn't even notice that, as he kept focusing Purity onto Vanessa; tear-filled eyes narrowing. Milo turned when he saw this. "…Jack…" he muttered worriedly.

"...I'm gonna help her..." Jack uttered. "...you... keep fighting..."

Milo grit his teeth, and looked around. "…in that case, I'm covering your back."

Jack didn't respond, as he just kept focusing on healing his mother.

Maybe it was just because Jack was so desperate, and that he was putting all he could into healing her. It could also have been the refusal of Vanessa's awakening that added to that desperation and determination.

Jack eventually could see himself in some kind of black void.

Looking around, Jack's eyes were wide, and his breath was haggard. He was growing more and more desperate.

Suddenly…someone tried to attack him from behind.

Barely did Jack manage to notice that as he stepped away from the attacker before the attack could hit, as he gazed at the assailant with wide eyes.

It was a mirror image of Vanessa…though this clearly didn't seem anything like her. She had a vicious, insane smile with sharp yellow eyes. She looked more built, stronger…and she certainly didn't waste the opportunity to dress in a way that showed off that nearly perfect body. It wasn't anything like Vanessa's modest standards or indifference to showing off. It wasn't the caring mother that Jack was so used to.

And if the appearance wasn't enough to scare Jack… perhaps it was the look in her eye of bloodlust, and excitement for the kill.

With a horrified gaze upon this figure, Jack briefly took a step back from this.

"_What's the matter Jack?_" cackled the Corrupted version of Vanessa, stepping toward him eagerly.

Jack shook his head. "...you're... you're not..."

"_You know full well that I am her, Jack,_" she sneered. "_I'm everything she could've been if you hadn't interrupted her life with your birth._"

Jack came to a halt as he just looked at this figure with that horrified look of his.

"_You had to go and make her humble, and kind…but if she kept on with her life the way she had, she could unleash her full potential…"_ She tried to attack him again, lunging at him.

Jack leaped back from that attack, still shaking his head. "...that's..."

Vanessa started attacking him, actually chuckling as she enjoyed horrifying him. All the while, Jack could only back away and avoid her; still looking terrified at this image. Vanessa kept attacking, getting more fierce and faster, laughing.

Jack just grew more and more panicked as he dodged... and then, with a desperate cry, he just found the one free spot he could toss a punch against her face to knock her back a bit. Vanessa stumbled back just a bit, rubbing the spot Jack hit her.

And then she laughed. "_That's it! Try harder!_" and she lunged at him again.

Jack's eyes widened momentarily, before he just leapt away in utter terror. He held his hands out with Purity brimming from them, looking fearfully at her. "...d-don't come any closer...!"

"_Or what?!"_ cackled Vanessa. "_You're gonna sting me just a little bit with that puny power?! If you can't stand up to your own mother, then you aren't worth anything!"_

"...you're... you're not my mom!" Jack uttered, fear still lingering in his tone. "I know my mom... and my mom... is _not_ what you are!"

"_You sure that I'm not just something that your mom tried to hold back?!"_ Vanessa laughed. _"Face it Jack! She has a killer inside of her that she's been trying to hold back all these years…and no matter how hard she tries, it's going to come out!"_

"...no... no, it's not gonna come out!" Jack uttered; though one could see that his resolve was faltering, as the Purity flickered in his hands.

"_Oh, it's gonna come out!" _Vanessa sneered, stepping toward Jack. _"…and maybe she just might let it out…on _you."

Jack's eyes widened. "...m-me...?"

"_Once her killer comes out, she has no control over it. All that drives her is the need for blood and ripping flesh apart, and it's not gonna matter who it is she's ripping apart!_"

Vanessa charged at him, since his guard was down. Jack didn't even get a chance to retaliate, as he took the blow face-first and was knocked to the ground. Vanessa ran to grab him, and pin him to the ground, so that Jack wouldn't run. Then she conjured up Corruption in her hands, while grinning madly at Jack, still growing excited in the moment before the kill.

"_You know, she still secretly enjoys the kill…_" Vanessa hissed. "_…she just makes herself not think about it anymore, but she can't deny the savory feeling she gets after a fresh kill…that rush she got when she was young and she killed her first…which was a boy that seemed just like you."_

Once more, Jack's eyes were wide. "...what...?"

"_And many…many more came after that…_" Vanessa chuckled. _"…and she enjoyed every…single…_one."

Jack could only shake his head. "That's... that's a lie...!"

"_And wasn't Astaroth so proud of her, the little demon child…_" Vanessa chuckled.

Jack just shook his head more and more. "...no, stop... stop it..."

"_You want me to stop? Do you really?!_" Vanessa laughed, raising her hand with the Corruption to prepare for a strike on Jack.

"...I do! I want you to stop lying about my mom!" Jack uttered.

"_Oh, I'm not lying dear…_"

Then Vanessa cackled, as she threw her Corrupted hand at Jack.

"_But I'll make sure you don't have to hear about all of that again!"_

Jack could only barely avoid the incoming hand; eyes wide as he shook his head. "Stop it! Stop lying!"

"_They're not lies!" _Vanessa laughed, continuously trying to attack him.

"But they're not the truth!" Jack retorted desperately as he kept just avoiding the attacks.

"_Yes it is! YES IT IS!_" Vanessa was cackling like mad, losing any trace of sanity left, as she relentlessly kept trying to attack Jack to hit him. Still, Jack didn't fight back; just avoiding her as he grit his teeth...

_...you know... it is the truth..._

Jack's eyes shot open as he heard that voice solely in his own mind, before he took a punch dead-on against his face, knocking him back. Vanessa laughed when she finally got a punch in on him, and charged up her hand with Corruption again. Jack simply held his face as he looked at her.

_...but... even if... it's the truth... it doesn't mean... that it changes... who your mother is..._

Jack just kept looking at her as he breathed. Vanessa grinned like a madwoman, ready to strike him again at any moment. Jack kept looking straight at Vanessa.

_...after all... though it was hard... she accepted... what happened to you... won't you accept... what she once was...?_

Jack breathed out whilst still looking at her. "...mom..."

"_Hm, what is it?"_ Vanessa hummed, and then she cackled, "_are you finally realizing that I'm telling the truth?!"_

Jack didn't reply, as he actually regained his composure whilst looking at her.

"…_what is it now?!_" Vanessa started to get irritated at the fact he wasn't afraid, and threw her hand down to hit him again.

This time, though, Jack grabbed the incoming fist; Purity surging from it as he kept a firm grip on her hand to keep her from pulling away.

"_What?!"_ And Vanessa tried to pull it away, even though it was useless, wincing in the pain of the Purity.

"...maybe you're right." Jack uttered as he kept a grip on Vanessa; looking up at her slowly. "...maybe mom used to be like you... maybe she could've even been like you if she didn't have me..."

Vanessa gawked at Jack.

"...but... it doesn't change the fact that... mom is mom." The moment Jack said that, he shot his arm forward and grabbed Vanessa's neck; hooking her into a tight hug as Purity surged from his being. "So no matter what... I'm gonna make sure to take care of my mom."

Vanessa actually trembled when Jack grabbed her into a hug, unable to make any response to that.

"...so don't worry... I won't let anything bad happen to you, mom..."

Vanessa was still frozen…but eventually, shakily, she hugged back Jack. "…_Jack…_" she muttered, with tears streaming down her eyes.

"...mom..." Jack uttered quietly as he kept hugging her.

The Purity around Jack's arms started to change Vanessa's appearance slowly; back to the way she really was, the way Jack knew her as. Even the void around them started to brighten up. A small smile crept along Jack's lips as he simply held his mother tightly; eyes closing as he breathed out.

Next thing the two knew, they were back in the woods, where everyone else was still fighting. Then again, it seemed more like the group was pushing back the Leoniels forcefully.

Jack couldn't help but look around, before his gaze returned down to his mother. "...mom..."

Vanessa slowly blinked, waking up. She touched her neck where she had been wounded, to find it had completely healed.

A relieved breath escaped Jack's lips as he quickly hugged her. "Mom... you're alright...!"

"…Yes…thanks to you," Vanessa said, hugging Jack back.

Arsenic noticed this, and she sighed with relief. "Vanessa…"

"...she's alright?" Nage uttered as she glanced over. "Wow... that's really good..."

When the Leoniels noticed, one of them growled. "Shit…so much for our hostage situation!"

"We gotta get outta here...!" one of them uttered.

That statement alone got the Leoniels to run away, retreating away from the group.

Seeing this, Striker smiled. "…they're…they're running away!"

"...holy... we did it...!" Guts uttered with a growing smile.

"…good god…we stood up to them, and we won!" Kristine uttered in disbelief.

"…for now…" Milo hummed. "…but this gets us a lot of time."

"...yeah... we should use this time well!" Nage nodded.

"Like hurrying to find Joy," Ani muttered. Then she looked down at Arsenic's parents, who were still out cold. "…but…we…can we really bring them with us?"

"...I don't know..." Jack murmured. "...we can't leave them alone, but... it's gonna be dangerous..."

Slowly, Vanessa tried to get back up on her feet, and the bindings of the Corruption shattered, letting her free. "Well, I don't think we should try moving them…"

"…in that case, I'll stay here with them."

"Arsenic?" Milo looked over at the rat, who sat next to her parents.

Jack looked over at her. "...are you sure?"

Arsenic nodded. "…I'll be able to hold my own if anything happens…"

Looking at her, Jack eventually nodded. "...alright... just be safe, you hear?"

Arsenic nodded again. "…I will."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Charon had finally dropped off everyone on the ground so that he didn't have to carry them while he fought the dragons, but even then, he was getting overwhelmed.<p>

Looking up at this, Kiri couldn't help but feel fearful. "Charon..."

"…I think he'll be okay," Toki muttered. "He just needed the freedom to move around more…he should be-?!" and she stopped when she heard rustling around them in the bushes.

"...shit... more of 'em down here?" Fargus huffed, as he looked around.

"We'd better not be surrounded..." Trish murmured.

Something suddenly jumped out at them, and it looked like a Corrupted wolf. It growled at them as it stepped toward them.

"Oh great…more of them…" Toki muttered.

Diablo, when he saw this, stood in front of Kiri protectively.

"...Trish." Quickly, Fargus handed her some plastic again. "Like with the dragons."

"I'm surprised you haven't run out of this stuff, yet." Trish remarked, as she swiftly wrapped the plastic around an arrow, before firing off a shot at the wolf. The explosion blasted the wolf away with a few whimpers.

"Feh... good riddance." Trish scoffed.

"There has to be more of them around here..." Fargus noted. "We oughta get outta here."

"Right," Toki nodded. "C'mon!" and they all started running off.

Meanwhile, Demi and Oblivion were still flying in the air, and they saw the group running off. They also saw something in the distance, like flashes of light and more Corruption…

…but within those flashes of light…there were hints of electricity.

"…wait a minute…" Oblivion muttered when she saw this, eyes widening.

Seeing that, Demi's eyes widened as well. "...that... could it be...?"

What they had seen, was indeed, what they thought. In the distance, both King and Crystal were working together with their lightning abilities to drive away the impending Corrupted wolves; flashes of purple and blue shot everywhere thanks to them. While they drove them away, Berta, Miser and Ripper were both giving them as much support on the field as well.

"King!"

Crystal jumped when she heard that voice, and looked up, with her eyes widening. "…no way! Demi! Oblivion!"

King blinked as he looked up at them. "Guys! What're you doing here?!"

"We were attacked!" Demi called down to him as he flew closer.

"Charon is up in the air, and he's trying to fend them off," Oblivion uttered worriedly. "But he's getting overwhelmed!"

King looked up to see the dragons fighting in the sky. "Hm..."

That was when the rest of the group following Demi and Oblivion came out of the brush, and saw King and the others to their relief.

"King!" Toki shouted.

"That's a sight for sore eyes!" Fargus called to him.

"Guys...!" King uttered, as he looked back at them.

Diablo then noticed wolves charging at King from behind. "Watch out!" and he shot his knives toward the wolves, stopping them in their tracks.

King looked back at that with wide eyes. "...thanks..."

"That's not the end of 'em!" Trish called, as she began firing at the wolves with her bow and arrows.

Toki rushed forward to fight them too.

"Good, reinforcements…" at that moment, Hunter appeared next to King. "The townsfolk are safe for now."

King looked back at Hunter with a small nod. "That's good..."

"Wait…what do you mean townsfolk?" questioned Oblivion worriedly.

"Long story…but right now, we have a lot of people we have to try and protect," Hunter answered.

"That's good..." Demi uttered.

Crystal looked up at the sky. "…so, you guys think we should help Charon?"

Looking up at that, King's eyes narrowed. "...leave them to me." The moment he said that, his hands began emitting immense amounts of electricity, before he thrust his hands upwards to launch vivid arcs of lightning upon the Corrupted monsters. One of the arcs managed to shoot down one of the dragons, giving a cry of agony at it. Charon's eyes widened as he saw that, before more arcs of lightning began shooting the dragons down. Even Crystal started to contribute with her lightning, and in the meantime, while the wolves appeared, the others held off the wolves. Seeing the wolves gathering more in one area, Charon then shot down from the air; roaring as he shot a blast of fire upon the wolves.

Since the two groups had run into each other, this allowed them both to work together, and thus, the Corrupted were no longer an issue with them.

* * *

><p><em><strong>WOOT! They're retaliating and winning! <strong>_


	60. Chapter 59

Meanwhile, Tasha had fallen asleep at the foot of the couch, exhausted from worrying so much, and since Jill had rested quite a bit, she stayed awake to help keep an eye on Brawl. Brawn was still slumbering as he simply breathed; head moving occasionally from side to side.

"...need anything, Condit?" Trash hummed from the kitchen as he glanced over. "Tea, coffee, anything?"

"…I'm alright…" Jill answered, not taking her eyes off Brawn. "…thanks though."

"...yeah, yeah..." Trash sighed, as he looked over at Brawn. "...man, he's a heavy sleeper..."

"He's going to need the rest," Jill said. Then she closed her eyes. "…thankfully, he wasn't Corrupted…"

"...no kidding... I dunno what I'd do if those bastards managed to rope him into their clique."

Jill sighed. "…I wouldn't know either…"

"...geez, we'd really be in trouble then, huh?" Trash sighed as he rubbed his head. "...why the hell did this happen, anyway...?"

At that point, the sound of an explosion suddenly rattled the air around them, as Jill could see a crimson aura far up on the mountain building up. Jill jumped with a gasp when she saw that. She remembered that all too familiar power in the distance responsible for that explosion of crimson energy.

Trash came over to look at that as well once he heard it. "...the hell is...?"

"…_that…_is Spiel…" Jill muttered. "…and he's unleashed his killer intent on someone…"

"...someone?" Trash's eyes narrowed. "...who could be strong enough to warrant something that flashy?"

"…probably Bulk or Patricia," Jill answered.

"...yeah... that'd make sense." Trash murmured.

"…I wonder how long Spiel could last…" Jill murmured. "…I don't think anyone's stayed alive long enough against him to find out…"

"...those two can't really die, right?" he hummed. "So the battle could technically go on forever..."

"...at least...until I step in and help finish them off..." Jill murmured.

"...but are ya sure you can do that?" Trash inquired.

"...to be honest, I'm not sure," Jill answered. "...it took me years to defeat her uncle..."

"...and years isn't exactly something we have in healthy supply, either." Trash hummed.

"…no…" Jill muttered with a sigh.

"...so what're we supposed to do, huh?" Trash sighed. "Just sit around and sulk because we can't do anything?"

"I'm not sulking…" Jill stated. "…I'm building up my energy again…conserving it for when I need it."

"...wait... you're not planning on going out there again, are ya?" Trash uttered. "With all those monsters out there, you could get slaughtered!"

"I'll be alright," Jill assured. "…besides, there's only so much those soldiers can do to hold them off the innocents…I'm the only one on the island who can defeat them for sure."

"...so not even the pig and warthog ya brought back to life can deal with 'em?" Trash uttered. "Geez... that just sounds really unfair."

"They're strong enough to beat them in a fight…they just can't destroy them," Jill said. "…I have to be the one to finish the job." Then she looked at her palm, and suspended the dark green energy of Unity over it.

"...and no one else can finish 'em?" Trash huffed.

"…you have to get rid of the Corruption in order to finish them," Jill answered.

"...and with how many of those Corrupted they've brought here..." Trash glanced out the window. "...makes sense that they'd try to spread it, if there aren't that many with those other powers to get rid of it..."

Just then, Jill had an idea.

"…you know what…? I should lure all of the Corrupted to one area…" she suddenly uttered. Then she looked at Trash. "If they're so spread out, like you said, then if we gather them in one area, we can eliminate all of them at once."

Trash gawked at her with wide eyes. "...how the hell are ya gonna accomplish that?!" he uttered. "You'd be torn to shreds because of how damn many there are, no matter how powerful your powers may be!"

Jill stood up from her seat. "I'll think of something…maybe use myself as bait to lure them away from the soldiers that are having a hard time fighting them."

"And what if you grow fatigued, huh?" Trash uttered. "Ya can't just go out there and throw your life away! I mean, they'd tear you apart if they got even half a chance to-!"

Suddenly, the earth shook violently as something crashed directly outside of Jill's home. "The hell was that?!" Trash sputtered in panic.

Jill jolted at that quake, looking outside as well.

What they saw was a massive crater that sizzled with Corruption, which was slowly corroding the immediate surrounding earth around it.

But that wasn't all; they could see, all around the island that several of these blasts of Corruption were raining down on Safe Haven. "Oh, great! They've got artillery, too!" Trash hissed.

However, as Jill would see, the blasts actually had a proper place that they originated from... the mountain, where the crimson aura was still shining brilliantly.

"…no…no, Spiel's doing that," And Jill rushed out. "I need to keep the blasts from hurting the GUN and Safe Haven soldiers! Tails Doll, look after them!" and she was gone.

"Ah- HEY!" Trash called out, but it was too late for that.

* * *

><p>When some of the soldiers started to see the Corruption raining down, they had to fall back.<p>

"Shit!" Francis just barely jumped away from that, and when he was about to get hit by another, Bruno managed to jump in and yank him out of the way.

"Where is all of this coming from?!" Bruno uttered, looking up at the sky.

"I dunno, but it doesn't look like it's letting up!" Ruki called out.

"We need to pull outta here, before-!" Caitlin called, but was cut off by another blast of Corruption that knocked her back, but also served to crush several Corrupted soldiers.

"CAITLIN!" Bruno ran for her worriedly.

She got on her feet whilst gritting her teeth. "I'm okay... was a bit too close for comfort, though..."

"We gotta get out of the rain," Bruno murmured. But then he looked up, and saw a shower of Corruption that was unavoidable. Desperately, he stood in front of Caitlin as the Corruption rained, to take it for her.

Suddenly, a dark green barrier appeared, and blocked off the bits of Corrupted energies that rained down. Caitlin's eyes widened, as she looked at the one who had created it.

Standing there, distant from all of the Safe Haven soldiers, was Jill, holding up her hands to hold the barrier.

"...Jill!" Caitlin called with wide eyes.

"...ah! Jill, watch out!" Ruki called out, as a Corrupted soldier shot at Jill from behind to try and grab her.

Jill, with swift precision, sliced through the Corrupted soldier with her blade in the blink of an eye.

Ruki's eyes widened upon seeing that. "...oh. Um... never mind then, Jill."

Jill looked at the other soldiers. "How have you guys been holding up?"

"...well... we're running low on those grenades that GUN gave us." Will remarked. "How about you?"

"I'm doing alright," Jill said. Then she looked away. "…I got us help…"

"…wait…so….that energy we felt…" Seymour's eyes widened when he slowly realized what Jill might've said.

"...that was you, wasn't it?" Lin uttered.

Jill nodded.

To that, Ed started to tense up, looking afraid. "…no way…you…you brought Spiel _back to life?!_"

"...he's not the only one."

At that point, three figures finally reached the camp, finishing leading the larger warthog to the others, as he just heaved a small sigh.

"...geez, that took a while..." Sonia remarked with a groan. "...how did we manage to get lost, Flamenco?"

"I had to take us through a safe route around the Corrupted…" Flamenco murmured.

A lot of the soldiers gawked at the fact that Krieg was following the two of them.

"…dude…" Jam muttered. "…it's Krieg."

"…you revived _both_ of them…I can't believe it…" Francis muttered, holding his head.

"...geez... how did ya even do that?" Marco uttered.

"Ask questions later." Krieg spoke with a nod. "I need my swords. Are they here?"

"…I'll show ya…" Jam muttered, leading Krieg off into one of the tents.

"Spiel right now is handling the leaders of the Corrupted…and I think that's why the Corruption is raining down on you guys like this…" Jill muttered, looking past the barrier.

"...so what's going on with that?" Ruki uttered. "Are the leaders just throwing this stuff all around while Spiel's fighting them off?"

"I think so…maybe…" Jill muttered. "I figured that no matter how powerful they were, Spiel was going to give them a run for their money. It was going to buy time."

"...but at this rate... it looks more like those guys fighting is gonna bring the entire island down single-handedly." Will noted.

"They aren't going to be able to fully defeat them," Jill spoke. "Yeah, Spiel can beat them alone…but he's not going to completely destroy them so they won't come back. Corruption will allow them to keep coming back to fight again."

"...so what do we do about that?" Marco uttered.

Jill looked back at the other soldiers. "At some point…I'm going to have to face the leaders and finish them off. Metal's not here, so I have to do it."

"...you think you can handle that on your own?" Caitlin remarked.

"…no, but I have to try," Jill said.

"...Jill..." Lin looked worriedly at Jill for that.

Jill then saw Jam and Krieg walking out. "…you all set?" she asked Krieg.

"...I am." he spoke with a nod, making sure that all of his swords was on his person. "...you're heading up to Spiel, right? I'm coming with you."

Jill nodded. "Right…then we should head off."

"You two be careful out there, you hear?" Bruno muttered.

"...right." Krieg nodded, as he followed Jill as best he could.

"…I really hope they are careful," spoke Belinda from inside one of the tents.

"...same here..." Sonia murmured.

"…at any rate, it looks like the Corrupted have died down," Francis observed. "…that gives us a chance to catch our breath."

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, though, catching their breath was the last thing on their minds. With a roar, Bulk kept hurling giant spheres of Corruption at Spiel, who was effortlessly knocking them aside whilst just grinning; slowly stomping towards the crocodile amidst the barrage of Corruption. Patricia was also aiding in shooting spheres of Corruption at Spiel.<p>

"Damn it Bulk…we gotta do something," Patricia growled, seeing how useless this tactic was against Spiel.

"But what?! Nothing phases this fat tub of lard!" Bulk snarled, as he kept hurling more Corruption at Spiel, to no avail.

"Hey, don't tell me that this is all ya got!" Spiel laughed. "I had a harder time with Novagod Senior than I did with you chumps!"

Patricia growled. "Cheeky bastard…"

"...it's like he doesn't give a damn about anything but the fight." Bulk snarled. "How are ya supposed to fight something like this?!"

"Damn it…" Patricia growled.

Then slowly…she could sense something in the distance.

"…hm…?" slowly, she looked in a different direction.

"...huh?" Bulk looked over there as well.

"…she's headin' over…" Patrica mumbled lowly.

"...aaah, shit." Bulk hissed. "We can't handle her and this pig at the same time..."

"…but she's weakened quite a bit since the last time I met her…" Patricia murmured.

"...so you're saying we pile up on her?" Bulk inquired.

"…I think so," Patricia spoke. "…she's the only one that has a chance to actually kill us."

"...then we just gotta kill her..." Bulk hummed. "...before she can-!" And suddenly, both of them received a fierce punch in the face, knocking them back.

"What are ya whispering about?" Spiel chuckled, as he cracked his knuckles after punching them.

"…nothing…" Patricia uttered, wiping her face when she had gotten punched.

"Oh yeah; chattering so your blasts are so easily avoidable is completely nothing at all." Spiel scoffed.

"Shut your hole, pig!" Bulk roared.

Patricia was going to say something, but then she looked over…and grunted. "…well…look it here."

Coming from the brush, Jill lead Krieg out…and then she stopped with wide eyes at what they encountered.

Krieg simply hummed; unable to really see what was going on.

"...tsch..." Bulk snarled, as he took a step backwards; though he didn't get far as he felt his foot bumping into Husk's corpse.

Jill's eyes locked onto Husk's corpse then…and she stared.

She could see that Husk wasn't able to hold them off anymore…and she wouldn't know how Cyrene was going to be able to take the news should she find out.

Patricia got up. "Clumsy asshole…" she growled at Bulk.

"...feh..." Bulk just hissed, before he gave the body a good kick to send it rolling away. "Damn shell! If it weren't for him, this pig wouldn't even be here!"

Spiel just scoffed. "Are you just making excuses at this point?"

Patricia grumbled, and then she looked at Jill. "Took you long enough Condit. What kept you?"

Jill just looked back at her.

"What's with that look?" Bulk scoffed.

"…I'll tell you what kept me," Jill spoke. Then she looked at Krieg and Spiel. "…I got a little help."

Patricia's eyes widened. "…wait a minute."

"...you mean that... _you_ did this...?" Bulk uttered.

Jill nodded.

Patricia growled some more…summoning more Corruption into her hands that actually spread around her like an aura. "…you _bitch…_"

"Oh, like _you're_ the paragon of goodness." Spiel scoffed.

Bulk, however, glanced over with a narrowing expression. "...Patricia?"

"We all thought this was gonna be easy…sure, maybe it would've taken some time to take over the island, but I was under the impression that once we got rid of you, this was gonna be a cake walk," Patricia growled, building more and more energy. "But _nooooo…_you had go and bring back warriors who don't even need that Unity and Purity _shit_ to make us look bad…and little by little, I can feel the Corrupted numbers getting smaller and smaller…"

Obviously, Patricia's building anger was causing the Corruption in her to react.

"...Patricia...!" Bulk actually stepped away from her.

Spiel narrowed his eyes. "...Krieg. My sword."

"...very well." With a nod, Krieg began taking out his swords to assemble them into their combined form.

"Your little punk friends narrowing down the numbers little by little…" Patricia kept growling, clenching her hands into fists as the Corruption actually started to change her shape. "…god_damn _it, do all of you get on my nerves!"

"So you're going to rant about it?" Jill supposed.

"I could rant all I want…_but what I really want is to kill __**YOU!**_"

And Corruption exploded out from her. At that point, Spiel grabbed the assembled sword, a massive cleaver that he slung over his shoulder, whilst looking at Patricia. "You guys stay back. This one's gonna be a fun one."

"...aah...?!" Bulk stepped back as he just gawked at her.

Jill summoned her own sword to her hands, watching as the Corruption consumed her…changed her.

She grew numerous sharp things, like sharp teeth with a forked tongue, jagged spikes out of her back, and her very fingers even grew larger and became sharp like giant claws. As she got slightly bigger, her tail grew out, with a large blade growing out at the tip of it, and her wings got so large they rivaled Demi's own large wings, with blades growing out at the tips of those. Then scythe like blades grew out of her arms, extending out enough to be able to use as weapons.

She glared down at Jill with fiery black eyes, emitting a black and red flame of Corruption from them as she roared a feral roar down at the ewe.

Krieg hummed in concern. "...a powerful foe..."

Spiel, however, didn't seem impressed. "Is this it?"

Patricia shot her tail at Jill, and she deflected the blade away with her own, jumping out of the way as Patricia swiped her claws at her.

"...holy shit...!" Bulk uttered.

"...right, enough of that." With a grunt, Spiel gripped his sword tightly and swung his sword in a wide arc towards Patricia.

Patricia held it off with one of her scythe blades on her arms, and granted, the impact made her skid against the ground a bit, but Patricia held her ground. Then she threw the other scythe blade at Spiel. Spiel just swung his sword against that blade as well, knocking it aside, before he rushed in to throw an uppercut at Patricia's face. This knocked Patricia back a bit, but with a screech, she threw the blade from her tail at him.

Spiel simply knocked the blade away, before he laughed. "Finally! About damn time that you're something of a challenge! Not that you're that much tougher than the other Novagod, but you don't see me complaining!" With that, he swung his cleaver straight at the bat.

Patricia blocked it with her claws, managing to hold it back, and then she tried to swipe at Spiel. Spiel swiftly grabbed the incoming hand; crushing her wrist in his grip before he slammed his skull against her head. Patricia roared out, stepping away from the impact of the headbutt.

Her broken wrist regenerated back, thanks to Corruption, and Patricia actually charged at him with her full body made of spikes.

Spiel just laughed; swinging his sword in an upwards arc that slammed against Patricia's spiked body; sparks showering everywhere as the two of them matched their force like this.

Throughout all this, though, Krieg's eyes narrowed. "...something's wrong."

Jill looked at Krieg worriedly. "…what do you mean?"

"...I'm not certain... not even Spiel seems to be aware..." Krieg remarked, as he folded his arms. "...but... he's tiring."

Jill eyes widened at that. "…really…?"

"...it's gradual... but even a smidge seems to make the difference." Krieg uttered. "His body must not be used to this much effort directly after being resurrected... sooner or later, he'll..."

"…oh no…" Jill didn't like to hear that.

"...hn?" Suddenly, Krieg's eyes widened.

Slowly, even as he had been forgotten by the two titans battling before him, a grin crept up Bulk's face, as he was gathering Corruption within his maw; though it seemed less like pure energy and more like viscous goop. _...he's not gonna notice this one..._ he thought with a growing grin.

Jill gasped, and brought out her sword, charging at Bulk. "I don't think so!"

With a callous chuckle, Bulk just charged straight for her; hands lunging forward to grip the sword. Though even as his hands gripped the sword, searing his flesh with its pure radiance, the Corruption just kept building up. "...you can't save him like this, Condit!" he laughed, before his gaze returned to Spiel.

Finally, Spiel knocked Patricia a distance back, before he unleashed a roar as he swung the blade down, unleashing a cutting wave of energy that rocketed straight towards her. Patricia jumped away from it, roaring back at Spiel.

"...Spiel!" Krieg suddenly called out. "Behind you!"

In that instant, though, Bulk launched his attack; a spear of Corruption that rocketed at Spiel like a missile...

...but just barely, Spiel managed to spin around and deflect the spear with his sword; though having to swing around like that briefly threw him off balance. "Nh... geez, this is heavier than I remember!" he grunted.

And suddenly...Patricia snuck up on him, unleashing her claws on him with Corruption.

"Spiel!" Jill yelped.

Spiel only briefly managed to glance back at that before he felt the claws ripping at him; gritting his teeth as he stumbled forward. "Guh...!"

"SPIEL!" Krieg yelled.

"...that's it! Tear him apart, Patricia!" Bulk laughed.

Patricia continued to attack him, getting more and more viscous. Jill, when she witnessed this, pulled her blade out of Bulk's grip and rushed at Patricia. "Leave him alone!"

"Begone!" Krieg, too, rushed towards Patricia; swinging his fist at her to knock her away from Spiel, who was still recuperating from the attack, even though it seemed like he was keeping the Corruption at bay. When Patricia got irritated with the two of them, she swung her claws at them, hoping to hit them away from herself.

Krieg leapt away whilst gritting his teeth, stopping by Spiel. "Are you alright, Spiel?!"

"Feh... this is nothin'..." Spiel grunted in a strained tone, as he slowly glared towards Patricia.

Jill got hit away by Patricia, and the hit hurt her pretty bad. She was knocked against the ground harshly, and when she landed on her back, she wasn't able to get back up. She had felt so much weaker…all of her strength and energy was gone. Everything she tried to save up back at her house was all for nothing…it obviously wasn't enough.

She could've sworn that she heard another thud next to her. Weakly, she turned her head to look…with wide, petrified eyes.

Another ewe…she pushed herself up from the ground, looking down at the ground. Then slowly, she turned her own head and looked back at Jill with the same kind of petrified look Jill had. They both stared at each other, baffled by what they saw, and trying to believe what just happened.

"…C…Callous…?" Jill uttered, eyes widening even more.

Was this other ewe…really Callous?

"…the hell…?" the other ewe uttered, looking at her own hand. This confirmed that it was, indeed, Callous.

But…but they were one; both of which were within Jill. How was it possible for the two of them to be split again? Actually, a better question, yet, would be why did they split up again? Did Patricia really grow powerful enough to actually split them apart?

Looking back at that, Spiel's eyes widened. "...the hell?!"

"...what...?" Krieg obviously didn't see it, but he could feel an additional presence.

"...the... the fuck just happened?!" Even Bulk was surprised by this.

Suddenly, Patricia knocked away Callous, and when Jill looked up…it was the last reaction she could make before she was faced with the slaughter against her afterward. Patricia threw her claws and her scythe blades on her arms again and again, repeatedly stabbing Jill brutally and mercilessly. Jill felt unruly pain each time she was stabbed, uttering yelps of helpless agony. Patricia wouldn't stop either; she kept up the attacks, faster and faster in a blinding rage that only thirsted for her blood.

That was what she got too. Jill's blood splattered everywhere the more Patricia ripped her apart with the jabs, and Jill could do nothing about it but take it while a pool of blood spread underneath her body.

Both Bulk and Krieg were stunned; glued to the spot as they just gawked at that vicious slaughter.

The one who didn't stand still, however, was Spiel. "_**...GET AWAY FROM HER!**_" With a roar of actual desperation, he charged directly at Patricia from behind; thrusting the massive cleaver directly against the bat's back to impale her through it. That got Patricia to stop, though the impact caused one of her blades to break off, staying penetrated through Jill's abdomen.

Callous, seeing this, rushed to her immediately, trying to pull the blade out. No matter how hard she tried, it seemed to be stuck for some reason. "C'mon, damn it!" Callous growled, trying to pull the blade out.

With a loud roar, Spiel just swung his blade to knock Patricia straight into a wall, before he looked down at Jill. "Jill! Goddamn it, stay with us, you hear?!" he yelled at her.

Jill continued to lay there, trembling. She didn't have anything left inside of her to try and hold it together, and with the blade stuck inside of her, she wasn't going to be able to heal that wound, nor did she even have the strength to try and pull the blade out of herself. She was pretty sure that by this point, she wasn't going to be able to come back from this one. Staring up at the sky, she saw dark, gloomy clouds rolling overhead. When she saw the sunshine blocked out by them, tears trickled down from her eyes.

…she failed…

…she had failed all of her friends, the soldiers here on Safe Haven that defended the island, the promise of taking care of Tasha for King while he was gone…

…she had failed Metal and Joy too…and that struck her harder than anything else, with more tears pushing out of her eyes in anguish.

"No, no, no, no, no! You gotta stay with us!" Callous yelled at her when she could tell that Jill had pretty much given up hope. She took her and shook her. "Don't you go dying on me goddamn it! You've been through worse, so fuckin' stay with…" And Callous just…stopped.

She stared down at Jill, realizing something. Years back, when they were separate beings, two individuals, they shared a connection. It was the long said "whatever happened to one happened to the other" effect. Even when the two were sharing the same body, they still had a kind of connection with each other. Even if they weren't sisters, they definitely felt like twins to each other, understanding each other despite the huge differences between them.

Now, all of a sudden, Callous realized…that she could not sense any of that anymore. Even possessing her own body somehow, the logic should have been that if she had been split from Jill the same way Deity had done so, she should still be connected by the soul they shared.

…but…she felt cut off from Jill; completely, utterly cut off. Callous felt nothing of the opposite effect from Jill, and while staring down at Jill, Callous could see that Jill wasn't moving anymore. The tears weren't falling from her eyes, and she wasn't trembling…not to mention she had gone cold to the touch.

Realizing this, Spiel sank to his knees; gawking down at her. "...you..." he uttered, as he just looked down at her.

"...Jill..." Standing where he stood, Krieg just slowly approached the two kneeling by Jill.

As he watched this, a small smirk began creeping up Bulk's lips. "...ha... heh... seems like we accomplished something after all..."

Callous' head fell. "…damn it all to hell…"

Jill had just died right in front of her…and somehow, that left Callous behind, alive…but the connection with Jill ripped from her just as fast as her life. This meant that there wasn't anyone that could effectively stop Patricia and Bulk anymore, at least not here on the island where they needed it.

And trying to imagine breaking the news to Metal and Joy…

Coming to a stop by them, Krieg sank down to his knees as his blind eyes just gazed down upon Jill.

Callous was silent, and no one was able to tell what was going on in her mind right now, or what kind of feelings she was even experiencing. Hell, even Callous was utterly lost on all of the sensations going on inside of her. She just watched her counterpart die right in front of her…and she was still alive. No more consequence of being tied to her, or having something happen to her because of what might happen to Jill. Not only that, but she possessed her own body; she was now away from being locked up within someone's mind and having to share, or having to feel so restricted and limited to the things she could do…

For Callous…this was the very definition of the freedom she had been wanting all along.

…and yet…why didn't she feel…right…?

She felt such conflicting emotions inside of her. They were bubbling up inside of her. Had she…really had gotten comfortable with the way she was before? Locked up inside someone else? Had she really allowed herself to settle with the idea of waiting however long until Jill had to die before Callous could reunite with Johnny for an eternity? And the fact that she had, more than once, come out in order to protect, instead of causing havoc…and most of it was for the sake of Joy; a little girl who wasn't even really her child to begin with, and she had no obligation to even care an ounce about. She also had all the time in the world to antagonize Metal with teasing and ranting, and poking fun at what years spent with Jill had done to him…

…somehow…all of that wouldn't have been so bad to live in…Callous had somehow gotten used to waiting for her time, and until then, decided to get comfortable with being locked up where she was…

But the thought that Joy had just…lost her mother. And Metal losing one of the things that gave him some kind of pathetic purpose other than being a killing machine.

It hurt.

It wouldn't nearly hurt as much as when she and Johnny were separated by that legendary death all those years ago, but it disturbed her deep inside. She wondered if there were still lingering feelings of Jill's utter regret and failure inside of her when she just died, but she felt such turmoil boiling…

At that point, a mocking, cruel laughter tore through the silence that had built up, as the weather itself seemed to brew something sinister; torrential rain pouring down from the heavens, and rumbling thunder audible in the distance. "YES! FINALLY! THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD STOP US IS DEAD!" The laughter belonged to Bulk, as he stretched his arms out and cackled like this. "THE WORLD'S OURS! HOW ABOUT THAT?! ALL THAT HOPE YOU WERE BREWING UP HAS BEEN FOR FUCKING NOTHING!" The laughter kept ringing vividly, rivalling the thunder itself in terms of volume...

...until finally, his laughter was brought to silence, as something was thrust into the ground with such force that it _split_ the earth beneath it. "...eh?"

Swiftly, Krieg looked towards the source of it. "...Spiel...?"

The pig, as it turned out, had stabbed the massive cleaver into the ground; expression hidden from view as his head hung low.

Patricia growled at that sight, while Callous made no reaction whatsoever.

"...ya can't keep your mouth shut for one _goddamn_ minute...?" Spiel murmured, as he moved his hand over to gently close Jill's eyes; snarling as he slowly rose to his feet. "...someone just died here... how about you just show some respect, huh...?"

Bulk slowly regained his composure, laughing a touch. "...the hell are you talking about, ya fat fuck?" he spoke in a cruel tone.

Patricia looked at Bulk, and then back at the ones kneeling by Jill.

Slowly, Spiel settled his hand on the blade that was impaled through Jill... and with a small grunt, a lone pull was all he needed to pull it straight out of her body.

Seeing this, Bulk's eyes narrowed. "...the fuck do you care about her for?! You're nothing but a miniscule speck in all this!" He called out... but then, his eyes widened, as something was impaled straight through his abdomen.

It was the very same blade that had impaled Jill, now protrudring from his being, hurled by Spiel as he was giving the crocodile a _deadly _glare; all traces of bemusement lost on his face. "...a worthless sack of shit like you... couldn't hope to understand what the fuck you've done..." Spiel snarled, before his gaze trailed towards Patricia.

Patricia stepped away warily at that.

"...right now... I can't think of anything but crushing your Corrupted skull into a million pieces..." Spiel snarled, as he slowly began stomping towards Patricia. "...then wait for ya to regenerate... so I can just keep crushing your skull again and again...!"

The more he spoke, the more his killing intent seeped from him; steadily growing into an aura that actually _exceeded_ anything it had usually grown into in the past. Just seeing this change in behavior from the pig was actually _draining_ the cruel joy that Bulk had derived from Jill's death. Patricia stayed wary, realizing that Spiel was going over the edge.

"...what's wrong?! Got nothing to say?!" Spiel bellowed; seething as he clenched his hands. "Great! That means I can beat your goddamn face in without hearing any of your _fucking __**inane BULLSHIT!**_"

With that, he suddenly kicked off the ground and lunged towards Patricia; throwing a punch with such force that the very wind around the fist parted the moment he thrust his fist against Patricia's being.

Patricia roared in agony at that hit, trying to counter with her claws.

However, Spiel just let them dig against his body, ignoring the pain of the claws as he began viciously hammering his fists against Patricia's skull; effectively trapping her in place.

Seeing him react like this, Bulk gulped. "...this guy's crazy...!" he uttered.

Callous had no idea how to handle feeling such difficult emotions…

…and because of that, she snapped.

At first, it started with a chuckle…and turned into full blown mad laughter as she clenched her fists.

Krieg looked towards her with a concerned expression.

Bulk swiftly looked towards her with widening eyes. "...wha... what the fuck is going on now?!"

Callous looked up at Bulk with a mad grin…and yet, there were tears. Tears streamed down from her eyes while she continued to laugh like a madwoman.

Bulk just began shaking his head upon seeing that sight. "...wha... what the fuck is wrong with you people?!"

"You don't get it do you?" Callous laughed. "You really just don't get it."

"...the fuck am I supposed to get?!" Bulk sputtered.

"I'm free…" Callous uttered, while more tears streamed out of her widening eyes, and he smirk grew. "...have you any idea that this is the kind of freedom that I've been waiting for? Would you like some _fuckin'_ credit for making it possible?!"

Callous stood up. "Well then, congratu-_fucking_-lations for a job well done," she sneered. "You manage to be an even lower maggot squirming in the dirt than you set yourself up to be. What a feat to accomplish! I bet you're _so_ proud of yourself!"

Krieg just kept gazing at her.

"...buh..." Bulk was just stunned at this. "...but... if you wanted to be free of her... then why the fuck are ya crying like that?!"

"What? Why would I be crying?! You think that I'm grieving for her death?!" And Callous laughed some more, though in agony, but also in amusement at Bulk.

"…oh no. What's really going on here is that there's gonna be nothing to hold me back anymore from picking apart you fuckers as slowly and painfully as possible."

And a dark aura engulfed Callous while she started laughing again.

Bulk just gawked at this with wide eyes.

The dark aura around Callous started to consume her, turning into Corruption as she laughed, and slowly approached Bulk menacingly. Bulk just kept gawking at this as he took a step back.

The Corruption completely consumed Callous, turning into a cocoon of Corrupted Energy that swirled around her. This went on for awhile.

Then when the cocoon disappeared, it revealed that Callous had become her Unholy Form that she had years ago...but with improvements. This time, there actually seemed to be a larger wingspan of demonic wings out of her, and while her entire body was covered in black, there were more demonic traits. Only one of her arms was a large set of claws, kind of like Patricia's, and there were even bits of spikes throughout Callous' luscious body that stuck out.

She opened up with demonic red eyes and grinned at Bulk, while she summoned her scythe to the hand that didn't bear claws. "_...Callous is back, bitches."_

Bulk gawked at this for a few precious moments...

...and then, he snarled. "...no, _no,__** fucking no!**_" he snarled, as Corruption started billowing from his body; though unlike the cocoon of darkness or the outright aura of Corruption that Callous and Patricia had presented, the Corruption oozing from him was a pitch-black liquid that seeped from his being, coating him in it. "I'm not gonna have some deranged psycho bitch try and force some victory outta this!_"_

"Then let me see ya try, prick!"

Callous guffawed, charging at him. With an inhuman roar, Bulk charged straight at her as well.

As he heard this intense fighting, born from Patricia's hatred, Spiel's fury, Callous' madness and Bulk's desperation, Krieg merely grit his teeth as his head lowered; a hand gripping the cold wrist of Jill. "...this... this shouldn't have happened..." he murmured to himself.

* * *

><p>Darkness…<p>

…she supposed this was what she should expect…after all…she remembered the feeling of when she died the first time…darkness first…then the light…

…but this time…there was no light for her.

…it was strange…why was there no light for her this time…?

…not that it mattered…

…she had died…she failed…she failed the army of soldiers she was leading into battle…she failed all her friends…and Metal and Joy…

…

…

…

Then she felt someone take her and pick her up.

She slowly looked up, feeling hopeless. Nothing would want to help her at this once. She had been given a second chance at life before, and there was no way she should even be given a third chance.

But then her eyes widened at who she saw.

It was her own mother.

They stared at each other for a long time. Goddess had the look of pity and sympathy while she stared at her own daughter, but they were both silent.

Jill eventually looked away, lost. She couldn't even look at her mother.

Goddess set a hand on Jill's shoulder. "…come now." And she took her hand to lead her away, but Jill just simply yanked her hand out of Goddess' hold. To that, Goddess stared at Jill a moment longer.

"…leave me alone…" Jill muttered, clenching her hands into fists. "…I died…there's no way I can do anything now…so just leave me alone to my fate."

Goddess' brows arched in worry.

Before anything else could be said, however, a thick, black fog blocked away Goddess, truly leaving Jill in the dark... alone...

Jill jumped at that. "Mother?!"

_**...don't bother. Your voice can no longer reach her.**_

And Jill glared around. "Who're you?"

_**Who am I? A pointless question. All that matters is you.**_

Jill looked at the ground, gritting her teeth. "…no, I don't matter anymore…"

_**...and thus, as you no longer matter to the world... only you matter to yourself.**_

"…what's that supposed to mean…?" Jill muttered.

_**...you shunned the only one willing to aid you... and thus, you disregard the feelings of others for your own self-loathing. Truly, only you matter to yourself.**_

Jill's eyes widened.

Then she growled. "Just what do you think you're talking about?!"

_**...isn't it obvious? You shouldn't have to ask questions when you already know the answer.**_

Jill grit her teeth. "…but I'm not like that…I…I couldn't help anyone that needed me…"

_**...you couldn't save even one life... even the one life meant to protect you was wasted...**_

"I HAD NO POWER TO HELP ANYONE!" Jill yelled into the air angrily, and hurtfully.

_**...and now... you will never get that power...**_

Jill felt tears run down her face while she screamed, "AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT PROTECTING OTHERS?!"

_**...I'm giving you complete and utter solitude... I'm protecting you from those who you cannot face.**_

Jill looked at the ground and fell on her knees, letting her tears fall.

_**...rejoice in the solitude and despair... it is all you have left to cling onto.**_

Jill felt like she crumbled a little inside when she heard that voice, but she felt so horrible inside that she almost seemed ready to take the offer of being all alone. All she had ever done was cause the ones around her trouble, ever since Deity started to terrorize her…she had already proven unable to stand to anyone when she ran away from the Professor and the boys after what happened to Brick.

…so…maybe this was for the best…she wouldn't be able to see how her friends and family were going to react to her dying again, and there being no way to revive her this time.

_**...are you content with this fate?**_

…

…

…

"…no…"

…suddenly, she wondered what the hell she was doing…

…she didn't want to give up…even when it had been too late, even when she failed her family and friends, and she had died again, she knew, deep down, this was not going to be the last thing she'll ever do…dying at _their _hands. She had already been through _way_ too much to let it all come down to this…

…she was _not _going to stand for this…

…in a dark hour…just like in the very beginning when Deity had all but cornered her the many times he had terrorized her…she felt a great power inside of her. This didn't have to do with the forces of Purity, Unity or Corruption…

…it had to do with her sheer will.

"…I wasn't asking to be protected…" Jill growled, standing back up on her feet as she wiped her tears. "…I'm a grown woman with a daughter. I don't need to be protected from anything. I spent my whole _life_ working to make sure I didn't need any protection."

_**...and how will you display this independence from protection?**_

"Sonic and his friends, even if they're dead, can all travel around in spirit!" Jill spoke. "I'll find out how to do that too, and do everything in my power to stop the Corrupted!"

_**...someone's already doing that. He can't do much in the state he's in... not without a host. Would you stoop to his level to stop the Corrupted?**_

Jill looked down again. "…someone…else? Who?"

_**Johnny.**_

Jill jumped when she heard that, and it made her stop to think. She never really thought about it up until now…

…but if any of the spirits were doing the most they could to fight…it definitely was Johnny.

_**...and if he can't accomplish anything... what makes you believe that you can accomplish anything?**_

Jill grit her teeth. "C'mon…like that ever stopped him before?"

_**Determination doesn't guarantee results... if it did, wouldn't he have dealt with the Corrupted already?**_

"…but giving up doesn't guarantee anything either…" Jill uttered. "…there's got to be a way…"

_**...and how will you find a way? You who shunned outside aid?**_

"HOW WOULD I HAVE SHUNNED ANY AID?!" Jill screamed again.

_**...you turned away your own mother not five minutes ago.**_

Jill stopped at that.

_**That's why I said only you matter... if not even your own flesh and blood can sway you, who else could possibly accomplish that?**_

Jill trembled. "…how do you expect me to think if I've been alone most of my life…?"

_**...I'm not expecting anything. This hinges on your shoulders, not mine.**_

"…well then…"

Jill waved her hands…only to notice nothing happened. To that, her eyes widened. "…I…don't have any powers…"

_**...what did you expect? You no longer have Callous with you.**_

"…Callous was not responsible for my power…" Jill growled, clenching her hand into a fist again.

_**You haven't wielded Purity since Novagod's demise years ago, and even with the new threat, you could only wield Unity. I would reckon she played a part in your powers.**_

"…if that's the case…then why don't I have Purity again…?" Jill muttered worriedly.

_**...well, you died before you could even put it to the test.**_

"…damn it…" Jill muttered.

So with that…she started walking.

_**...where will you go?**_

"Somewhere other than here!" Jill spoke, looking around as she walked more hurriedly.

_**It's the realm of the dead. No matter where you go, you'll always be 'here'.**_

"But I can't…I can't leave it at that…not out there!" Jill uttered, rushing even more to the point she was running.

_**...you seemed ready to accept eternal solitude just a moment ago. What sparked this sudden behavior?**_

Jill grit her teeth again. "…I…I can't leave Metal and Joy out there on their own…"

_**...and how would you even get to them?**_

"…I'd think of something; like I said!" Jill yelped.

_**Do you even have time for thinking?**_

Jill finally stopped running. "…I…don't know."

_**...you don't know... you know who you sound like right now? You sound... like her.**_

Jill felt…nervous…she didn't quite know who the voice in the void was talking about…but she had a feeling. "…her…?"

_**...the very same you shunned... the one who has suffered just as much, if not more so than you have...**_

Jill looked at her own hands. "…my…mother?"

_**...that's right... you sound **_**exactly**_** like her.**_

"…but…I…"

Jill never at all heard anything like that before, and it startled her.

"…how…?" she uttered.

_**...neither of you know how to let go... and for that reason, you both suffer.**_

Jill stared at her hands for a longer time, feeling…conflicted.

_**...am I mistaken?**_

Jill's hands fell to her sides. "…what do you propose I do…? Just…give up…?"

_**...that's for you to decide.**_

"…but…" Jill clutched to her chest. "…I…never even…"

_**...you never even what?**_

"…I never even got to say goodbye to them…" Jill muttered. "…I don't know if…Joy would forgive her mother for dying on her. I…never really forgave my own mother for not stopping what Deity did to me…"

_**...is that right?**_

"…and after everything Malice is doing to her…she would hate me for abandoning her…" Jill muttered, with more tears. "…and I don't even want to think about how Metal would take it."

_**...you failed to consider this until now, though...**_

"…I know…" Jill muttered. "…and I can't…I don't even…" Jill covered her face.

_**...can't even finish your own thoughts, can you?**_

"…I guess not…" Jill muttered.

_**...if you can't even do that... how do you expect to accomplish anything?**_

Jill just looked up, standing there. She didn't have anything to say in response to that, and all she could do was reflect some more.

With her falling to silence, the omnipresent voice fell silent as well, leaving her to contemplate in peace.

"…well…I guess you're right about one thing…"

Jill looked at the ground again, softly. "…I guess…I really do need to let it go…"

_**...so you see reason, even with such despair...**_

"…well…I'm not talking about…giving up, and accepting death…"

Jill set a hand on her chest. "…I've been harder on myself that I should have been. All these years…I still hated myself for not being strong enough, or not being…I don't know…just generally good enough. I've never lived up enough to anyone's standards…I grew up in a village where I always had to try and make up for not being good enough…not fitting their ideals…and losing Brick…I blame myself for that too…"

"…so…to have all of that dragging with me…maybe…I just need to let it go…and stop blaming myself so much for everything that's happened…"

_**...can you really let all that go so easily...?**_

"…it won't be easy…" Jill muttered. "…I'm not even sure if I really could let it go…but I must…or I will suffer more. I honestly…just don't want to suffer anymore…"

_**...you resolve to cease your suffering?**_

"…yes…" Jill spoke.

_**And how will you accomplish this? Now that you're on your own... how will you find a way to end this suffering?**_

"…well…all I have is myself…I mind as well make the most of it…" Jill muttered.

_**...so, where to start?**_

"…I don't know…" Jill said.

_**...well... set yourself a clear goal first. You're currently dead... what will you do? Will you linger... or will you act?**_

"…I will act," Jill said.

_**...no regrets, I presume?**_

"…none…"

Even as Jill said that, she could feel it. Just that large weight being lifted off of her shoulders. Had she really let all of that affect her that much? The moment she felt that weight lifted, the black fog slowly began fading away, and the voice said nothing in return.

Jill was surprised when that happened…and even more so when she saw her mother again when the fog lifted. She had to shield her eyes, though, because her mother was shrouded by a blinding light that shined from behind her.

"…so…you are ready to act…?" Goddess asked.

Jill nodded.

"…then take my hand."

Goddess held out her hand to Jill, and she had to step up to take her mother's hand. Once she did that, the light grew so bright Jill was blinded. She whited out.

* * *

><p><em><strong>...What? I got nothin' to say here.<strong>_


	61. Chapter 60

The battle still raged on, growing far more vicious with Corruption erupting every which way from each powerful strike each of the warriors made. Krieg had long since ceased observing this, as the outcome couldn't carry any kind of weight to it aside from tragedy.

Though Krieg would definitely notice something that the others clearly wouldn't.

Jill's wrist soon gained strange warmth to Krieg's hand.

His brow narrowed, as he felt this warmth. "...nh...?"

…and Krieg could feel the dead body beside him…sit up slowly.

If he weren't blind, this would be the moment his eyes would widen in shock as he just felt the body sitting up. After that, however, nothing else happened. At least nothing Krieg would see.

For the clouds above all seemed to part in just one small area…letting the sun shine down on the figure that was sitting up. All Krieg could do was feel the warmth that started gathering around this area, still curious about what this meant.

Suddenly…the body was lifted, and this released Krieg's grip on her wrist.

Baffled, Krieg was at a complete loss for words. "...what...?"

Callous was laughing maniacally while she fought Bulk, but in the instance that she turned…she stopped entirely, with her insane grin wiped right off her face and replaced with a look of utter shock when she saw the same figure floating underneath the spotlight of the sun through the dark clouds.

"YOU'RE DONE!" Not having seen that, Bulk aimed to just punch Callous' head right off...

...but a figure crashing into him foiled that plot; sending both him and Patricia crashing against the ground.

With a haggard breath as he had punched Patricia that way, Spiel took a mere step towards when he noticed that same sight; eyes widening as he gawked at this. "...wha...?"

Just as they noticed…a bright light flashed from the body hovering in the air. It was blinding enough that even Krieg would probably get a good feeling of it.

Not only that, but the blinding light actually made Patricia hiss in pain from the sight. Even Bulk let out a pained snarl as he felt that.

"...hang on a tic..." Spiel's eyes widened even as he shielded them. "...is that...?!"

Callous shielded her eyes…and the very light actually made her Unholy Form wither away and turn her back to normal. Baffled at this very detail, she tried to look past the light to see what was going on.

There was something trying to take shape within the light…it was hard to tell what, but it was morphing into something. Even as he shielded his eyes from this, Krieg couldn't help but gaze up at it, almost as if he could somehow perceive the morphing shape.

Soon…they could hear a sound…

…it sounded like the roar of a dragon.

"…I know that noise…" Callous uttered in realization.

"...what... _is_ that...?" Spiel uttered.

"…somehow…that's _her._"

The light exploded out, and the sun revealed even more the shape that had evolved out. It was a white dragon with feathered wings, bearing a mane of fiery light green energy, and even its eyes glowed with the same fiery green glow. It roared down at Patricia and Bulk as it spread out it's impressive feathered wings.

Bulk glared up at this figure. "...what the fuck is that...?!"

"…I'm not sure if that's really her or not…" Callous muttered. "…there's…something else about it…"

And suddenly, green jewels appeared all throughout the white dragon, ingrained in her body. Why they weren't on the dragon to begin with, was not clear, but these jewels ingrained in the dragon also started to glow. Callous got a strange feeling about those jewels…

And it shot light green energy down at Bulk and Patricia. This was full on Purity.

As the blasts hammered down on them, Bulk roared out in pain as he staggered from the attack. "Wha... what the fuck is this?!"

Patricia snarled at being attacked, and lunged at the dragon with her claws. The dragon turned and countered with its own claws, sending Patricia flying away into some trees in the distance.

Snarling at this sight, Bulk glared up at the dragon. "...alright... ya wanna play, asshole?! Let's go!" The instant he said that, Corruption began billowing from his body rapidly; boiling around him as it began swiftly gathering to form a massive body of Corruption, which swung its viscous fist directly at the dragon.

The dragon moved aside from it, and shot more energies of Purity at it in rapid fire. Black steam hissed from the giant's body as the Purity hammered against it, but without any indication that it was recoiling, it threw another punch. The punch hit, but it did nothing to deter the dragon away. In fact, when it was close enough, the green jewels around its body flashed.

A powerful wave of Purity energy exploded from its body, and because the dragon was right up to Bulk, the impact was devastating. A demonic roar rang across the island as the Corrupted mass was just evaporated; leaving only Bulk to crash down against the ground in defeat.

The dragon stepped down on Bulk to pin him down, growling. With a roar, Bulk glared up at the dragon as he squirmed desperately.

Then something unexpected happened.

"…_**if you leave now, I will spare you…**_"

Callous' eyes widened at the dragon speaking. It definitely sounded like Jill, but it was intermixed with another's voice; one she didn't recognize. This made her realize that someone else was with Jill in the dragon.

Bulk just gawked at this voice; clenching his hands. _...Condit...?! But... it's different, somehow... _"...and... just who are you...?!" he spat; though it did seem like he was considering the dragon's ultimatum.

"_**I am Light Gaia, and if you do not heed my warning, then I will not spare any more mercy.**_"

Spiel's eyes widened upon hearing that. "...Light Gaia...?!"

Even Bulk seemed startled by this revelation, as he snarled. "...kkh..." He glanced bitterly aside. "...fine..."

The dragon stepped off of Bulk to allow him to stand up. _**"Take Patricia Novagod with you, and leave your army behind to wherever you chose to go; as long as it is somewhere other than here."**_

With a snarl, Bulk got to his feet as he glared up at the dragon. "...bastard..." With that, he stumbled down the path to where Patricia had been launched.

The dragon simply watched Bulk walk toward Patricia's direction, while Callous just stared up at the dragon in silence. Up until now, Light Gaia hadn't done anything for the battle up until now… Spiel and Krieg both just watched this as well in baffled awe.

"…why…?"

The dragon looked down at Callous.

"…why did you bring her back…?" Callous asked suspiciously. "…how exactly did you bring her back…?"

"...y'know, considering that you brought me and Krieg back to life, I'm surprised you seem suspicious of this." Spiel remarked.

"...just let him answer the question..." Krieg hummed.

"…_**I needed a host to be able to play any part in all of this," **_the dragon spoke. _**"…and plus…I must give her one more chance.**_"

"…what do you mean?" Callous muttered. "…she died …how would you have been able to bring her back without me?"

"…_**not anymore, she doesn't require you…"**_

Callous raised her brow…but secretly, she was baffled. How? Why?

"…_**throughout the years you two have existed, battling, yet, both ultimately part of the same being…you represented everything apart of her that she despised, and everything that she was not."**_

"…well…I already know that…" Callous grumbled.

"…_**but that included the hatred she bore…for herself."**_

Spiel blinked. "...wait... she hated herself? Why is that?" he inquired in a disbelieving tone.

"…_**she blamed herself for everything tragic that happened to her,"**_ the dragon spoke. _**"For what happened in her village, for not having the courage to stand up to Deity Novagod…losing those she had cared about on the way, such as Joy's father….and most of all, for simply not being capable of stopping any of the tragedy from affecting those around her; especially her daughter. All those emotions built up inside of her, constricting her, making her suffer…"**_

"…_**she was bold, and stubborn…and for as long as she held onto those feelings and could not let them go, she was like a bird with clipped wings. Limited."**_

"...huh..." Spiel folded his arms. "...might explain how she and Metal couldn't beat me without Joy dealing with Novagod..."

"...but..." Krieg spoke up. "...if she were that self-loathing... how did she get past that...?"

"…_**it took someone else to talk to her…"**_ the dragon spoke. _**"…but she finally came to the epiphany on her suffering…based on the comparison made to her own mother, Goddess…another woman who has been unable to let go her own grief and guilt for the things that have happened…and when she decided that she would forgive herself and release that hatred…that was all she needed to fully be able to come back in order to act."**_

"…_**and it has been developing for a while Callous…but that resolve she made was the very last thing that triggered it."**_

"…what's…been developing—what're you talking about?" Callous asked in confusion.

"_**You've felt it…**_" the dragon spoke, _**"…the two of you…steadily developing, not for better or for worse…but changing slowly into two individuals with different thought patterns. It wasn't just in terms of opposites anymore…the two of you were slowly becoming more and more like two different people trapped in one body."**_

"…_**well, once Jill forgave herself and let go of that hatred…metaphorically, she released **_**you**_** from herself.**_"

Callous' eyes widened at that.

"...so... in that sense..." Spiel uttered. "...then... the two of them are... free from each other?"

"_**Yes…**_" the dragon spoke.

Callous was honestly too speechless to interject on any of that.

"...hm..." Krieg hummed a touch upon hearing that. "...though... was it wise, allowing those two to go free? There's no telling if they'll attempt this again in the future..."

"_**I already expect the two of them to attempt something again, but I can already tell that they are submerged enough in their own Corruption that it is only a matter of time before they are consumed by it and driven to madness…**_" the dragon spoke. _**"…after which, they would destroy each other, but even that I'm not entirely sure of."**_

"…but it should buy us enough time to figure out how to finish 'em off…" Callous muttered, after having processed her shock from earlier.

"_**Correct…"**_ the dragon spoke. _**"…and as for their army, that will be taken care of momentarily.**_"

"...how so?" Spiel hummed with a raised eyebrow.

"_**I believe there is someone that has been wanting to contribute for a long time now…**_"

And with that…the dragon actually started to shatter and deteriorate away in bits of feathers. In silence, the trio just watched the dragon disintegrate into feathers.

When the dragon was completely gone, something remained. It looked as if it was shrouded by a pair of feathered wings that were wrapped around, and slowly, the wings parted.

It turned out to be Jill…in her Holy Form.

Similar to how Callous had developed her form more, so had Jill; bearing more feathers around her body, and instead of transparent green wings of energy, she actually had feathered wings.

"...well, I'll be damned." Spiel uttered with wide eyes.

Jill opened her eyes and looked at them, and they were the same as before; completely green.

Then she took off into the air.

"Wha—hey! Where are you going?!" Callous sputtered.

Krieg's eyes narrowed ever so lightly, as his head turned up towards the sky. "...she's... acting."

* * *

><p>More Corrupted showed up to attack the solders at the camp, and with Jill's barrier shattering somehow, they were forced to fight again. This time, they were getting pushed back by the Corrupted and cornered.<p>

"…damn it…" Bruno growled. "…we don't have anything left to fight 'em back."

"...damn... this is a major pickle we've gotten ourselves into..." Caitlin huffed.

"...we can't lose here, guys...!" Ruki uttered. "We're soldiers of Safe Haven! We lasted for months through this stupid blockade... we're _not_ letting these monsters kill us!"

"...well, a plan would be good to have, at least!" Lin uttered desperately.

"…dude…" Jam suddenly stopped when he saw something soaring in the air.

"...look!" Maya pointed up into the sky as well, catching the attention of the others. "It's an angel!"

Jill looked down at the Corrupted, which all took notice of her and hissed at her…but she simply waved her hand. A shower of soft sparkles sprinkled down onto them like snow, and to this, the Corrupted halted.

"…what…is going on…?" Ed uttered, gawking at this.

Looking up at the figure, Will's eyes narrowed a bit. "...son of a... is that...?"

The Corrupted were still, and the sparkles of energy touched each of them. They shuddered at the touch, but not out of pain of any sort.

In fact…black goo started to ooze off of the Corrupted whenever the sparkles of energy touched them. The more the black goo melted off of the Corrupted…the more they started to revert back to ordinary people.

"…no way…" Francis muttered.

"...they're... being Purified..." Marco remarked.

"...well." Caitlin uttered with wide eyes.

Finally, when all of the black goo melted off of everyone…everyone collapsed, and the black goo sizzled away in black smog that was blown away by the coastal breeze. The soldiers all just gawked at the people that had just been purified.

Slowly, Sonia looked up at the figure that had done this. "...that was... Jill just now... wasn't it?"

"…I…don't know…" Belinda murmured, watching as Jill flew off.

Will just kept looking up at where she had been. "...no... no, that was... _definitely_ her."

* * *

><p>Back inside of Jill's home, Trash kept looking out the window with narrowed eyes. "...the fighting's done..." he murmured. "...damn it, Condit... where are you...?"<p>

Tails Doll hovered by the toad in worry as he looked out the window as well. Tasha was awake now, and was worriedly watching out the window with Tails Doll, while Cyrene just sat in the corner, still unable to really do anything else but sit there.

At that point, a noise came from the couch.

"**...she... coming back...**" Brawn uttered as his eyes opened.

Trash looked over at the couch with a slight smile. "...goddamn, Brawn, you're awake... you had me really worried there."

Tails Doll, however, actually heard what he said. _"...who's coming back...?"_

Tasha looked at Brawn, and then out the window again. She saw something coming their way, but it was too quick before it flew over the building out of her view…and then it slipped through the holes in the house that had been blown open before, reaching the room where all of them waited.

When Tasha got a good look at who it was, she gasped. Both Tails Doll and Trash gawked at this figure as well.

Brawn seemed to be the only one not shocked by this. "**...Condit...**"

Cyrene gawked at the figure in the room. "…_that's_…Condit?"

Jill went to Brawn's side, looking him over. "…_you're still recovering…"_

"**...it tough to heal.**" Brawn replied with a slight wince. "**No worry about me though... what about army?**"

"_The island is safe now; the Corrupted have been purified and Bulk and Patricia left,_" Jill answered. _"…but I'm going to have to leave momentarily. There are Corrupted all around…_"

"**...I see...**" Brawn nodded, as he tilted his head. "**...what about... lion? Where he gone to?**"

Cyrene started to grow worried about what the answer would be. Jill looked a little saddened.

"…_Husk is gone._"

Cyrene grit her teeth, with tears running down her face.

"...shit..." Trash glanced aside as he folded his arms. "...self-sacrificing fool..." He closed his eyes, and remained silent out of respect.

Jill turned to look at Cyrene, and she saw how heartbroken the cat was. Cyrene couldn't bear to look at anyone, huddled up in her corner trying not to lose it. She had no idea how to handle the way she felt right now, and she hoped that they would leave her alone and not pester her about the news.

Jill simply went up to Cyrene, kneeling down before her. The others just looked down at the two of them.

Jill then wrapped her arms around Cyrene, hugging her. _"…I'm sorry._"

Right then and there, Cyrene broke down in Jill's shoulder. While she cried, Jill's arms radiated with Purity, and as she comforted Cyrene, she also slowly managed to purify her as well. Trash just gawked upon seeing that sight.

Jill held her more tightly. "…_rest…you've suffered enough…_"

Sure enough, once Cyrene was done crying, she slowly passed out from the exhaustion, fully purified, and Jill propped her up against the wall so she could lie comfortably and rest.

"...wow..." Trash uttered with widening eyes.

"**...that power... good...**" Brawn remarked.

Jill rose, and looked over at Brawn and the others. "…_I need to leave for a bit, but I promise I'll be back…"_

_"...Jill."_ Tails Doll fluttered over to her. _"...let me come with you. You have to let big bro and the others know that you can really help them out..."_

Jill nodded. _"…right…"_

Tasha held her tummy while looking at the two of them worriedly. "…be careful you two."

"...and... make sure to come back in one piece, alright?" Trash shot in with a small nod to them.

Jill nodded. _"We will…_" And she flew out the hole in her building. _"Let's go Tails Doll._"

_"Coming!"_ With a nod, Tails Doll fluttered after her.

* * *

><p>The dark clouds still stayed overhead, with the storm going on as the group ran through the wilderness.<p>

"Let's hope we don't have much longer to go!" Rudy huffed.

"Hopefully not..." Sage uttered.

Whilst running, Natal suddenly came to a halt; gritting her teeth as she clutched her head. Cal stopped, looking at her in worry. "Natal!"

Newt looked back at her as well. "Yo, Natal, you alright?!"

"...I'm fine..." Natal uttered, as she grit her teeth. "...I just felt something..."

Cal narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and looked at the others. "Keep an eye out…I have a feeling about this."

"...tsch..." With a hiss, Wiper glanced about. "...dealing with those birds was bad enough... they already sent out reinforcements...?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Charmy said.

"...everyone, stay alert." Sage uttered. "If they overwhelm us, I'll try just taking us all out of here. We can't afford any more distractions..."

Boomer pulled out her gun, standing near the group. "…let's hope we'll at least be able to get out of here should that time come."

Suddenly, Natal's eyes widened... and she looked towards Boomer. "Watch out!" Swiftly, she lunged forward to thrust her blade forward, to block a different blade that had _almost_ managed to decapitate Boomer, had Natal not intervened.

Boomer jumped at that.

"These are going to be tougher ones…" Cal muttered, drawing out his katanas.

"...you guys back away." Natal uttered. "They're shadow warriors... you'll just be target practice to them..." As she spoke, she pushed the warrior away from Boomer, before she held her blade at the ready.

Cal looked at Natal worriedly again. "…be careful…"

"...don't worry... I got this..." Slowly, Natal closed her eyes...

...and in that instant, three more warriors surrounded her; all of them carrying deadly weapons as they glared at her intensely, just watching as she seemed to shut out all other noises to focus entirely on the breath of the wind.

Boomer pushed the others back while she still held her gun, watching Natal.

Slowly, she raised her sword up into the air, eyes closed as she still kept breathing... "...ready."

In that instant, all four of the warriors lunged at her, thrusting their weapons at her... but in a single move, she had evaded, and even blocked their attacks without opening her eyes, a flicker of dark flame sprouting from the tip of her blade.

Cal grit her teeth. "…be careful…" repeating what he said earlier.

With hisses, the warriors began slashing their weapons at her; sparks flying everywhere as their blades only slammed against her own weapon rather ineffectively as she parried their blows. Furthermore, as they kept striking against her only to hit her blade instead, the sparks were actually making the flickering flame start to envelop more of the blade.

The group continued to watch tensely, hoping that Natal would be able to hold them off. Cal was ready to jump into the fray in case things started going wrong.

It got to the point where the black flame had completely coated the blade... and once it did, Natal slashed at one of the warriors.

For a moment, it seemed as if time itself was delayed around the warrior... but then, a grievous wound suddenly cut open along his chest, and a spray of pitch-black blood sprayed out from this wound.

"Ouch," Rudy remarked, wincing at that.

But even as he bled like this... the warrior still lunged at Natal with his weapon, swinging down. Though his slash was largely ineffective, as after parrying him, Natal suddenly slashed directly at two of the other warriors...

...and while she managed to literally split one of them in two, the other one lingered just so that his upper body was barely attached to his lower body; though once more, that black blood sprayed out everywhere, coating Natal in it as she had even ceased breathing whilst fighting in this manner.

"…keep a hold of yourself, Natal…" Cal muttered under his breath unsteadily.

Out of desperation, the warrior that hadn't been attacked by Natal lunged for her with a running slash...

...but rather than striking true, he instead received a blade that thrust directly between his eyes; impaling him as more of the black blood gushed from this vicious wound.

Rudy turned away, feeling uncomfortable watching this, and Charmy grunted worriedly.

Wiper's eyes narrowed as he saw this display, and Newt grit his teeth a touch.

Sage, however, swiftly realized something. "...oh no."

"…what?" Boomer uttered, looking at Sage. "What is it?"

"...she's going in too deep, too quickly..." Sage uttered. "...and she can't stop."

Without hesitation, Natal kept slashing her burning blade at the warriors, who all desperately tried to wipe her out, but to no avail. All they served was to allow more of their black blood to splatter onto the bullfrog as she silently kept massacring them.

Cal charged in when he witnessed all of this after he heard Sage.

"Cal, wait!" Rudy uttered fearfully.

As the warriors staggered back from their injuries, it left a path open for Cal to rush in to aid Natal...

...that is, if she didn't aim a slash at him as well. Thankfully, Cal was expecting something of the sort if Natal was starting to lose it, and he blocked. "Natal, listen to me! Stop!" he tried to reach her.

However, she didn't respond. Her eyes remained shut, as her entire being, coated in black blood, seemed more focused now on attacking Cal, as he was the closest target available as the warriors desperately tried regenerating.

Cal continued to block. "Natal, you've got to try harder!"

She didn't respond; merely slashing more aggressively now. Cal kept up his blocking, getting even more worried. "…damn it Natal…"

Slowly, though, she stopped slashing, as she breathed out again. Cal stepped toward her cautiously. "…Natal…?"

Slowly, her eyes began opening; though at such an angle that Cal couldn't quite see them...

"…Natal…talk to me, please…" Cal hesitantly stepped closer still.

At that point, her eyes opened fully... but it wasn't the standard eyes Cal had been so accustomed to seeing.

It was a pair of reptilian, feral eyes that glared daggers directly at him.

Cal's eyes widened at that in fear. "…oh no…Natal…"

Without a sound, she swiftly slashed her burning blade at Cal. That took Cal by surprise and he grunted in pain, jumping away from her. "Natal! No!"

"...she's gone too far...!" Sage uttered. "If we don't stop her... she's truly going to lose herself to Corruption!"

"...tsch..." With a hiss, Wiper rushed forward; readying his hand. "Forgive me." Without hesitation, he thrust it against Natal's gut; knocking her back a touch...

...but that only served to agitate her; shooting a deadly glare at him before she slashed at the cobra. Though he managed to dodge, his eyes narrowed. "Tsch... Natal..."

"Get back!" Boomer yelled at the others, trying to shoot at Natal with her gun.

Natal just blocked those shots, however, as she slowly glared at Boomer...

...but the moment she did that, the warriors suddenly recovered; lunging for Natal to strike her while she was distracted. With yells, they all thrust their blades at her.

The moment they did so, however, scorching flame consumed them.

With a single swipe of her sword, Natal created a vicious spiral of black flame that engulfed the Corrupted warriors; causing them to writhe in agonizing torment, all as Natal slowly glared back at Cal and Wiper.

Cal shuddered when he watched this.

Charmy watched this with a hardened look. "…Sage, I think it would be safe to take some of us out of here."

"...true... at this stage, there's not a whole lot we can do to help her..." Sage uttered regretfully, as she stepped back a touch.

"…Natal…" Cal grit his teeth, trying to hold back tears. There wasn't any way he could think of to help Natal either, and he was starting to think maybe he might've actually lost her this time. The thought hurt him…

"…c'mon Natal…you have to pull through…" he uttered.

Natal's gaze slowly drifted towards Cal... and without warning, she lunged for him; blade at the ready to finish him.

"...no!" Swiftly, Wiper pushed Cal back and stretched his arms out; glaring at Natal as she was rapidly closing the gap between them; not caring who it was she would cut down...

"Wiper!" Cal uttered.

But suddenly, Natal's blade was stopped with another's, leaving Wiper unharmed. Blinking, Wiper just looked at the one who had stopped Natal from impaling him.

For that matter, everyone gawked at who had stopped Natal from impaling him.

"…_Natal, hang on…I'm going to help you._"

It was none other than Jill with her blade in her Holy Form. Her blade was no longer the Unity with the angel wing and devil wing. It simply had angel wings, but the blade remained golden like it had been before, and the rose was not white, but a luscious red. She used it to hold off Natal.

"...Jill...?!" Wiper's eyes were wide as he gawked at this figure.

"...hey, I'm not seeing things right now, right?" Newt uttered with wide eyes as well. "That's really...?!"

"...yeah... it is." Even Sage, of all people, seemed stunned by this.

Charmy was surprised…and even noticed that the shadow warriors in the background were all sizzling with Corruption, having been purified when the others weren't paying attention. Jill had been quite quick; even _he_ took a minute to notice the purified people lying on the ground unconscious.

Natal's reptilian eyes just glared directly at Jill, as she kept pushing the burning, black blade against Jill's holy blade. Jill simply stared back at Natal while she held back the blade.

Eventually, she deflected the blade off and tried to grab Natal. Natal's eyes widened momentarily, but she wasn't quick enough to manage to evade Jill. Jill made Purity come off of her arms, while she hugged Natal tightly. "_Just remain calm…_" she spoke soothingly.

Natal's eyes widened, and her arms began twitching. _"...&%$?%&$%&$?&?"_ was all the noise emerging from her mouth as the Corruption sizzled against her.

Jill kept up her purifying, looking at Natal. "_…it's alright Natal…it won't hurt for long…_"

Natal just kept struggling in her grip. _"&%$&%?$#%&?#$%&!" _she hissed whilst gritting her teeth.

"…_Just hang on…_" Jill tried to keep her calm, while hugging her still; Purity growing stronger.

_"&%$#?!&%$&%!%&%$#?!"_ Natal just kept shrieking, as she kept squirming more and more in utter agony.

Cal had a hard time watching this, but he kept watching for the sake of whether or not Natal was going to be purified. Eventually, the Corrupted blood that had coated Natal was sizzling vividly, all while she cried out in absolute agony.

Jill grit her teeth. _"...just hold on a bit longer Natal…"_

Next thing Jill knew, everything surrounding her disappeared, including the group that watched her try to purify Natal. She saw herself appear in a black void of sorts…looking down, she saw a deep black ocean below her. Above the ocean's surface, though, she could see someone briefly surfacing; heaving for breath before being pulled back into the blackness.

"_Natal!"_ Jill shot down into the water after the one that got dragged back down into the darkness.

She could see the bullfrog sinking into the cesspool beneath her; clutching to her neck as if she was being snared by something, as she just reached out towards the surface as she sank. Jill propelled herself down toward Natal to try and grab her to help her. Natal kept reaching for her, but the darkness kept pulling her further and further down.

Jill gave off Purity energy around herself to try and drive the darkness away while she continued to chase after Natal in attempts to grab her. Natal desperately kept reaching up to her, looking as if she was about to run out of breath.

Finally, Jill grasped the edge of her hand, and managed to pull her into a secure grip in her arms, pulling her up. Natal just closed her eyes...

...but in that instant, something massive, coated in black fire, shot out from the nothingness beneath them to ensnare Natal's leg, yanking viciously at her to try and pull her away from Jill. Seeing that, Jill shot Purity energy down toward the flames to try and make them release Natal.

The beast writhed, but it kept Natal trapped in its grasp.

Natal just winced in pain; clutching to Jill as best she could. Jill held to Natal tightly, glaring down at the beast. _"Leave her ALONE!"_

And she shot an even stronger blast of Purity down at it. The beast shrieked, though it kept its grip firmly coiled around her leg.

"...hurts... it hurts...!" Natal whimpered as she clutched to Jill.

"_Natal, try and fight it," _Jill spoke encouragingly, while she continued to fire Purity at the beast as she held tightly to Natal.

Natal grit her teeth, clutching to Jill as she weakly tried to kick the creature off, but to little avail at first. Jill upped her onslaught of Purity down at the creature, while she made sure she had a secure hold on Natal. Natal just kept gritting her teeth, as even whilst the creature seemed to be knocked down, its grip on her leg remained strong.

"...hurts... have to... get rid of it..." Natal whimpered; still clutching to Jill as she slowly glared down at the tentacle that was tightly coiled around her leg.

"…_you have to try and let go…" _Jill spoke, summoning her sword to try a slice at the tentacle holding Natal.

It writhed in agony, but its grip remained around Natal.

"...how can I... let go...?" Natal uttered fearfully.

"…_you blame yourself for what happened to you and Cal…don't you?"_

Natal's eyes widened. "...how... how did you...?"

"…_I know you…_" Jill said to her. _"…and I've had similar feelings of guilt…but until you let that guilt go, it's going to hold you back…"_

Natal slowly grit her teeth, as she closed her eyes. "...if I hadn't been so stubborn... just taking a few moments to let Metal purify me..."

"…_it's alright Natal…_" Jill hushed her to try and comfort her. _"…all you need to do is let it go…forgive yourself…_"

"...it's hard..." Natal murmured. "...I don't know if I could..."

"…_if you don't…you suffer…" _Jill muttered. _"…and you've suffered enough…_"

Natal just grit her teeth, breathing...

"...beating myself up over this... it has hurt..." Natal murmured. "...I tried making it seem like it didn't affect me... to not make Cal feel any guilt... but... deep down, I felt the most guilty..."

"...but now's... not the time." Breathing, she held Jill tighter with one arm, whilst letting go with the other. "...I'm done... with regrets."

Jill watched her, and kept an eye on the beast that had a hold of Natal to make sure she wasn't going to slip out of Jill's hold.

The creature just roared, yanking more on Natal's leg.

"...this blackness that's burned at my soul for so long..." Natal uttered, her arm slowly moving towards her leg. "...I want... no more of it!"

Without hesitation, she gripped the flaming tentacle; gritting her teeth as she dug her fingers into it to get a better grip on it.

"…_that's it…_" Jill encouraged.

"...begone...!" As she dug her fingers further into it so they actually pierced into the tentacle, she began kicking further, the beast howling in fury as its grip loosened. When it was loose enough, she pulled her leg out before slashing her arm down at the tentacle, causing it to plummet deep into the abyss.

And with that, Jill took the two of them to the surface at a rapid speed. Natal just clutched to Jill, closing her eyes...

Jill awoke back in the spot where they were in front of the group, hugging Natal with Purity around her arms. She had fallen limp in her grasp; breathing slowly as the Corruption had all but sizzled away from her being.

"...that's..." Wiper's eyes were wide at that sight.

"…Natal!" Cal ran over to take Natal from Jill's grasp.

"…_she's alright now…_" Jill hummed.

"...thank goodness..." Sage uttered.

Natal simply slumped against Cal; breathing a touch. Cal felt relieved, holding Natal dearly.

"…_you're going to have to be purified at some point too._"

Cal looked up at Jill, while she looked down at them. "…I know…" Cal responded. "…but not yet…I already feel better knowing that Natal isn't in danger anymore…I can wait until this whole mess gets sorted out."

"_Natal made that mistake Cal._"

Cal's eyes widened at what Jill said.

"…_I understand you've been Corrupted from the very beginning, and have had a good grip on your ability…"_ Jill said. _"…but assuming that you'll last out in the end…that is a very poor thing to assume._"

Wiper looked at Jill. "...you propose to purify him right here and now?"

"_I should,_" Jill answered. "_…it would be the safest."_

Cal looked down at Natal a little nervously. Natal just held onto him ever so softly.

"…I should…" Cal said, eventually nodding. "…it would keep her safe."

Sage hummed, before giving Jill a nod. "...alright... then we leave it to you, Jill."

Jill knelt to Cal, while Boomer came over and took Natal from him. Cal took in a deep sigh to calm down, while Jill set glowing hands on him. The others just watched them in silence.

Cal then winced, while the Corruption started to sizzle off of him too, causing him pain. He didn't struggle though, and that allowed Jill to concentrate calmly while she worked to purify him.

Throughout this…images flashed in Cal's mind, and it made him shudder. They were the things he couldn't remember from what Natal told him a while ago; that mission that went wrong when he let Corruption get the best of him.

It made the process more painful for him, but he grit his teeth to get through it. Slowly, Natal's eyes opened, and she slowly managed to gaze towards Cal.

Jill couldn't see the images like Sage could, but she felt sympathy for Cal. _"…you feel guilt just like she did…"_

"…yes…" Cal muttered bitterly, clutching to his chest in the pain of being purified. Natal's eyes widened as she heard him say that.

"…_like I told her…you must let that go in order to fully recover…_" Jill said.

"…I know…it's tough…" Cal muttered. "…I never wanted to hurt her…"

"...Cal..." Natal uttered softly, as she just breathed. "...it's alright... I never blamed you..."

Cal grit her teeth with tears rolling down his face.

"…_There is no need to feel any guilt, if no one else blames you…_" Jill spoke soothingly.

Still, Natal just looked at Cal whilst breathing slowly. Cal let his tears fall, but more and more of the Corruption sizzled off of him, which indicated that he was getting more and more purified. The others just remained silent as they watched Cal with wide eyes.

Finally, Cal stopped emitting Corruption off of him, and when Jill released him, he collapsed out of his own exhaustion.

"...it's done." Sage mused, as she folded her arms.

Jill rose up. _"…and on that note…I need to leave…_"

"Why?" Rudy asked.

"…_I need to help the others…as well as cleanse all of the Corrupted wandering around,"_ Jill said.

"...wait... all of it?" Newt gawked upon hearing that.

"_I have to…otherwise, they'll keep spreading._" Jill said.

"...will you be alright?" Sage hummed.

Jill nodded. _"Yes, I'll be alright…_"

And with that, she took off into flight into the sky.

The others just watched as she flew off.

"…Jill…be safe…" Natal hummed.

"…and good luck…" Charmy added with a chuckle.

* * *

><p>Finally, the area outside the settlement was cleared out, as the two groups finally converged with each other; exhausted from the massive horde that they had repelled.<p>

"...that... that was too close..." Demi breathed out as he gently set Oblivion down.

"...but at least we got those bastards off in a hurry." Berta scoffed.

"Yeah..." King murmured as he rubbed his head a bit.

"…are all of the townsfolk safe?" Oblivion asked.

"Yeah, I just checked on them. They're all safe," Hunter replied.

"That's good..." Miser murmured.

"...guess that gives us time to regroup..." Trish murmured. "...even if we were set back quite a bit from this..."

"...yeah, talk about coincidence..." Fargus murmured. "...you guys attacked by Corrupted wolves... us by Corrupted dragons..."

"…I don't think it's a coincidence…"

"Diablo?" Oblivion looked over when the leopard approached them. Kiri still kept close to Diablo, clutching to his leg.

"…I think Patricia sent her entire army out everywhere…to spread the Corruption and consume more innocents to be part of her army…" Diablo muttered.

"...damn..." King's eyes narrowed. "...then she's already started her plan."

"...what do we do about it, though?" Toki murmured.

"...well, we've kept the townsfolk here safe..." Queen mused with narrowed eyes. "...though our next course of action... hm..."

"…I still don't know what we should do for the townsfolk," Hunter muttered. "…we can't just leave them here by themselves, and at this rate, we won't be able to continue to look for Joy…"

"...damn it..." King sighed. "...if we could just guarantee that more Corrupted or bandits wouldn't show up here..."

Crystal looked around…and suddenly, she looked up with wide eyes. "…oh…_shit…_"

"...keke?" Ripper glanced up as well... and gaped. "...we've got a problem."

As the others looked up as well, they all gawked as well.

What seemed to be some kind of dragon and wolf hybrid of a Corrupted started to rise up into the sky, roaring down at them.

"...did they just... fucking combine?!" Berta yelped…

"That's not good at all...!" Miser uttered. "We had a hard enough time with the other forces...!"

Charon snarled as he glared at this creature. Oblivion huddled up to Demi in fear.

"…guess we still have no choice though," Toki muttered. "…we gotta fend it off."

"...I'll try and hold it off, then." Miser spoke with a small breath. "It's not like I can die, anyway..."

"...Miser, don't do anything rash." King warned. "You can see the size of that thing..."

"...we still have to fend it off..." Brandishing her rail gun, Miser began stepping forward. "...you guys stay back; try to come up with a killing strategy. I'll keep it distracted!"

"Be careful Miser…" Hunter called.

The dragon swooped down to try and claw at Miser. Swiftly, Miser grabbed the incoming claw with her free hand, aiming a blast at the creature's stomach with her rail gun. That blasted away the creature with a huge impact and it roared at her, shooting at her with Corrupted flames. Miser leapt away from the flames, firing more shots at the dragon with her rail gun. The creature flew away from the blasts.

Meanwhile, Hunter watched this, gritting his teeth. "…damn it…how do we fight that thing?"

"...it's way too big..." Trish hissed. "...I doubt we could blow it up..."

"…and it would be too much for Charon after trying to fight those smaller dragons…" Oblivion muttered.

Then she gasped when the dragon managed to stop it's paw down on Miser, pinning her to the ground and knocking away the railgun. Miser grit her teeth, but rather than try to roll away, she just gripped the dragon's paw; clenching viciously down on it as she pushed it slowly upwards. The dragon tried to push back on her. Miser relented, however, as she kept pushing the dragon as best she could.

The dragon growled, and opened its mouth. This time, it shot a lightning bolt of Corruption at her. Miser's eyes widened in surprise, and she was struck by the lightning whilst shrieking in agony.

"Miser!" Hunter yelped, trying to run…but then a large Corrupted barrier appeared, blocking him. "No!"

"Shit!" Fargus cursed. "It's got her trapped!"

Miser grit her teeth as she glared up at the dragon; her body quivering as the electricity shook her further.

Suddenly, the barrier got sliced through by something, and the dragon was knocked backward, crying out in agony as there was a slice through its body as well.

Seeing that, Miser's eyes widened.

Jill floated there in the air, with her blade pointed at the dragon. _"Are you alright, Miser?_" she asked, keeping her eyes on the dragon/wolf hybrid.

Crystal just…gawked. "…is that…J…Jill…?" She wouldn't have recognized the figure, but the voice gave it away.

King just gawked as well. "...it's... it's definitely her..."

Miser coughed as she looked up at Jill with wide eyes. "...y-yes..."

"…_good…_"

When the dragon tried to come back, Jill simply shot it back with Purity energy, pushing it up into the sky for her to fly after, getting the dragon away from the others.

Scrambling to her feet, Miser gawked up at the dragon with wide eyes.

"…that's…really Jill…?" Dax uttered.

"...it sounded like her..." Charon uttered.

They could see Jill fight it in the distance. She was much quicker than the large being that was the creature, and this allowed Jill to continuously slice at the dragon from different angles, easily evading each of the attacks that the creature tried to lash out at her to get her away.

All of them just gawked up at her.

_"...boy, she doesn't slow down for anything."_

Both Toki and Berta staggered back as they heard that voice behind them, where Tails Doll was fluttering as he gazed up at the fight as well. Crystal jumped. "What IS that thing?!"

"Tails Doll…" Hunter hummed, finding it a bit surprising that he was here. "Did you come here with her?"

Tails Doll nodded. _"...she's gonna set things right." _he spoke. _"By purifying as many Corrupted as she can."_

Oblivion's eyes widened at that. "…is…she able to do all of that?!"

_"...well, she's trying her best."_ Tails Doll noted.

"…after being stuck in one place without being able to do anything…I wouldn't be surprised…" Toki murmured.

"...so right now... all we can do is watch..." King uttered.

So as Jill continued her onslaught on the dragon, at some point, the dragon managed to knock her backward in the air, and tried to fire a shot of Corruption at her. Jill flew around it, and her sword changed to a bow; the same one she had long ago before she had fused with Callous. She pulled the golden bow string on it, building up the energy for a powerful arrow, and fired it with deadly velocity, stabbing the dragon right in the breast.

Trish gawked. "...whoa... she's really gotten better with a bow..."

Berta hummed. "...guess so..."

"...didn't expect this from the girl you were bullying way back when, were ya?" Trish eventually snickered as she glanced at Berta.

"I would've kicked your ass, but this is way more important right now." Berta retorted without glancing aside.

Finally, Jill brought back her sword and charged…stabbing the dragon in the same place she had landed that arrow. This impact sent the two of them falling through the sky…toward the group.

"…uh…guys…" Crystal started to look like she would panic. "…it's heading STRAIGHT FOR _**US!**_"

"...MOVE!" Charon swiftly grabbed a greater number of the group before he took off to avoid the dragon.

"HUNTER, GRAB THE REST OF US AND DODGE!" King yelled as he shot a panicked look at Hunter.

Hunter was quick to snatch up the rest of them and immediately toss them away; including himself.

When they all spread out, they were just in time to avoid being crushed by the dragon, which left a large crater in the ground underneath it. The dragon cried out in agony, with its body sizzling with melting Corruption, as Jill drove the blade further into it, pulsing Purity into it.

Everyone just shot a startled look at the dragon's crater.

Eventually, the creature faded away in the goo…and the goo left quite a few figures lying on the ground. These were all of the innocent people that were once Corrupted, responsible for both the dragons and the wolves. Now, though, they were all passed out unconscious in the gigantic crater that the large creature had created due to its landing.

Jill made her sword disappear, and she looked over at the group that had watched the whole thing.

"…_Damn!_" Crystal whistled, impressed by the battle.

"...did she really just...?!" Charon uttered with wide eyes.

Hunter's eyes widened, looking at all the figures on the ground. "…she did…she purified them all."

"...that's... amazing..." Kiri uttered with wide eyes.

"…_there are no more Corrupted around your area, so those townsfolk should be safe,_" Jill spoke to the group.

King blinked, before he nodded. "...thanks, Jill..." he uttered. "...so... where are you going now?"

_"...there's two groups left." _Tails Doll noted, as he fluttered to Hunter. _"Do any of you know which of those groups is the closest to here?"_

"…I don't…I think Sage would know that better…" Hunter said.

"…_then I suppose I'll have to keep going and look," _Jill said, and though it looked like she was going to leave, she halted.

"…_and King…the island is safe and perfectly intact. None of the soldiers have been harmed by the Corrupted…and most of all; Tasha is safe, along with the baby…"_

Hearing that, King sighed out in relief. "...thank goodness..." he spoke, before smiling at Jill. "...and... thanks, Jill."

Jill smiled back at him. "_Sure thing…besides…I really owed you for taking me in all those years ago._"

And with that, she flew off. Tails Doll quickly pursued her as well.

* * *

><p>Arsenic sat there, worriedly watching over her parents. There really shouldn't be anything wrong with them now that they were purified…but she at least hoped that they would've woken up soon. They've still been passed out on the ground like this since they've been purified.<p>

"…Mom…Dad…I'm sorry I left you…" she muttered under her breath, burying her face into her knees. "…I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you…"

Silence...

...until someone sat down beside her. "...you're really worried for them, huh...?"

Arsenic jolted with a yelp, looking up. "Jack?"

Indeed; sitting by her side was Jack, who smiled back at her. "Hi."

"…you…came back?" she uttered.

He simply nodded in return. "I thought about it, and... we couldn't leave you three all alone."

"…we…?" Arsenic asked…and then she saw the others walk out toward her.

"We didn't feel right just leaving you behind," Striker said with a smile.

"Yeah... so we're gonna hang back here until your parents get better!" Nage spoke with a smile of her own.

"So don't you worry, alright? You're not alone right now." Guts chimed in as well.

Arsenic looked at the ground. "…thanks guys…that…really means a lot…" then she looked at her parents worriedly. "…but I'm not sure if they're okay…"

"…hm…" Milo looked at the two of them, and they're spirits seemed to be fine…if a bit strangely faint to him. "…I think they went through a lot and are trying to recover."

"...makes sense... considering what they went through." Guts noted.

Nage just grinned. "Man, sure is a good thing that we found them right after Jack and Milo learned to use Purity!"

"Yeah…" Ani said with a smile.

"…_I never knew this. Since when could Jack and Milo use Purity?_"

That voice made everyone halt in shock.

"...uh... everyone heard that, right?" Nage remarked.

"...yeah... I think so." Guts nodded.

"...is that...?!" Jack swiftly looked upwards when he heard that voice.

Milo gawked up in awe. "…Jill…"

The white being gently floated down before the group, smiling at all of them. _"…I'm glad to know you all are okay…_"

Jack just gawked at her... and with a huge grin, he ran to tackle her with a tight hug. "JILL!" Striker, Ani, and Milo just about did the same thing, just as overjoyed at Jack, and having all of her friends tackle her with a group hug, it warmed Jill's heart, hugging them back.

"…Jill…it's so good to see you…" Ani muttered, almost ready to cry.

"It's been way too long...!" Jack uttered, already crying.

_"...guys!"_ And soon, another figure fluttered down to join in the hug as well.

"Tails Doll!" Striker pulled the doll in to join the group hug, and he too, burst into tears of joy just as Ani did too.

"…Jill…?" Vanessa was surprisingly stunned to see Jill in her form like that, though it wasn't an overreaction of any kind. She had just been mildly surprised. Both Arsenic and Kristine were just utterly speechless at the sight of the holy being that was Jill, and how the three clutching to her were and Guts were also just as baffled; though Nage could understand where the three were coming from in terms of reacting like this.

Jill smiled while they hugged, rubbing Ani's head. "..._it's alright guys. Everything's okay…_" she spoke comfortingly.

Ani pulled away, wiping her eyes. "…I'm s-sorry…it's just…been so hard without you…"

Jack smiled at her. "...it's just so great to see you again, Jill!" he uttered tearfully, as he wiped his eyes as well.

Jill kept smiling down at them, and even Milo seemed emotional though he tried to hold it back. _"…I'm so proud of all of you…what you've done on your own…_" Jill spoke. _"…you've all grown up so much…_"

"...thanks, Jill..." Jack uttered as he kept wiping his eyes.

With that, Jill looked around and noticed Arsenic and Kristine, as well as Nage and Guts. _"…made some new friends too, as well as running into older ones._"

"…um…I uh…" Kristine had absolutely no idea how to respond to Jill. This actually made Milo chuckle a little in amusement.

Arsenic was just straight up silent, staring at Jill.

Nage just rubbed her neck. "...I dunno how you got that kinda power, but... it's great seeing you again!"

"...yeah... it's been a real long while, hasn't it?" Guts remarked sheepishly as he rubbed his own neck.

"_It has…_" Jill said. Then she looked at Vanessa. "_…and you've been holding up as well?_"

"Certainly," Vanessa said, smiling.

"…_that's good,"_ Jill said. Eventually, she looked over at Arsenic's parents lying on the ground, and she knelt down by them, looking them over.

Arsenic still had no idea how to address Jill, but when she saw her looking at her parents, she was hoping that Jill could at least tell her that her parents were alright. Glancing at Arsenic, Jack gave her a reassuring smile; knowing that Jill could deal with this. When Arsenic saw Jack smile, she looked back at Jill.

"…they…had been Corrupted," Arsenic managed to tell Jill. "…and Jack purified them…"

Jill smiled when she heard that. _"…that's wonderful…_" And when she looked at her parents longer, she hummed. _"…they've just been through a lot and are still recovering from their experience…but I don't see anything wrong with them._"

Arsenic sighed with relief.

Jack smiled more upon hearing that. "So we just gotta wait for them to recover!"

"…_or if you'd like… I can heal them."_

Arsenic gawked up at Jill in hope. "…you'd…really do that?"

Jill nodded to her. _"…sure."_

Tails Doll nodded as well. _"It'd be good for them!"_ he chimed in.

"…would you heal them?" Arsenic asked. "…please? I have a lot to say to them because I…I ran away from them…"

Jill nodded. _"…sure thing._" And with a white glow to her hands, she put both her hands on each of her parents, healing whatever wounds they might've sustained.

The others just watched in silence.

"…_y'know Arsenic…I ran away a lot too…_"

Arsenic looked at Jill in shock. Jill was still concentrating on healing her parents as she spoke. _"…they were different reasons that why you probably ran…but I have a history of relying mostly on myself…all because of someone who chased me and hurt me, or anyone who had gotten close to me…I was used to staying away from many people…have even become a bit nervous in large crowds because of it…"_

Then she looked up at Arsenic. _"…I even ran away…from the boys and Ani, as well as the Professor…_"

Arsenic looked at Milo, Striker, Jack and Ani, and then back at Jill. "…r-really?"

Jack just nodded a slight touch.

"…_but the most wonderful thing was how forgiving they were, even when running away had really hurt them…_" Jill said. _"…I'm sure that whatever you have to say to your parents…that they would forgive you, and only be glad to know that you're alright._"

Arsenic was just silent at this…

…until she finally let some tears fall at that. She didn't know why she felt that way, but hearing Jill tell her that really touched her. Jack glanced back at her with a small smile, sitting down by her again and setting a hand on her shoulder. At this point, Jill finished healing the two of them, and they looked at peace.

"…Jill…there's something I finally noticed…" Milo muttered. "…your soul…it's so different…but it's missing a lot…"

"…where's Callous? What happened to her?"

When Jill heard that question, she turned to look at Milo. She figured that he would be able to pick up on that, and the question definitely made everyone curious as well as shocked at what Milo asked.

Finally, she answered. _"…she's free._"

"…free?" Ani uttered. "…what do you mean?"

Jill rose. "_…Callous and I were split again when I fought Patricia…but because the two of us had become so different, we actually seemed more like two people trapped in one body, instead of Callous being a shadow of me. She has her own body and freedom…and we're not connected anymore. Now, we actually became _two_ different people…and she's back on Safe Haven."_

She decided to leave out the tidbit of her dying again. She didn't want to tell her friends that she had died, when it wasn't necessary.

Milo's eyes widened at that, and even with as much knowledge as he knew about the spirits, he was still baffled. "…no way…"

"...so she's her own person...?" Jack blinked...

...and suddenly, Milo felt a heavy sensation in his mind. _...she's not fucking joking, is she? Please tell me this is not some fucking joke!_

Before Milo could respond to Johnny, Jill smiled. _"Yes, Callous is her own person…_" and she closed her eyes. _"…I'm not joking._" Secretly, she answered Johnny, but the others weren't going to notice that.

Silence filled Milo's head... until...

_...well... guess that's it._ he spoke. _You guys got the last leg of this on your own, right?_

…_um, yeah, sure, I think,_ Milo muttered. _…you're thinking of checking it out…aren't you?_

No response. In fact, his presence was... gone.

…_huh…gonna take that as a yes…_ And Milo smiled at that.

"…_have you guys run into any of the other groups?"_ Jill asked, even if she noticed too that Johnny was gone.

"...no, we haven't." Nage remarked. "We've only kept in touch with the communicators."

_"Nh... so we still don't know where big bro's group is..." _Tails Doll murmured. _"...and I still can't get in touch with him..."_

"…_then we still have to find his group…_" Jill murmured.

Vanessa looked over at Jill. "…so you've seen everyone else…but Metal's group?"

Jill nodded. _"…after all…I've been scouring all over to purify all of the Corrupted that Patricia spread._"

"...wow..." Guts uttered with wide eyes.

_"...then we should hurry and start looking, Jill!"_ Tails Doll chimed in.

Jill nodded. Then she smiled at everyone. _"…keep your hopes up everyone…and good luck._" With that, she was off in the air again.

"Good luck to you too Jill!" Striker exclaimed, waving at her.

"Good luck!" Jack called as Tails Doll shot after her.

"…and do be careful!" Vanessa called up.

* * *

><p>"...man... things sure escalated quickly..." Sitting down as he gazed out at the horizon, Spiel folded his arms.<p>

Callous just sat in the same spot she had been with Spiel and Krieg, staring at herself. No matter how much she tried to convince herself this was real, she still couldn't believe she was in a body of her own…

…and not only that, but no more consequence of being tied to Jill, being restrained by her.

…she had achieved the exact freedom she had been longing for so long…

Krieg remained silent as he gazed at the ground...

...and then his eyes narrowed. "...someone's coming. And it isn't Jill..."

Callous snapped out of it when Krieg said that, looking at him. "What do you mean?"

And then she stopped when she got that feeling too…not only that, but it was a familiar feeling.

Spiel blinked... but then, he seemed to notice it as well. "...it's going for..." His eyes widened, and he shot a look behind him, towards Husk's body... but there was no one there.

Callous looked that way too…she even slowly started to approach it.

"...be cautious." Krieg spoke to her.

"…I will," Callous said, keeping her distance as she slowly approached Husk's body.

It remained completely motionless, just as Patricia and Bulk had left it before the crystal had ruptured the way it did...

...but somehow... it was like someone stood over the body, looking down upon it. Slowly, Callous started to notice that little detail, and she looked up at this someone standing over the body.

Slowly, he looked back towards her; hands clenching a touch. _"...Callous."_

Callous couldn't really speak. She was just…frozen…especially when she tried to consider what was probably going to happen.

_"...we'll talk later. Right now... I guess this body's got purpose again."_ The figure then vanished...

...and in that instant, Husk's body began convulsing; twitching vividly as if an unseen force was attempting something with it. Callous stepped back a bit cautiously, but she kept watching to see what would happen.

Seeing what was happening, Spiel and Krieg got to their feet just in case.

Eventually, the body ceased convulsing, as it slowly began relaxing...

...and then... a heartbeat.

Shockingly enough, Callous could hear it, still frozen.

Amazingly enough, the heart that had been torn from his body was slowly managing to beat once more; though weakly as the body still carried that injury. The body slowly twitched, almost in painful throes.

Since Callous saw the heart, she ran over and grabbed it. Then she went to the body and turned it over in her arms, placing the heart back in the hole in the chest with the aid of some Corruption in her palms. The body kept twitching, as the heart slowly began reattaching itself; though as it now slowly started to pump blood throughout the body, the hole in his being wouldn't keep the body alive for much longer. Callous decided to remedy this problem by coursing more Corruption into the body, in order to seal up the hole in his chest. The hole was slowly sealing itself, as the audible sound of his heart beating still rang through the air even with it being sealed within his being. Callous kept watching as she held the body in her arms, anticipating what would happen next. The heartbeat slowly began dying down, though just by holding the body, Callous could feel it still beating softly...

...and eventually, she would feel a pulse, and even breath from the body. Callous' eyes widened at that, still watching, waiting…wondering if what was happening was really true or not…

It took a while, an agonizing while...

...but eventually, the body's eyes were opening up. Callous gulped, actually getting a little shaky while she stared back at the eyes that opened.

Slowly, a smile crossed his lips as he gazed back into her eyes.

"...it's been a while... since things were like this..." he mused. "...right... Callous?"

Callous actually choked a little, managed to croak out, "…Johnny…?"

"...that's right." he hummed with a smile, still looking up at Callous. "It's really me..."

Callous didn't know how to handle the overwhelming feelings she was getting again. First it was when she thought they had lost Jill at the worst moment…and now…now, both her and Johnny just might be…

…the thought actually brought tears to her eyes, but she covered her face to hide it.

"...hey, now..." With a light smile, Johnny brushed some of her hair aside. "...you don't need to hide anything..."

"…this…can't be happening…right…?" Callous uttered. "…is this…for real…?"

"...only one way to find out, right?" Johnny shrugged with a smile still.

Callous looked at him, despite her tears falling, and she actually smiled. Johnny smiled back at her, moving a hand to wipe some of her tears away.

Callous just stared back at Johnny, "…this…is real…I'm not imaging it…" she uttered.

"...believe me... this was kinda hard to believe... but yeah, it's real..." Johnny uttered as well.

As this went on, Spiel and Krieg just looked at them blankly; Krieg mainly due to his blindness, but Spiel mainly because even he was surprised by this. Callous didn't seem to notice them…and finally, she didn't seem to care.

Especially when she grabbed Johnny to kiss him. Johnny didn't even hesitate in kissing Callous back; arms wrapping around her. Callous threw her arms around Johnny and kissed back, even with tears of joy running down her cheeks. Johnny just kept kissing her back in absolute bliss over the fact that after seven long, agonizing years... they were finally reunited.

In silence, Krieg gave Spiel a small nod, and the two of them silently began walking off, just to allow Callous and Johnny to have their moment on their own.

Callous continued to kiss Johnny, stroking his chest longingly. In return, Johnny caressed her back in the same manner as he kept kissing Callous back. Callous clutched to him, kissing him deeper and more passionate. Breathing a touch, Johnny matched her passion with his own as he deepened the kiss as well. Callous clutched the back of his head and kissed deep enough to insert her tongue. Coiling his tongue against hers, Johnny clutched to the back of her head as well to deepen the kiss even further. Callous breathed and gasped in her high running emotions, kissing Johnny harder. Likewise, as his emotions were reaching a boiling point, Johnny kept kissing Callous even harder. Callous gasped even more in excitement, clutching to Johnny. He clutched to her in return as he so passionately kept kissing her.

Callous actually had to break from the kissing to catch her breath. "…Johnny…"

"Callous..." Johnny breathed out as well, realizing just how deeply the two of them had missed the other from that vivid kiss alone.

"…I still…can't believe it…" Callous uttered.

"...yeah... same here..." Johnny nodded. "...but... this _is_ real..."

Callous actually started chuckling. "…this is the first time I've really been at a loss…"

Johnny couldn't help but chuckle a touch as well. "...I know the feeling."

"…goddamn there's so many thoughts going through my head right now…" Callous whispered.

"...same here..." Johnny uttered in return.

Callous rubbed his chest longingly, still breathing. Breathing out as well, Johnny rubbed her back in return, as he gazed into her eyes. Callous gazed back into his eyes, just enjoying this.

"...I've missed you... Callous..." Johnny eventually whispered.

"…I've missed you too…Johnny…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yay! Things are getting better and not only that, but Callous and Johnny have finally been reunited!<strong>_


	62. Chapter 61

Since they had taken care of those Corruption robots, Metal's group managed to get through that junkyard and march their way up the mountains. Metal was currently focused on just climbing the mountain; eyes narrowed as he kept going up step by step.

"...quite determined, huh?" Proxy mused as he walked by Metal's side.

"Of course..." Metal nodded.

_**"Target likely close. No sense in halting."**_ Omega spoke.

"Easy for you to say..." Hex remarked further in the back as she just kept her arms folded, glancing to the side.

Stella watched Metal worriedly, wondering if this time, they were gonna find Joy for good. She was worried if Metal was going to be able to take any more heartbreak while trying to find Joy.

"…keep your eyes open guys; no telling if there are gonna be more Corrupted around the area," Ivory warned.

"...if there are, we're prepared." Lock mused, as he kept a hand on his rifle.

"Hm..." Hex just kept looking around.

Violet backed up the group, watching their backs with her rifle drawn out. Metal still kept his gaze focused ahead; eyes narrowing.

"…guys…" Stella muttered. "…I'm not…getting a good feeling."

"...what do you mean?" Lock hummed.

All of a sudden, Hex came to a halt; eyes widening considerably. "...we're in trouble." she uttered, before she looked behind her.

When they all turned to look, they saw something very foreboding…which was a giant pool of black goo that started to climb its way up the mountain after them.

Seeing that, Proxy just gawked. "...what... how much Corruption is there?!"

"I've never seen anything like that..." Lock uttered.

Metal glared down at this with narrowed eyes; hands clenching.

"…how are we supposed to fight just…goo?" Stella uttered fearfully.

"...I can try and suck it up." Hex uttered. "I'm already Corrupted, so draining that couldn't hurt."

"...don't say that." Metal uttered, as he shot Hex a glance. "With how much Corruption is there, you'd end up losing your mind before you're halfway done..." He began slowly walking down the slope. "...all of you... keep going. I'll attempt to Purify it."

"You serious?!" Ivory yelped at that.

"...Metal, that's far too much to handle on your own." Lock uttered with narrowing eyes. "What if it overwhelms you?"

"...even so..." Metal uttered. "...it'll catch up to us soon... if I can't purify it, I can stall it... so the rest of you can find Joy and evacuate everyone..."

"...Metal..." Hex just gawked at him when he said that, as he began slowly approaching the massive glob of Corruption climbing after them.

"…I don't see any other alternate solutions, unfortunately," Violet hummed.

"...Metal... just be careful." Proxy uttered.

"...I will." With a nod, Metal focused Purity within his being, before he took to the air; firing down a beam of Purity at the glob.

The glob jiggled, and looked like it had been affected, but yet it kept crawling up the mountain.

Metal grit his teeth, as he began firing more Purity upon the glob. "...stay back!"

Metal narrowed his eyes, making sure to avoid it as he fired more at it. _It's not stopping... if I can't get it to stop going up the mountain...!_ He began flying down the slope, firing at it as he glared back to see if it would chase him.

"Metal!" Stella was about to run down to Metal, but Violet grabbed her to stop her.

"Don't…you can't fight the Corrupted…" Violet warned her.

"Kkh... well, I can!" Hex was just about ready to charge down as well, but Lock grabbed her shoulder.

"...even so... Metal told us clearly what to do." He looked up towards the slope. "...if we can find Joy... we should get her, and anyone else in the village, out of there before that thing comes after us..."

"…I don't want to leave him behind as much as the rest of us do," Ivory added. "…but he's the only one that can fend that stuff off. We gotta keep going," and with that, she rushed up the slope.

The others began heading up as well... except for Hex. _...Metal..._ Clenching her hands, she just looked down at this. _...if you get yourself consumed by that thing...!_

Narrowing his eyes, Metal kept firing stronger blasts of Purity upon the massive slime. It cleared up some of the goo, but that only made it come back twice as fast, quickly trying to overtake the hedgehog again. Metal just grit his teeth; firing more Purity upon it as he kept flying down the mountain, to keep it as far from the others as possible.

Still, the goo advanced…and some actually managed to touch his foot. Metal's eyes widened, as he found himself stuck to the slime. He began surging Purity all around his being whilst keeping the rest of his body away from the slime; hoping that Purity meeting Corruption would work as a means of eliminating the adhesive effect of the slime. Some of it worked, but eventually the slime just kept growing on him again, up to his knee. Gritting his teeth, he looked ahead and shot out several hooks of liquid metal; trying to use the mountain itself as leverage as he attempted to pull himself out from the slime via those hooks that embedded themselves much further down.

The only thing Metal served to do from that was dragging some of the goo farther up with him as it continued growing all over him. Hissing, he tried firing Purity directly at where the slime was crawling up his being; eyes narrowing as he grew desperate. It slowly managed to fend off the goo growing on him…

…but then he barely had time to look up to witness a tidal wave of black goo about to engulf him. Metal's eyes widened, but before he could even react properly, the tidal wave consumed him.

As she witnessed that, Hex's eyes widened. "METAL!"

Meanwhile, in the air, a certain figure was incoming toward the same mountain, only to stop in shock when she saw the build-up of the Corrupted Sea of goo.

Hex momentarily glanced aside... noticing the figure. "...huh...?"

Struggling within the slime's grasp, Metal narrowed his eyes as he tried focusing Purity around him to free himself. Once the goo had completely consumed him, it just became this void of darkness, like how it usually does, and the Purity only served as minor protection. Still, minor protection worked better than having the Corruption completely engulf him and turn him into a weapon for their cause. "...I can't give up... not when we're this close to finding her...!"

"…_**would you even have the right to go looking for her…?**_"

It seemed like so many voices all at once, talking in unison from the void.

Metal's eyes widened. "...who...?"

"_**You, who already caused such misery and pain…and attempted to rule with tyranny…**_"

Metal eventually realized something. "...no... it couldn't...!"

The black void around him transformed into a scene…in a particular city from long ago; robots were flying around, and people were running in panic.

Metal's eyes widened in realization. "...Westopolis!"

"…_**Watch Metal Sonic…look upon the pain you have wrought on us…**_"

A few people tripped while they were trying to get away, which had resulted in them getting shot down by Metal's robots. Metal's eyes widened, and he clasped his hand before his mouth. "...no... no, I... I didn't know..."

He even caught a glimpse of what he remembered to be Autumn, with two women running with him; his mother and sister. His sister ended up getting shot, and in desperate attempts to save her, his mother ran for her. She ended up getting struck down too, leaving a frozen Autumn in tragic shock.

"...no... stop it...!" Metal gripped his head and closed his eyes. "...stop showing me this...!"

"_**There is no excuse to turn away from the grief you have caused…**_"

"...I know..." Metal uttered. "...I'll likely atone for my sins in the future... but now... now is the worst time to be reminded of this...!"

"_**You cannot set aside matters such as this…you need to own up to the misery you've caused for others…otherwise, those you care about will suffer.**_"

Metal grit his teeth. "...how could I possibly own up to such crimes... trapped within this prison...?!"

"…_**accept punishment…by enduring the same suffering you have caused all of **_**us.**"

Then all of a sudden, the robots in Westopolis all turned…and looked at Metal menacingly.

Metal's eyes widened the instant he saw that. "...no..."

At first, it seemed like the robots were going to attack Metal…but they quickly swept past Metal, and when he turned to watch where they flew, he was met with a startling sight.

Joy, running away from the robots in fright.

Metal's eyes widened even more. "...NO!" Immediately, he shot towards Joy; narrowing his eyes as he held his hand out to form a barrier around her. The barrier saved Joy from an onslaught of fire, but the robots continued to fire against the barrier as Joy cowered in fear.

"…_**how does it feel…having loved ones at risk?**_"

"...stop it!" Metal called out desperately, focusing on maintaining the barrier. "If you intend to punish me, then punish _me!_ Leave her out of this!"

"_**This **_**is**_** your punishment…as was ours…watching loved ones **_**suffer.**_**"**_

The robots continued to fire; even some whacked against the barrier to try and bring it down, while Joy yelped in scared tears.

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP IT!" As he eventually reached the barrier, he focused his all on strengthening it, as he glared at the robots with narrowed eyes. "I won't let you harm my daughter!"

"_**Your daughter?! YOUR DAUGHTER?!**_"

Meanwhile, in the background, other robots chased after others…and suddenly shot down children.

"_**You killed innocent children…what makes you qualified to be a FATHER?!**_"

Metal grit his teeth. "...I... honestly would never have expected myself to be qualified to be a father..." he uttered, hands clenching. "...but someone helped to change me... someone who I owe my very life to..." He glared at the robots. "...for her sake... I would put everything at stake to protect them... especially my own life!"

"…_**and what should you do…anything happen to her as well?!**_**"**

Suddenly, off down the road, Metal could see someone else standing there…with her back turned, oblivious to the robots shooting toward her.

Seeing that, Metal's eyes widened. "...no... no, leave her alone!" Still maintaining the barrier around Joy, Metal thrust his hand forward to create a barrier to protect her with as well.

This time…no barrier was put up. The robots continued to lunge toward the one standing in the distance.

Metal grit his teeth. "...kkh..." Swiftly, he moved to grab Joy, making sure to shield her still. "...be brave..." he whispered to her, before he shot towards the figure as well; intending to reach her before the robots could. If he couldn't create a barrier... he'd have to _be_ the barrier.

That is, if he was quick enough. The robots opened fire on the woman standing in the road, just as she turned to look.

Metal grit his teeth. "...DON'T YOU DARE HURT HER!"

In that instant, he tapped into that legendary sonic speed; blasting in front of her and getting her and Joy out of the way... by blocking the incoming blasts with his own body. When he got shot down, he heard a gasp from behind him.

"…_**that's right…suffer!**_" the robots shot Metal down brutally.

Metal grit his teeth as the blasts hammered against him... but he refused to take it lying down. Slowly, he managed to push himself on his feet; still taking the blasts as he just glared at the robots. "...I won't... let you- NH!" He clutched to his shoulder, as he just kept taking blast after blast. "...hurt... them...!"

"_**You didn't seem to be able to stop killing all those people…what makes you think you can keep us from taking away those you hold dear yourself?!"**_ as the onslaught kept on against Metal.

Metal just grit his teeth. "...it's me you want...!" he spoke, hissing as the blasts were hammering viciously against him. "...you want vengeance... for what I've done...! You should just... keep punishing me, and only me!" He staggered as one blast struck his leg. "...after all... to give me what I deserve... would you truly stoop... to _my _level...?"

"_**IT IS THE ONLY WAY TO SHOW YOU JUST WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO US!"**_

Suddenly, from behind Metal…a light exploded out…it was small, but it slowly started to grow, spreading out the robots and pushing it away, making them hiss in the agony as they stared at the light.

Metal's eyes widened, as he slowly looked behind him to see that light. He felt arms wrap around him from the light, and by now, Metal could finally see the figure that was within the light, now holding him tenderly in her arms, comfortingly stroking the back of his head.

"…_**what is this?!**_" the voices hissed.

"…_I know you all suffered for what he did…but please…he's already suffered as much as all of you have…_" It was Jill, in her Holy form, and she held Metal dearly.

Metal's eyes widened, as a few tears began squeezing out from them. "...J...Jill..."

"_**What do you know of suffering and loss, girl?!**_" The voices hissed.

"…_I know enough…_" Jill answered, still focusing more of her attention on Metal. _"…I've been driven out of my own home…and I've lost to robbers a lover, Brick, who was the biological father of my child…I've endured enough suffering to know how it feels_…"

"...Jill..." Metal uttered; eyes closing as tears squeezed out from them, all while he clenched his hands.

"…_but Metal has suffered too…he's almost nearly lost someone he really cared about years ago, in a battle…even _he_ felt I was throwing my life away for a killing machine that didn't deserve it…_" Jill continued. _"…but I did it…because I cared about him…_"

"_**How could someone care for a killing machine?!**_" the voices hissed. Metal just grit his teeth, unable to say anything to all this.

"…_because I can,_" Jill answered. _"…if there's anything I've learned…is that trying to get revenge only causes more hate…and that causes suffering; a kind that can eat you from the inside out._"

Then Jill looked up at the robots. _"…and in a physical form…that's Corruption. Corruption brings only the worst kind of suffering imaginable…and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Not even Metal…who took on the very _creator_ of that power for 5 years…just to keep me safe._"

"…_I ask you…would a killing machine really do that? For someone like me?_"

The voices seemed to be silent at that. Even Metal remained silent, eyes closed still as he just breathed.

"…_he's done so much, and for a cause he could have just as easily walked away from, but he didn't…_" Jill continued. _"…if he really was a killing machine…he would finished me off when he got the chance when we first met._"

"…_**don't you know he was biding his time for the right moment to kill you?!**_

"_Even then, I stuck with him,_" Jill looked back up at the robots. _"And it's not because of him you suffer now…it's because of the Corruption._"

"_**No! This power was given to us to take fate into our own hands!**_**"**

Metal just looked up at the robots, shaking his head. "...it wasn't given... it was forced upon you... just like how I forced myself into your lives..." He glanced aside. "...submitting to one tyrant just for a chance to eliminate another... is that truly what you wish for?"

The voices were silenced again. The robots even backed away in hesitation.

"…_let us help you…_" Jill spoke. _"…let us end that suffering you're enduring…please…_"

Metal just looked back at them without a word. The robots stared at the two of them…and slowly, the voices all started mumbling, but they were no longer unison. They were all disjointed, and whispering pained pleads to end their suffering, basically answering their question.

Jill started to glow brighter, while she looked down at Metal. _"…I may need some help on this one,_" she said with a smile at him.

Metal gave Jill a small nod. "...of course..." With that, he closed his eyes as he focused Purity into his being.

With their combined effort put together, the Purity energy from the two of them spread…and expanded in a blinding light, taking over the robots and the city of Westopolis instantly…

Meanwhile, up on the slope, the group had waited a moment to watch it…and noticed that the goo suddenly stopped advancing.

"…huh?" Ivory was confused on that.

"...what's going on...?" Lock uttered.

As Hex had remained stationary ever since that figure had shot into the goo, she just gawked as it stood right in front of her, not moving. "...nh...?"

Suddenly…the goo actually started to sizzle and deteriorate away, sinking down the mountain. The farther it sank down, something became evident.

It left bodies behind, lying on the ground, them too sizzling from the Corruption that was withering away on them.

"…look at that…" Stella uttered in awe.

"...but... how...?" Proxy seemed baffled.

Hex, however, immediately realized what was going on. "...they... purified them...?"

Violet decided to start walking down the mountain to investigate this curious manner. "We should make sure Metal is alright," she said to the group. The others nodded, and swiftly followed suite.

At a certain point that the goo shrank away, it left behind another two figures, but these two weren't collapsed on the ground. Instead, they were holding to each other dearly. Seeing who they were especially shocked the group that slowly approached them from up the mountain. Hex was the one most stunned of them all, gawking at the two figures.

One of them was Metal, and he was safe, thankfully. The other was Jill, who was in her holy form, and holding to Metal tenderly.

The group gawking at them either couldn't tell who Jill was right away, or was too stunned to see her in that form. Seeing her startled especially Hex, who just took a few steps back at that sight.

"...well... this is unexpected... yet most welcome." Lock mused.

Jill kissed Metal's forehead then, and finally looked at the others with a smile. "_...thank goodness…you are all okay too."_

"...honestly..." Lock remarked, as he rubbed his head. "...it's good to see you again, Jill."

"...so...that's really...Jill?" uttered Stella in shock.

Even Ivory was shocked. "...huh..."

"...well, there's no doubt about it... it's her." Proxy mused.

_**"Scans show heavy signs of Purity within Jillian Condit... only Purity. No trace of the other forces."**_ Omega remarked as he scanned the ewe.

Hearing that, Metal blinked. "...only Purity...?" He looked at Jill. "...so... what about Callous...?"

_"...she's her own person now..._" Jill murmured.

"...do you mean...that you two were split again?" Violet assumed.

Jill nodded. _"...but we are no longer connected. She and I are now two different people."_

"...two different people..." Lock mused as he folded his arms.

"...didn't think that would ever happen..." Proxy remarked as well.

Hex just blinked as she heard that, looking at Jill with a tilted head. Jill then looked over in Hex's direction. With a small, inaudible noise, Hex just looked away. "...didn't expect to see you like that..." she murmured.

"…_didn't expect to even get this form…_" Jill spoke, floating over to her.

Hex hummed. "...so what's the plan? Straight-up purification?"

Jill nodded. _"…and you're one of the last…_"

"...right." With a slight sigh, she just held out her hand. "Well... better get it over with."

"...Hex?" Proxy seemed surprised at how willing she was to do that.

Jill took her hand, with her hands radiating with pure light, not at all questioning her willingness. Hex just closed her eyes... and then she winced.

Before anyone could make note of that, Jill suddenly found herself in another black void. Jill expected that this was going to be one of the toughest purifications she's had to do, given how she knew Hex. Before she knew it, though, a sharp, dark projectile just shot past her; grazing her cheek to cut a small wound open.

With that, Jill spun around. There, before her, stood a horrific sight; Hex, in the same corrupted form she had taken two years prior, glaring daggers at Jill as she smirked. _**"...come to cleanse me, hmmm?" **_she spoke wickedly; her entire body burning in pure shadow.

"…_you've let this eat at you…haven't you…_?" Jill spoke.

She laughed coldly. _**"Whatever do you mean by that? Isn't this just part of who I am?"**_ With that, she formed a blade of shadow, which thrust forward to try and strike Jill.

Jill blocked the blade with her own blade, and then pushed Hex back. _"I can tell you that the Corruption isn't part of who you are._"

Being blocked didn't deter her, however, as she just lunged at Jill with another slash. Jill flew aside. _"Hex, what happened to you?_" Jill muttered worriedly.

_**"What's happened? Nothing new!"**_ she cackled. _**"This is just my true self!"**_ Without warning, she formed several javelins of darkness that hurled towards Jill.

Jill tried to deflect all of the javelins. _"This_ used _to be you Hex…but not to this extent…there's so much hate and guilt floating around in the void…_"

_**"Hate? Guilt?!"**_ she cackled out, as more javelins began hurtling towards Jill. _**"Don't be ridiculous! There's only bliss to be found here!"**_

Jill kept up with the javelins. _"Bliss hm?"_

_**"Yes! Boundless, immense bliss!"**_ With a laugh, Hex eventually ceased hurling javelins... only to then toss a smaller, but faster dagger at her.

"_Eventually, that bliss will drive you mad,_" Jill remarked, catching the smaller dagger with her fingers as she rushed at Hex.

Hex just kept cackling, as she began hurling more projectiles upon Jill. Jill kept deflecting the projectiles with the dark one she had caught, as well as her blade, while she tried to make her way toward Hex.

Still though, Hex kept hurtling projectiles more at her. _**"C'mon! Try hitting me, for fuck's sake!"**_

"_I'm not trying to hurt you Hex, I'm trying to help you,_" Jill replied calmly, though still worriedly, as she tried to grab her.

The moment she tried that, though, Hex just grabbed Jill's arms; gripping down on them as she grinned. _**"Like I want your help!" **_she sneered, before throwing a punch at Jill's gut.

Jill grunted in pain at that. Hex, on the other hand, actually squealed in bliss the moment the fist connected. _**"See? This is the kind of bliss I meant!"**_ As if to prove a point, she began throwing more punches at Jill.

Jill winced and just took the punches the more Hex gave. The more she kept punching Jill, the more she kept squealing and mewling in utter bliss; eyes closing as she kept viciously pummeling Jill's stomach. _**"This sensation... I can't get enough of it...!"**_

Finally, Purity blasted off of Jill to knock Hex off of her. She was knocked away and slammed onto the ground... but rather than a pained grunt escaping her lips, it was a moan of ecstasy.

"…_Hex…do you want to know how I got this form again…? How I split from Callous?_" Jill hummed.

As she panted, Hex just got up from where she had crashed; smirking alluringly. _**"...what makes you think I'd care?"**_ she chuckled, as she glared at Jill.

"…_because I think it's something you should know,_" Jill murmured.

_**"...oh, believe me, that doesn't matter..."**_ Hex coughed, as she just kept smirking. _**"...the only thing that matters... is bliss... and I know how to attain the... ultimate..."**_ She winced as she spoke.

"_Hex, you need to let go of all of this,_" Jill spoke, realizing even more that this was going to be tougher. _"…it's doing you serious harm…you haven't been as Corrupted for very long but you're in much worse shape…_"

_**"...it doesn't hurt..."**_ Hex uttered, smirking as she glared at Jill. _**"...didn't you notice...? P-pain is... bliss..."**_

"…_no, I didn't notice,_" Jill answered. _"…Hex, just let me help you, please…before you get worse._"

_**"...I don't need help!"**_ Suddenly, Hex fired off more projectiles upon Jill. Jill flew away from them. However, Hex kept relentlessly firing upon her; cackling as she glared at the ewe evading her.

Jill kept trying to avoid her, trying to figure out how she was going to approach Hex.

Hex just kept laughing. _**"Come on! If you wanna get to me, you're going to have to try and kill me!"**_

"_I don't want to Hex! The last thing I want to do is hurt you more than I have to!_" Jill spoke.

_**"Don't make me laugh!"**_ Hex scoffed in response. _**"One way or another, you'll have to kill me!"**_

"_You wouldn't want to kill anyone any more than I would!_" Jill shouted. _"You wouldn't even kill your own friends, would you Hex?_"

Momentarily, Hex ceased. _**"...excuse me...?"**_

Seeing that having some effect, Jill stopped. _"…you wouldn't hurt any of your friends…would you?_"

Hex just blinked. _**"...I... I don't..."**_

"…_Hex…you have friends…right?_" Jill muttered worriedly.

_**"...I... friends..."**_ Hex slowly looked down. _**"...f-friends... I... I have... friends..."**_

"…_friends help you…friends don't hurt you Hex…_" Jill felt as if she was talking to a younger child, but she didn't mind. Anything in order to reach her psyche deep within.

_**"...friends... I... **_**I...**_**" **_Suddenly, Hex gripped her head, shaking it violently as she grit her teeth. _**"...no... no, no, no...!"**_

Jill suddenly thought of something. _"…Hex…did…did one of your friends get hurt?_"

_**"...she was... her soul was...!"**_ Hex uttered; eyes closing as she kept shaking her head. _**"...I wasn't there... I couldn't stop... couldn't save... my fault... my fault...!"**_

Jill's eyes narrowed. _"…her soul was taken…consumed…by Patricia…wasn't it?_"

_**"...I couldn't help her... she was... I don't...!"**_ Hex's tone began growing more helpless now.

"…_Hex…it wasn't your fault…_" Jill tried to talk to her, slowly inching toward her warily.

_**"...my fault... it was my fault..."**_ Hex kept uttering; clutching to her head. _**"...everything... my fault... so many lives... so many souls... broken... my fault...!"**_

Jill blinked, and then thought about it. It wasn't just losing a friend…she was actually grieving from the way she had used to be. Heck, she remembered those broken souls she freed back in Safe Haven when trying to rescue Cowpoke from Hex…

"…_you really feel guilt from all of that, don't you?_" Jill hummed, getting closer.

_**"...tried to change... couldn't change... suffered... suffered...**_" Hex whimpered, gritting her teeth more as she sank to the floor.

Jill approached Hex even closer. _"…but at least you tried to change…your heart was in it._"

_**"...it... wasn't enough..."**_

Suddenly, she grabbed Jill as she glared fiercely at her. _**"...no matter how hard I try to change... I can't erase my sins... so many figures, so many things from my past... I can't be rid of them...! No matter how hard I try, I can't do anything to fix it! So please... I beg of you! KILL ME!"**_

"_Killing you is not the solution, Hex…_" Jill spoke, though she had been startled by Hex grabbing her.

_**"...no, you're wrong!"**_ Hex screamed at her. _**"I can't atone for my sins through any other means than death... please, anything! Stab me, impale me, burn me, strangle me, gore me, rip me apart, tear me asunder! I don't care how, just KILL ME!"**_

Jill closed her eyes. _"…but…one if someone forgave you for all the things you did?_"

Hex's eyes widened. _**"...wh...what...?"**_

"…_there are many you've wronged…yes…including me…_" Jill spoke. _"…you tried to take me and my daughter multiple times…tried to break me in front of Metal…took him as revenge against me, as well as taking Cowpoke for revenge against him for insulting you…_"

Whimpering, Hex just glared away from her.

"…_but I know that you wanted to change, and I genuinely believe that you have changed for the better,_" Jill spoke. _"…not only that…but you helped my daughter out. You're even helping in looking for her…that's a lot to ask someone like you._"

Hex didn't respond.

"…_so, allow me to be the first…after all this._"

Jill reached forward and hugged Hex.

"…_I forgive you Hex."_

Hex's eyes widened, but she still made no response apart from that. Jill hugged her tighter, hoping to break through to her.

Eventually, as they sat there in silence...

"...y-you... really... forgive me...?"

Jill kept hugging her. _"I really do…_"

With a small, choked sob, Hex then clutched to Jill and whimpered a touch. "...d-do you think... anyone else... would forgive me...?"

"_It'll take time…but I think they will…_" Jill hushed.

Still, Hex whimpered as she clutched to Jill; closing her eyes as she tried holding back her tears. "...it hurts..."

"_It's okay…_" Jill assured, channeling Purity into her arms.

Hex grit her teeth as she closed her eyes. "...it's... hard... to let go..."

Jill closed her eyes again. _"…I know it's hard…_"

"...can I really... let go...?" Hex uttered.

"_Yes, you can,_" Jill said with a smile, channeling even more Purity. Hearing that, Hex began weeping more; clutching to Jill as she dealt with this kind of pain. Jill hugged her tightly to comfort her as she kept on Purifying her. It was a lengthy process, as the Corruption surrounding Hex was deep.

Eventually, the two were no longer in the void, but back in front of the group, with the last of the Corruption sizzling off of Hex.

Stella's eyes widened at this. "…amazing…"

"...hm..." Lock simply adjusted his hat a touch.

Eventually, Jill pulled away from Hex after fully purifying her. Hex just breathed out, as she slowly opened her eyes. "_…how do you feel?_" Jill asked.

Hex just breathed out a touch. "...at... ease." she murmured.

Jill smiled at her.

Suddenly…the glow around Jill faded and burned out. Some of the feathers withered away off of Jill in a shower of sparkles, suddenly making her revert back to normal.

"…Condit?!" Ivory uttered in shock at this.

Once normal again, Jill still gave that faint smile…but collapsed weakly.

"Jill!" Before she could fall to the ground, Metal swiftly grabbed her.

"...she must be... exhausted..." With a slight groan, Hex collapsed as well, though Proxy made sure to grab her in return.

"…I'm…alright…" Jill mumbled weakly in Metal's arms. "…I…exerted myself quite a bit…"

"From purifying Corrupted left and right? Wouldn't be surprised," Violet hummed.

"...well... seems like we have an edge..." Lock mused, as he glanced behind him. "...considering just how close we may be..."

Omega then turned to look at Jill. _**"...we are close to the designated place... are we not?"**_

Jill looked up the mountain in silence. It had certainly been a long time since she's been up here, but she knew every step of the way by heart. "…yes, we are," Jill answered. "Just further up the mountain…and you'll reach it."

"...then we can't remain idle..." Metal remarked, as he managed to pick Jill up to carry her. "...we're almost there..."

"...hm." Lock hummed, as he glanced at the rest of the group. "...are we ready to finish this?"

"…I know I am…" Jill murmured, still looking up the mountain.

"...Joy..." Metal uttered, before the group began venturing up the mountain. "...we're coming to help you..."

* * *

><p>"…it seems like things have cooled down…" Belinda hummed with a relieved sigh.<p>

"...yeah... everything's gone quiet..." Caitlin mused.

"I can't tell if that's a good thing or not," Bruno muttered, looking around at the other soldiers.

"...guess we'll find out..." Ruki remarked.

That's when they suddenly saw more of the GUN troops arriving in the area, but didn't show any hostility. Instead, they seemed to be escorting a couple of people.

"...hn?" Seeing that, Ruki blinked. "Who're they...?"

"...I'll talk to them." Caitlin hummed, as she approached the GUN troops whilst rubbing her neck.

The ones that the GUN troops were escorting was the Captain and the Admiral, but they weren't the only ones.

One of them was the Sergeant, fresh out of his bed after having made a full recovery from his torture. The other one was the Commander; arms folded behind her back as she surveyed the surrounding area.

"...well... that's a sight for sore eyes." Caitlin remarked.

Seeing who it was, Ruki's eyes widened. "...the Commander? And the Sergeant?"

"It's good to see that all of you have made it through the attacks," The Sergeant said with a nod.

"Yeah, uh, thanks," Francis muttered. "…but why are you guys here?"

"...after the Sergeant sufficiently recovered from his coma..." the Commander began, as she gave the soldiers a nod. "...we saw it fit to immediately head over to Safe Haven, after receiving a distress signal earlier."

"...so you were bringing reinforcements, then?" Will remarked.

"...reinforcements and additional supplies." the Commander nodded, before she smiled. "...but I am grateful to see that everyone here is safe..."

"I think as far as we know, Condit might've taken out all of the soldiers," Seymour muttered.

"...is that right?" The Admiral hummed a touch in surprise at that.

"...yeah, you'd be right... give her credit; that girl saved the island."

Upon hearing that voice, Maya glanced to the side... and she immediately beamed. "...Uncle Spiel! Uncle Krieg!" With a gleeful laugh, she ran towards the two figures; jumping up to grab one of them in a hug.

"...Maya." With a slight hum, the warthog simply smiled as he hugged her back.

The others glanced back to see the pig and warthog approaching them as well. "...no way... it really _is _them!" Marco uttered.

"What, you were expectin' someone else?" Spiel chuckled as he rubbed his neck a touch.

The Captain blinked at that. Then he started putting the pieces together. "…wait a minute…weren't those…the names on the tombstones at…?"

"...it's a long story." Spiel noted. "You probably wouldn't get it."

"...well... considering I was there..." the Admiral chuckled. "...I have to thank you as well. You seem to have aided Condit well enough."

"Nah, don't mention it; she did most of the work herself." Spiel noted with a shrug.

The Commander just chuckled a bit as well. "Always the miracle-worker... so, where is Condit, then?"

"Flew off," Flamenco answered. "She sought out to fix the mess the Corrupted started."

"…really…?" The Captain was surprised by that.

"...well, that would explain why she hasn't come back yet; it must've been a hell of a mess, after all..." Spiel remarked.

"...hm..." With a thoughtful hum, the Commander looked up at the sky. "...oh, by the way... Sergeant?" She looked at him with a smile. "I believe you have something to revoke, do you not?"

The Sergeant nodded. Then he turned to the soldiers. "I apologize for the blockage that's held up the island. Now that I'm here, I intend to remove the blockage, freeing Safe Haven of any charges."

A small grin crossed Caitlin's lips. "...well, it's about damn time." she remarked. "But you know... I think you owe a _special_ apology to my son, after all."

"Now, now, let's not rub it in..." Krieg noted.

"Even then, I really do owe that apology," The Sergeant said. Then he closed his eyes, "…just as much as I owe an apology to Miss Condit."

"Hey, no need to go soft on us."

The others looked to see two more approach the camp, but they would be shocked at who it was; that is, except Spiel and Krieg of course.

One of them was Callous, in a different outfit no less, but she was smirking the same old smirk she usually would as she approached everyone; primarily the military leaders. The other was Johnny, though his body had certainly changed from what most of those who recognized him would have been familiar with. "Yeah, I figured GUN were supposed to be tougher than that."

"...Johnny Leoniel." the Commander spoke with widened eyes. "And Callous, too..."

"...hm..." The Admiral folded his arms behind his back, "...most curious."

"…who?" The Captain uttered.

Callous laughed. "What? You don't remember me and my outbursts on the Lieutenants, Captain? For shame…"

That's when the Captain blinked with wide eyes. "…oh."

"...but if you're here... and Condit's flown off to deal with the Corrupted..." the Admiral hummed with a thoughtful hum.

"...don't tell me... you two split up again?" the Commander uttered.

"Yes, only permanently," Callous said.

"...permanently..." The Commander seemed quite surprised upon hearing that.

"...so, what's the plan you guys got going for you right now, huh?" Johnny hummed out of curiosity.

"Well, originally, we were going to send out reinforcements to help aid in the battle against the Corrupted…but seeing as they have been quite diminished in numbers, there is no need for that," the Sergeant hummed. "Our plan now is to ensure the safety of the island until King comes back…though not in the way it has happened in the past."

"Uh-huh…sure…" Jam murmured under his breath so he wasn't heard.

"...so you're basically just gonna hold the fort." Spiel remarked.

"...well..." Johnny glanced at Callous. "...I figure that Jill hasn't managed to take out the big guys... so what do you think?"

"I say we take advantage of their weakness to take 'em out," Callous answered. "At this rate, nobody's gonna be able to do it until they get the chance to build their numbers again, so someone's gotta do it."

"...right." Johnny nodded. "And since you and me are the only ones really capable of wiping them out..."

Callous nodded. Then she smirked at the GUN soldiers. "You all don't mind us just…taking off, do you?"

They all just looked among each other.

"...honestly... if you can stop the scourge of the Corrupted..." the Commander uttered, as she folded her arms, "...then go ahead. But don't push your luck too far..."

Callous nodded. "Then we'll be going…and if I were you, I would check Jill's house. The Lieutenants, Tasha, and Cyrene are holding up there for cover."

"...right; we'll do just that." the Admiral spoke. "Good luck to you."

Callous smirked again…and snapped her fingers.

The roar of an engine was heard, and soldiers jumped out of the way at the sight of a motorcycle flashing in from a fog of black smoke. "...where the hell did you get that from?!" Lin uttered with wide eyes.

Johnny whistled upon seeing this motorcycle, as he got on it; "Didn't know you could just call upon one of these."

"Yep; always been able to," Callous chuckled, getting on right behind him.

Chuckling, Johnny began revving the motorcycle up. "Heh... you just keep on amazing me."

Callous chuckled with him, putting her arms around Johnny to hold on. Then she smirked at the soldiers. "See you suckers later."

With that, Johnny revved up the motorcycle and shot off into the dark, leaving the others behind to gawk at where they had been in silence.

"...well..." Will uttered as he blinked. "...that happened."

"…show-offs…" Francis chuckled.

* * *

><p>Far away from Safe Haven, a portal of darkness erupted as someone rode out from it; chuckling as he kept driving on ahead. "...talk about rush!" he laughed as he kept speeding down the path they were on.<p>

Callous laughed too as she held to Johnny. "Y'know, I think this is the first time we've ridden on one together!"

"And we'll get a lot more opportunities for this from here on out!" Johnny laughed as he kept driving on. "Once we've dealt with the stooges hiding back at their base, this should go off without a hitch!"

"And after this mess gets sorted out, we'll be free!" Callous added. "Free to do whatever the hell we want!"

"With no one to tell us what the hell we can and can't do!" Johnny laughed again. "It'll be just you, me, and the road ahead that matters to us!"

Then suddenly…two figures jumped out on the road in front of them. "Huh?!" Immediately, Johnny took to swerving away from these figures; eyes narrowing as he managed to avoid them by a hair's breadth. "The fuck?!"

The two figures looked at the ones on the motorcycle in shock.

"Didn't realize there were still maniacs on the road…" one of them turned out to be Mercy, and she scoffed after nearly being hit by the motorcycle.

"...indeed..." The one by her side was Pierce, who folded his arms a touch.

Johnny grunted as he glared at them; particularly the poodle. "...the fuck... I thought Jill was taking care of these chumps..."

"…so much for that," Callous grumbled.

"…what's that supposed to mean?" Mercy muttered. "You guys minding on clarifying?"

"...well, no hard feelings..." Johnny hummed, as he began revving the motorcycle again. "...but you're gonna have to die."

"...is that so...?" With a bemused hum, Pierce held out his blade; unwrapping the bandages that covered it as his eyes narrowed. "...well, then... come and try."

Callous summoned her scythe to her hands, looking at them.

"…Pierce…they're Corrupted…" Mercy murmured in observation at Callous' summoning of her scythe.

"...I had a feeling." Pierce remarked. "...but then again, so am I. Stand back." As he spoke, the blade he held began shimmering with darkness.

"...alright, Callous, get ready!" With that, Johnny drove straight for Pierce, at such an angle that Callous could take a swing of her scythe at them. Mercy jumped out of the way while Callous took her swing at Pierce.

The moment she swung, though, Pierce slashed his sword at her; his blade grinding heavily against the scythe to the point that the motorcycle came to a complete halt. Callous growled at this, and tried to push against his blade harder. However, Pierce remained adamant in keeping her back.

It was at this point that Mercy pulled out her pistols to try to shoot at Callous and Johnny. Noticing that, Johnny began knocking the bullets out of the air with blasts of Corruption; only smaller blasts that deflected the bullets, since he could tell that Mercy wasn't Corrupted, so killing her would just be a waste of time.

Still, though, Pierce kept pushing against Callous' scythe; actually gaining ground. Callous decided to pull out a whip and try to lash at him. However, the lash only barely grazed him as he stepped aside; slashing his sword in such an arc to allow the motorcycle to just drive past him for a bit before Johnny came to a stop.

"Shit... this guy's not even trying." Johnny remarked. "And that's not a sarcastic retort..."

Mercy shot more, but this time, Callous was able to deflect the bullets with her scythe. "Then let's see if we can't make 'em sweat at least."

"Alright... I'll drive, you jump!" With that, Johnny spun the motorcycle around to drive straight for Mercy. "Jump for the poodle!" Just right then, Callous jumped off and ran for Pierce. Seeing that, Pierce's eyes narrowed as he readied his sword.

In the meantime, Johnny began driving around Mercy to keep her from having a steady target to shoot at. "So what's your deal, huh? Last-minute stragglers?"

"Stragglers from what?" Mercy growled. "We're just making sure that nobody takes us out!" She kept shooting, even though it might've been futile.

Indeed; her bullets kept missing Johnny as he kept circling her. "Don't talk like you don't know what we mean. That poodle's one of Novagod's little cronies, isn't he?"

That was when Mercy stopped shooting. "What're you talking about? We split from them!"

Johnny blinked. "...wait, seriously?"

"Yeah, we used to work for them, but I was purified, and he left because he didn't want to feel their wrath," Mercy muttered. "Hell, we even fought off some Corrupted that were in our way just to make sure they weren't just taking us back!"

"...no kidding?" Johnny remarked, as he actually came to a halt. "...well, you're not Corrupted, I can tell that much..." He glanced over at Callous and Pierce fighting. "...so you guys are on the run, huh?"

"For the most part," Mercy answered. "We've been trying to figure out how to take down Bulk and Patricia while we've been on the run…"

"...huh. What a coincidence." With a hum, Johnny glanced back at Mercy with a nod. "We were headed over to their base to wipe 'em out and bring this whole Corruption army thing to rest."

Mercy just blinked at that, and she wondered if they were just messing with her on this, or if they were telling the truth. "Do you even know where their base is?" she hummed, folding her arms.

Blinking a bit, Johnny folded his arms. "...you know, come to think of it, we don't, actually. I was planning on tracking where their Corruption was lingering, but since _someone_ hasn't completely finished her job, there could be more of those darklings to deal with around the place..."

"…what do you mean _someone hasn't finished their job?_ Was someone seriously going around and fighting off the Corrupted?" Mercy asked in astonishment.

"Well, at least cleaning the mess up." Johnny noted, "Seems like they didn't finish off Bulk and Patricia though, so that's our job at the moment."

"…and why the hell do you look like all those Leoniels?" Mercy huffed.

"...because I _am_ one?" Johnny noted.

Mercy narrowed her eyes. "You are?"

"...yeah. Johnny Leoniel." He jabbed a thumb at his chest. "The real deal, too; not those chumps that got enslaved by your sorry excuse for a former boss."

Mercy's eyes widened at that. "…you're…?!"

Then she finally turned to where Pierce and Callous were fighting. "Pierce! Quit fighting her!"

The moment he heard that, Pierce just finished parrying a blow from Callous' scythe, before he glanced over. "...what is it?"

"These guys just might be on the same side as us," But then Mercy looked over at Johnny. "…though even then, I'm still not sure."

"...we're on our own side." Johnny hummed.

Callous put away her scythe in this. "We don't listen to anyone. We have our own agenda."

"...hm... curious." Pierce mused, as he withdrew his own sword for the moment. "Just like me and Mercy, then..."

"…it seems like they're seeking out a way to take down Patricia and Bulk, just like us, Pierce," Mercy said, looking back at the poodle.

"...hm..." With a curious hum, Pierce glanced at Callous. "...perhaps an alliance is in order?"

"Maybe," Callous said with a chuckle. "I mean…it's probably better we try and gang up on those two anyway."

"I agree." Johnny remarked with a chuckle. "Three against two should give us an advantage."

"...don't you mean four against two?"

"No, I don't." Johnny noted. "I mean, your bunny friend over there isn't even Corrupted; how the fuck do you expect her to accomplish jack against those two?"

Mercy just glared at him. "I can still hold my own, jackass."

"Oh, yeah; I figure that'll help out as a meat shield." Johnny shrugged apathetically.

"Hold your tongue." Pierce shot in as he just sighed. "Bickering won't get us anywhere."

Callous looked at all of them. "Yeah…if we're deciding to team up, then we'd better come up with a plan on how."

"Alright..." With a hum, Johnny folded his arms. "...so what should we do? Waltzing up to the front door and barging in sounds good enough."

"If we'd want to be swarmed, sure..." Pierce remarked, as he closed his eyes. "...perhaps a distraction for the main forces would be in order...?"

"Well goddamn, if you think I'll be useless, maybe I should just serve as their distraction for the three of you to sneak in," Mercy huffed.

"...that would be dangerous, Mercy." Pierce spoke. "I know you're capable of holding your own, but you could be swarmed... not a fate I'd want you to undergo again."

"Aw, isn't that sweet? He doesn't want you getting hurt," Callous teased with a chuckle, which just earned her another glare from Mercy. Pierce just glanced aside with a hum.

"Well, then maybe two of us should go as a distraction, and the other two sneak their way in," Callous suggested after her amusement with teasing Mercy.

"Why do you guys want to take down Bulk and Patricia, anyway?" Mercy asked out of curiosity.

"...because we're gonna clean up a mess that shouldn't have been started to begin with." Johnny replied in a surprisingly serious tone.

"…and it's only fair we take responsibility for it," Callous added with the same serious tone.

"Why?" Mercy asked.

Callous sighed. "Well…I think being under Bulk and Patricia's orders, you should know that little girl…and that little entity inside of her."

Pierce hummed. "...I wasn't informed of any entity... but I know what girl you speak of."

"I know the girl too…but an entity?" Mercy muttered.

"Basically…an alter ego to the girl, who was responsible for Corrupting Bulk and Patricia, and therefore, responsible for the whole thing," Callous asked.

Mercy hummed at that. "…so there was more reason hunting the girl than just because she could stop us…"

"...they wanted to snuff her out... or possibly gain her power for themselves..." Pierce assumed with a hum.

"...well... that's in the past." Johnny huffed. "Right now, we've got two chumps that are busy licking their wounds, so we can crush 'em before they even think of retaliating.

"Wait, I still don't get why it's the two of yours responsibilities," Mercy huffed. "Sure, you know the girl…but what is the real connection?"

Callous grumbled, while looking away.

"We're technically the parents of that entity, okay?"

"...what." Pierce just looked dumbfounded upon hearing that.

"Oh, you heard her." Johnny huffed, as he looked away as well.

"…the entity calls herself Malice, and it was the reason that Joy ran away from her friends and family," Callous huffed. "…according to _it_, we're supposedly it's parents. Some convoluted explanation that when I joined back with my counterpart, that some of me and Johnny developed into the girl when she was still in the womb."

"_...what._" was Pierce's response.

"Hey, she said it was convoluted." Johnny shrugged.

"Either way, it's in the past, like Johnny said, and we're gonna make sure that it isn't gonna bite us in the ass again," Callous finished.

"...right..." Johnny glanced back at them. "...so, are you coming or not?"

Mercy looked over at Pierce. Then she nodded, "Yeah."

Pierce nodded as well. "...my blade is yours."

"Alright," With a hum, Johnny gave them a nod. "Then get on, and lead the way."

Mercy just looked at the two. Eventually, she turned and started running off in a direction. "Follow me."

Pierce began running after her as well. With a hum, Johnny glanced back at Callous, and motioned for her to get on the motorcycle. Callous hurried on, holding to Johnny. With a swift nod, he revved the motorcycle up, and drove after Mercy and Pierce.

* * *

><p>Bulk and Patricia returned to base. Patricia, after having transformed into that form, used a lot of her power, and right now, she was just sitting and trying to regain control over all that instability.<p>

But now was the question of what they were going to do at this point. Their entire army was probably wiped out, and not only that, but they lost all their underling 'generals' too. It was just the two of them again. Slamming a hand against the nearby wall, Bulk just breathed out as he narrowed his eyes considerably.

"…what the fuck are we gonna do…?" Patricia uttered.

"...how the fuck should I know...?!" Bulk uttered. "...how the fuck did we go from being on top to being... tossed aside like we're just nothing...?!"

"…all that time to build everything up…was nothing but a goddamn waste of time…" Patricia uttered, holding her head.

"...for fuck's sake!" Bulk then threw a punch straight at the wall, glaring at the subsequent hole that collapsed before his fist. "What kind of goddamn bullshit is this?!"

Patricia clenched her hands on her head, starting to lost control of the stability she tried so hard to get back after what happened on Safe Haven. Bulk, in return, just began punching his fists against the wall in utter anger. Bulk losing his temper wasn't helping her one bit, and Patricia steadily lost control on herself more and more, digging her claws into her head to actually make her bleed black goo. Finally, he just stopped punching, breathing as he glared at his fists, which were dripping with black, gooey blood as well from how hard he had been punching the solid brick walls.

"…_Bulk…I can't take it anymore…_" he heard beside him.

"...what...?" Bulk snarled with a growl, as he slowly looked behind him.

Patricia was actually digging her own claws into herself to make her bleed black goo, and purposefully dragging her claws all over her body, while she had this insane look in her eyes. _"I can't deal with this anymore; I CAN'T LIVE WITH THE FACT THAT WE LOST LIKE THIS!"_

Bulk's eyes widened as he saw that, backing away from her with wide eyes, "The fuck?! Where'd this come from?!"

Patricia just kept tearing herself apart with her own claws, letting out agonizing screams while the goo started to overtake her. With a snarl, Bulk then grabbed Patricia's wrists. "Get a fucking hold of yourself, ya psycho bitch!" he roared as he swung his arm at her, in an attempt to snap her out of it.

Patricia got hit, but that didn't make her snap out of it. It actually enraged her even more.

She even managed to get one of her wrists from him to try and lash at him. The lash actually cut him across the face, scarring him as he reeled back...

...and then, he shot a deadly glare at her, as goo was dripping from his face. _"...you fucking BITCH!"_ With a roar, he suddenly swung Patricia straight into a wall. The impact of that certainly shut Patricia up, and was fully consumed by the goo at that point, stuck against the wall.

Bulk just breathed as he glared at that goo; clutching to where he had been slashed by Patricia. "...shit..."

…then Bulk suddenly realized that the goo didn't stop with Patricia.

It kept growing and expanding.

His eyes widened upon seeing that, as he took several steps back. "...Patricia, what the fuck are you doing?!" he yelled; actually starting to panic, which was making the goo dripping from his face and fists practically boil in response as it kept dripping from him. There was no response made to his statement, as the goo just kept expanding; some of it scaling up toward the ceiling even.

Still gawking at this, he just kept stepping away as the goo, unbeknownst to him, was starting to cover his own being as well. It kept going and going, until there wasn't anywhere else for Bulk to step away from the goo, as it was starting to drip from the ceiling it was crawling across.

With a desperate snarl, he just spun around and punched the goo-free wall behind him, bursting through it as he began fleeing. "I don't get what the fuck you're up to, but I'm not gonna be caught dead in that stuff!" he roared as he ran, the goo still spreading across his body.

Just as he left that room, the goo fully consumed the room, and squeezed through the hole he had punched through, still spreading. Bulk just kept running, glaring back at the goo from time to time whilst bursting through as many walls as he could. "Fuck! Why the fuck is she suddenly going crazy like this?!" he yelled in panic. The goo even sped up its pace, crawling faster and faster to try to actually catch up to Bulk.

Eventually, Bulk managed to break outside, on a balcony; breathing out as he gripped hold of the railing before him to catch his breath; though only now did he notice that his arms were steadily being consumed by the goo. "Wha... _**WHAT IS THIS?!**_" he roared out in panic.

The goo kept coming, and it left him cornered on that balcony. Spinning back, Bulk just gawked at this goo with wide, horrified eyes, the goo spreading further on his body. "...Patricia! If you can hear me, stop this fucking goo right now!"

He wasn't heard, as the goo just squeezed through the opening onto the balcony to start spreading closer to him. With a snarl, he began building up Corruption within his maw. "...I swear, if you don't stop it, I'm gonna BLOW YOU THE FUCK-!"

He couldn't finish the sentence, as the goo then suddenly wrapped tightly around his snout; silencing him as this brought him to panic even more. This was the time that the goo finally caught up to him, and started to add to the spread of his own goo. In horror, Bulk tried firing Corruption at the goo to spread it away, but the bleeding from his fists was actually causing him to just speed up the goo spreading across him further.

Suddenly, the goo actually acted as a force, yanking Bulk inside the opening. Still panicking, Bulk tried grabbing the very floor to escape, but the goo proved to be far too powerful for that; pulling him back into the building as he let out a muffled, yet still terrified scream.

Once he was yanked inside, the opening actually sealed itself shut, thanks to the goo, turning and morphing to look like there had never been any kind of opening in the first place.

* * *

><p>Joy…felt really…<em>really<em> sick. It was that horrible feeling deep down in her gut. It made her tremble weakly, and she still hadn't fully recovered from her sickness, so she was struggling to get back up from where she lay back down on the couch.

Ray walked in to see this…and he grew worried. "Joy, lay back down. You still have to rest."

"…Grandpa…I-I gotta…go…"

Noticing the startled, frightened tone in his granddaughter, Ray's eyes widened. "No, Joy, you have to stay here. Don't keep pushing yourself like this." He went to take Joy, but she simply shoved Ray away and ran through the room.

Frantically, Ray chased after her to try and catch her, but she managed to get the door open and dash right out the door away from him.

Ray gasped. Then he looked back into the house. "Tails! It's Joy! She's running off!"

No reply came to him...

...but the immediate sound of a different door being flung open, before someone actually flew past him, was more than enough proof that Tails had heard him. "...I'll follow her!" he called back to Ray as he pursued Joy.

Ray grit his teeth. Then he followed after Tails, hoping they could catch up.

Seeing the two after her, this only made Joy pick up the pace.

Tails, still adorning the battle-gear he had used to fight off the Corrupted with, just narrowed his eyes as he kept pursuing Joy.

At some point, Joy tripped and collapsed weakly on the ground, in the middle of the town no less. Gasps filled the air from the villagers, some of them rushing to try and help Joy.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Joy's screamed startled everyone and it definitely made them jump away from Joy. Joy clutched to her chest, feeling pain suddenly course throughout her body. She whimpered and winced, definitely feeling a familiar, foreboding energy take over her body and ooze from her in rising trails of black smoke.

To the villagers, this scared them even more and caused them to distance farther away from Joy.

Seeing that, Tails gasped as he landed on the ground. "...Joy..."

It didn't take long before he shot a look back at Ray. "...you have to evacuate the village! This could be dangerous for everyone living here!"

Ray grew flustered. "Everyone, you heard him! You all need to run and take shelter in the woods!" he ordered the villagers, which made them scamper away in panic. At first, he wondered if he needed to go help them evacuate, and then he looked at Joy worriedly.

"...Ray." Tails uttered, before his gaze fell on Joy again. "...leave this to me... you have to stay with your people right now..."

Ray hissed a little. He really wanted to help his granddaughter…but he knew his duty as the new appointed Elder. "Be careful…" He warned, heading off to help the villagers.

With a mere nod, Tails kept looking at Joy.

Eventually, the town had emptied itself of anyone but Tails and Joy, leaving them alone.

Then there was laughter, which came from Joy. Tails remained silent.

The little ewe rose to her feet, and turned to Tails with icy blue eyes, grinning.

"...Malice." Tails spoke calmly, folding his arms behind his back.

"Guess I finally get to meet the famous Miles 'Tails' Prower," Malice chuckled with a sneer, clenching her hands into fists while her grin widened. "What an honor."

Tails just looked back at her with a calm, though still narrowed gaze.

"Do you think you stand a chance against me, _Professor?_" Malice sneered.

Still, Tails didn't respond.

"Not gonna respond to me, huh?" Malice chuckled.

"...why should I humor the whims of a child?" Tails remarked.

"You do it for her; why not for me?" Malice scoffed.

"...because you are petulant and spoiled." Tails mused.

"Spoiled?!" And Malice laughed, though it sounded like a hurt kind of laugh. "How could I possibly be spoiled?!"

"...you crave attention." Tails began; eyes narrowing as his hands slowly lowered to his sides. "From the moment you first took over Joy, every action you've made has been to throw the spotlight in your direction... killing Raider, corrupting Patricia and Bulk, driving Joy to flee from her friends, her family, anyone who just wanted to help the poor girl... all to make yourself known." He remained completely composed as he spoke the harsh truth to her. "_That_ is how a child like you could be spoiled."

Malice grit her teeth, now getting angry with Tails. "…okay, you've got a point."

"...and for what? For what purpose did you do all this?" Tails mused. "Why traumatize a young girl, throw the entire world in turmoil, hurt and scar countless people just to make yourself known? Was it jealousy? Hate? Despair?" He didn't even seem angry, even though his gaze was narrowed... he just seemed to pity her. "...why would a mere child commit such atrocities?"

Malice actually started grinding her teeth when he asked all of these questions. "…because I wanted people to suffer like I did."

"...really." Tails mused. "So your idea of how you suffered involved several hundred, possibly thousands of people being frightened and scarred, possibly under the threat of oppression and extermination by forces beyond even your control... do you really liken their suffering to yours; resting dormant within a lone, innocent girl?"

"You'll never understand the pain I felt deep inside of her…" Malice hissed at Tails bitterly.

"...then do elaborate." Tails mused as he kept giving her that narrow gaze. "What kind of pain would inspire you to commit such sins?"

Malice grinded up her teeth more, but actually looked like she was sweating, while she tried to find the words to say.

"...well?" Tails hummed. "Or am I just going to have to assume that on top of being a spoiled child... you're also a liar?"

"…I'm not a liar…" Malice growled. "…I spent all that time festering up inside of her, watching her as everybody cared about her, worried about her…wondering why nobody even spared any of that for me; why nobody even knew about me. I started to figure out more and more that Metal and Jill were responsible for what happened to my parents, and I started to hate them. They make a big talk about helping others and doing good for the majority of everyone…but they took away my _parents_…"

"…and on top of that, my own parents didn't even want me, or didn't act like they wanted me. All they cared about was their own _damn_ selves and messing around, not even acknowledging me either… and there was no excuse for them not to know about me. They could have easily dug into Joy far enough to find me and attempt to do something about me…but instead they were caught up with their own drama of being separated."

"Everyone acts like such a hypocrite…saying one thing, but doing the exact opposite. Everyone talks about never giving up, always helping others…"

Then Malice grinned again…with an evil smile.

"…I mean…if Jill hadn't blacked out…I don't think she would've been able to fight those robbers when they killed Brick."

Tails blinked. "...what do you mean...?"

"That proud mother, who had done so much, who strived to be strong so no one would have to protect her…cowered before men that were much weaker than her, cowered before men that took away her love…if anyone was in that position, they would've outright brutalized those men…but the brave Jill crippled underneath them, totally lost, ready to cater to their demands…"

"…at least…until I stepped in."

Tails' eyes widened. "...so... it wasn't Callous... but _you...?_"

"Not even my mom knew about what happened…neither one of them knew what happened…" Malice muttered. "…they were weak in that dire moment…and there was no way I could forgive that…they were supposed to protect Joy…and protect me…but they would've failed if I didn't take charge…"

"...so... you killed those bandits..." Tails uttered.

Malice's smirk grew. "…and I enjoyed their suffering…ripping them apart…and watching their bodies hurl down that ocean at the bottom of the cliff."

Tails didn't say anything, but his eyes narrowed once more.

"…that was when I knew that if someone was gonna do wrong…they deserve to suffer for it…" Malice clenched her hands into fists again, with more Corruption oozing off of her.

Tails eventually closed his eyes.

"...just like a child..." he murmured. "...you don't even realize... that with your logic, you deserve suffering as well?"

Malice just growled at that. "…no…I'm different…"

"...no, you are not." Tails spoke. "If you are so adamant in believing that you were neglected, that you should have shared the luxuries that Joy did... then you cannot exempt yourself from your own line of thought. Otherwise... well, it just goes to show that even after all that... you are nothing more than a spoiled child."

Malice grit her teeth again. "…shut up…"

"...why? Because it hurts to be told the truth up-front?" Tails hummed, as he looked at her with a pitying look in his eyes. "It's harsh, coming to terms with how the world really works... isn't it?"

"…I said SHUT _**UP!**__"_

And suddenly, Corruption exploded out from the little ewe in her rage. Seeing this, Tails remained composed, as he just sighed. "...and now you throw a tantrum..." With that, he moved one of his hands forward; pressing down on something he held to form an arm cannon that surrounded his arm. "...I am sorry... but I shall have to put you to sleep, Malice..."

"I'd like to see you try, old man!"

Malice turned into an older version of her that was similar to Joy's older form; only, the clothes were black, and instead of a pirate hat, she wore a circlet with a purple jewel on it that was glowing with purple Corruption, and she held up the sword with Corruption oozing off of it, pointing it at Tails.

Still, though, the old fox remained composed. "...I may be old... but I know far too well how to deal with children throwing a tantrum..." As he spoke, he opened a compartment on his arm cannon, seeing the necklace still lingering within it, before he closed it. "...for your own sake... you should reconsider your options."

Malice just screamed, and charged for him. Tails, eyes still narrowed, just aimed his arm cannon at her.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Oh SNAP<br>**_


	63. Chapter 62

Meanwhile, Johnny and Callous had followed Mercy and Pierce down the road for a very long time.

Eventually they came to a chained link fenced off area in the middle of nowhere, and looking up, they saw a military base.

"This is it…" Mercy pointed out.

"...well, this place has seen better days..." Johnny mused dryly.

"...I'll say..." Swiftly, Pierce held a hand towards his sword. "...we're not the first ones here."

The moment he said that, the four would finally notice something else... riddling the surrounding area were bodies, and piles of Corruption festering by them.

"Damn, someone was thorough," Callous whistled.

Mercy narrowed her eyes at this observation. "…question was…who could possibly have done this? I don't know anyone that can face the Corrupted unless they have those powers…"

Johnny's eyes narrowed in thought, before they suddenly widened. "...I know of _one_ guy..." Swiftly, he leaped off the motorcycle, before running straight into the base.

"...well, seems like a distraction isn't necessary." Pierce mused, before he began running in. "Mercy, be careful."

Mercy and Callous looked at each other. Then when Callous got off the motorcycle, they ran in after the guys. As Johnny kept racing through the halls, he found a littering trail of bodies everywhere he looked; even recognizing some of them as Leoniels. "...damn..." As he looked ahead, he grit his teeth. _...if this is who I think it is...!_

The others managed to catch up to him, and Callous looked in shock. "…are those…Leoniels?"

"Yep…Patricia decided to go back and corrupt 'em out of spite after Astaroth took her and interrogated her for info on what's going on…" Mercy mentioned.

Callous looked at Mercy wonderingly. "Who's Astaroth?"

Johnny narrowed his eyes... and then he looked ahead. "...it's _him._"

There, standing in front of them with his back turned to them, was an older lion clutching a Corrupted soldier by the head, before brutally tossing him to the side. "...hrm... I see someone's decided to take action here as well..." Slowly, he glared back at the four of them. "...is that not the case... Johnathan...?"

Johnny grit his teeth as he glared upon this lion; eyes narrowing further. "...hello, _father._" he spat with a loathsome tone.

Mercy stepped away warily. "..._that's_ Astaroth."

Callous just looked at the lion standing in front of them, not yet knowing how to feel. The guy had some serious moxie for taking down Corrupted soldiers alone without any powers…

…but the fact that…it was Johnny's _father_?

"...he's powerful..." Pierce uttered. "...a confrontation with him would be... dangerous..."

"...I see you do no longer possess my grandson... the bastard child..." Astaroth growled with a small huff. "...found yourself a different body to possess? And who is this... entourage of yours?"

Johnny just shot a look at them. "...ignore him. He's not who we're after..."

"…you're probably after Patricia and Bulk…aren't you?" Mercy assumed, looking at Astaroth.

"...indeed I am." he mused. "I intended to settle matters with the fools who would try and turn _my_ family into _their_ pawns... and show them the true power of a Leoniel." His glare remained fixated upon them. "...and pray tell... are you after those two as well?"

They all looked at each other on that.

"…yeah, we are," Mercy decided to answer.

"...hm..." With a huff, Astaroth turned to walk on. "...you'll simply have to wait."

"...oh, _fuck no_, you're not!" With narrowing eyes, Johnny began running towards Astaroth; or as it turned out, _past_ him. "Those two fuckers are _our_ responsibility, and I'm not gonna have my fucking dad take 'em out before us!"

"Is that a challenge, boy?" Astaroth simply scoffed as he began running after him.

"...something tells me that we'll have a problem..." Pierce mused, before he followed them. "...all of you, be on guard."

"Great…just what we needed…" Mercy huffed, taking off.

Callous actually hesitated, looking at the Corruted lying on the ground, and then back in the direction they all took off. She was getting a bad feeling about this…

…and it didn't help that she didn't feel particularly comfortable with the way that Astaroth had been glaring at them.

She hurried to catch up with the others shortly.

After a while, both Johnny and Astaroth barged into the main room of this base; glaring about. "Alright, where the fuck are they?!" Johnny roared out.

"Silence, boy. Even death couldn't help you grow some tact." Astaroth remarked, as he just glared about.

The others caught up as well, being the first to notice something else, that the two lions were currently too distracted to actually spot.

There was just…a wall of black. That was it…though the lions overlooked it, Callous definitely noticed it, and not only that, but she walked past everyone else up to it. "Over here."

The lions looked over as well, blinking upon seeing the sight of this black wall.

"...what... is that...?" Pierce uttered, as he began approaching the wall as well.

Callous narrowed her eyes at the black wall. "Corruption…and a lot of it," She touched the wall with her finger, and it rippled as if it was the surface of a body of water. "…Corruption this potent means that they went over the edge…" she muttered.

"...guess getting beaten earlier must've hit 'em hard..." Johnny noted.

"...bah." With a scoff, Astaroth shoved Callous aside, before he looked upon the wall. "...then they must be in here, correct?" Without a moment's hesitation, he just walked straight into the wall; actually slipping within it.

"...just like that..." Pierce uttered with wide eyes.

"…hm…" Mercy just looked at the black wall.

"…Well, if they're in there, then I don't think we have any other alternative but to go in," Callous assumed.

"…if that's so, I'm staying out here."

Callous looked back at Mercy when she said that. Then she smirked. "What's the matter? Scared?"

Mercy looked away. "…I'd…rather not get associated with that stuff again."

Pierce hummed, before he glanced at Callous and Johnny. "...I don't feel it's safe to leave her alone here... there may be some guards Astaroth didn't take care of." He nodded. "I trust you can finish this on your own?"

"...definitely." Johnny remarked, before he slipped within the wall as well.

"You two play it safe now," Callous chuckled teasingly, just as she walked into the wall after Johnny.

Mercy just grumbled. "…I could say the same about them."

"...well, all we can do is wait," Pierce mused, before he sat down. "And hope that they pull through."

Mercy sat down next to him, looking at that black wall.

Then she closed her eyes.

"…you…do know that you didn't have to stay behind with me…right?"

"...yes." was the only response from Pierce, as he closed his eyes as well.

"…so…why?" Mercy actually looked at him.

"...didn't the boy suggest that I act as your bodyguard?" Pierce responded, as he looked back at Mercy. "...that's exactly why I chose to remain here... to protect you."

Mercy chuckled at that. "…you really are going to do that?" It was in amusement, but she couldn't help but be…flattered.

"...why wouldn't I?" Pierce chuckled in return.

"…I don't know…I guess I didn't realize how seriously you were going to take the role of a body guard," Mercy hummed. Then she looked back at the black wall.

With a small hum, he looked back at the wall as well. "...when it comes to any duty I am given... I rarely go back on it." he mused, "...especially if it's to protect someone."

Mercy just looked at Pierce for that for a moment. Then she looked back at the black wall.

* * *

><p>Inside was just a dark void, and Callous and Johnny managed to find Astaroth in the mix.<p>

"...hm... total blackness..." Astaroth mused. "...no sign of those two..."

"...just stay on guard, dad," Johnny huffed. "You're the most vulnerable here."

"_A Leoniel, showing concern for his own? That's different._"

All three of them recognized that as Patricia's voice, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Astaroth simply glanced around him.

"...it ain't concern!" Johnny called. "I just don't want this old fossil to be a burden on us while we finish you two fucks off!"

"_Sure, just how you weren't showing any feelings for Callous in the beginning._"

Callous got uncomfortable when said that, but hid it under irritation as she looked around. "If you think you're in a position to talk shit about us, then maybe you should show yourself and face us."

"_You know as well as I do that I'm not doing that…_"

"...what, because you're scared shitless of getting your asses kicked?!" Johnny growled.

Astaroth simply remained silent, as he folded his arms.

"_I have control of this entire void you're in. You would've been smarter to stay out like those other two…"_

"What, and let you two go free? Fat fucking chance!" Johnny spat.

"_I'd watch that smart mouth of yours…_"

The void, in a certain area, started to morph and change into a scene that started to play out before them. A woman was holding a child by the hand, leading him off through the woods.

Both Johnny and Astaroth recognized the woman as Lilith…and the younger lion she held by the hand seemed to be Johnny.

Astaroth blinked upon seeing this, while Johnny looked at the scene with wide eyes. "...wha... how'd you... that's...!" he uttered.

Lilith released the younger Johnny's hand, and seemed like she told him to stay put…but the moment she left, GUN soldiers snared up the child. It took a long time, because the younger version of Johnny could fight the soldiers, but eventually, they had to sedate him and make him unconscious in order to take him away.

In the background, it could also been seen that the Colonel responsible for the experiments with children soldiers was standing there…handing a wad of cash to Lilith.

Astaroth's eyes widened.

"...how..." Johnny uttered. "...how the fuck did you find that out...?!"

"_Not any of your concern. I just hope your _mother_ knows what's best for you if you ever see her again…_"

Meanwhile, Callous actually watched this in shock. Had Johnny really been sold out to the Colonel like that?

Johnny grit his teeth. "...so... so what...?!" he uttered. "...what's that got to do with fucking anything?!"

"_Oh…am I making you uncomfortable, Johnny?_"

"...the hell you are!" Johnny uttered, shaking his head. "Come down here and fight, already!"

"_Oh, and what about _this_ scene, hm?_"

The scene changed to floating chunks of land in the middle of the storm…something that both Callous and Johnny instantly recognized.

Callous swallowed hard. She knew that Patricia was just trying to mess with them…but the disturbing part was that she couldn't deny that it wasn't bothering her.

"...kkh... what're you...?!" Johnny uttered, eyes narrowing as he clenched his hands together.

Callous winced when she saw the battle, the moment when Jill stabbed herself, making both her and Callous collapse on the ground while Metal and Johnny rushed to their aid.

"_Just a slight miscalculation on your part…and you two were so eager to win, and so confident that you were going to win….that you misjudged my uncle's foresight._"

"_Tell me…was that really a mistake to be taken lightly?_"

"...you... you shut up!" Johnny yelled. "Whatever that hack said back then doesn't matter now!" Even so, it was absolutely clear that he was losing his temper.

"_No, but it certainly put the two of you in hell for sure, if you really had to resort to taking over your nephew just so you and Callous could have…'alone time'."_

Johnny grit his teeth. "Kkh...!"

"_Oh, and the high and mighty Callous…having a soft spot for a _child."

Callous' eyes widened at that. Getting angry, she tried to keep it under control. Especially when it showed the blood red letters on the front of the pub that spelled out "Quit now, or else, you're next" with that head sitting by it.

"_Too bad it's not your _own _child you have the soft spot for. That little brat could use some smacking around to teach her some manners._"

"Look, you're just trying to bother us; this isn't getting anywhere…" Callous grumbled.

"_Oh…but I think it _is _going somewhere._"

"...the fuck are you on about?!" Johnny roared out.

"_It was your desire for each other that bit you in the ass…who's to say it won't happen again? And I'm not just talking about Johnny dying because he though Callous pulled through…I'm talking about Malice._"

"_All that love and desire and lust…built up inside of her. Then when the worst happened…it came _out."

That was when the scene changed again to a different one…this time, in a dark alleyway. A dead bull was lying on the ground, while a couple of men covering their faces with bandanas were inching toward a ewe woman.

Callous' eyes widened. This was when Brick was shot by those robbers.

Johnny narrowed his eyes. "...you...!"

Suddenly…the ewe woman just lurched forward, and ripped off the arm of the robber that had pointed the gun at her. Slowly, the woman began to pick apart the robbers in the most gruesome of ways possible, and ensuring slow, painful deaths. Not even Callous knew what had happened then, so to see this may have been shocking, but only made her that more curious as to what happened.

Then when Callous saw the eyes of the ewe woman, she actually gulped.

Her eyes were an icy blue.

Johnny's eyes widened upon seeing that. "...Malice...?!"

"_And you're wondering how I can see this, aren't you?_"

"…how?" Was all Callous uttered.

"_Because you're still technically connected to the brat…after all most of your own suffering from the separation of you two still lie in _her."

Johnny just grit his teeth. "...stop it... stop fucking around, and show yourself...!"

"_So you're not gonna deny this whole mess was a fuck-up on both your part?"_

"Listen…" Callous sounded stern, but surprisingly calm. "…the whole point of owning up to what we did was to take down the two of you…so would you two stop screwing around and face us?"

"_Oh, I don't think it'll be _me_ that you'll see…but him?"_

Slowly, a towering shadow then stood behind Callous. Johnny barely noticed it, but by then, it was too late. "CALLOUS!"

Suddenly, a massive hand gripped down on the ewe from behind; a feral, even demonic snarl escaping the maw of this gigantic creature as it slowly crushed Callous in its grip.

Callous winced in pain, looking back in shock at who it was. It was Bulk, but not as she knew him. He was a towering, gargantuan, grotesque mockery of what he had once been; liquid Corruption oozing from his jaws as his reptilian eyes glared daggers at Callous.

"...you let her go right now!" Johnny roared as he charged at Bulk, but the massive beast only responded by grabbing Johnny as well; lifting the two of them up as his demonic glare shifted from one to the other.

"_You two are pathetic…_" Patricia's voice scoffed in the void.

Johnny squirmed about in Bulk's grip as he grit his teeth. "Son of a... shut up!"

Callous tried to use Corruption to shoot at Bulk's face. However, the moment it struck, it just vanished. It didn't even bounce off him; it was more like it was sucked directly into his being.

"Fucker...!" Johnny uttered. "He can absorb Corruption!"

Seeing that, Callous grit her teeth. If they didn't get out of his grip, then he was probably going to absorb the Corruption in the two of them. Callous wasn't even sure what would happen to her if the Corruption was sucked out of her…

…but when she realized that it was her Corruption that helped bring Johnny back to life, the fact that Bulk could absorb Corruption out of him to effectively _kill_ him off actually scared her.

The massive beast unleashed a roar, as its grip on the two of them just tightened further.

"AGH!" Johnny yelped out as he squirmed more. "Callous... we gotta-!" He couldn't finish his sentence as he grit his teeth the moment he felt the grip around him tighten more.

"_Two big fighters like you two…and you can even squirm out of a hold this tight on you. What a waste of talent._"

Johnny grit his teeth; breathing as he tried to mask the pain he felt...

"...I agree. Considering the cowards you face, I expected more from you."

In that instant, Bulk suddenly groaned in pain, as something _powerful_ had suddenly slammed directly into his gut; knocking the air out of him as he dropped Callous and Johnny. Callous managed to land on her feet, gawking at that display of power. As Bulk staggered backwards, the one who had struck him landed as well. "...pathetic." Astaroth scoffed, as he merely glared upon the gargantuan crocodile.

"...father..." Johnny grit his teeth as he stumbled a touch, even as he stood on his feet.

Callous grit her teeth. She honestly didn't know whether to be more wary of Bulk and Patricia…or Astaroth.

"...now... how about you show yourself before I tear asunder this realm you hide yourself in, Novagod?" Astaroth scoffed, as he drew a cigar from his suit that he lit with a lone lighter.

"_Very well._"

The three saw the vampire bat reveal herself, and strangely…seemed normal. Other than the fact that her eyes were glowing, that was it.

"...hm... not very impressive," Astaroth remarked.

Johnny just grit his teeth, glancing from the towering Bulk to the relatively normal Patricia.

"_It's not about showing off,_" Patricia hissed.

"...clearly, it is about boring me." Astaroth mused. "Your little puppet show quickly lost its charm, Novagod... I'm here for your head; along with the head of your pet."

With a snarl, Bulk just roared down at Astaroth, who didn't even seem phased by the being's presence.

Patricia scoffed. _"And just how are you going to do that?_"

"Efficiently." was Astaroth's reply.

Patricia smirked. _"…then show me._"

"...very well." Lightly, Astaroth tapped the ground beneath him with his foot...

...and then, all of a sudden, he merely kicked the air to unleash what seemed to be a cutting wave headed straight for Patricia. It almost looked like it struck her down, cutting her literally in half…

…but she dissipated into the void by purple flames, and her laughter could be heard. Astaroth just hummed.

"...is she really just gonna hide away like this...?!" Johnny uttered as he breathed out.

"Guess so," Callous muttered.

Suddenly, Patricia came at her, and Callous pulled out her scythe to slice her up, for the exact same thing to happen again once she cut her in half; disappearance via purple flames.

"...she said she controls this void." Astaroth mused without losing his cool. "Therefore... she intends to turn this into a battle of attrition."

"...she wants to tire us out... tsch..." Johnny hissed as he glared around him.

Again, she came at them…but not alone. Many, many clones of her suddenly appeared and all charged at the three of them. Callous proceeded to slice away her share of Patricia clones. Johnny proceeded to just pummel away the clones that rushed at him, whilst Astaroth... merely closed his eyes and evaded their strikes; not even bothering to attack them.

When Callous saw that Astaroth wasn't even bothering to attack them, it just made her more uneasy. So far, she was not getting a good feeling about this guy…and it still bothered her that it was Johnny's father of all people.

Once they beat Patricia and Bulk…what was he going to do next?

Callous lost focus and got a kick to her face, and with a growl, slashed away the Patricia clone that had kicked her. "Bitch…"

Just as he punched away one clone, a different pair struck him from behind; causing him to stagger before he hurled blasts of Corruption at the two of them, forcing them to disappear. "Fuck...!"

Even still, Astaroth didn't seem to even take notice of the clones; eyes closing as he merely evaded their strikes.

Callous growled. "Damn it…you're just as cheap as he is, Patricia."

"_Talking about my uncle, are we?_" hummed the Patricia clone that Callous promptly sliced up.

"...you know, I never thought I'd say this... but she's somehow growing _worse_ than that bastard." Johnny growled as well.

"More annoying too…" Callous grumbled.

Then suddenly…she got stabbed with a yelp. From behind, a Patricia clone had made a blade with her hand that she had stabbed into Callous' back.

Johnny shot a look towards her. "Callous!" He made a run for her, but he grit his teeth in pain as a duo of clones had suddenly cut his legs, causing him to trip and crash onto the floor.

Astaroth just glanced at them with a scoff, still making sure to evade the clones going after him.

Callous growled in pain.

Suddenly, she kicked the Patricia clone off of her that stabbed her, yanking out the blade that was stuck in her. Even if black goo bled from her, she still held the blade, and combined with her scythe, she started to slice through the Patricia clones even quicker.

Getting back on his feet, Johnny just staggered forward before kicking the clones away from him; breathing as he focused on his surroundings.

"...so... when are you actually going to come out, yourself?" Astaroth mused.

"_Oh, you wanna know the interesting part?_" One of the Patricia clones chuckled.

"_I _am_ out. You are all inside of me…_"

"…if that doesn't sound suggestive, I don't know what does," Callous remarked with a scoff.

"...that just sounded like a bad pick-up line." Johnny groaned.

"...hm." Astaroth simply scoffed. "...then all we would have to do... is force our way out?"

"_Well, the fun of that would be to find it out for yourself…_"

"...hmph." Hearing that, Astaroth sneered. "...why didn't you just say so earlier?"

In that instant, he suddenly knocked all the clones around him away, before thrusting his fist down upon the ground below; smashing it down with all the strength he could muster.

"_AGH! What are you-?!"_

Callous then pulled away from the clones…and slowly looked over toward the creature that Bulk was.

Smirking, she got an idea.

She moved over to the beast. "Hey there, big guy…"

She didn't even need to provoke him. With a ferocious snarl, Bulk suddenly threw a gigantic fist directly upon Callous. Callous jumped out of the way. "Whoa, hang on big guy…I'm not the one you should be fighting."

Then she smirked. "I think you really wanna fight _her_ instead."

Bulk just glared down at Callous with a feral snarl.

"I can feel it from you…you really hate her…you hate how she kept taking over what was yours," Callous kept on. "…you secretly want to kill her just to have everything to yourself."

With a breath, Bulk just listened to her.

"…so what's keeping you from taking back what's yours by force?" Callous chuckled. "You have all the power in the world to take her down in her most vulnerable state."

Bulk just kept glaring at Callous...

...and then, with a roar, he suddenly swung his fist down again. However, he didn't aim for Callous... he aimed for the dark void that surrounded them. The void actually shook at that.

"_GAH! BULK?! WHAT THE HELL?!"_

Bulk just roared out as he kept hammering against the void.

"...seems like you couldn't keep your pet on a leash." Astaroth remarked with a hum.

"...heh... seems like we're getting an advantage after all!" Johnny chuckled.

The Patricia clones disappeared while the void kept shaking at Bulk's attacks. These attacks just kept coming and coming, the beast roaring violently as he hammered his fists down on the ground with reckless abandon.

* * *

><p>Outside, to Mercy and Pierce, they, too, noticed the shaking of the black wall…and those roars that Bulk made.<p>

"…the hell?" Mercy uttered.

Quickly, Pierce grabbed Mercy, and stepped away from it. "...that could be dangerous..."

Mercy kept watching the black wall.

…suddenly, another scream went off, which sounded like a woman; particularly, Patricia. The black wall trembled even more, looking as if it was about to burst under the pressure. Pierce hissed, and quickly pulled Mercy further away.

Suddenly, the black wall actually burst and threatened to splatter onto the two of them. Mercy gasped. Quickly, Pierce pulled Mercy away before standing in front of her; holding his arms out to keep the black goo from splattering onto Mercy; gritting his teeth as it splashed directly against him in return. It sizzled on Pierce, acting like a kind of acid that burned him. Mercy gawked at Pierce who had so suddenly taken that for her. Pierce, however, just grit his teeth as he endured it, still remaining on his feet even as the acid burned him.

Mercy winced when she saw this. Then she looked past Pierce and stared in shock.

Callous got off the ground after that, looking around to see bits of black goo stain the place, but at least they were out of that void. Johnny and Astaroth slowly rose as well, shaking their heads a touch.

They all could see Patricia, lying limply on the ground. And towering over her was Bulk, snarling as he viciously kicked her while she was down.

Most of them blinked at this…and then stared longer when they noticed that Patricia didn't move after that kick. Bulk just glared down at her; not saying anything.

Johnny's eyes narrowed, as he looked down upon Patricia.

"…Is…she dead…?" Mercy muttered.

Astaroth merely huffed. "...go up and check." he remarked. "...if he'll allow it."

Bulk still stood towering over Patricia... but he wasn't saying anything; just snarling like a feral beast.

At first, Callous was going to be bold enough to check, but then they noticed Patricia tremble, indicating indeed that she wasn't dead.

"...she... must have gone into shock..." Pierce mused, as he winced again.

"...right... that just leaves the big guy..." Johnny hummed.

Mercy looked at Bulk warily. "…but…what happened to him…?"

Astaroth just looked at him. "...he was being controlled like a mindless pet within the void... seems like his mind wasn't returned to him..."

Bulk merely snarled like a beast; hands clenching.

"…one of us is going to have to attack him…" Callous muttered.

"...then you do it." Astaroth remarked in response to her.

Callous growled at him, but pulled out one of her whips, lashing it toward Bulk. It struck him directly, but he didn't even flinch in response. Seeing that, Callous decided to retract her whip in exchange for her scythe, and ran for Bulk. Bulk didn't even seem to notice her charge at him. Callous threw the slash at his back. The slash cut into his back, and he roared out; staggering forward. However, he didn't even make an attempt to swing back at her, as he just breathed.

Callous stood there. "…he's…not reacting at all…"

"...so, what... is he just outright braindead at this point...?" Johnny uttered, as he gawked at Bulk.

Suddenly, Patricia trembled some more, and actually tried to push herself back up off the ground, grunting.

"...she's awake..." Pierce hissed, as he clutched to his own being.

"…you…bastard…" Patricia uttered, clutching her middle weakly, directing that curse at Bulk.

Bulk just breathed, his gaze actually moving to glare towards Patricia; though he made no response. Patricia looked up at Bulk with a wincing glare. "…you…"

Bulk still just glared back at Patricia.

Patricia actually got herself onto her feet, albeit weakly, still glaring at Bulk.

Then suddenly, with a yell, she tried to lash out at Bulk. However, before she could take more than two steps, she was suddenly tackled to the ground by Johnny. "Oh no, ya don't."

Patricia tried to struggle against Johnny. "Get off me, you prick!" But she was too weak to actually get him off of her.

"No, you're gonna stay down there." Johnny huffed.

Slowly, though, Bulk glared down at her, and slowly stomped towards the two of them.

"…Johnny, behind you," Mercy warned.

Johnny just looked back up towards Bulk, who was slowly stomping towards him, arm raising slightly. "...he's just taking his time, huh...?" Johnny mused.

"Looks that way," Callous muttered. "Want me to hold him off?"

"...yeah, sure..." Johnny huffed.

Callous brought out her whip to wrap around one of Bulk's arms and yanked back to keep him away from Johnny and Patricia. With a snarl, Bulk began struggling as he stomped onto the ground; yanking his arm to try and free himself. Callous actually had to use some effort to hold him back. Then with a growl, she tried to yank him back to make him fall.

Roaring, Bulk did indeed fall; slamming against the ground as he roared out.

"...such a sight..." Pierce remarked with a narrowed gaze. "...it's nothing short of pitiful..."

"Now that we have them both under control, what do we do with them?" Mercy muttered.

"Isn't it obvious?" Callous grunted, standing on top of Bulk to pin him down, "We finish them off for good."

Bulk just snarled out as he squirmed like this.

"...feh..." Glaring down at Patricia, Johnny slowly clenched a single hand.

Mercy watched the two of them…and then noticed something.

The goo started to move.

"Guys," she pointed out.

"...hm?" With a curious hum, Astaroth looked at this goo.

"...be wary... it may be volatile..." Pierce remarked with a narrowed gaze.

Suddenly, some of it spontaneously shot out, and the target intended was Astaroth.

"SHIT!" Callous ended up jumping in front of the goo instead. The last thing they needed was for Astaroth to have the power over Corruption.

Astaroth's eyes widened as he saw this; taking a step back.

"Shit...! The fuck was that?!" Johnny uttered, before he glared at Patricia. "Hey, what the fuck are you trying?!"

Patricia just smirked.

The goo, when it hit Callous, not only burned her, but started to grow all over her. "Dammit…" She grunted in pain, trying to scratch off the goo only for it to keep growing.

"...no, damn it!" Slamming a hand down on Patricia to knock her out, Johnny shot off her to run to Callous. "Callous, stay with me, y'hear?! You can beat that stuff!"

Callous actually collapsed on the ground, grunting some more as the goo burned her and kept spreading, still trying to fight it off. With a snarl, Johnny then actually began tearing at the goo; tossing it aside as he just grit his teeth. "Callous! You're not gonna let this beat you! Not now! Not when we finally got together again... so fight this stuff, goddamn it!"

Callous kept trying to fight it…but when it fully consumed her, silencing her pained grunts…she stopped moving. Johnny's eyes suddenly widened. "...C-Callous...?"

Mercy gawked at this.

"...Callous..." Slowly, Johnny shook her. "...hey... hey, stop joking around... c'mon, get up..."

Astaroth simply looked down at them, before his gaze trailed towards Bulk and Patricia. Patricia was knocked out from when Johnny hit her. Likewise, Bulk was still lying on the ground.

"...Callous...!" Johnny grit his teeth, as he looked down at her being.

"...hmph." Suddenly, Astaroth just shot a glare at him. "Pathetic."

Johnny's eyes immediately widened, as he swiftly glared back at Astaroth. "...the _fuck_ did you just say...?!"

"I'm calling you pathetic... mourning over someone like that..." Astaroth remarked.

"...you..." Slowly, Johnny got to his feet, snarling at Astaroth. "...what the fuck... she outright jumped to save you... and you think that's _pathetic...?!_"

Mercy watched this warily, wondering what was going to happen between them.

"...it was mere weakness that led to her fall." Astaroth remarked. "Nothing more."

"Weakness my ass!" Johnny roared; gripping Astaroth by the collar as he glared at him. "She's the strongest person I've ever known, you goddamn fossil! She knew if that stuff got to ya, we'd have even bigger problems on our hands... and even then, you got the gall to call her pathetic?!"

With a mere snarl, Astaroth glared at Johnny. "...you forget your place, _boy._" With that, he suddenly threw a kick at Johnny's gut; knocking him back and on the floor.

"Nh..." Pierce's eyes narrowed upon seeing this sight.

Mercy looked at the glob that used to be Callous, seeing that it still wasn't moving. Then she looked back at the two Leoniels.

"...do you really think me to be a fool?" Astaroth's eyes narrowed. "I see it clear enough... you're desperate. Afraid that what happened in the past is happening again."

"...fuck you!" Johnny roared at him, but he didn't even budge from where he had been knocked down.

"You're afraid... that you've lost your _lover_ once more."

Johnny's eyes just narrowed as he grit his teeth. Hearing Astaroth practically spit on his relationship with Callous... especially after this happened...

"...well... it is of no concern to me. She's gone." With a scoff, Astaroth just began walking over to Patricia's body. "And good riddance."

Mercy growled. She really never liked Astaroth…

…then she noticed the goo that was Callous jolt. Johnny and Pierce also noticed this, gawking at it.

Astaroth, however, hadn't noticed it, as he now merely stood over Patricia's body.

Suddenly, there was a growling yell, and a hand spouted out of the goo, driving it away. Johnny's eyes widened in response to this; just gawking at this hand. The yell also caused Astaroth to slowly look over; blinking a touch.

Someone crawled out of the goo, and got to their feet, breathing.

"…alright you _prick_…I don't care if you're his father."

She raised her scythe, pointing it at him.

"I'm not letting some jackass belittle me after finally getting a body of my own back! After dealing with endless amounts of goddamn petty drama! All because he thinks I'm too _inferior!_"

Johnny just gawked at her. "...Callous...!"

Astaroth's eyes narrowed a touch more. "...hm... interesting..."

"So if you're gonna back up those words with fists…then have at it," Callous was indeed standing there, with burn marks from the goo, but she was glaring hatefully at Astaroth while she pointed her scythe at him. "Because shit…what else have I lost over the years? I mind as well make another deal with the devil…"

The room was filled with silence after that...

"...hm... you have some skewed priorities, do you not?" Astaroth mused, as he actually smirked a touch. "Have you forgotten who it was that nearly separated you from your _beloved?_ Or indeed why you came here to begin with?"

Callous growled. "…don't patronize me old man…"

But then she lowered her scythe. "…but you're right. We need to finish off those two before they get their strength back."

A small laugh escaped Astaroth's lips; a mocking, cruel laugh. "...how indecisive you are."

Callous grit her teeth. "And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"The moment you escaped from that shell, you set your sight on me; ready to kill." Astaroth mused with a growing smirk. "But with a mere observation from me, you lower your weapon, your one defense... you are a fickle woman; far too emotional for your own good."

Callous growled, "…so what? Is that supposed to bother me or something?"

"Oh, to the contrary; I'm simply observing how troublesome you must be, considering the way you've wormed your way into my son's heart... like the snake I see you as." Astaroth mused with a chuckle. "Truly fickle... all to fit into how you perceive yourself, I presume."

"Whatever…" Callous growled, walking toward him.

"...of course... seeing how he reacted just now whilst we thought you as dead..." Astaroth mused. "...I suppose these feelings of his must have lingered even before you found yourself at your first life's end."

Callous stopped. "…excuse me?!"

"...what?" Astaroth looked back at her. "You don't mean to tell me that the show you put on whilst wasting your meager last breath was _genuine?_" He seemed more bemused than anything else.

"…fuck you…" Callous growled.

"And that is all she responds with... then it must have been genuine." Astaroth chuckled. "...to think someone who puts on such a tough front... could in reality be so fragile." His smirk fell, as he scowled at Callous. "You disgust me with your frailty."

Corruption came off of Callous while her scythe rose. "…shut up…"

"Or what? You'll weep and run off? You'll actually steel yourself to face me?" Astaroth just snarled as he glared at her. "Don't bother with either. To me, you're nothing but the most pathetic of filth; not even worth taking the effort to crush beneath my heel."

"DON'T TELL ME I'M WORTHLESS!"

And with that, Callous charged at Astaroth madly. The moment she did, Astaroth's eyes widened a smidgen... and it was as if the entire air was just choked as he briefly tensed; the air shaking around them.

Pierce's eyes widened. "...a... frighteningly powerful foe..."

Callous didn't notice, throwing a slash at Astaroth. The moment she did, Astaroth thrust his palm at the scythe blade... and caught it; holding it perfectly in place, with only having moved his arm.

Callous snarled at that, trying to lunge at Astaroth with her whip. However, Astaroth caught the incoming whip with his free hand, before yanking on it to pull Callous closer; aiming to slam his skull against hers. When he headbutt her, she winced, but then tried to throw a kick at him.

Astaroth swiftly raised his leg in response, letting it absorb the impact from the kick. With a huff, he swiftly thrust his palm directly at her face, with immense force behind it.

This knocked Callous back, and when she stopped on her feet, she held her face. Then with another snarl, she charged at him again with her fists coated in Corruption. Astaroth charged as well; throwing rapid punches against her whilst his eyes remained narrowed. Callous managed to block his punches while she kept throwing her own at him. Likewise, he blocked her punches as he kept throwing his own straight at her.

"…someone who's standing up to Astaroth…" Mercy muttered. "…that's a first for me…"

"...but is she going to last...?" Pierce murmured.

Johnny just looked at this with a narrowed gaze.

Callous started throwing some kicks into the mix, just to try and break through to Astaroth. However, his blockade was virtually impenetrable, as he soon began throwing kicks against Callous as a countermeasure. The angrier Callous got, the faster she seemed to get against him. But it didn't seem to stop Astaroth from keeping up with her; barely even breaking a sweat.

Callous wasn't sure how long she was going to keep up with this guy, so she tried to shoot Astaroth in the face with a beam of Corruption, being point-blank range. Surprisingly, however, Astaroth managed to _barely_ weave his head past that beam, before he suddenly threw a fist at Callous' unguarded gut. Callous stumbled backward at that. The moment she stumbled, Astaroth took that moment to throw a kick directly at her face, to knock her back.

That knocked Callous onto the ground, and she hurried to try to get to her feet. However, she was swiftly knocked down at Astaroth stomped his foot down on her; glaring at her. Callous glared up at him.

"...truly pathetic." Astaroth scoffed.

"Get off her!" Swiftly, Johnny rushed to throw a punch at Astaroth, but he just grabbed his arm, not even looking at him. "Nh...!"

"...you never learn, do you...?" Astaroth murmured, as he glared down at Callous.

Callous tried to raise her hand to shoot Corruption at Astaroth. However, Astaroth just stomped his foot down on that arm to keep it down. "Don't bother."

Callous growled at him. "…and what's this gonna accomplish old man? You trying to scare me away from him or something?"

"...you were the one who started this fight." Astaroth noted with a narrowed gaze. "I'm simply retaliating."

Callous just kept growling.

Suddenly...

"WATCH OUT!"

That warning from Pierce came too late, however, as a massive fist suddenly slammed directly against Astaroth's side; sending him hurtling directly into a wall. Johnny swiftly took a step back as the impact forced Astaroth to let go of him. Callous was able to scramble up to her feet, looking at what hit Astaroth away.

As it turned out, it was Bulk; snarling down at them as he grit his teeth.

"...even brain-dead, he's still like a goddamn bulldozer...!" Johnny hissed.

Callous scoffed, bringing out her whip to try and lash away Bulk. This time, however, Bulk just grabbed the whip and yanked it straight out of her grip, before roaring at her.

"…shit…somehow he wants to attack us now," Callous growled, "So much for using him to our advantage."

"...great; what else could go wrong?" Johnny groaned as he just glared at the crocodile.

Suddenly, something else started to get up on their feet, and when everyone looked over, they saw Patricia getting up.

"…great…." Callous grumbled. "…she's awake."

"Well, this just got better right off the bat." Johnny groaned.

Patricia then rushed after Johnny to throw a punch. With a snarl, Johnny dodged aside and hurled a punch at Patricia.

Just then, Bulk charged straight for Callous; swinging his fists down on her. Callous jumped aside and lashed at him with her scythe. Bulk just roared as the scythe cut into him; still charging directly for her with a punch.

Before he could hit her though, a bullet hit him in the head to make him stumble back. Mercy was standing beside Pierce with one of her pistols drawn out. Bulk slowly turned towards them, and unleashed a fell roar in their direction.

"...fine hit." Pierce hummed, as he kept his sword drawn; shakily, but steadily. "Stay behind me."

Bulk being distracted gave Callous the chance to attack him. Meanwhile, Patricia kept fighting Johnny, now throwing a kick. Johnny grabbed this kick, before he thrust his elbow straight at Patricia's face.

It was when he knocked her face back that he saw what was going on with Patricia, since her hair had previously hid this. Her face was pale, and her eyes were black with black goo bleeding down from them, with red bloody eyes glaring at him with a hiss.

He grit his teeth at this sight. "Geez..."

Then Patricia lunged at him with her claws coated in Corruption. Johnny thought quickly; grabbing her wrist before he kicked her directly underneath her chin, sending her rocketing upwards. This eventually made Patricia fall back to the ground again after being launched into the air…but then she just got back up lifelessly. Johnny clenched his hands at this sight; eyes narrowing.

"What happened to her?" Mercy muttered, noticing Patricia's state.

"...it must be the Corruption..." Pierce remarked. "...corroding her very being... not only on the outside, but also within..."

"…so it's finally taking its full effect…" Mercy muttered.

"...and in the mental state they're in..." Pierce hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...there's no hope for either of those two... the Corruption is going to consume them."

"Basically, at this rate, they're totally gone; just Corruption," Callous added, knocking Bulk away with a kick, "A little easier than dealing with them babbling on and on about shit."

"Yeah, but..." Johnny growled as he threw a punch at Patricia's face. "...they're barely even reacting to our attacks now."

"So what do we do?" Mercy asked.

In that instant, Patricia was suddenly punched _straight_ off the ground where she stood; sending her hurtling directly into Bulk to make them crash against the ground in a pile.

"...we finish them off... like we came here to do." Astaroth remarked with a snarl, as he brushed some dust off him from where Bulk had launched him.

When the two of them slowly started to get back up, Callous rushed to Patricia, and managed to stab her into the ground with her scythe. Bulk scrambled to his feet, but Johnny swiftly pinned him down with a kick to the ground.

Callous started stabbing Patricia repeatedly now that she was down. Likewise, Johnny began hammering his fists down on Bulk.

This onslaught kept up, splattering black goo everywhere…

…but eventually…that black slowly turned…to red.

Seeing this, Pierce narrowed his eyes. "...there it is..."

"…they did it," Mercy muttered.

Astaroth merely folded his arms in silence as he watched them.

Finally, they stopped, looking down at the two mangled, bloodied bodies that lay underneath them. Callous had splatters of blood over her on top of her Corrupted burns from the acid, huffing. Johnny just heaved as he was practically coated in blood; hands clenched as crimson liquid dripped from his fists.

Callous wiped the blood off herself. "…there."

"...done." Johnny spat, as he began wiping the blood off him.

"…so…then let's go…" Mercy muttered. "…I don't want to be here anymore."

"...hmph." With a scoff, Astaroth began walking off already. "Such a waste of time..."

Callous watched him leave, and looked down at Patricia and Bulk one more time, before she started walking too. Johnny began following her without as much of a second glance.

With a brief sigh, Pierce got to his feet. "...at least... it's over..."

"Yeah…" Mercy agreed, sparing one more glance at them while the two of them followed the others.

As they walked, though... after a while, Pierce came to a halt. Mercy looked at him, stopping too. "What is it?"

"...something's... off." Swiftly, he turned to run back into the main chamber; sword drawn as he looked towards the bloody corpses. Mercy quickly followed him to check with him.

As he looked upon the bodies, his eyes remained narrowed. "...I was too focused on the blood to actually notice..." Pierce uttered, as he slowly looked towards Mercy. "...the Corruption... it's still within them."

"…so what does that mean?" Mercy muttered.

"...even in death..." Pierce uttered. "...they still have strength..."

"…then we need to warn the other three," Mercy suggested.

"...you go." Pierce uttered. "I'll keep an eye out here."

"…be careful…" And Mercy took off.

Pierce simply remained silent as he glared down at the bodies.

Meanwhile, the other three managed to get as far as walking outside of the base.

Johnny glanced about. "...something's bugging me..."

Astaroth didn't glance in his direction, but a small hum indicated that he seemed somewhat curious.

"…me too…" Callous muttered. "…that seemed too easy…"

"...yeah..." Johnny nodded, as he looked at a pile of Corruption left in the wake of Astaroth's rampage. "...that, and... you'd figure all the Corruption in the area would've started evaporating once they bit it..."

Callous stopped then.

Her eyes widened tremendously.

"…shit!"

"...what?" Astaroth glanced back at her with a narrowed gaze. "Don't waste our time with idle chatter."

"No, it's not that you old fucker!" Callous yelled, getting angry but also uneasy. "There's something I just-!" And suddenly, there was a large quake that shook the area, interrupting her.

"Whoa!" Gritting his teeth, Johnny swiftly looked around. "Now what?!"

"...hm?" Astaroth glanced about as well.

Suddenly…part of the base was smashed apart, with debris falling to the ground. To someone like Astaroth, there was no visible cause.

But to Callous and Johnny…

They saw a gigantic monster slowly starting to grow from Corrupted goo.

What's more, the piles of Corruption surrounding the base was actually being absorbed into the towering monstrosity.

"...shit... not again...!" Johnny uttered with wide eyes.

"We were so _stupid!_ I can't believe we forgot about that!" Callous growled, pulling out her scythe again.

That was when Mercy made it out of the base, not even seeing the monstrosity building up behind her, but just as she was about to utter a warning, Mercy got knocked away by that invisible force, landing a great distance away harshly.

Johnny saw that, and he grit his teeth. "Shit...!"

"...what's going on...?" Astaroth uttered.

Callous looked at Astaroth. "It's their souls. We killed them off, but that still doesn't stop them from attacking us, only they have more of an advantage because they can't be stopped unless we purify them for sure." Then she grit her teeth, looking up at the building monstrosity. "And there aren't any users of those powers nearby."

"...well." With a surprisingly nonchalant tone, Astaroth folded his arms. "That makes things simple."

"...for fuck's sake..." Groaning a touch, Johnny shot a glare at Astaroth... but then he realized something.

"...hold the phone..." He looked back towards Mercy. "...is Pierce still inside the building?!"

When Mercy was getting up, she gasped when Johnny asked that, shooting a startled look back toward the base. "Yeah, he is!"

"The fuck is he planning on doing in there?!" Johnny uttered. "That's where the beast is growing!"

"He-he just…" Mercy just looked at the base, growing genuinely worried.

While Callous would've taken that moment to tease Mercy about showing worry for Pierce, even she knew this wasn't the time. "I'm heading in," she said, running.

"Kkh..." Johnny's eyes narrowed, as Corruption gathered around his hands and legs. "...I'll keep it busy. Mercy, stick close to father for now."

Astaroth shot Johnny an incredulous look. "You don't expect me to babysit a helpless-!"

"Just _shut the fuck up and do it!_" Johnny yelled at Astaroth, before he made a leap towards the monster; gripping onto the building to climb further towards it so he could serve as a distraction.

Callous managed to disappear inside an opening before the building collapsed in that area, effectively trapping Callous inside. Johnny shot a worried look down there, as he kept climbing up the collapsing structure as his eyes narrowed. "...hey, fuckface! Try hitting me, why don't you!"

The monster roared down at Johnny, and threw it's claws down at him, destroying the structure even more in the process.

Johnny leaped away from that, however, and just kept climbing. "Ya missed!"

The monster roared down at him, stomping and trying to get him with its claws even more.

Back to Callous, she was trying her best to maneuver around the debris falling due to the movement of the gigantic monster. She had to get down the hallways to get to Pierce, and ask what kind of moron he was for staying behind.

Her made chase eventually led her to the very source of the problem; the chamber where Bulk and Patricia's bodies were still remaining... along with Pierce, who simply gazed up at the towering beast that their mutual Corruption was slowly creating. There was no question on whether or not Pierce could see it, as Callous stomped up to him.

"Moron! What are you doing, standing here?!" she barked.

"...I'm waiting... for it to be complete." Pierce hummed, as he still gripped his blade.

"…what…do you mean?" Now Callous was taken aback, seeing that he seemed to already have a plan.

And she hoped it wasn't that same idea she had years ago.

"...there's two souls in turmoil... both desiring the same thing, yet neither of them willing to reach an agreement..." Pierce mused, as he gazed upon the figure. "...I'm waiting for them to reach that agreement... and truly become one."

"…and then what are you gonna do?" Callous asked.

"...finish this conflict." he mused. "If they are separate, the other may fight back... but when they are united, they cannot struggle as much..."

Callous' eyes widened more. "…you're seriously not gonna do…what I _think_ you're gonna do…are ya?"

"...that depends on what you think I'm going to do." was Pierce's response, as he still waited.

She grit her teeth. "…you're seriously not gonna try and absorb them…please tell me you're not gonna do something that stupid…"

Pierce just hummed. "...tell me, then... do you have any other ideas that can be executed in the next minute or so? If not, then there's no telling what kind of damage they'll cause."

"I've been through this before, Pierce, and one Novagod alone was overwhelming enough to try and absorb; Metal was the only one who could do it," Callous muttered. "How do you expect to absorb _two_ of 'em?!"

"...I have to try." Pierce mused. "...after all... it would be a shame if you or Johnny had to endure this kind of torture."

Callous didn't know what to say; it seemed so bittersweet for the guy to say that, after just meeting him hours before.

Outside, the monster was slowly taking more and more shape, becoming a mixture of a vampire bat with a crocodile, no doubt Patricia and Bulk's influences, but it even had some lion-like qualities to it, considering the Corrupted Leoniels it had absorbed.

Johnny just grit his teeth. "Shit... what kinda freakshow is this...?!"

It opened its mouth and shot down flames of Corruption down at Johnny.

Strangely enough, while Astaroth and Mercy couldn't see the beast, they could see the flames shooting out. Mercy grit her teeth. Astaroth just remained neutral, as Johnny swiftly evaded those flames.

To Johnny, even despite spending his time trying to climb the broken down building, could see that the monster was slowly finishing its transformation while it still tried to slash at him.

Johnny just grit his teeth at this sight. "Damn...!"

It roared at Johnny and shot more Corruption down at him. With a snarl, Johnny just kept evading the blasts as his eyes narrowed.

Slowly, it started to form wings in order to fully complete its form.

"Fuck...! If that thing flies off..." Johnny uttered.

Finally, the form was fully complete, and with a roar, it started to flap its wings.

Meanwhile, inside...

"...it's done." With a hum, Pierce closed his eyes, as he readied his blade. "...if this goes poorly for me... give my best to Mercy."

"Wh-wha?!" Callous was taken aback again. "Wait!"

But her pleas fell on deaf ears, as Pierce swiftly thrust his blade forward; digging it deep within the beast's leg as he focused on pulling the energy away from this physical form. The beast gave out a roar overhead when Pierce did that, struggling.

To Johnny, he could see the struggling, and the fact it stopped flapping its wings. "...the fuck...?" Johnny uttered, as he just gawked at this.

Pierce grit his teeth as he clutched to the blade for dear life; feeling it vibrating as the Corruption was being pulled out of the beast, through the sword. Callous could really do nothing else but just watch him in amazement. If she tried to stop him now, then there would be irreparable damage done.

Pierce's eyes narrowed...

...and suddenly, he coughed what seemed to be black blood, as dark markings began spreading across his body the more Corruption he absorbed.

Callous grit her teeth, growling. "…damn it…"

She was tempted to jump in to absorb some of that, but like she said before, she knew how that went with Jill and Metal. That was not something she would be ready to take on again.

It even seemed evident that the creature was withering away as Pierce absorbed it.

Pierce just narrowed his eyes as he kept focusing on absorbing the beast. "...let this... be the end..." he managed to utter.

Slowly but surely, he was gonna absorb the entire beast fully, and Callous just couldn't look at it anymore, still thinking that he was an idiot. Pierce just kept absorbing them, eyes slowly closing...

…finally…the beast was gone…

Silence filled the air, leaving those outside in wonder, and Callous actually looked back in shock. Pierce stood there, in complete silence, just clutching the blade in his hands as he remained immobile.

Callous kept watching…wondering if he was going to collapse or not.

But he didn't collapse; he remained perfectly still...

"...is it... gone...?"

"Yeah…it's gone," Callous said.

"...good..." With a brief breath, Pierce stabbed the blade into the ground, before he gripped the actual metal with his hands. "...then this should end it!"

Suddenly, a massive surge of Corruption began rocketing from his hands directly into the blade; causing the very earth beneath them to quake viciously.

This was new. Callous' eyes widened while she stepped back, as the earth beneath them cracked at his blade in the quake. Pierce's eyes narrowed determinedly, as he just kept pouring Corruption directly into the blade; seeing it vibrating from how much he was pouring into it.

Callous just…kept watching, finding this interesting.

Eventually, the black markings actually faded from his being, as he breathed out in relief.

Callous blinked. "…did you just…put all of that into the sword?"

"...yes..." Pierce nodded. "...if my body couldn't have handled taking it in, though..." He breathed out. "...at last... it's all over."

"…for now…" Callous murmured.

Pierce glanced over at her. "...what do you mean by that?"

"There's no telling if they find a way to break out of the sword," Callous hummed, folding her arms. "…but admittedly, it's the best solution right now."

"...I can assure you, they won't." Pierce mused, before he drew the sword out of the ground; cautiously wrapping it in bandages. "True, if the blade grew weak with repeated use, they could break from it... however, I may just attain a new blade to remedy that fact."

"I see," Callous muttered. Then she smirked. "At least you get a kickass blade out of it."

Suddenly, some more bits of debris started to fall, and enough that actually threatened to cave in the building.

Seeing this, made Callous' smirk fall, "Uh, we gotta scram out of here, NOW!" And Callous took off. "C'mon!" With a nod, Pierce ran out after her.

Outside, it was pretty evident that the base was collapsing too, so Johnny was forced to climb back down off of it before he was caught in the debris.

Thankfully, he was quick enough to flee the crumbling base; landing by Mercy and Astaroth as he looked back at the crumbling base. "...Callous..."

Suddenly, two figures emerged from the opening, just as the building finally collapsed. One of them was Pierce; clutching to his blade as he shot a look behind him once they escaped. The other was Callous, huffing in relief once they had gotten out.

Even Mercy sighed with relief once she saw them. Astaroth simply scoffed. "...so... they survived..."

Callous and Pierce then approached the other three.

"...so... what happened, exactly?" Johnny uttered.

"...it's... finished." Pierce mused, as he held out his blade. "...they are sealed... within this."

Astaroth raised an eyebrow and hummed. "...impressive feat... I suppose."

"Better than sealing them inside of himself," Callous added.

"...what would've happened if he did that?" Mercy asked.

"Wouldn't have been pretty, that's for sure," Callous answered.

"...so he nearly..." Johnny uttered, before he looked at Pierce. "...geez... you could've told us about that."

"...well, it doesn't matter now." Pierce hummed, before he gave Mercy a small nod. "What matters... is that this scourge has been defeated."

Mercy nodded back, and then she looked at the ground. Callous couldn't help but smirk at that, and Johnny chuckled a touch at that sight. Astaroth merely rolled his eyes, whilst Pierce glanced at all of them. "...what's so funny?" he inquired.

"Nothing," Callous chuckled. Then she started walking with a sigh. "...but for god's sake, let's get outta here."

"Right..." With a nod, Johnny began walking off.

Pierce gave Mercy a small nod. "...now... where shall our road lead us?"

"...not sure..." Mercy answered. Then she raised her eyebrow at Astaroth. "What are you going to do?"

Astaroth simply hummed. "...I have a couple of plans..." With that, he turned away from the two of them, and walked a separate path.

Pierce simply hummed as he and Mercy were left on their own, before he glanced back at Mercy. "...well... wherever your road goes, mine will inevitably follow."

"...really?" Mercy hummed curiously, looking at the ground again.

"...of course." Pierce hummed with a small nod.

Mercy eventually looked back up at Pierce. He simply gazed back at her.

"...maybe we could follow those two," Mercy hummed, looking over at Johnny and Callous climbing onto the motorcycle. "...things could get interesting..."

"...perhaps..." Pierce hummed, as he gave her a nod. "...if you say we follow them... then that is what we shall do."

Mercy nodded. "...right..." And turned to walk toward Johnny and Callous, though every now and then she glanced at Pierce. Pierce simply followed her; his gaze lingering on her.

Finally, the two of them reached the motorcycle. "Hey, you two don't mind some followers, do you?" Mercy asked.

Callous chuckled. "What's the matter? You a couple of lost puppies now?"

"...not really..." Pierce mused, as he glanced at the two of them. "...we just figured that... following you could be interesting."

Johnny chuckled in return. "...seems like we've gotten a fanclub, Callous."

"Never thought anybody would even _be_ fans of us…" Callous mused.

"…look…we're just tagging along until we find something better…" Mercy muttered. "…we figure, you guys know where the action is."

"Uh-huh," Callous chuckled teasingly. "…okay, we'll let you guys along, but we won't make ya run the whole way." With a snap of her fingers, another motorcycle suddenly came out from a dark fog, not quite as stylized as the one that Johnny and Callous were on, but it worked. "There."

Mercy stared at it, pointing out one thing. "…there's only one."

"Yeah?" Callous chuckled. "What's wrong with you two riding on one motorcycle? You can fit."

"...I suppose that is true..." Pierce mused as he approached the motorcycle, setting a hand on it.

"Then what's the problem? Hop aboard!" Johnny pointed out with a laugh.

"...tsch...fine," Mercy grumbled, approaching the motorcycle as well.

Pierce simply hummed as he climbed onto the motorcycle. Mercy glanced at the motorcycle...and eventually climbed onto it behind Pierce. She glared at Callous who just smirked at her.

Pierce just shot them a look, before he revved it up. "...runs nicely..."

"...alright... now, let's move!" With that, Johnny began driving off.

Pierce glanced back at Mercy as he revved up the bike to start following them. "...something the matter?"

"...it's nothing," Mercy answered. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around Pierce in order to hang on, though she actually looked a little...bashful while doing it.

Glancing back at her with a small hum, Pierce them looked ahead and began driving after Johnny and Callous. "...now... what does fate have in store for us next..."

Callous snickered behind Johnny. "I'm going to have so much fun messing with those two..."

Johnny chuckled in return. "I think that goes for both of us, Callous."

Callous chuckled in return.

"Well, then..." Johnny hummed, as he looked ahead. "...next stop... freedom!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Oh the adventures they will have...<br>**_


	64. Chapter 63

The battle in that village took its toll...

Staggering back a touch, Tails just clenched his hands a bit whilst looking back at his opponent. He was able to hold his own... but he knew that he couldn't last forever.

Malice, meanwhile, was still raring to go, laughing as she shot Corrupted arrows at Tails. Tails just narrowed his eyes as he took to avoiding those arrows; remaining silent as he just looked at Malice.

"You can only run around for so long!" Malice cackled.

Tails narrowed his eyes. "...tell me something I don't know." he hummed, before he hurled a blast of Purity towards her.

Malice whirled around it, cackling while she charged at Tails with her sword coated in Corruption. Swiftly, Tails took to the air to gain more distance; hurling a blast of Unity at her this time.

Malice took to the air after him with dark looking transparent wings, still trying to lunge at him with her sword while she avoided the blasts of Unity.

Tails' eyes just narrowed as he kept his distance from her; still hurling blasts of energy at her. "What do you hope to accomplish from this?" he remarked.

Malice smirked. "Getting rid of you will be just as painful to her as hurting her parents."

"...and why even wound her?" he remarked. "What possible sort of benefit do you attain from this in the long run?"

"...if I make her hopeless enough...then I'll consume her..."

Tails narrowed his eyes. "...you can't..."

"Oh, I can, and I will!" Malice exclaimed. "Little by little I feed on her suffering...and at some point, I can make it so that she won't even exist anymore..."

"...why?" Tails asked as he looked at her. "Why go to such extremes...? Do you truly hate her that much...?"

Malice growled. "...yes...yes, I do! I hate her!"

"And why is that?" Tails called towards her. "You bear hatred not only towards her, but towards your own parents... her parents... are you just incapable of projecting anything but hatred?"

"And what's it to you?!" Malice yelled, shooting slash waves of Corruption at Tails with her sword.

Flying away from these waves, Tails just kept looking towards her. "...because I can't stand seeing someone filled with such hatred... such _misery..._"

Malice scoffed then. "What? Are you actually gonna start feeling sorry for me now?"

"...I pity you." Tails mused. "In that sense, you could say I feel sorry for you as well..."

"Feeling sorry is not what's gonna win your battles," Malice growled, charging at Tails for another slash.

With a hum, Tails evaded the slash, hurling a blast of Purity at her. "...it doesn't have to be like this."

"...what do you mean?" Malice huffed.

"...all this chaos you've caused throughout the months..." Tails hummed, as he looked at her. "...surely it could have been avoided... if you simply took the moment to _talk_ to someone? Someone you felt had wronged you, and you wanted things to be made right...?"

"…and who could I have talked to all this time, huh? _Her_?" Malice asked.

"Possibly..." Tails mused. "...or when you did take control over Joy... you could have talked to _anyone._ Metal, Jill... I figure Callous and Johnny would have been closeby around that time... you could easily have talked to someone..."

Malice just snarled, gripping her sword tightly.

"...don't tell me that you didn't even consider it?" Tails mused.

"…do you honestly think they would've listened to me?" Malice growled.

"...perhaps they would have, if you had bothered to try." Tails mused.

"…then why do I still feel like it wouldn't have made any difference?"

"...because of the hatred you feel towards them." Tails mused. "I know them... they would listen, if you would have explained who you are..."

Malice looked away from Tails, still growling, but not as harshly, and even she seemed unsure at this point what to do.

Tails simply sighed, as he began approaching her. "...Malice... will you not lay down your weapon? Can we not simply... talk?"

Malice even started to tremble a little, and her head fell low enough for her bangs to hide her face.

Tails sighed in sympathy, moving his hand to set on her shoulder. "...it's alright... just let it out..."

Malice grit her teeth.

"…NOOO!"

And suddenly, slashed at Tails again, only this time, Tails would be off guard. Tails' eyes widened; a silent gasp escaping his lips as he was cut across the chest; gritting his teeth as he began falling from the sky.

Malice let out a roar, and dove down after him with her blade resonating with more Corruption. Gritting his teeth, Tails held his hands out to form a barrier of Purity around him; allowing himself to keep descending as he just looked up towards Malice charging down towards him. Malice slashed the blade against the barrier, shattering it and forcing Tails onto the ground, pinned underneath her feet.

Tails just coughed as he crashed against the ground; looking up at Malice with a weak breath. "...nh..."

Malice then threw her blade down, intending to impale Tails right then and there…

…but it stopped.

There was the gushing noise as if it had impaled something, but it certainly wasn't Tails; leaving him untouched as the blade was stopped in midair.

Then when a figure became visible to the two of them, it was quite obvious what stopped the blade.

The moment Tails saw this, his eyes widened considerably. "...no...!"

"…look kid…just cause you're throwing a fit…it doesn't give you the excuse to hurt people…"

Even Malice seemed shaken by this, stepping away at the figure she had stabbed through the abdomen with her blade, which approached her weakly.

It was Sonic, and the more the Corruption coursed through him, the more visible he became.

Tails just gawked at him, shaking his head slowly. "...no... Sonic...!"

Sonic managed to pull out the blade out of his abdomen, but at this point, the Corruption kept growing. "…what's the matter? Got nothing to say? You were talking about all that suffering you felt…"

Malice just…gawked at him.

No, the eyes were suddenly green. It was Joy.

Seeing that, Tails' eyes widened more. "...no..."

Joy shook her head, while Sonic collapsed on the ground, letting the Corruption consume him.

Gritting his teeth, Tails stumbled away from where he had been knocked down; trying to approach Joy. "...Joy..." he uttered.

Joy held her head, shaking her head some more. "…what…did…what did she do…?"

Tails stopped in front of her, simply looking to the side. "...she... tried to hurt me..." he uttered, before he looked back at her. "...Joy... please... this isn't your fault..."

Tears fell from her eyes as Joy clutched to herself, covering her face.

"…yes…it _is _my fault…"

She fell to her knees, covering her head while she shuddered.

Gritting his teeth as he saw her like this, he sank to his knees to gently hug her. "...no... no, Joy... this isn't your fault... please... you don't need to shoulder this all on your own..."

Suddenly, Joy was a child again, still shuddering.

"…but…but she hurt everybody…and now…she hurt Sonic…"

"...that was her... you didn't hurt them..." Tails uttered. "...please... we can all work this out... but you have to let us help..."

"…but I couldn't stop her…no matter how far away I ran…I couldn't stop her…"

"...Joy..." Tails just grit his teeth; not knowing what to do to console Joy.

Suddenly, Joy became limp in his arms. Tails' eyes widened, as he looked towards her. "...Joy?"

Joy seemed like she had fainted somehow, but upon observation, he noticed that Joy's eyes didn't shut. They hung open lifelessly and hopelessly, still wet with some of the tears she had been crying.

It wasn't as though she was dead, as she still felt warm to the touch, but she had somehow just…lost reality on things. Tails just looked at this with wide eyes. "...Joy..."

Just then…Tails got a foreboding feeling from behind him. Eyes widening, he slowly looked behind him.

Sonic had risen on his feet, but a creepy, dark aura surrounded him. Corruption oozed off of his being, and some of it even spread on the ground. Tails grit his teeth upon seeing this. "...Sonic..."

Sonic took a step forward, looking limp as if he had become some sort of zombie.

Slowly, Tails held Joy closer, almost protectively so.

"…_Tails…this stuff is really nasty…"_ Sonic grunted, clutching to his chest. _"…no wonder everybody has such a hard time with it…_"

Tails' eyes narrowed. "...Sonic...?"

"…_the worst part is…I feel the exact same way I did when Deity killed me…_"

Tails' eyes widened.

"…_the guilt from leaving you guys behind…unable to do anything about him when he finished me off…_"

The aura grew stronger while Sonic shuddered.

"...Sonic..." Tails grit his teeth a touch.

"…_why…is it so hard…to __**control?**_"

Even the wind around them seemed off and ominous, as a strong breeze flowed through the village roughly. Tails just clutched to Joy.

Sonic finally let out a roar of agony, while clutching his head.

The roar could be heard down the mountain, where a certain group stopped at that; they even felt the wind that blew through the air.

"What was that?!" Stella uttered worriedly.

"...it... didn't sound human..." Lock uttered.

Hex grit her teeth. "...I don't know... but it's definitely not good..." She swiftly looked towards Metal. "...you should hurry on ahead. We'll catch up."

Metal gave her a brief glance, before he looked at Jill. "...what do you think...?"

"…we should hurry…" Jill muttered, looking up the mountain.

"...very well..." Picking Jill up, Metal gave the others a nod. "...we'll go ahead." With that, he began flying towards where the roar had come from.

"...be safe..." Proxy hummed, before they began following the two of them.

While they flew, Jill looked up the mountain, while she felt the rough breeze. "…I have a really bad feeling about this…"

"...me too..." Metal uttered.

…then suddenly, a large blast of Corruption shot up in the air, for those on the mountain to see. Jill gasped at that. Metal's eyes widened.

When they arrived in the village, they noticed the source of all that Corruption, which was Sonic thrashing about in a fit of insane rage while Corruption radiated off of him.

Then they noticed Tails kneeling on the ground holding Joy. Swiftly, Metal flew over to Tails and Joy, eyes wide as he looked from them to Sonic. "...what in the world...?"

"Nh..." Slowly, Tails looked towards them. "...Jill... Metal..."

"Professor…what…happened?!" Jill uttered, not only seeing that Tails had a huge scar across his chest, but the state that her daughter was in…

"...Malice..." Tails uttered. "...she broke loose... and she attacked me..." He looked towards Sonic. "...he managed to save me... but Joy bore witness to it..."

"...damn..." Metal sank down to look at Joy. "...she's..."

Jill left Metal's arms to kneel on the ground, and she took Joy into her arms worriedly.

"...I tried to comfort her... but then she just..." Tails uttered, as he looked down at her.

Metal looked worriedly down at her as well. Jill clutched to Joy, actually saddened to see Joy like this. Then when there was a loud thud, Jill looked up. Sonic was running into the tree houses in his fit of rage. Metal slowly looked towards Sonic as well.

Suddenly, without warning, Sonic charged up a spin dash, and shot for the four of them. Immediately in response to that, however, Metal shot his arm out to form a wall of liquid metal; surrounding Tails, Jill and Joy, and knocking Sonic away.

When Sonic hit that, he bounced off with a roar, and proceeded to hit the wall over and over again with homing attacks.

Metal's eyes narrowed, as he just kept reinforcing it. "...didn't think that you would be the one to lose yourself like this..." he uttered with a hiss.

"...yeah, of all those to lose themselves to Corruption, wouldn't Sonic have stayed strong?" Jill asked.

Metal hummed. "...for all the years I knew him... he was certainly strong." he mused, still narrowing his eyes. "Strong... proud... a touch arrogant... well, scratch "a touch"; he was arrogant to a tee."

With a sigh, he just looked at the raging hedgehog. "...I think... facing such a defeat like what Deity gave him... it cracked his infallible pride... and another defeat must have shattered it..."

"...oh no..." Jill muttered.

With a sigh, Metal began stepping forward. "...Jill. I need you to stay there for the time being; maybe heal the Professor's wound, keep them safe..."

"Right," Jill said with a nod. She had been weakened considerably, and could probably manage healing Tails, but not fight Sonic in Corrupted form.

"...what about you?" Tails uttered as he looked at Metal.

"...well... what else _can_ I do?" Metal hummed, as he stopped between the barrier and Sonic; eyes narrowing. "...I'm going to fight my designated enemy... one last time."

As he spoke, he formed a blade of liquid metal from his hand, which suddenly took on a pale green glow.

Jill looked at Metal wistfully. "…good luck…"

With a small nod to her, Metal charged straight for Sonic; making sure to fly at him with enough speed that the hedgehog would recognize him as a threat, before slashing the Purity-imbued sword at him. Sonic jumped back with his speed, hissing, and shot at him with another homing attack. Forming a shield from his liquid metal, Metal parried the incoming attack, before thrusting his sword at Sonic. Sonic proved to be too quick for him again, backing away and shooting at him again.

Jill reached over to heal Tails' wound on his chest.

Breathing out, Tails gave Jill a small nod. "...thank you..."

With a hiss, Metal stepped aside from the incoming attack, before aiming a slash at Sonic the very nanosecond after he dodged. That managed to hit Sonic, slashing against his chest with a hiss.

Joy meanwhile, while she was stuck in a fever induced coma…she felt as if she was cowering in a corner in the deepest parts of the darkness inside of her right now, crying in despair. She just didn't know what else to do…she felt so hopeless. Malice had pushed her enough that Joy was just too afraid and too helpless to do anything against her…she just wanted to wither away.

Then she heard laughter, which made her shudder. Joy didn't need to look up to know that the monsters were surrounding her.

"Look how the mighty have fallen!" laughed Malice behind her.

Joy just wept. "…stop it…please…no more…"

Back in the village, staggering back as he looked back at Sonic, Metal formed a whip of Purity that swung out from the blade; swinging the sword to lash the energy at the hedgehog. It missed Sonic, and he began to charge up a spin dash that radiated with Corruption.

A thought struck Metal, and swiftly, he began forming several barriers of liquid metal surrounding the area, while he began heavily reinforcing the shield. "...come on! See if you can best me!"

Then Sonic shot for him, leaving a trail of Corruption behind him. Narrowing his eyes, Metal charged Purity within his shield...

...and the instant Sonic got close enough, he _swung_ the shield at the Corrupted ghost; slamming into him before swinging so that he would be knocked away... into one of the barriers he had formed, causing him to bounce off to hit another barrier, and then another and another. Metal merely waited as the hedgehog was knocked about enough for him to grow disoriented; Purity charging against his entire being.

This definitely weakened Sonic considerably, and when he hit the ground after all of that, he stumbled for his footing.

"Just you wait…everybody you care about is gonna suffer…" Malice chuckled evilly.

Slowly, Joy managed to stand up with a bit of a stumble, and slowly, she turned toward Malice. "…Malice…please…stop…" she almost begged.

"How can you possibly stop me now?!" Malice laughed hysterically. "I've caused the most pain to you by separating you, your "Mommy" and your "Daddy." I've done so much damage that you're never gonna be able to beat me." And then the evil little child continued to laugh.

Joy was quiet, with her head hung low, her expression hidden from Malice's view.

With Sonic weakened and disoriented, Metal took his chance. "NOW!" With that, he shot straight at the hedgehog with such blazing speed; grabbing him and slamming him against the ground to pin him down. Sonic hissed back at him, trying to use Corruption to knock Metal off of him.

With a silent growl, however, Metal just focused Purity to counteract the Corruption. "...what's the matter? I know you're stronger than this..." he growled; partly due to being frustrated, but also due to invoking certain memories within his mind...

"...you're right Malice."

"Hm?" Malice stopped laughing. "...say that again?"

"I said...you're right...you did lots...you hurt a lot of people, almost as much as Deity did. You got your revenge that you wanted."

To this, Malice smirked. "...nice to know things are finally clear for you." Then she turned to her monsters. "Get her! Chew her up! Tear her apart!"

There was no response.

"...hello?!" Malice wailed, baffled when she saw that her monsters were standing in place, refusing to budge.

"...but Malice...out of everybody that got hurt...somebody got hurt the most..."

"...and...I think that's you."

"...wha?" Malice was totally surprised when Joy said that, and especially when Joy looked up at her with a sad look. Yet, there was softness in her eyes that further puzzled Malice. Joy no longer wanted to fight anymore, and after remembering the things that Tails had said to Malice, it made her think.

It was at this point that Sonic…actually stopped struggling against Metal.

"...Sonic the Hedgehog..." Metal growled as he looked down upon him. "...out of anyone I ever knew... ever fought against... you were the strongest." His eyes narrowed. "...you could take on anyone... any_thing_... and still come out on top, carrying that smug smirk across your face..."

At that point, Metal's eyes closed; still focusing Purity against the hedgehog. "...seeing you in this state... it's a disservice to the legacy you left behind."

Sonic hissed at that, but he seemed pretty subdued at this point while Metal tried to purify the Corruption from his body.

As Joy started to walk toward Malice, the monsters made no effort to stop her. In fact, they even stepped aside to allow Joy to walk toward Malice.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Malice yelled, mostly at the monsters for not stopping Joy, but also at the ewe approaching her. She stepped away.

"...Callous and Johnny are your Mommy and Daddy..." Joy started to say. "...you feel like they left you all alone, and because of that, you hate them...but you still wanna call them your Mommy and Daddy, even after all of that."

"...what makes you say that?!" Malice scoffed, though she got uneasy the closer Joy walked toward her.

"...I think...that you don't just feel hurt because they left you, or when my Mama and Daddy...y'know..." It was uncomfortable for Joy to admit that her own parents had killed, even if it was Callous and Johnny. "...but...I think you feel the same kind of feelings Callous and Johnny had...when they couldn't be together."

"...what do you mean...?" Malice muttered, confused, but...intrigued. She also grew nervous as Joy was right up to her.

"...when Callous and Johnny got separated..." Joy said. "...they felt really hurt. They felt like...they were really sad without each other. They have to wait to see each other again in a really long time, because Callous is inside Mama...and Johnny was just a ghost. Even if they didn't wanna say it in front of other people...they really loved each other."

"...so when they were taken away from each other...they hated everyone that helped do that. They hated my Mama and Daddy...they hated Deity...all they did was hate, hate, hate...and I think all of that built up in that stuff you were that was made into me."

"...so...you're made out of all those emotions, and because of the Corruption...it's out of control."

"...and what makes you think I'm gonna believe something stupid like that?!" Malice yelled; though she didn't want to admit it, the statement that Joy was making was actually affecting her.

"...Because..I wanna say that I'm sorry."

Suddenly, Joy wrapped her arms around Malice, and hugged her.

Malice's eyes widened at that, shuddering for some reason. She wasn't able to push Joy away...and even then, she couldn't have done it. This had shocked Malice so much, and had such an impact on her; tears started to roll down her face.

Breathing out, Metal just looked down at Sonic; hands gripping on his shoulders as Purity brimmed from his being. "...so come on... I want you to fight this. Fight like you always did... come out on top... and flash that arrogant smirk back at me the moment this is over with. Do you understand... Sonic the Hedgehog?"

Tears rolled down Joy's face too, but she held her tightly. "...I'm sorry my Mama and Daddy hurt you...I'm sorry that Callous and Johnny didn't want you...you never wanted to get revenge or to hurt other people...you just wanted to be free, and to be loved. All this time, I tried to fight you so I could keep you from hurting everybody I cared about, feeling bad about myself when you said nasty things to me...when all along, I was supposed to say sorry...I was supposed to help you not feel so bad."

"..." Malice felt as if she lost all of her strength to keep any composure, letting tears drip from her face uncontrollably. She couldn't utter out any ounce of a word, having nothing to muster up because of the unruly agony of the emotions she was feeling right now. All up until now...she had never had any real good reason to have such hate for everyone, other than shallow revenge. It was almost as if what Joy said had suddenly opened up her eyes to an epiphany.

So Malice burst into a sob, right in Joy's arms.

Slowly but surely, the child started to wither away. All of the pain and suffering Malice expressed was all washed away within the wind along with herself, and throughout the whole thing, Joy kept hugging her closely.

And just like that, Sonic sizzled with Corruption, as Metal steadily succeeded in flushing it out. Metal just gazed back down at the hedgehog as he breathed out slowly.

Eventually, Malice just...disappeared.

And Joy was left alone.

She turned to the monsters, and they stared at her. She walked down to them, and they didn't move toward or away from her at all. They obediently stayed put. Joy, hesitantly, raised her hand to them, and they still didn't move.

Eventually, she managed to pet the creature, and it nuzzled up to her hand.

Joy's eyes widened, realizing that they weren't going to attack her.

Then something else made her wonder, and she pulled her hand away to hold her palm up. When a particular energy appeared suspended over her hand, her eyes widened again in shock.

She possessed the ability over Corruption.

There it was, coursing from her very own hands, and the creatures were listening to her now.

Joy…she didn't know how to take it. More tears streamed down her eyes from mixed emotions. She probably even felt the sadness that Malice felt right now…but at the same time, she had conquered Malice and stopped her for good…

"…Mama, Daddy…I did it…"

Jill jumped when she heard that, and looked down at her daughter in her arms. "Joy?!"

Tails' eyes widened as he looked down upon Joy as well.

Her eyes seemed…aware…but definitely still worn down and even out of it as if she was still partially in her coma.

At the same time, Metal finished purifying Sonic…and just as Metal demanded, Sonic shot him a smirk; a weary one at that, but a smirk nonetheless. Metal couldn't help but smirk back at him, before he slowly let go of him; rising to his feet. "...welcome back." he spoke with a nod.

"…yeah…" Sonic responded, slowly getting back to his feet. Then he looked over at Jill, Tails and Joy.

Joy's eyes fluttered a bit, slowly waking up even more, and then her eyes widened. "…Mama…"

Jill's eyes widened too…and she smiled, while tears of pure happiness streamed down her own face.

Tails heaved a small sigh of relief as he gazed down at Joy as well.

Looking back at this, Metal's eyes widened, as he stumbled towards the three of them. "...Joy..."

Joy turned in her mother's arms, looking at Metal. "...Daddy?"

Metal stopped when he got close enough to them, slowly kneeling down as he looked at her. "...Joy... thank goodness..."

More tears gushed out of Joy then. "...Daddy!"

And she threw her arms around Metal, clutching to him. Metal just smiled, as he gently hugged Joy back.

Joy proceeded to cry in his arms. "I'm so sorry I ran away Daddy!" she wept. Metal just remained silent, hugging Joy softly.

"I'm so sorry!" Joy kept on. "And I...!" And she kept sobbing.

Jill came over to rub her head comfortingly. "Don't worry Joy...it's alright now..."

Metal just nodded. "...that's right... it's alright now..." he spoke softly to her.

At the village entrance, the others finally caught up, seeing the scene before them.

"...seems like we weren't needed..." Lock mused thoughtfully.

Hex just sighed in relief. "...thank goodness... everything looks like it turned out fine..."

"...hopefully this means that it's done and no more running away..." Stella murmured.

After Joy sobbed her sob, she managed to quiet down after a while, trembling a bit weakly. "...can I go to sleep...?" She muttered faintly. "...I'm sorry, but...I feel so tired..."

"...of course..." Metal uttered, gently rubbing her back to comfort her. "...you deserve a good night's sleep..."

Feeling Jill stroke her hair and Metal rub her back put Joy at such ease that she actually fell asleep within seconds out of relief; slipping into what would be the most peaceful sleep she's had in months.

With a small breath of relief, Metal closed his eyes. "...at last... it's over..."

Jill put her arms around Metal and Joy, embracing them. "...finally..."

Violet looked at their group; specifically, Ivory. "I'd go get the villagers and let them know that it's safe to come back."

Ivory nodded, turning to leave the village.

Folding his arms, Proxy just looked at this. "...well... that takes care of that."

_**"...shall we attempt to communicate with the other groups to inform them of this turn of events?"**_ Omega hummed.

"...hm..." Lock folded his arms. "...well... I don't see a reason why not to do that."

"Yes, it would be a good idea to do that," Violet remarked. "It would ease the others quite a bit."

Proxy nodded, as he closed his eyes. "...can anyone hear me? This is Proxy."

_"...King here."_ came one voice from the other end of the line. _"What's up?"_

"...we got to Joy," Stella sighed with relief. "...and it looks like everything's okay..."

_"...you mean...it's over?" _Rudy uttered hopefully over the line.

"...yes... that's how it seems."

_"...oh thank goodness."_ Demi uttered with a small sigh over the line.

_"...in that case, what do we all do at this point?"_ Striker asked. _"We found her so do we just...head back?"_

"...well, right now she's resting..." Hex remarked as she folded her arms. "...so I figure we'll hang around until she wakes up. I don't think there's much else we can do, so... time to head back, I guess..."

_"In that case, we'll stay put where we are,"_ Hunter responded. _"I think we might help the folks here rebuild their town."_

_"...yeah, that sounds right..." _Charon mused._"...with our groups together, there's more than enough manpower to go around."_

_"I guess some of us could come over and help you guys out over there." _Sage hummed. _"What about you, Vanessa? Any plans for your group?"_

_"We'll stay put here too; Arsenic's been having a long heart to heart chat with her parents that she hasn't seen in a long time," _Vanessa chuckled.

Suddenly...a rumbling sound came from the sky.

With a slight hum, Lock glanced upwards. "...well... I'll be damned..."

From above, a helicopter appeared, and slowly started to descend down in the village.

"...now who could that be?" Hex hummed.

When the helicopter landed, some GUN solders climbed out, and then finally, the Captain stepped out, seeing Metal, Jill and Tails, and he stepped toward them.

Tails looked towards him with a slight hum; folding his arms behind his back.

"...Metal Sonic...and Miss Condit," the Captain greeted them. Metal slowly looked up at him.

"...Metal...you're needed," The Captain spoke. "The Commander wants to get the situation straightened out...regarding you and the public knowing your existence."

Hearing that, Metal let out a small hum, as he slowly looked back at Jill. Jill looked back at Metal glumly.

"...I can tell that you just reunited with your daughter...so I apologize for interrupting that...but the Commander felt that it was urgent to wrap things up as quickly as possible, sending me to fetch not only you, but the admins from Safe Haven as well," the Captain said.

Metal sighed as he closed his eyes; thinking about it. Jill sighed a bit in disdain at this. She wasn't ready for Metal to try and face all of that, but she wasn't even sure if they had a say in the matter.

Stella watched this from afar to some sadness

"...you know, Hex..." And she turned to the octopus. "...say what we want about what happened between us...but when you look at Metal...he's got an even more harsh past to face...for what he used to be..."

"...hm..." Hex just watched this with folded arms.

Eventually, Metal moved his arms to gently hug Jill; eyes remaining closed. Jill hugged him back dearly.

"...I will come back to you..." he murmured to her. "...I just... have to resolve this..."

"...I understand...do what you have to..." Jill muttered.

Slowly, Metal let go of Jill; giving her a small nod. "...I will be back..." With that, he stood up, before he started walking towards the chopper.

Jill stood up too, holding Joy, while she watched the Captain follow Metal aboard the chopper. She watched sadly while he climbed on. With a small sigh, Tails settled a hand on Jill's shoulder as he watched the chopper start to lift off.

"…good luck…Metal…" Jill murmured under her breath.

* * *

><p>Back on Safe Haven, the soldiers were just settling down, and even the Lieutenants, Tasha and Cyrene had been retrieved from Jill's home to the safer, more structured camp that was set up at the base of the mountain.<p>

With a light yawn, Spiel looked around at everyone winding down from the battle that had gone on hours ago. "...geez... everyone's just out of it." he remarked.

"We had one heck of a battle; I'm sure everybody'd be tuckered out," Bruno remarked.

"Well, at least everyone's calming down..." Caitlin mused with a small smile.

"Yeah...but why exactly are we sitting around? Shouldn't there be something we should be doing?" Ed asked.

"I dunno... those commanding officers didn't tell us to do much when they headed off." Marco remarked.

"...well, at least we can kick back and relax..." Seymour muttered.

Then from the distance...helicopters came in from above the camp.

"...spoke too soon." Spiel noted dryly.

"...the hell?" Bruno uttered, going outside to look and watch the helicopters land in the camp. All the other soldiers came to watch too, and even Tasha came to watch.

Then her eyes widened at who climbed out. Climbing out from the helicopter were the six officers of Safe Haven; all of them stretching out...

...but one of them looking directly towards Tasha with a growing smile. "...Tasha..."

"Twilight!"

Tasha actually ran out to him. King ran towards her as well. Tasha threw her arms around King the best she could despite her bulging stomach. King hugged her right back; holding her tightly yet gently as well.

"Oh Twilight..." Tasha was actually crying a little as she held him. "...you're back!"

"...I am..." King murmured as he held her tightly. "...I missed you so much... Tasha..."

"...I missed you too Twilight..." Tasha whispered.

"...I have so much to tell you... so much to talk about..." King uttered.

"...I think you can save it for now, King." Sage mused with a slightly bemused smile. "I mean, in front of everyone? That's not your style."

The soldiers of Safe Haven actually snickered a bit at this display of King and Tasha.

"...oh, stop it, you guys..." Miser noted with a light chuckle of her own.

Tasha actually giggled a bit, and after she wiped her tears, she touched her stomach. Looking down at her stomach, King smiled a bit. "...hey... looks like you're coming along just fine too, huh?" he mused. "Hope I didn't worry ya too much all this time, buddy..."

Again, the soldiers began snickering as King was talking like that.

"...oi." With a huff, Spiel just folded his arms. "How about ya shut yer traps, huh? He's talkin' to his kid."

That actually got the soldiers to stop in their tracks.

"Seeing Spiel...now that's surreal," Hunter muttered.

"Kekeke... you're telling me." Ripper noted.

"So what? They just picked you guys up with some helicopters?" Francis hummed.

"That's right." Sage hummed with a nod. "Urgent business, they said..."

Another helicopter landed then, stealing the soldiers' attention, and when those on the helicopter disembarked, their eyes widened to see the Captain with Metal.

"...what's he doing here...?" Will remarked with a tilted head. "...the others are..."

Metal just hummed as he looked at the others gathered around.

"...the Commander summoned him and the admins," The Captain said.

"...the Commander, huh..." Caitlin remarked.

"...they're hoping to sort this thing out once and for all concerning Metal..." the Captain muttered.

"...makes sense." Spiel hummed.

"...well then...better get it over with," Hunter supposed.

"...right..." With a small nod, Metal turned to start walking off to the HQ. The Captain followed him, and so did the other Safe Haven admins, except King as Tasha had hugged him again.

"...I wish you luck..." She muttered.

"...thank you..." he whispered in return to her; hugging her back for a bit, before he eventually let go to follow the others.

Tasha touched her tummy while she watched them walk away.

* * *

><p>"...Metal Sonic... it's been a while."<p>

Sitting in the main office of the HQ, the Commander sat by the desk with her hands held together; the Admiral and Sergeant on either side of her as she looked at the one sitting across from her. "...we have things to go through in this meeting."

"...yes... we do." Metal mused with a small nod as he simply looked straight at the Commander.

The Captain stayed at the side to oversee the meeting, wondering just what was going to happen.

"...as we both know, I can vouch for you, Metal. I know that you've changed from what you started out as seven years ago." the Commander hummed as she held her hands tightly. "But the word of one woman alone isn't going to sway an entire world... you've hurt a lot of people, after all."

"...that's right." Metal hummed, nodding slowly as he simply remained stoic.

Though the Admiral and the Sergeant probably knew all of what the Commander was going to say, (and Sage too for that matter), the Captain was standing attentively waiting...

...and the other admins stood around worriedly.

"For the short period of time you were acting like... well, the villain you touted yourself to be, you caused a lot of damage... not just collateral, but casualties..." the Commander mused. "...even though you've stayed out of the public eye for these past seven years, building your own circle of friends who would keep a secret... this recent debacle has made it clear that you're still at large... so there is only one thing to be done."

Metal breathed out a touch, but straightened himself, awaiting the Commander's next words.

"...Metal Sonic... you have to atone for your crimes."

Hunter grit his teeth, turning away. All this time, he still couldn't believe that Metal would have to go through with this. The others just looked away as well, leaving only King and Sage to just look at the situation dead-on.

"...now... I want you to look over this." The Commander then took a piece of paper that lied on her desk, and handed it to Metal for him to read.

Metal took the paper, reading through it... and his eyes widened. "...you... you can't be serious." he uttered, slowly looking back at the Commander.

"...no, I'm absolutely serious, Metal Sonic." the Commander hummed as she moved her hands so she could rest one hand upon her knuckles. "Upon that slip of paper is written out what is expected of you, to pay your dues for what you have done. This is not negotiable; this is a strict order from the GUN Commander."

The Captain watched silently.

Metal just blinked, looking down upon the slip... and then he closed his eyes. "...seems like I have no say in the matter..." He set the paper back down on the desk. "...very well... I'll accept the terms that are expected of me."

"...splendid," In that instant, a warmer smile crossed the Commander's lips, as she closed her eyes, "So, does starting next week sound good?"

"...what exactly does he have to do?" Hunter asked.

"...yeah... what?" King uttered.

"...why, I should think it's obvious, King." the Commander mused. "He has to atone for the crimes he committed..."

"...so..." Metal hummed, his eyes still remaining closed. "...I'm expected to perform... community service."

"...wait, what?" The Captain seemed surprised at that.

"...but...we were under the impression he was going to jail...or worse," Hunter muttered.

"...how in the world would he be able to atone for his crimes in jail?" the Commander remarked.

"...clever girl..." Sage actually chuckled. "...make it appear like one thing... when really, it's something else entirely."

"...why am I not surprised that she knew about it?" Miser remarked with a sigh; though a relieved one.

"...so... that means...?" King uttered.

"That's right... starting next week..." the Commander hummed, before she looked at Metal, "...Metal Sonic will pay for his crimes via community service... in the name of GUN."

Hunter blinked in disbelief. "...as in...working for you guys?"

"...bingo." the Commander chuckled.

"...kekeke... that's... really crafty." Ripper noted with a growing smile.

"...then..." King looked back at Metal, whose eyes were still closed.

"...he's not getting punished after all..." Hunter chuckled.

"...only to the public's understanding." the Commander mused. "And in time... I'm sure they'll grow accustomed to it."

"...that's... that's great!" Swiftly, King patted Metal's back. "Ya hear that? Things are looking up after all!"

Clearing his throat as his back was knocked like this, Metal couldn't help but smile a touch.

The Sergeant smiled too. "...think of it as being able to support your family too."

"...right..." Metal hummed, still smiling.

"...well... I believe that settles that, then." the Admiral hummed, nodding a touch. "What's next then, Commander?"

She smiled in response. "...actually... would you mind starting a bit in advance, Metal?" She glanced at King. "I did hear mention of a town in need of repairs..."

Hunter smirked at that.

"...I suppose I could start... a touch earlier than expected." Metal hummed with a nod; slowly rising from his seat. "...I trust that GUN will stand by for transport for everyone who may need it to get back to Safe Haven?"

"Of course, Metal." the Commander spoke with a smile.

"Good... That means everyone won't be stranded," Hunter sighed with relief. After all, he didn't want to leave his daughter out there.

"...now... let's get to work, shall we?" the Commander hummed, as she gave King a nod. "You may choose to stay here for the time being if you so please. I'm sure you've been missed, King."

King just smiled back at her, rubbing his neck a touch.

"Well? Let's go then!" Hunter said.

"...right." With a nod, Metal turned to start walking out, with the other admins following suite.

* * *

><p>Jill was sitting on the couch in her father's home, Joy still asleep in her arms for all that time as the night slowly dragged on.<p>

The rest of Metal's group had also decided to rest in her father's cabin, all sitting around and trying to relax.

Setting his hat aside, Lock just sat down to rest against the wall; eyes closing a touch as he breathed out.

Violet chuckled a bit at that sight, cleaning out her gun. Stella smiled at the sight of the two of them, and even decided to sit next to Lock.

Proxy and Omega simply stood outside, on the grounds that Omega simply couldn't fit through the doorway. Glancing towards them, Hex couldn't help but draw a small sigh, as she simply took a small drag from her pipe.

Ivory just looked up at the night sky, wondering how Brute and Mia were handling themselves at the moment and if they were alright.

:..then she heard a noise, and raised her spear. "I heard something..."

Proxy hummed as well, as he glanced upwards. "...hm...?"

At first, it seemed like it came through the air...

...but then something burst out from the brush, and Ivory ended up jumping away so as not to get run over. The roar of two engines were heard, and both vehicles came to a screeching halt.

Then there was laughter. "I don't think I'm going to get sick of that!"

"Hah; me neither!" another voice laughed.

Both Proxy and Omega looked at these two vehicles in surprise.

"You two are a bunch of children," scoffed a third voice, disembarking one of the vehicles.

Ivory recognized the voice and figure. "Mercy."

"...Ivory?" Mercy turned to see Ivory to some surprise.

"...well... this is a surprise." a fourth voice mused, as he disembarked alongside Mercy. "I didn't expect to see you again, Ivory."

"...didn't expect seeing you either, Pierce," Ivory hummed.

With a hum, the black poodle gave her a nod. "...I take it that the situation has been resolved?"

"Yeah, for the most part," Ivory answered. "...so why are you guys here?"

Mercy pointed behind herself. "Ask them."

"We decided that we'd come tell you guys that Bulk and Patricia have kicked it," Callous was one of the figures behind Mercy that got off the motorcycle as well.

"Just so ya know, and don't start freaking out over them being around." Johnny added as he remained on the motorcycle; being the last of the figures.

"...so they're gone?" Proxy hummed.

"...to a point." Pierce mused, before he held out his blade, still bandaged. "...they are trapped... within this."

"Hm...I see..." Ivory hummed. "...that ties up that loose end at least."

"You're telling me..." Johnny hummed, as he glanced towards the building Omega was directly outside of. "...so... she's in there, right?"

"Yep," Ivory answered.

"Good. That makes things easy," Callous said, heading inside the building.

"Ah..." Proxy looked towards her as she entered the building, before he glanced at the others. "...what about you?"

"...eh..." Johnny just folded his arms. "...I dunno... this seems more like Callous' thing. I'd probably just get in the way here..."

Inside, Callous folded her arms and leaned against the wall. "Well would you look at that."

That got everyone's attention in the room.

Lock's eyes narrowed. "...Callous."

"...huh..." Hex just hummed. "...fancy seeing you here."

Callous chuckled, and then she looked over at Jill, who simply stared back at her. Eventually, Callous made her way across to the couch Jill sat on, and sat next to her, looking down at Joy.

"...how is she?"

"...she seems to be doing better," Jill answered, looking down at Joy. "I guess...she found a way to stop Malice for good, but she was so exhausted afterward she passed out."

The others looked over at Jill and Callous as well.

Callous looked hard and long at Joy, making Jill nervous. "...what is it?"

"...don't you realize there's still Corruption inside of her?"

Everyone's eyes widened upon hearing that. Jill's eyes widened too, and she looked down at Joy worriedly.

"It doesn't feel violent like Malice," Callous reassured. "...but it's there, nonetheless."

"...what does that mean?" Hex uttered. "For her, I mean..."

"I'm honestly not sure," Callous murmured.

Then she noticed Joy stir a bit, and she let out a yawn, rubbing her eyes. It seemed like she was waking up. Everyone just remained silent as they looked at Joy. When Joy saw Jill, she smiled, but when she looked around, she grew a little sad. "Where's Daddy?"

"...don't worry about him Joy; he just has some things to take care of," Jill said, trying not to seem sad about it even if she was.

Then Joy saw Callous...and stopped.

Callous chuckled a little. "...didn't expect to see me, did'ja squirt?"

"...but...but you were in Mama..." Joy uttered.

"...well... not anymore, apparently," Lock remarked with a small hum.

When Callous finished chuckling, she turned serious. "Now, would you like to tell us just what happened with Malice?"

Joy was silent for a bit, looking down. The others were just as silent for the time being.

"...I...told Malice that I was sorry...sorry for what Mama and Daddy did to you and Johnny...sorry that you guys didn't want her..."

Then Joy looked up at Callous. "...after that, she was gone..."

"...gone... I see..." Tails hummed, as he closed his eyes a touch. "...hm..."

"...and now..." Joy looked at her mother uneasily, wondering if Jill was going to freak out on her for this...but Joy held out her hand anyway. "...I can do...this."

Joy summoned a certain dark energy to her palms, showing everyone. Everyone just looked at this with wide eyes.

Jill gawked uneasily at this, and even Callous was a little stunned to see that Joy was actually using Corruption. Eventually, Joy made the energy disappear, and she looked up at Callous.

"...so you...?" Callous actually was speechless at this.

"...yeah...I can use Corruption," Joy said.

"...hm..." Tails hummed in concern.

"...Joy, how do you feel about that?" Jill finally was able to ask.

"...I dunno," Joy answered.

"...well... it's not looking like it's hurting her..." Hex mused.

"You can still control Purity, right?" Callous asked.

"Mhm," Joy answered, and to prove it, she held up a hand that radiated with that light green energy.

"Interesting..." Callous hummed, rubbing her chin. "...well, if anything, you can keep the Corruption under control..." And then Callous chuckled. "You turned out to be a special case just like the Toaster."

"...you mean, like Daddy?" Joy spoke.

"Yeah, the fact that somehow, you can control both of them when it's impossible for that, since anyone would have to be one or the other," Callous added.

"...curious..." Lock mused.

"...is there a chance we could purify the Corruption from her if the worst happens?" Jill asked worriedly.

"I don't think so," Callous answered. "If you think about how Malice was somehow developed into her while she was a fetus, you could technically say that Joy was born with the ability to use Corruption, whether we knew about it or not. That being said, I don't think we could purify her."

The others remained silently in thought.

"But I think given who her Daddy is, Joy might have an advantage over this, because he can help her learn how to control her powers," Callous added.

"...that's true..." Tails mused.

"Oh, and before I forget, I've informed your friends out there that Bulk and Patricia have been taken care of," Callous chuckled.

"...is that so...?" Lock hummed.

Hex's eyes widened, as she looked at Callous with wide eyes. "...then... do you know if... the spirits that Patricia consumed...?"

"My best guess is that any spirits she consumed would've faded away from her grasp when we beat 'em—that is, if Pierce didn't absorb them into his sword," Callous supposed. "But usually, the spirits would wander a bit before they find their own bodies again."

"...I see..." Nodding, Hex glanced aside with a narrowing gaze. _...May..._

"That being said, I'm taking off," Callous said, getting up off of the couch.

"Where are you going?" Jill asked.

Callous smirked at her. "I'm going to enjoy my freedom."

"...well... best of luck to you, then," Tails mused as he folded his arms behind his back, giving Callous a nod.

Callous chuckled, and was about to leave when…

"Wait!"

The minute Callous turned back around, she saw Joy fling her arms around her ankles to her surprise.

"…are we gonna see you again?" Joy asked, looking up hopefully at Callous.

"…what…?" Callous was surprised, again, when Joy asked that question.

The others looked at Joy in surprise as well. Callous blinked at Joy, and eventually knelt down to her. "What? You gonna miss me or something?" she chuckled in amusement.

"…well, yeah," Joy answered.

"…now why would you miss me?" Callous hummed. "I'm nasty and make fun of everyone. Why would you miss that?"

Joy just stared at Callous, not really sure how to answer that. The others still just waited to see what Joy would reply with.

"…well…I don't think you're…_that_ bad…" Joy murmured, fidgeting around with her clothes.

Callous' smirk slanted in amusement, and she ruffled her hair. "…you're cute. I'll give you that." Then she stood up. "Don't worry; I'm pretty sure this ain't gonna be the last you'll see me."

"Mkay," Joy said, nodding up to her.

"...so we'll have to expect unexpected visits, then..." Lock remarked with a light chuckle.

"You bet'cha," Callous chuckled, finally leaving the room and presumably the house. The others just watched her leave in silence.

When Callous stepped out of the house, she couldn't help but look back at it. She really did wonder why in the world Joy would actually miss her. She couldn't really just dismiss Joy as just a kid; she was a smart girl, and given the things she went through, she wasn't really all that naïve like she used to be.

What could a little girl see in her to miss her?

Callous shook her head, still amused…but somewhat found it…bittersweet.

"...so... how'd it go?" Johnny called from where he, Pierce and Mercy still stood.

"Fairly well," Callous answered. "But there was something surprising….Joy can use Corruption."

Johnny raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Most curious..." Pierce hummed as well.

"Yeah, it seems like Malice is gone, and in her place, Joy has the power," Callous supposed. "…but I keep wondering about it."

"What do you mean?" Mercy muttered.

"…I can't help but wonder what Malice really was. Was it mine and Johnny's kid? Was it just our emotions? Was it a part of Joy? Goddamn it's confusing…" Callous grumbled. "…and who's to say Joy didn't really get rid of her? Is there a chance Malice could come back?"

Pierce simply hummed.

"...well... if she _does_ come back..." Johnny hummed, as he rubbed his chin. "...what do you think we oughta do?"

"Fuck, I don't know," Callous muttered. "Give me some time to think about that one."

"...well, we'll figure it out eventually." Johnny noted. "For now though..."

Callous smirked. "For now…we enjoy ourselves."

"…and how are you going to do that?" Mercy hummed dryly.

"...I assume we'll find out as we go along." Pierce remarked.

"Of course," Johnny chuckled, as he got on the motorcycle yet again. "I mean, you two are coming along for the ride, so you'll see first-hand what we think of."

"…I suppose," Mercy sighed. "Don't have anything better to do."

"Oh, I'm sure you can think of something," Callous chuckled, getting on the motorcycle behind Johnny.

"...perhaps..." Pierce mused, as he got on the other motorcycle.

"...well, you two better make sure to keep an eye out." Johnny mused, as he revved his motorcycle up. "Wouldn't want either of you to miss the obvious."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Mercy grumbled, climbing on behind Pierce.

"Well, so far, you're not noticing some of the things right in front of you," Callous pointed out teasingly.

"Or behind you." Johnny added with a chuckle of his own.

Pierce couldn't help but blink upon hearing that. Mercy just stared at them…and huffed. "What the hell are you guys talking about?"

"Don't bother asking; find out for yourself!" Callous laughed.

With a laugh of his own, Johnny just began driving off.

"...whatever are those two talking about...?" Pierce hummed.

"Don't know," Mercy muttered. "Guess that's something we can try and figure out," though while she put her arms around Pierce to hold on, she went quiet. She didn't know why just doing this made her quiet, but it did. She, again, felt bashful for some reason.

Ivory noticed this, and she smirked too. At least she knew what Johnny and Callous were getting at Mercy noticed her smirk and growled. "What?"

"Nothing," Ivory answered, not losing her smirk.

"...best of luck to you." Proxy hummed.

"...hm..." With a hum of his own, Pierce turned to start driving after Johnny and Callous.

Ivory watched them drive off, and her smirk slowly fell. Then she looked back up at the sky. "…y'know…I should get back to Mia and Brute…" she mentioned.

_**"...I'm sure our road back will lead you to them."**_ Omega remarked.

"Yeah," Ivory answered. "My bro's tough…and I'm sure he's taking care of Mia."

Inside, suddenly, Hex's phone started ringing.

Blinking, she quickly picked it up; giving the others a small nod as she walked into another room to answer the call. "...hello?"

"…Hex…?"

Her eyes widened immediately; clasping a hand over her mouth. "...May..."

"…Hex…are you okay…?" The voice was a bit shaky, and dazed, but it indeed sounded like May.

"...I..." Hex uttered; slowly stumbling towards a wall as she just took this in. "...I... it's... it's really... you...?"

"Yeah, it's me," May answered her.

With a relieved sigh, Hex just sank to the floor. "...thank goodness... it's really you..." she uttered.

"…yeah, I'm okay…so's May and Mordecai…" May said. "…but I need to know if you're okay."

"...I..." Hex breathed out. "...I'm fine... better than ever before..."

"…that's good…" May sounded just as relieved on the other end.

"...so... how are things on your end...?" Hex uttered.

"…they're alright…Desire and Rascal are awake too, but they've just been huddled up in their own corner and haven't really done anything," May answered. "…I think after what happened to them and me…they're rethinking the things they've done."

"...I see..." Hex hummed.

"So, we're holding up alright," May muttered.

"...that's good..." Hex hummed, before falling silent for a short while. There was silence on May's end too.

"...May... I'm so sorry for letting that happen to you..." Hex eventually uttered.

"Hex, don't go apologizing," May immediately said. "You've been put through hell, and you don't need to blame yourself for what happened."

Hex blinked; remaining silent after having been told that.

"…just…" May hesitated on what to say. "…I guess…I know how hard it was for you now…so…I don't want you taking what happened hard…"

Hex just breathed a touch, before nodding a little. "...right..."

"…anyway…whatever you're doing…go ahead and finish whatever it is…" May muttered. "…so you can…y'know, come home."

"...home..." Hex murmured, before nodding. "...yeah... yeah, I'll do that..."

"…right," May answered. "…so…we're gonna try and figure out what to do with Desire and Rascal until then…"

"...right..." Hex nodded. "...just... make sure to be careful around them... alright? I can't deal with them if they're still like that anymore..."

"…yeah, about that," May muttered. "…is there anybody that can, well, flush out that Corruption out of them? Granted, they're not doing any harm right now, but I don't know when they're gonna act up again…"

Hex hummed. "...I might know someone..."

"…okay, cool," May answered.

"...so... as soon as possible, I'll have her come to deal with them..." Hex hummed.

"…so until then…we'll hang in there for ya," May responded.

"...right..." Hex hummed with a small nod.

"…so…I'll talk to ya later then?" May said.

"...yeah..." Hex spoke with a nod. "...and... I'm so glad to know that you're okay..."

"Yeah, same here," May responded. "…I was worried about ya…"

"...and I was worried about you..." Hex murmured.

"…well…we'll have lots to talk about when you get back…so I'll see you when you get here…" May spoke.

"...yeah... I'll see you then..." Hex spoke.

There was silence for a bit…and eventually, the line hung up. This was around the time that Stella walked into the room where Hex was to check on her and make sure she was okay.

Hex just looked at the phone for a small while, before closing her eyes; a small smile crossing her lips. _...thank goodness... May..._

"…Hex?" Stella spoke. "…are you alright?" Hex's back was turned to Stella, so she couldn't see her smiling.

Hex didn't answer.

Stella stepped a bit closer worriedly. "…Hex?"

Still no reply... initially.

"...everything's... just fine..." she spoke.

Stella blinked at that, and hesitated on this, but slowly, she managed to set a hand on her shoulder. "…are…you sure?"

Hex just nodded. "...yes... I'm absolutely sure..."

"…okay…just checking…" Stella muttered, pulling her hand away and turning to leave.

At that point... Hex began sobbing. Stella stopped when she heard that, turning back around in surprise. Hex had moved one hand before her mouth, but it was absolutely clear that she was sobbing; her other hand clenching just a touch. Stella just gawked at this…she had seen Hex on the edge of bursting before, but she had never actually seen her cry, other than the time she was at May's bedside.

Slowly, she approached Hex again. She didn't notice her approaching; she was still just weeping to herself.

Stella was still a little nervous about this, but she didn't like seeing Hex sob. She couldn't tell if she was sobbing out of sadness, relief, or something else, but she felt obligated to do this.

Slowly, she put her arms around Hex from behind in a trembling hug. Hex's sobs briefly halted; eyes slowly widening out of surprise as she felt herself being hugged like this. Stella kept silent, hugging, and taking the effort not to shake so much out of her fright.

"...y-you..." Hex uttered slowly; still trembling herself as she kept sobbing a touch.

Stella stayed there, still hugging her.

A small smile crossed Hex's lips, even as she kept sobbing. "...geez... I said everything was alright... didn't I...?"

"…you…started crying, so I wasn't sure," Stella muttered, still hugging her.

"...well... it must've been the immense relief... that finally broke me down..." Hex murmured as she kept sobbing.

"Immense relief?" Stella asked.

"...the one who called..." Hex murmured. "...it was May... she's alright...!" She held back a sob as she clenched her hand further; still smiling in spite of her weeping.

Stella's eyes widened at that. "…she's okay?" If it was the one she saw laying lifelessly while Hex sobbed…thinking that she was okay…it relieved her too, but it didn't have the same effect that it seemed to be having on Hex.

"...a heavy burden's been lifted off my shoulders..." Hex murmured. "...I... I'm just so relieved..."

"…that's great Hex," Stella said, actually smiling a little bit. She didn't even tremble as much anymore. Hex didn't say anything else; she just kept sobbing as she smiled. Stella kept hugging her as she sobbed.


	65. Chapter 64

With night falling upon Safe Haven, most everyone there were turning themselves in for the night; exhausted from the chaos that had erupted earlier...

...though one person was still up; heading for someone he hadn't actually talked to in a long while.

Since Jill's home had been partially destroyed, she had been moved from there, and to his building, believe it or not. At the moment, GUN soldiers were standing guard by there, but when they saw him approach, they regarded a nod to him and allowed him inside the building. He simply regarded a nod back to them, before he made his way inside; heading for where he reckoned that she would be waiting.

When he got to the living room, he saw who he was looking for.

Tasha was sitting on the couch, sound asleep with her head leaning against the back of it, and a content smile on her face. A smile crossed his lips as well, as he simply approached her; not wanting to wake her up, but simply watching her... it had been so long since he had seen her smile so warmly...

Tasha suddenly jumped with an "oof…" and she started to wake up, blinking and rubbing her eyes. Then she noticed who was in front of her and she smiled even more. "…Twilight."

"...Tasha..." King smiled back at her; looking down at her.

Tasha smiled a bit longer at King…then she jumped again and she giggled while she held her tummy. "Someone else is excited you're here, I suppose…"

King chuckled a bit, setting a hand gently on her tummy. "I bet he is..." he mused.

Tasha put her hands on his hand, and moved them a bit on her tummy. When she did that, King could feel the movement from in there, and maybe even something pressing against the wall of her stomach.

King chuckled a bit more. "...wow, he's really eager, isn't he...?"

"He is," Tasha giggled. "Just like his father."

King chuckled upon hearing that. "Wonder what he's gonna take from his mother, then..."

"I don't know yet," Tasha said.

"...well, we'll find out when the time comes." King remarked, as he smiled back at Tasha.

Tasha smiled at him too. "Until then, we must come up with a name for him."

"...a name..." King hummed, still smiling. "...I figure it'd have to be something fitting for him..."

"Of course," Tasha said.

"...something fitting for a strong boy..." King hummed... though as he spoke, he seemed thoughtful.

Tasha grew thoughtful too.

"...Tasha." King eventually spoke.

"Hm?" She looked back up at him.

"...we've... known each other for so long..." King murmured. "...we're even going to have a child together..."

Tasha looked at King curiously, but smiling. "…yes, we are."

"...so..." King began, though he seemed somewhat hesitant about how to continue. This wasn't something he was good with, being subtle...

Tasha blinked, finding it interesting to see King act like this, which made her all the more curious. "...yes?"

"...I... I got something that... I want to ask you..." King stammered; one hand slowly curling up as he slowly tried piecing together the right words.

Tasha sat forward a bit, looking up at him. "I'm listening..."

"...Tasha... I..." King began... but eventually, he just closed his eyes, and gently took her hand. "...will you... marry me?"

Tasha's eyes suddenly widened at that, "...Twilight..." And she even blushed quite a bit.

King blushed as well, still holding her hand. "...I've been... thinking about it for a while... while I was out there..." Slowly, he looked back at her. "...and I... I figured as soon as this mess was dealt with... I'd ask you..."

Tasha was quite surprised King asked this, especially when she had never thought about it herself. Still, it actually made her happy when she thought about it, and a smile grew on her face.

She held his hand dearly, "...of course I will marry you."

King looked back at her with wide eyes, a smile growing on his face as well. "...really...?"

Tasha managed to stand up, and she smiled at him. "...yes..."

King couldn't help but smile back at her. "...Tasha..."

"Twilight..." And Tasha reached forward to hug him closely.

King hugged her back gently in return. "Tasha..."

"...I missed you so much," Tasha murmured with a peaceful sigh. "...I'm just glad all of those problems are over with."

"...same here..." King whispered back to her; eyes closing as he held her closely. "...I've missed you so much too..."

Tasha smiled in his arms.

Then she yawned a bit.

"...tired, huh...?" King hummed, giving her a small smile.

Tasha giggled. "Yes...I find it hard to keep up with the little one sometimes..."

King just chuckled, before a small yawn escaped his lips as well. Tasha put a hand to his cheek. "Let's go to bed, my love...we'll need to rest up for the things to come."

Smiling, King nodded at her. "...right... let's go to bed..." With that, he began leading the way; making sure to help Tasha on the way. Tasha smiled, leaning her head on King's shoulder while he led her.

* * *

><p>Milo was staring up at the night sky tonight with a big sigh of relief. He was glad that things were over now, and the group decided to camp here for the night so that tomorrow they would head back.<p>

"...man... can't believe it's actually over..." Nage hummed with a small sigh.

"…but boy, that'll make everybody relax more," Striker added with a smile. "…I'm just glad that Joy's okay."

"...yeah... that's really good to know." Jack remarked with a smile of his own.

"So now that all of this is over, what will you all be doing?" Vanessa asked.

"...I guess head home to my family." Guts noted. "With those sharks gone, it should be safe to head back to them..."

"Yeah, hopefully," Ani added.

"…I wonder what happened to all of them," Striker hummed.

"...same here..." Nage remarked with a small hum.

Meanwhile, Kristine looked over at Milo, quietly staring at him.

"…do you think the…erm, Leoniels are up to anything either?" she asked lowly.

"Probably not…" Milo muttered. "I mean…well, most of them were Corrupted, and who knows what happened to them after all of this."

"...hm..." Jack just hummed a touch upon hearing that, just looking up at the sky.

Vanessa turned then, and smiled when she saw Arsenic walk by. "Well, how are you doing?" she asked.

Arsenic smiled. "Much better," she answered. "After a while, they were getting really tired, so I let them go to sleep…but it all went really well."

Jack glanced at her with a smile. "That's really great to hear." he hummed.

"So, I'm gonna go for a walk for a bit," Arsenic said. "Wanna come along Jack?"

"Yeah, sure!" With a nod, Jack got to his feet and gave Arsenic a smile.

"Don't wander too far you two," Vanessa chuckled, watching the two of them walk off.

"Oh, relax; what's the worst that could happen at this point?" Nage remarked with a light giggle.

Kristine was staring at Milo a moment longer, and eventually, she stood up too. "I'm gonna go for a walk too," she muttered, actually hurrying off.

Milo blinked at that.

"...huh... what was that about?" Guts noted with a tilted head.

"…I don't know, but I find it suspicious," Milo muttered, standing up. "I'll follow her just so she doesn't run into trouble." And he walked off in the direction after Kristine.

Vanessa just smirked.

"...sheesh; everybody's running off tonight." Nage remarked.

"I guess everybody's just getting to relax though," Striker supposed. "So maybe they're taking the time to smell the roses."

"Sure…let's go with that," Ani chuckled, since she knew what would really be going on with those four, but Striker was still too oblivious to figure that out.

As they walked along, Jack couldn't help but stretch out a bit. "Man... it took a while, but everything's looking good again now..."

"…yeah…when I told my parents all of what happened, they couldn't believe it," Arsenic said.

"...well, if we hadn't done other things like this before, I doubt I'd have believed it myself." Jack noted with a light laugh.

"I'm actually still trying to believe it myself," Arsenic chuckled. "…but man…now that it's over…so much has happened that I feel so much better than I did in…well, _years_."

"Yeah..." Jack closed his eyes a bit. "...everything that's happened... man, there's just so much to it..."

"…I find it weird how you guys seem used to it, even though you went through it longer than I did," Arsenic said.

"...well, that's really the only reason why we're used to it... " Jack noted with a light laugh, "...because we've been through this sorta thing for a while. Not just this time, but the other times before as well..."

"…if that's the case, do you think all of this is over with for good, or do you think it's all gonna happen some more?" Arsenic hummed.

"...I don't know..." Jack hummed. "...Deity's gone, Malice is gone, Callous and Johnny are good guys... honestly, I don't see how it could happen again." Then he smiled. "...but if they happen again... I'm gonna be ready."

"…always a good idea to be ready," Arsenic said. "…but…well, to be honest, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do. I found my parents and I guess they'll be going home, but…I don't know whether or not to go with them or not."

"...hm..." Jack hummed, as he looked up at the sky thoughtfully.

"…because…y'know…" Arsenic stared at the ground blushing a bit. "…I don't wanna leave you."

Blinking, Jack looked back at Arsenic, a slight blush growing on his own cheeks. Arsenic slowly looked back at him, still blushing. Jack didn't say anything; simply looking back at her with a blush still adorning his cheeks.

Arsenic slowly stepped toward Jack a little. In turn, Jack began moving his arm up to gently set his hand against Arsenic's cheek when she got close enough. Arsenic nuzzled up to the touch of his hand. Jack tilted his head a slight touch, as his hand gently stroked against Arsenic's cheek.

"…so…what do I do, Jack?" Arsenic muttered, sighing at his hand stroking her check. Jack hummed a bit thoughtfully; eyes closing as he simply kept stroking her cheek whilst he pondered upon this. Arsenic simply focused on his hand stroking her cheek, while she placed her hands on his chest.

A small breath escaped his lips as he felt her hands on his chest. "...well... on one hand, you haven't seen your parents in forever... the same would go for them, too... but on the other hand, you've been out on your own for so long..." He just hummed thoughtfully.

"…yeah…" Arsenic muttered.

Something came over him. "...have you considered... visiting them from time to time?"

"…yeah, but where would I really go, exactly?" Arsenic muttered. "…I know I can visit them whenever I want now, but what would I do when I'm not visiting them?"

Jack tilted his head. "...you could stay with us?"

Arsenic looked back at him. "…do you think that'd be okay with the others?"

Jack just smiled brightly, "Of course. You're our friend, after all." Then he glanced aside; blushing a bit more. "...well... you're more than a friend to me, too..."

"…right…" Arsenic murmured.

Jack looked back at her; hand still gently stroking Arsenic's cheek from time to time. Arsenic smiled at him. He smiled back at her too; head tilting a touch more. Arsenic slowly leaned toward him. Jack leaned a bit towards her as well; hand still gently stroking her cheek. Eventually, the two of them leaned in enough that their lips met.

Once they did, Jack slowly closed his eyes as he moved his other arm to gently wrap around Arsenic; holding her softly. Arsenic stroked his chest while she closed her eyes too. Breathing out a touch, Jack kept stroking her cheek whilst kissing her back. Arsenic wrapped her arms around Jack and held him closely while she kissed him. Jack held her closer still; the hand stroking her cheek moving down lightly to gently caress her neck.

Then suddenly…

"_Jack and Arsenic, sittin in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"_

Arsenic broke away suddenly from Jack, blushing with embarrassment and glaring back at the ones who sang that. "Oh what the hell?!"

Ani and Striker were standing there, snickering with smirks at Jack and Arsenic.

Jack just looked at them with wide eyes, blushing profusely in embarrassment as well. "...we're not even _in_ a tree!" he protested.

"Then quick; go sit in one so the song makes sense!" Striker laughed.

Jack initially opened his mouth to agree, but quickly closed it when he thought more about it. Seeing Jack almost respond to that, made Ani and Striker laugh even more.

"You know what? Fine. How about _you two_ go sit in a tree and then we can have our turn to make fun of you?" Arsenic supposed, which made Striker and Ani shut up.

Jack thought about that... and then he nodded. "...yeah... that makes sense too!"

Both Ani and Striker looked embarrassed, and each opened their mouths to try and make a comeback for that, but they couldn't. Arsenic chuckled at this.

"You guys are really funny…" she said. Jack couldn't help but laugh a bit as well.

"…hey, I got an idea," Arsenic added. "If you're so keen on making fun of someone, make fun of Milo and Kristine."

"…what d'ya mean?" Striker asked curiously.

"...oh, yeah!" Jack noted with a small laugh. "Because the two of them like each other too, right?"

Striker blinked at that. "…Milo and Kristine like each other?"

Ani laughed then. "Ooh yeah! I figured there was something going on with them!"

"...since when?" Jack hummed as he tilted his head. "I figured that out the morning after we slept over at that pub."

They all gawked at him.

"…wait…they've liked each other for _that_ long?" Striker uttered. "How did you know?"

"...I dunno. They just seemed like they did." Jack noted with a shrug.

"…well, at any rate, let's see what they're up to," Arsenic chuckled, walking away.

Ani smirked. "I like Arsenic's idea," And she followed her.

Striker just blinked again, and looked at Jack. "…uh…"

Jack shrugged. "...well, it can't be that bad." With that, he followed Arsenic and Ani. Striker hurried after them.

Meanwhile…

"Okay, what's up?"

Kristine jumped when she realized she wasn't alone, and more so the fact that it was Milo that followed her. She blushed when he approached, and when Milo stared at her, or more specifically, her pulsating spiritual energy, he stopped too.

The two just ended up staring at each other.

Kristine looked away. "…I don't need to even say anything. You already know what's up…"

Milo jumped at that. "…well, uh, I mean…"

Kristine actually ended up giggling, finding Milo's stumbling over his words actually kind of…cute. That just baffled Milo, since he actually hadn't seen Kristine act like this before. He wondered if this was just the relief of everything being over having an adverse effect on her…

…but admittedly, her giggling made him smile a bit bashfully.

Although his smile fell when he thought of something, "…so…really, what do you think you'll be doing now that this is done and over with?"

Kristine stopped and looked at him blankly. Then she looked at the ground. "…I don't know…I mean, like you said, who knows what happened to all of the Leoniels after they got Corrupted and we fought them…so…there goes my plan."

Milo nodded. "Yeah, you never know what happens after all of this. Usually a lot of things change that you don't expect." Then he looked back at where he walked from. "…heck, I didn't expect Jack and Striker to both actually get over the horrors of where babies come from."

"…what?" Kristine looked questionably at that.

"When Jill became pregnant with Joy, the boys wanted to know how that happened, and they had to find out where babies came from," Milo answered. "For years they couldn't handle the truth." Then he chuckled. "I even teased them about it every now and then…"

Kristine smirked then. "You? With a sense of humor? Get out."

"Ha-ha, very funny," Milo remarked, folding his arms.

"…maybe I'll just come with you guys!"

"Huh?!" That shocked Milo.

"Why not?" Kristine said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I got nothing better to aim for, so I mind as well tag along with you guys."

"…but…uh…you mean, like, _live_ with us?" Milo asked.

"Sure!" Kristine said with a grin.

Milo sighed, and covered his face with his hand. Building that tree house was hard enough, but he wasn't sure if it was possible to even add rooms on a whim. Kiri was taking up Jill's old room, and they usually left Ani's room alone in the hopes she would come visit (but never really did anyway), so he didn't want to invite people into the Clubhouse for them to stay in those rooms.

"…I don't know Kristine…that's something I'd have to go over with the others," Milo muttered.

"…oh, right," Kristine muttered. "…but we'll have time to figure it out, right?"

"I guess; with all that time it's gonna take to get back," Milo supposed.

"So in the meantime…" Kristine put her hands behind her back while she approached Milo. She started blushing while she did so, which of course made Milo blush. Just because he could sense her spiritual energy, doesn't mean he could read her mind.

So he asked. "Uh…what are you doing?"

"This."

Kristine grabbed him and pulled him into a kiss. Milo's eyes were wide at that, and he was frozen on the spot for that minute. Eventually, Kristine pulled away, and smirked at the look on Milo's face.

"…uh…" And Milo entire face was bashfully red. "…why…did you…?"

"To get a reaction out of you," Kristine chuckled. "And it worked." Then she blushed some more. "…plus, I think I found out that I really liked you back, so…"

"…I…uh, I see," Milo sputtered.

"…so if you like me…and I like you…then what should we do about that?" Kristine supposed; secretly hinting something to Milo, which he could read.

"I guess this," Milo answered, reaching forward to take Kristine and kiss her back.

But in that moment...

_"Milo and Kristine, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"_

Both Milo and Kristine yelped, jumping away from each other as they turned to the noise. Four figures were laughing at their reaction.

"Man, that was worth it, just for the reaction!" Jack laughed heartily.

"That was even better the _second_ time!" Ani laughed too.

While Milo was frozen in shock, Kristine just huffed. "…oh, go suck an egg you guys."

"But eggs are gross…" Striker said, sticking his tongue out in disgust.

"Except when you cook them... but you can't suck them when they're cooked..." Jack noted.

"Yeah, you just gobble them up then!" Striker added.

The other four just stared at Jack and Striker…and soon everybody was laughing.

As they laughed, Jack set a hand against a nearby tree whilst wiping his eye. "Man..."

"…this is the most fun I've had in a long time," Ani said.

"You said it," Arsenic chuckled.

"Yeah..." Jack laughed with a small nod.

"…hey, since we're all here, can I move in with you guys?" Kristine asked.

Milo just gawked at Kristine for already asking that, but then he looked at the others to see how they would take it.

Striker smiled a bit. "Really? You wanna move in with us?"

"Yep!"

Arsenic chuckled a bit. "…that's funny…I kinda wanted to move in with you guys too…"

"Really now?" Ani mused.

Jack just grinned. "Yeah! And Kristine wants to move in too? That's great!"

"…so…you'd all be okay with the two of us?" Kristine asked with a growing smile.

"Sure!" Striker added. "Always nice to have more friends!"

"….I think you guys are forgetting something," Milo threw in. "We'd need to build more rooms for them if they wanted to move in."

"So we'll do that then," Striker supposed.

"Yeah, it shouldn't be that hard, really." Jack noted.

"…well, I guess not," Milo muttered.

"...then they can stay with us?" Jack uttered with wide eyes.

"Well sure; it's not like I didn't want that," Milo answered. "So why not?"

That got Striker cheering, and Kristine laughed, throwing her arms around Milo. "You're the best," she chuckled, which made Milo blush a bit.

Jack just grinned, as he looked at Arsenic. "This is great, right?" he said with a wide smile.

"Yeah," Arsenic chuckled. Jack smiled back at her.

"Now I'll have to make sure to come back and sleepover every now and then," Ani chuckled.

"...man, that's a great idea, Ani!" Jack noted with a laugh.

"That would be the best sleepover ever!" Striker laughed.

With a grin, Jack looked at everyone present. "So do we have that clear? When we get the chance, we're having a big sleepover at the Clubhouse!"

Arsenic chuckled. "Admittedly, that'd be pretty fun."

"Sure, count me in!" Kristine laughed.

"…It's a promise!" Striker exclaimed.

"A promise!" Jack exclaimed as well with a big grin.

"Promise!" Ani added.

"…a promise, yeah," Arsenic chuckled.

"A promise!" Kristine laughed.

"…sure, a promise," Milo mused.

"Then it's settled!" Jack laughed.

Milo yawned then. "…and I think it's bedtime for all of us…" he muttered tiredly.

"…yeah, I could go to bed too," Ani muttered.

"Not me!" Striker laughed. "I think I'd be too excited to go to sleep!"

"...you sure about that?" Jack noted with a light laugh, along with a small yawn.

"…c'mon everyone, let's go to bed," Arsenic mumbled.

* * *

><p>"BEAT YOU ASSHOLE!"<p>

There was cheering in a bar in some town, where many were gathered around a particular table where there was a drinking game going on. The poor sap that lost had collapsed onto the ground, leaving the victor, who was Callous, standing confidently.

Sitting not too far from this, Johnny just chuckled as he chugged down another mug of alcohol. "Show 'em what you got!" he laughed; though it didn't show that he was drunk at all, he was clearly enjoying the show Callous was putting on.

"…how did we get dragged into this…?" Mercy grumbled, sitting near Johnny with a mug of alcohol of her own.

"...no idea." Pierce remarked, sitting next to Mercy. He didn't even have any alcohol with him; just a simple glass of water.

Callous chuckled, and then walked over to the other three at their table. Then he held her head, but still laughed. "Fuuuuuuuuuck...I'm dizzy..."

"I can't blame ya; that must've been your sixteenth shot or something!" Johnny remarked with a laugh.

"...hmph..." Pierce simply rolled his eyes as he sipped from his glass.

"How about you, Mercy? How many have you managed to down?" Johnny inquired with another laugh.

"...just this mug," Mercy replied.

"Oh c'mon! You can do better than that!" Callous laughed.

"Seriously!" Johnny laughed. "C'mon, let's see you chug it!"

"...don't bother." Pierce hummed with a light shrug. "They're drunk. Naturally they'd want you to follow suite."

"I know," Mercy answered, sipping her mug.

"Psch...you're no fun..." Callous grumbled, throwing her arms out at them.

"Seriously... talk about buzzkill." With a roll of his eyes, Johnny began drinking more.

"...hm..." Pierce still remained relatively quiet as he drank from his own glass.

"Okay, y'know what?" Callous slammed down some alcohol and a couple of shot glasses. "You, me, drinking contest! Now!"

"And what happens if I refuse?" Mercy hummed curiously.

Callous smirked. "…then I'm gonna taunt you about how you like Pierce."

Mercy's eyes widened at that. "What?!"

Pierce had to keep himself from spitting out water as he heard that.

"Oooh shit, didn't think you'd go there!" Johnny laughed.

"Is that what the two of you kept going on about all this time?!" Mercy uttered, actually looking embarrassed.

"Well…you guysh didn't really…y'know, see it," And Callous laughed.

"No, you were being vague," Mercy growled.

Pierce just blinked as he mulled over this, looking baffled.

"Heh, look at that; seems like the tough guys got their soft spots after all." Johnny remarked with a grin.

"…fine, I'll play your stupid drinking game," Mercy growled, grabbing one of the shot glasses. "And if I win, you two are gonna shut up about that."

"Fine by me," Callous laughed, pouring the shots for the two of them.

"...and what if you lose, huh?" Johnny noted. "You can't have a drinking game without prizes for either winner, y'know."

Pierce's eyes narrowed a touch when Johnny brought that up.

"I know!" Callous laughed. "If you lose…you have to give Pierce a kiss!"

"Fuck no!" Mercy growled.

"That's the rules! You either have to win or have to agree to the losing conditions!" Callous laughed.

"And no take-backs, either!" Johnny chuckled.

Pierce set his glass of water down; sighing at how things had escalated so suddenly.

"…oh fine, I agree; if it'll get you two off our backs," Mercy groaned. _…at least I might have an advantage if she's had much more than me._

"ONETWOTHREEGO!" and Callous gulped her shot.

"…little eager, aren't we?" Mercy hummed, taking her first shot no problem just for Callous to pour the next ones in.

"Oh, don't think about underestimating her, either." Johnny chuckled.

Pierce just rolled his eyes, though he did watch the impending drinking game with some interest.

"Don't underestimate me, either. I've drank before; I can hold my liquor," Mercy replied.

"Well instead of bragging about it, you'd better prove it!" Callous laughed, gulping her second shot.

Mercy took her second one, "I drank against _Lock_ even. I think I got it."

"What, you mean _that_ Lock?" Johnny laughed. "Heh; didn't take him for a drinker."

Still, Pierce remained silent; though he cast Mercy a small glance.

"He's not usually a drinker, but he and I have had our…well, competitions…" Mercy muttered quietly, watching Callous take her third shot.

"Sho how'sh comesh you know him?" Callous asked breathlessly after her shot.

Mercy took her shot, and closed her eyes. "…he was the reason I got involved with Corruption in the first place."

Pierce raised a light eyebrow in intrigue.

"Oh, is that right?" Johnny hummed.

Callous took her fourth, and looked at Mercy curiously. Mercy wondered with amusement if she was going to last any longer, but she knew that she shouldn't expect to win so easily. Mercy drank her own fourth, and could start to feel a bit dizzy, but she shook it off.

"…I hated him…for the longest time, I wanted revenge on the bastard because he kept getting all of the bounties I tried to go after…and he was much better at it than I was…" Mercy mumbled.

"...oh, so jealousy drove ya?" Johnny remarked. "Kinda petty in hindsight, isn't it?"

Pierce simply hummed.

"…it wasn't just jealously…" Mercy admitted. "…after all, Patricia didn't just promise I'd get revenge on him…she promised me that she could bring back someone that died…and like the idiot I was, I agreed to it."

Callous got down her fifth, and looked at Mercy oddly. "Wait wait wait wait…wait…who…who was…?" she couldn't speak clearly.

Mercy got down her fifth shot, and grew solemn. "…it was my husband."

"Oooh, harsh..." Johnny remarked.

Pierce simply hummed upon hearing that.

"…he needed chemotherapy because he had cancer, and we couldn't afford it…so I went bounty hunting to try and earn enough for it," Mercy muttered. "…when I found that Lock took one of the highest bounties, I was enraged…and upon going home…I found my husband had died. His estimated time of death was when I was still out to get that bounty…so he had died all alone."

"A widow…huh…" Callous murmured, drinking her sixth. "…but hey! All the more reason to move on, eh?" She suddenly laughed.

Mercy growled. Then she drank her sixth and started to feel even more lightheaded.

Pierce shot Callous a brief glare; picking up the glass of water to drink.

"Hey, what's with that look?" Johnny noted with a small laugh of his own.

"Yeah, huh? What'sh the look mean?!" Callous laughed, taking her seventh.

Mercy shook her head a bit to try and get over the light-headedness, and she took her seventh shot as well, but silently.

"...I don't think fondly of making light of death." Pierce remarked with a narrowed gaze.

"Oh, c'mon, don't be such a stick in the mud, y'hear?" Johnny laughed, as he drank more alcohol for himself.

"Yeah, death happensh all da time!" Callous remarked, still laughing herself. "Shouldn't you jusht-?!"

And suddenly, Mercy rose to her feet, and socked Callous in the face.

"Whoa!" That caught Johnny off guard.

Pierce's eyes narrowed in concern, as he just kept watching.

"AHAH!" Callous didn't feel the pain, and instead laughed some more. "Thatsh the shpirit!" and when Mercy tried to punch her again, she ducked and kicked Mercy into another table.

This got notice of the other customers in the bar, and they started cheering energetically. Even Johnny, after recovering from the initial surprise, joined in the cheering. In fact, the only one remaining completely silent was Pierce, whose eyes just narrowed at this sight.

Mercy got off from the table she was kicked on, and with a snarl, she lunged at Callous. Then the two proceeded to fight each other in their drunken stupors. Mercy's face was flushed a bit, and that lightheadedness was thick enough to just barely blur her thinking. Callous, as hammered as she was, managed to keep control of the fight, laughing at Mercy while those around them cheered them on.

Still, as he kept watching the fight, Pierce just narrowed his eyes further.

"You need to cheer up!" Callous laughed, dodging a punch Mercy threw. "After allsh, you gotsh'ta relax and enjoy yourself!"

"…and what about you and Johnny huh…?" Mercy remarked, with a slight slur. "...did you take that death lightly?"

Callous suddenly glared at her with a snarl. "You bitch!" And grabbed Mercy, knocking her to the ground.

The moment they did that, Pierce rose from his seat; eyes narrowing still as he glared down at this.

Callous pinned Mercy down, preventing Mercy from getting back up, and Callous proceeded to smack her across the face over and over. Those around them cheered even more at this, especially when Mercy's nose started to bleed because of the onslaught she was under.

That, however, was the last straw. With a snarl, Pierce suddenly walked over to them; grabbing Callous by the collar to pull her away from Mercy. "That's enough."

"No! It'sh not fuckin' enough!" Callous snarled, trying to grab at Pierce.

When she tried that, however, Pierce simply grabbed her wrist; shooting her a glare, "...you forget the difference between you and her, idiot." he spoke harshly. "Who knows what you could do to her in this state?"

Callous actually stopped when he said that. "Oh yeah…" she murmured.

Mercy slowly managed to push herself up off the ground, wiping the blood from her nose with her arm, but she stumbled when she tried to get on her feet. Letting go of Callous, Pierce approached Mercy and helped her on her feet. "...can you stand on your own?"

"…dunno…" Mercy mumbled.

Callous just laughed. "Whatever'sh happened to holding dat liquor, huh?!"

Mercy just ignored her. Pierce did the same; simply seeing if Mercy was going to be alright.

"Hey, don't tell me you're done already?" Johnny remarked.

Mercy kept ignoring him, stumbling towards the front doors of the bar to leave. "…I need shome…fresh air…"

Pierce just sighed. "...I'll follow her." he remarked; picking up his sword before walking on after her, leaving the other patrons behind.

"…Whatevsh…" Callous muttered. "…we'll jusht have fun without you two!"

"...yeah, that's right!" Johnny huffed, leaning back as he chugged down the remains of the mug he held.

Outside, Mercy picked a curb to sit on, where she could be alone, and just sat there in silence. Pierce eventually joined her; sitting down on the curb as he leaned the sword against his shoulder.

Mercy looked at her arm where blood crusted over from when she wiped it from her nose. "…what am I doing with myshelf…?" Pierce just glanced over at her; remaining silent as he tilted his head.

"…I shouldn'ta accepted the game…" Mercy muttered, her head lowering so Pierce wouldn't see her face. Pierce still didn't say anything, as he simply looked at her.

…suddenly, something came out of Mercy. At first, it was hard to tell what it was since it wasn't very audible, but eventually, Pierce caught sight of a couple of tears drip down. Mercy was crying silently. Seeing that, his eyes narrowed a small bit, before they closed; leading to him gently setting a hand on her shoulder. Mercy covered her face with her hands and wept for a bit.

Still, Pierce said nothing; simply keeping his hand on her shoulder, as a small means of comfort.

"…I miss him…" Mercy muffled within her hands while she sobbed. "…all theshe yearsh I tried to pin the blame on Lock…but I keep feelin' like…it was my fault too…becaushe I washn't…there…when he died…when he needed me…"

Pierce still remained silent; nodding softly as he heard her speak. It was a first for him, dealing with someone who was drunkenly weeping like this, but he knew he had to be supportive of her as best he could.

Eventually, Mercy stopped crying, wiping her eyes, but after that, she didn't say anything else. Pierce still remained silent, though he did look back at her now; head tilting again.

Mercy looked back at Pierce. Judging by her dazed look, she didn't seem entirely there, and her cheeks were red hot from the alcohol. A small hum escaped Pierce's lips, as he simply looked back at her.

"...Pierce...what d'we do...?" Mercy mumbled.

With a light hum, Pierce closed his eyes. "...all I know... is that wherever your path goes, my path will follow suite. After all, I am your bodyguard." With a small nod, he helped Mercy get on her feet, letting her be supported on his side. "...and right now... I think you need to rest..."

"...yeah...resht..." Mercy muttered beside him. "...that sounds good."

Pierce simply remained silent as he slowly walked towards the inn where the four of them had rented rooms; leading Mercy up the stairs to her room and leading her inside. Mercy followed him up to her bed, and she managed to crawl onto it to lay down. Giving her a small nod as she laid down on the bed, Pierce turned to leave; though his stride was slow, as he thought about a few things.

"...hey...could you...shtay till I fall asleep?"

Pierce came to a halt just by the door; looking at it for a short while...

"...of course." With a nod, he turned to walk back to the bed; setting his blade aside as he sat down on the floor by the bedside.

"...thank you," Mercy mumbled.

"...no worries..." Pierce hummed in response.

It was silent for a long time, especially when Mercy actually did fall asleep.

That left Pierce on his own to think. When he had been found by Patricia and converted into one of the Corrupted, he hadn't imagined that his life would take this kind of turn... here he was, watching over someone who had broken down before him, revealing her most vulnerable side like that...

...it made him think. He honestly couldn't recall any other time in his life that he had been thinking about things like this... right now, he wasn't just a sellsword struggling to make ends meet; he was accompanying two incredible fighters, and this girl who didn't have much else to offer...

...so why was it that he still stuck to protecting her?

A slight hiss escaped his lips as he suddenly felt the pain from before hit him again. Not just the pain from having protected Mercy from that acidic Corruption earlier, but also the strain from briefly absorbing Bulk, Patricia and all the Corruption they had consumed... honestly, he was surprised that he was still capable of walking and talking like he did without some semblance of rest.

Mercy, meanwhile, shifted about in her sleep, and actually ended up shivering a bit because she had forgotten to pull the covers over herself before going to sleep. When he noticed that, Pierce couldn't help but hum before he rose to his feet; taking the covers to pull over Mercy.

Once he did that, Mercy didn't shiver anymore, and seemed more at ease when she slept.

Looking down at her as she slumbered, Pierce couldn't help but think again, to what Callous had said... about her liking him. It had caught him by surprise... after all, he didn't seem to be anything special; merely a sellsword now acting as her guardian...

...could it be that her admiration for his loyalty was influencing this? Apparently, Callous and Johnny had picked up on this immediately... whereas he, with all his honed senses, had remained oblivious to it all. Not to say that he wasn't flattered by the thought, but...

...what she had said, regarding the man she lost... who she was willing to go through hell in order to bring back... he wasn't sure if she was merely trying to fill the void he had left in his passing, or if she truly wished to move on... and indeed, whether or not he'd be right for her.

With another thoughtful hum, he slowly sat down on the floor and pondered. Mercy slept peacefully while he pondered.

Meanwhile, Callous probably had all she could drink at this point, since she was nothing but a giggling, stumbling mess. She stumbled her way to the table that Johnny sat at, chuckling at him. "Goddamn...'s hot in here..."

Glancing over at her, Johnny couldn't help but chuckle. "Sheesh, Callous... how many does that make?" he remarked with a grin.

"I dunno, I losht countsh," Callous muttered. "...and ish'it jusht me...or d'ya...have a twin or shomethin'?"

Glancing to the side, Johnny just shrugged. "...I dunno; must've missed him." he chuckled, as he drank down one more mug. "Phew... man, this stuff really heats ya up, doesn't it?"

"Sure does," Callous answered with that dazed look...which turned suddenly lustful. "...and god, you're hot."

"You're telling me..." At first, Johnny didn't seem to notice that look in her eyes, as the alcohol actually made him take it at face value. He did eventually glance at her to bring that up; though when he saw that look in her eyes, a small smirk crept across his lips. "...of course... not as hot as you are..."

Callous chuckled deviously when Johnny told her that, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "...damn right I'm hot..." She muttered, kissing him. With a small chuckle in return, Johnny wrapped his own arms around Callous as he kissed her back.

"...tsch...get a room you two," groaned a nearby customer out of disgust after seeing that display.

Callous pulled from kissing Johnny to glance at the guy. "...sh'matter of fact...we got a room...you sayin we should do anything in that room?"

"...nothing, never mind," grumbled the same guy.

Johnny just glanced back at him with a huff. "Sheesh, the nerve of some people..." he remarked as he shook his head.

Callous grunted...but then she smirked, whispering in Johnny's ear. "...he'sh got da right idea though...what d'ya say we take this up to our room?"

A small smirk crossed Johnny's lips, as he gave Callous a nod. "...you took the words right outta my mouth, Callous."

Callous chuckled, and attempted to pull Johnny up from his seat, but she had trouble with her balance. Another chuckle escaped Johnny's lips. "Leave this to me." With that, he simply grabbed Callous to pick her up; starting to carry her off to their room.

Callous chuckled at this. "Now you're just getting romantic."

Johnny just chuckled in return. "Hey, anything for you."

Callous giggled a bit.

It took a bit of doing, but the two of them did eventually make it to the inn, where Johnny kept carrying Callous up the stairs, right across to their shared room. "Here we are..." Johnny hummed as he closed the door behind them.

Callous, in her drunken stupor, managed to hop out of Johnny's arms, and pinned him against the closed door, locking it. She got that lustful look in her eyes again, which she directed at him while she had him pinned.

A small smirk crossed Johnny's lips as he was pinned. "Someone's eager, huh...?"

"...jush'ta little bit," Callous chuckled, leaning forward to kiss him. Chuckling as well, Johnny just kissed her back.


	66. Chapter 65

Eventually, morning came quietly and serenely.

Mercy started to come to, and thankfully, she had a fairly forgiving hangover; only a slight headache that was not enough to agonize her. Slowly, she cracked open her eyes with a yawn and sat up.

This was when she noticed the covers on her, remembering that she had not pulled them over herself. Then she noticed the one sitting on the ground beside the bed. "...Pierce?"

The poodle did not respond. As he sat there, arms folded and eyes closed, it became apparent that he seemed to be asleep. Mercy blinked in wondering.

She remembered a little of last night, or at least the fact that Pierce took her up to her room when she had that meltdown. She also remembered asking him to stay until she fell asleep, and would've assumed that he'd have left when she was passed out, yet here he was, sleeping by her bedside.

...why?

She winced in her slight headache, and spied a coffee pot in the corner of the room on the counter to some relief. She got up from bed and decided to start brewing some coffee. Still, that didn't seem to wake Pierce up, as he remained as he was in that position.

Finally, Mercy had her cup of coffee, and left a little extra in the pot in case Pierce wanted some. With her mug in hand, she went back and sat on the bed with a few sips of her coffee, looking down at Pierce.

What Callous had said last night had bothered her...especially regarding her response to how she had lost her husband. The bitch deserved the punch in the face she got...

...but that still left Mercy questioning the possibility that...maybe she had feelings for the samurai...

She looked at the ground uneasily.

"...I see you're awake."

Mercy blinked and looked over. "...I see that you are too."

With a light yawn, Pierce slowly rose from the floor, rubbing his back a touch. "...is the hangover severe?" he murmured, as his gaze trailed towards the coffee pot.

"...it's surprisingly not that bad," Mercy responded.

"...good to know." With a hum, Pierce walked over to the pot so he could pour himself a cup of coffee.

"...how did you sleep?" Mercy mumbled, looking at the ground.

"...well enough." Pierce responded as he sipped from his cup once he had filled it up. "A wooden floor is a touch more comfortable than a cave floor, after all."

"Right..." Mercy remarked, still looking at the ground.

Eventually, he cast a glance in her direction. "...you seem troubled."

"...only just a little," Mercy muttered, glancing aside.

"...care to enlighten me?" Pierce hummed, as he looked back at his cup.

Mercy was silent for a bit.

"What she said last night both shocked...and bothered me."

Pierce closed his eyes upon hearing that. "...I see."

Mercy closed her eyes with a sigh. "...I shouldn't have believed Patricia...hell, Lock warned me that it wasn't going to be what I wanted...but I had been so distraught and angry about it all when Patricia found me...in the end, I even nearly forgot the whole reason why I agreed to be Corrupted in the first place..."

"...so once I was purified, of course I already had plenty to think about..." Mercy muttered. Pierce simply remained silent, sipping his coffee as he listened to her.

"...I was on my way home just to forget about everything and make something out of what was left of me when I ran into you and the kid," Mercy hummed, "and next thing I know, we're fighting Corrupted...and now we're tagging along those two."

Pierce hummed. "...do you regret how things turned out after your purification?"

"No," Mercy answered. "...in fact, it's a nice change of pace compared to how I spent the last few years."

"...that's good." Pierce remarked.

"...but last night was evident that I hadn't quite gotten over what's happened," Mercy muttered.

"...grief isn't something that's easily remedied..." Pierce mused.

"...no, it isn't," Mercy agreed. Slowly, she looked up at Pierce.

...eventually she asked this, "why are you still with me...?"

Pierce looked back at her when she asked that, but he didn't say anything. Mercy looked back at him in silence.

"...hm... good question..." Pierce remarked, as he glanced aside. "...I don't think I have a proper answer for that question... perhaps except for one..."

He closed his eyes. "...what else is there for me to do? As far as I'm concerned... there's relatively little that I'm capable of..."

Mercy looked at the ground again. "...but I can't offer anything in exchange for your...well, you being some bodyguard to me. I wouldn't even be able to pay you since I'm broke poor."

"...you could just as easily walk away as you could stay."

Pierce shook his head. "...I don't need anything... apart from the thought of being needed." he spoke, as he looked back at Mercy.

Mercy couldn't help but smile a little bit, but then her smile faded when she looked at the burns Pierce sustained from protecting her against the acidic Corrupted sludge. "...those aren't hurting you too much, are they?"

He placed a hand over one of those burns, "...just a touch. I can still walk..." he murmured.

Mercy looked at them a bit longer.

Suddenly, she stood up from the bed, setting her mug aside. "I'll be right back," she said, heading toward the bathroom.

Pierce merely glanced in her direction, regarding a faint nod.

After a few minutes, Mercy came back with a wash cloth in one hand and a container of water in the other. "Sit," she told Pierce, nudging her head toward the bed. Casting her a glance, he tilted his head before nodding; walking over to sit down on the bed.

"...it might not even do anything," she said, sitting next to him to soak the washcloth in the water, ringing it out. "...but maybe, it won't hurt so much," she supposed.

Gently, she started to wipe the burns with the cold, damp cloth. A small hiss escaped Pierce's lips as he grit his teeth. "...stings..." he murmured.

"...yeah," Mercy muttered. "...hopefully it won't sting so much when I'm done."

"...hopefully..." Pierce murmured; eyes still closed as he breathed to keep his mind off the pain. Mercy started cleaning some of his burns in silence.

"...thank you." Pierce eventually hummed, keeping his eyes closed still.

"...sure thing," Mercy answered, "...but if anything, I should be the one thanking you."

Pierce glanced back at her with a hum, "...how so?"

"Last night I was a mess," she murmured. "...but you stayed by me when I needed it."

"...you needed someone to support you during that downtime." Pierce mused. "...I'm simply glad that I could have been of service."

"...and I'll be sure not to drink for a while," Mercy mused.

"...probably for the best," Pierce hummed.

Mercy smiled for a bit more silence. Then something made her curious. "...Pierce...what did Patricia promise you when she Corrupted you?"

Pierce hummed again, as he glanced aside.

"...a purpose."

Mercy looked at Pierce when he said that.

"...all my life, I've known nothing but fighting." Pierce hummed. "Brawls, skirmishes, hired hits... I've been through it all. It's routine... it's not fulfilling. That was what I thought of for a few years..."

He closed his eyes. "...she attacked me... and we came to a standstill, until she used Corruption. As she forced this power onto me, she promised me that she'd give me a purpose..." He grit his teeth. "...of course... that purpose was just to fight more. After Ivory was purified, I felt that there was nothing I could gain from that alliance... leaving me without a purpose... until that boy suggested that we two could travel together."

"...so I take it you don't like fighting?" Mercy asked.

"...it's not about liking it or not." Pierce mused. "I just have this feeling... that there must be more to life than simply fighting. Whatever it is, though... I still have not discovered..."

"...well, I hope you find what you're looking for someday," Mercy commented.

"...hm..." Pierce hummed. "...if only I knew what I were looking for."

"...I suppose it's things like that which keeps us on our toes," Mercy said.

"...words to live by." Pierce remarked.

Mercy fell silent while she finished up cleaning the burns, thinking more about how Pierce was only looking for some purpose. She supposed that maybe he saw protecting her as some worthwhile purpose...and that made her blush a little.

"...hm... doesn't hurt as much now..." Pierce mused, as his gaze fell on Mercy, noticing her blushing. "...hm?"

"...it doesn't hurt as much? That's...good," Mercy responded, not realizing that Pierce noticed her blush.

With a small nod, he looked aside, not commenting upon it. "...thank you." he spoke.

"...you're welcome," she said.

With a small nod, he glanced back at her; remaining silent for the moment. Mercy ended up glancing back at him.

Seeing her gaze back at him, he just hummed. "...is there... something on your mind?"

"...I suppose there is," Mercy answered, looking away in embarrassment.

"...I see..." Pierce hummed, nodding a touch. "...it may not be my place to inquire into it... but if you want to talk about it..."

"...right..." Mercy mumbled, nodding herself. She wondered if she should even talk about it with Pierce... But she knew that if she let it be, it would linger on her mind, and it would distract her. Besides, after everything that Pierce has done for her, she did owe him some honesty.

"...it's about what Callous said last night..."

Pierce hummed. He figured that it had to be related to that. "...yes?" he hummed.

"...what your take on it?" Mercy hummed.

Pierce couldn't help but hum as he thought about it. "...honestly... it's a bit of a foreign subject to me... I've never had the experience of someone... _liking_ me." he mused. "What I've been doing hasn't given me any chance for those types of bonds to be made... so I wouldn't know what to think of it..."

"...well...and I'm not even sure if it's true or not," Mercy muttered. "...I know for sure as hell it's just a way for Callous to get under my skin, so I should be able to just brush it off...but I can't."

Pierce hummed when she mentioned that. "...and... why do you think that is?"

Mercy looked at the ground. "...I don't know."

Pierce simply hummed in response. "...perhaps that's something to think about..."

"...probably," Mercy agreed.

"...what I do know..." Pierce hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...is that as so long as I am needed... no matter what, I'll remain at your service."

Mercy closed her eyes with a smile. "That's...very kind of you."

Pierce simply nodded. "It's the least I can do."

Mercy eventually stood up. "I think I'm going to take the opportunity to shower. Don't think I've had one for a long time."

Pierce rose up as well. "...I'll go and grab some breakfast in the meantime. Would you like me to bring you anything?"

"Sure; anything's fine, but food sounds good," Mercy said.

"...and Pierce? Here's...a little token of my appreciation."

Mercy leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek softly. Pierce blinked, casting her a small glance when she did that. Mercy looked back at him afterward; even smiled a little bit. Then she turned and headed for the bathroom.

Still looking a touch baffled, Pierce set a hand on his cheek where Mercy had kissed him, a thoughtful look dawning on him. "...hm..." With a mild hum, he began heading out of the room.

Meanwhile, Callous and Johnny were just starting to wake up.

...and Callous groaned in agony.

"...nh..." Johnny groaned as well, rubbing his head.

"...I expected it to be bad...but fucking hell..." Callous moaned, covering her head with a pillow.

"...gah... can't even talk..." Johnny groaned as he just laid straight back down on the bed, forcing his eyes shut.

Callous kept groaning under the pillow.

"...what even happened last night...?" Johnny groaned.

"...don't know...hurts to think..." Callous muttered.

"...so this is what... getting drunk is like...?" Johnny murmured.

"...guess so..." Callous groaned.

"...fuck... then I'm not drinking ever again." Johnny groaned.

Callous couldn't help but chuckle a little weakly. "...that's the exact same thing she'd say...only to get hammered again another time..."

Then she noticed the coffee pot on the counter. "Ah..." And attempted to get up despite her pained nerves. Johnny just cast a glance in her direction as she tried that.

When Callous started up the coffee, she noticed their clothes on the floor. She smirked while wincing. "Guess we had fun last night..."

Johnny smirked as well. "Seems like it... heh..." He winced after saying that. "...sheesh... that must've been strong stuff if we can't even remember that..."

"...yeah, for sure," Callous muttered. She started to smell the coffee and noticed that it finished brewing. She poured a couple of mugs and brought one to Johnny while she sipped hers. Taking that mug, Johnny began sipping from it as well.

The two sat in silence, sipping coffee.

Finally, Callous sighed, rubbing her temples. "Well, it's helping...but still feel like crap."

"...yeah..." Johnny murmured.

"Shame we can't remember most of last night; must've been fun," Callous mused.

"...I bet it must've been, yeah..." Johnny hummed, as he slowly sat up.

Callous looked over at Johnny, and smirked. Johnny smirked back at her.

"I suppose there's some things we could do to feel better," Callous chuckled teasingly, scooting closer to Johnny.

"...do tell." Johnny mused with a chuckle of his own as he kept looking at Callous.

Callous went up to his ear. "We could just continue whatever fun we were having last night," she whispered. "We don't have anywhere to be... We got time."

With a chuckle, he looked back at her. "...that sounds like a great idea..." he whispered in return.

Callous chuckled at that, setting her mug on the bedside table. Johnny set his mug over there too, as he looked back at her.

Callous kissed him then. With a small breath, Johnny kissed her back. Already was her mind taken off of the headache while Callous laid the two of them down on the bed. Likewise, the headache didn't even seem like an issue as he allowed her to lay them down; kissing her back still.

Then there was suddenly a knock at the door.

"…fuckin' hell…" Callous grumbled.

"...goddamn..." With a grunt, Johnny glanced at Callous. "...want me to open it, or do we just ignore 'em...?"

"…we should probably see what it's about," Callous muttered.

"...right..." With a groan, Johnny pulled and stepped away, grabbing his pants to get himself dressed, before approaching the door. Callous, in the meantime, covered herself with the blankets.

"...who is it?" Johnny asked.

"...it's Pierce."

Johnny blinked. The tone sounded... urgent. Opening the door, he tilted his head. "...what?"

There, Pierce stood; eyes narrowed as his hands were clutching to his blade. "...Mercy's gone missing."

"…aw great," Callous groaned sarcastically, and then sighed.

"Ya sure she didn't just go out or something?" Johnny groaned.

"Positive. There were signs of a struggle in her room." Pierce snarled, as he shot them a look. "Unless you two are far too busy fornicating, I need your help in finding her." With that, he spun around to head off.

Callous sighed, "Guess we got some work cut out for us."

"...right..." Johnny huffed, as he rubbed his temples. "...well, better not keep him waiting."

Once Callous got dressed, both of them decided to check out Mercy's room with Pierce to search for any clues, and sure enough, they saw that there, indeed, had been some kind of struggle in the room. Sheets were tossed aside on the floor, with scratches on the walls and bed frame.

"Damn, what have you two been doing?" Callous joked with a chuckle.

Pierce shot her a fierce glare for that remark.

"Sheesh, it was a joke. Calm down." Johnny noted with a chuckle of his own.

"...you think this is a joke?" Pierce snarled. "She could be in danger! She's not like us, and you know it!"

"Just calm down, would you?" Callous muttered. Then she looked at Pierce. "Do you remember seeing any suspicious characters last night? With all of us hammered, you'd be the best to ask."

"...I didn't see anyone who seemed more suspicious than others." Pierce remarked.

"...well, that helps us out." Johnny remarked with a dry scoff.

"…so why the hell would anyone want anything to do with Mercy?" Callous murmured wonderingly.

"...hm..." Johnny just rubbed his head.

With a thoughtful hum, Pierce looked towards one place they hadn't searched yet. "...perhaps we may find some clue..." With that, he walked towards the bathroom, opening the door to see the state this area was in. The curtain was torn from the shower, and towels were left on the ground. The mirror was even shattered.

Pierce hummed, as his eyes narrowed. "...let's see..." He began rummaging through the wrecked bathroom, trying to find something that didn't belong there. Callous came over and glanced inside curiously with a hum.

Underneath one of the towels, Pierce suddenly uncovered what seemed like a badge of a raccoon figure. Taking this badge, his eyes narrowed further. "...them..."

Entering the bathroom as well, Johnny noticed that badge. "...you know that mark?"

"...I used to work for them, years ago." With a small hum, Pierce rose to walk out. "A mercenary group... though with the rising popularity of Safe Haven, it slowly dwindled into obscurity."

"So…what's that got to do with Mercy?" Callous muttered. "You think they'd kidnap her?"

"...possibly..." Pierce murmured. "...towards the end of my tenure with them, their leader grew... deranged."

"Deranged, huh?" Johnny huffed. "What, he cracked because he wasn't getting enough business because of King?"

"...precisely." With that, Pierce headed out. "If they took Mercy... it may be to get back at King..."

"But why Mercy? Honestly, I'm pretty sure she has no ties to King," Callous muttered. "…that is…unless she's not the only one they might be kidnapping."

"That's a possibility." Pierce noted. "He'd want for King to be crushed by despair; kill innocents and claim that their blood would be on his hands. He was that far gone..."

"So that's why you jumped ship?" Johnny mused.

"Indeed. I wouldn't want a benefactor like that leading me down that kind of path..." Pierce murmured.

"...heh... sounds kinda familiar." Johnny noted with a light laugh.

"Yeah, it does," Callous chuckled. Then she looked at Pierce. "So, since you know these guys, then maybe you might have an idea of where they took Mercy then?"

"...probably." With a nod, Pierce began heading out.

"…at least we got a lead," Callous said, walking out to follow him. Johnny just followed after them, cracking his neck.

* * *

><p>Mercy remembered that once she had finished showering, she heard commotion in the room. Upon investigating, she had been ambushed, and there was a struggle indeed.<p>

Now she had been knocked out unconscious for…who knows how long…but when she started coming to, she could feel the pain left over from the beating she endured in the room at the inn.

…and she heard voices.

"...ya sure this shit is really necessary...?" one female voice remarked.

"…it's…somethin'," responded another female voice.

A small growl was heard coming from a distinctly male voice.

"Hey, I'm just making up the plan as I go; what the hell would you expect of me?"

Mercy let out a groan, slowly blinking open her eyes with blurry vision.

"Oh great, she's waking up," groaned one of the female voices.

"Shit..." one of the female voices groaned as well. "...this is going to hell really fast..."

At that point, Mercy saw a larger figure stomping towards her; keeping a watchful eye on her as he snarled. That made Mercy jump away, and she realized that she was tied up, lying on the ground.

"…the hell?" She muttered when she noticed this.

The figure towering over her was a massive hippo; growling as he just glared down at her.

"...alright, is anyone gonna explain to her what the hell we're doing here?" that female voice remarked, which Mercy would now see belonging to a flying squirrel, seated on a table with her arms folded and an annoyed expression on her face.

"Explain what? You kidnapped me!" Mercy yelped.

"Guess that's all she needs to know," mused an elephant standing nearby.

"...feh..." With an annoyed huff, the squirrel just looked aside.

"…but why?" Mercy muttered.

"…we're going to use you as leverage on that bastard…"

Mercy looked over and saw a ladybug approach her with a dark look on her face. "Who?" Mercy asked.

"King, that's who," the ladybug growled.

Mercy raised her brow. "…but I don't have any relation to him. What good would using me do?"

"...not just you. You're only the first." the squirrel murmured with a sigh.

Mercy glared at all of them. "…you're gonna use innocent people as leverage? Why?"

"That's none of your business," the ladybug growled. The hippo just growled, turning away from Mercy.

"Forte, Shrapnel, you keep an eye on her," the ladybug said, turning around to leave the room. "Eden, you're with me."

The elephant sighed, presumably being Eden as she followed the ladybug out of the room.

With a sigh, the squirrel, Shrapnel, just shook her head. "...right, you just head on out there..."

The hippo, Forte, just growled as he looked down at Mercy.

Mercy, meanwhile, looked at the ground with a sigh.

Shrapnel cast a glance in her direction. "...look, sorry about this... we're just kinda desperate at the moment..."

Mercy glared at her. "You're apologizing for kidnapping me?"

"...yeah, I am." she remarked in return. "Believe it or not, this isn't our idea... it's _her _idea." Shrapnel glanced aside. "...after he croaked, she got really messed up..."

Forte let a small snarl escape his lips as he glared aside.

"Who croaked?" Mercy asked.

Shrapnel clenched her hands together. "...our boss, Baltimore..."

Mercy blinked, and then looked at the ground. "...King killed him, didn't he? That why you guys want revenge..."

"...it's why she wants revenge, at least..." Shrapnel murmured. "...we've got nowhere else to turn to, now that he's gone... so we're just following her. She was practically second in command, after all..."

"...your boss that important to her?" Mercy hummed.

"...they... were together, y'know." Shrapnel murmured.

"...huh..." Mercy muttered, looking at the floor.

Shrapnel sighed. "...it's not like we wanna go against her... but I figure that Morgan's not really right in the head right now... it hit her harder than the rest of us, seeing what... what he'd done to the boss..."

Mercy grit her teeth at that.

"...but trying to get revenge is going to get her nowhere."

"...we know." Shrapnel sighed. "But none of us have the heart to tell her..."

Mercy shot a glare at her. "Just tell her goddamn it! Don't let her get carried away with this!" She suddenly yelled.

Shrapnel shot a glare straight back at her. "Oh right, like going up to someone who just lost their loved one and saying "hey, get the fuck over it" is gonna help any!" she yelled back at her.

Mercy looked at the ground again. "...but you should stop her before she might do something she regrets..."

"...believe me, we want to..." Shrapnel murmured. "...but how the fuck are we supposed to get through to her...?"

Mercy looked up at her. "Let me talk to her."

Shrapnel and Forte both looked at her when she said that.

"Trust me; she needs to be stopped," Mercy muttered.

The two of them looked back at each other...

...and then Shrapnel shook her head. "...I can't let you do that. Trust me, I _want_ to say "go ahead", but... she could hurt you, or worse..."

Mercy rolled her eyes. "Couldn't possibly be as bad as last night..."

Shrapnel raised an eyebrow. "...you try to calm down someone who's acting irrationally while risking bodily harm often?"

Mercy groaned. "I was drunk last night...it took a comrade of mine, Pierce, to calm me down...and I got smacked around by some bitch last night..."

Immediately, though, Shrapnel's eyes widened. "...wait... _Pierce?!_"

Forte let out a surprised roar as well.

Mercy's eyes widened. "...you...know Pierce?"

"Know him?!" Shrapnel just smacked her head. "He was only _the_ strongest merc we had in this group! I mean, we even made up stories about him, that's how big he was!"

Forte just shot Shrapnel a look.

"...okay, maybe I'm exaggerating..." Shrapnel noted with a light laugh. "...but... you said that Pierce was your comrade?"

"Yeah, but..." Mercy looked at the ground. "...he really worked with you guys?"

"Up until a few years ago." Shrapnel explained. "See, Safe Haven was getting big, and we were getting less and less jobs because... well, why hire mercs when soldiers were being trained for practically nothing over there?" She sighed. "The boss took it really hard, and began doing some shifty business on the side... Pierce wasn't fond of that, so he left the group."

"...seems like him," Mercy murmured.

At that point, Forte growled in concern.

Shrapnel eventually realized something as well. "...wait... if Pierce is still here in town..." She gripped her head. "...aaw, _shit..._ we're gonna be in trouble, aren't we...?"

"...as long as you don't harm me, I don't think there will be any problems," Mercy muttered.

"...no, you don't get it. I'm not worried about Pierce... I'm worried about Morgan." Shrapnel murmured. "She might... lose it..."

"...why would she lose it on Pierce?" Mercy asked worriedly.

"...she sees him coming to help you... she might get desperate." Shrapnel murmured. "She might attack him... I know he wouldn't try to kill her, but... she could get herself hurt..."

Mercy bit her lip. She also couldn't guarantee that if Pierce would bring Callous and Johnny, that they would be cooperative in the slightest.

* * *

><p>"...this should be it."<p>

Standing in front of an abandoned building, Pierce held his sword ready. "They tend to hole up in places no one visits... I get the feeling they're hiding inside."

"Boy, am I glad you know where to find them," Callous mused.

"...alright; let's just beat up whoever's inside before we get Mercy out of there..." Johnny hummed as he rubbed his hands together.

"...hm..." With a small huff, Pierce approached the door, before grabbing it to open it up.

When they opened the door, they walked into a large warehouse, and the moment they walked in, no one was in sight.

"...they're hidden..." Pierce glanced at the two others. "...stay close. Don't spread out."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Callous said, summoning her scythe.

Cracking his knuckles, Johnny just hummed. "Why so cautious? It's not like they can beat us."

"...I'd prefer us not to waste time getting into solo fights." Pierce noted, as he walked on ahead. "We're here for Mercy, that's all."

"That focused on finding her, huh?" Callous chuckled, walking after him.

"...right..." Pierce murmured in response.

"…y'know, you're not making this very convincing for yourself," Callous said teasingly.

At that point, Pierce suddenly shot a fierce glare at Callous. "Are you done with those quips of yours?"

"Whoa, what's gotten into ya, huh? She's just joking around." Johnny noted with a chuckle of his own.

"Geez…didn't think you'd really get that pissed off," Callous huffed.

"Maybe I wouldn't be if you were to take this seriously." Pierce snarled, "Which, quite obviously, you don't seem capable of."

"We know how to lighten up and roll with the punches," Callous grumbled. "Which _you_ don't seem capable of, Mr. 'I've got a ten foot stick up my ass'."

Pierce snarled further. "So the thought of her possibly being wounded doesn't even cross your mind?"

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll get hurt, but c'mon, I'm sure she's been through worse," Callous muttered. "After working for those two, you'd figure she probably went through some abuse."

"...even so, she's not as she was back then..." Pierce snarled. "You don't even remember what I told you yesterday, do you? If they decide to brutalize her, then she can't just regenerate and walk it off."

Callous sighed; this guy making a pretty big deal out of this, even if he _was_ her body guard, but he really did have the point on the fact that Mercy wasn't able to just walk things off like her and Johnny could. "Hey, we were drunk, so we had a reason not to remember you saying something like that last night," she grumbled.

"Well now…long time no see Pierce."

Pierce's eyes widened.

"...uh, yeah, I was wondering when that was gonna become obvious." Johnny remarked at that point. "While you two were bickering, she snuck up on ya."

In that instant, Pierce turned to look straight back at the one who spoke. "...Morgan."

The ladybug, Morgan was standing there with her arms folded, a dark look on her face. She looked over at Callous and Johnny. "…and who're those two, hm?" she hummed.

"...acquaintances." Pierce remarked, as he glared at Morgan. "We're here for the one you kidnapped."

"Really now?" Morgan muttered. "What's so special about the one we kidnapped if you took the time to come face us to get her back, huh?"

"...I'm her bodyguard." Pierce answered. "That's all you need to know. Now stand aside."

"Bodyguard? That's not like you Pierce...and least from what I can remember," Morgan scoffed. "...you've changed..."

"...so have you." Pierce noted. "...I can see it in your eyes..." He looked around. "...where's Baltimore?"

Morgan shut her eyes, gritting her teeth. "...why would you like to know?"

"...because when it came to dealing with interlopers, you were never the first one to go out to them." Pierce noted. "It was always Baltimore."

Morgan opened her eyes, which were full of anger.

"He's dead."

"...I see." Pierce huffed.

"...wait...so if you want revenge against King..." Callous figured it out, and grew interested. "...because he killed him, didn't he?"

Morgan clenched her hands into fists at that.

"...well, well..." Johnny chuckled. "Didn't think that he had it in him."

"I thought he put that behind him after all those years ago when dealing with you," Callous mused.

Morgan stopped, and looked at Johnny. "...what?"

"...oh, yeah, I was killed around 22 years ago." Johnny remarked. "Then brought back 7 years ago, then died again the same year, then was a ghost for a couple years, and now I'm here." He shrugged. "It's a long story."

"...hm.." Pierce just shook his head a touch.

"...bet you must really feel lucky..." Morgan growled.

"Oh, very much, thanks for asking." Johnny remarked with a light grin.

That made Morgan growl even more, getting angry.

"Fuck, no wonder Pierce is so uptight; he learned it from this broad," Callous spoke.

That made Morgan snap.

"EDEN!"

And suddenly, the elephant appeared out of nowhere to throw a punch...

...but Callous ducked and kicked Eden in the stomach to stun her, knocking her down on the ground to pin her beneath her foot. Eden was shocked by this, and so was Morgan.

"...better try something different, because that's just not gonna work." Johnny remarked with a small laugh.

Morgan growled, stepping away slowly.

"...I'm going to make this simple for you." Pierce remarked, eyes narrowing. "Where is she?"

Morgan growled, trembling a little. It seemed like Pierce had gotten stronger fighters on his side…and she didn't know how to handle that.

"...well?" Pierce hummed, eyes narrowed as he just looked at her.

"…NO! YOU CAN'T HAVE HER!"

That moment, Morgan did something _really_ stupid.

She tried to grab Pierce's sword. Pierce's eyes widened in surprise, but by that point, it was too late, as she had grabbed it...

...but the _very_ _instant_ that her hands wrapped around the hilt, a brief shockwave suddenly erupted from the blade, as it quivered in her grasp... no, rather, it was vibrating, as a dark aura was slowly starting to emanate from it. Morgan was frozen in shock as she held to it.

The others just looked at the blade with widening eyes. "...the hell is this...?!" Johnny uttered.

Pierce's eyes just narrowed, as his eyes remained on the blade; seeing the bandages actually shriveling up by some dark force; revealing the pitch-black, jagged edge it was taking on. Morgan shuddered while she watched this.

"…drop the sword stupid! You don't know what you're dealing with!" Callous snapped at her.

But Morgan didn't listen.

The aura around the sword grew darker...

...and then, even with Morgan's grip on it, it suddenly made a swipe upwards; pointing at the ceiling whilst remaining in Morgan's grasp.

"...she can't handle it..." Pierce remarked. "...it's acting on its own."

Morgan gasped, still holding to the blade. "…wh-what's going on?!"

The blade then took on a darker shine... as if charging.

"...DUCK!" Swiftly, Pierce grabbed Johnny and Callous, just as the blade involuntarily slashed horizontally whilst forcing Morgan's arms to move with it; creating a wave of black energy that shot from it, barely rocketing over their heads as it cut straight through the building.

Morgan screamed in fright at this. Most would actually take this as an advantage over them, but Morgan was too frightened by this strange phenomenon to really think rationally. The blade even seemed to hiss, as it slashed again to create a vertical slash that rocketed for Pierce specifically. Without even flinching, though, Pierce rolled away from it, glaring at Morgan and the sword.

Finally, Morgan actually dropped the sword on the ground, slowly stepping away from it.

Then she ran.

When it clattered to the ground, the dark aura immediately faded, and Pierce grabbed the blade. "...Johnny, Callous, come on!" he called, before following Morgan.

"...well, damn..." Grunting, Johnny began giving chase. "C'mon, Callous!"

"Right behind ya!" Callous said, leaving behind Eden who was still shocked by all of that.

Morgan managed to get down to the basement, and slam open the door, running to Mercy to grab her.

"Wha-huh?!" And Mercy was startled by that.

Forte let out a surprised roar.

"Whoa!" Shrapnel quickly stepped towards the ladybug with wide eyes. "Morgan, what the fuck's going on?! We heard those noises upstairs, and-!"

"SHUT UP!" Morgan screamed at her, interrupting her. "J-Just sh-shut up!" And she yanked out a knife, holding it to Mercy's throat. "I-I'll do it!"

Shrapnel gawked at that. "What the fuck?!"

Forte let out a surprised roar as well. Mercy was stunned to see someone hold a blade to her throat, and given the circumstances, she knew that she had to tread lightly. This person was not sane.

Finally, Pierce, Johnny and Callous arrived, and Callous' eyes widened. "Well shit."

Pierce and Johnny remained silent, as they glared at Morgan and the knife she held against Mercy.

"Pierce...!" Shrapnel hissed. "...so that's what this is about..."

"…don't…come any closer…" Morgan breathed, holding the knife closer to Mercy's neck for blood to trickle down. "…I swear…"

Pierce's eyes narrowed, but out of concern for Mercy's well-being, he stood his ground, motioning for Callous and Johnny to do the same.

"…hey…listen to me…"

Morgan shuddered, and looked at Mercy in her hold. She hadn't even flinched when the blade dug into her neck. She just sat there in her hold.

"…It doesn't have to be like this, y'know?" Mercy muttered.

"Wh-what do you know?!" Morgan uttered.

Pierce looked at Mercy with a curious look.

"…your boss? I don't know how you guys run…but it sounded like you were pretty devoted to him," Mercy muttered. "…and knowing that somebody killed him just angers you, doesn't it?"

Morgan trembled while Mercy talked to her, and growled. "Shut up…" she dug the blade deeper, and Mercy actually winced. "…just shut up…" Morgan uttered.

"…I know how you feel."

Morgan's eyes widened at Mercy when she said that. Everyone else were absolutely silent as they just watched this.

"…and you wanna know who I blamed? I blamed Lock the Sniper for it," Mercy said. "…I was lost in despair and all I wanted was to cut his throat out…but really, I was blaming myself more for not being there for my husband when he died…when I was out trying to earn the money for the chemotherapy he needed."

Pierce simply hummed upon hearing that, looking sympathetically at Mercy.

"…look…I'm not telling you to try and get over it…nobody can get over a death of a loved one," Mercy muttered. "…but we all can do very dangerous things during very stressful, emotional times…I know I've done really regretful things to myself because of my thirst for vengeance…"

Morgan shuddered, and Mercy actually managed to turn her head to look at Morgan even with the knife at her throat.

"…don't act on emotion…just take the time you need to work through your feelings," Mercy muttered.

Still, everyone waited to see how Morgan would react to this.

"…but…but King…he killed him…brutalized him…" Morgan uttered, clenching her teeth.

"…isn't it about time to let go of the ambitions of your boss?"

"THIS ISN'T ABOUT REVENGE ON KING FOR TAKING AWAY OUR BUSNIESS! THIS IS PERSONAL!" Morgan screamed at Mercy, digging the blade into her enough that Mercy actually whimpered.

Pierce's eyes narrowed, though he remained stationary.

"...Morgan..." Shrapnel uttered, gulping at seeing the ladybug act like this.

"…is that any different from anything you guys have done?"

Morgan jumped at what Mercy said.

Once again, silence accompanied that statement.

"…You're mercs…I'm sure you've killed your share of people…" Mercy muttered. "…who's to say that someone out there wants revenge on you guys for killing their loved one?"

Morgan actually shuddered to think that possibility. Pierce glanced aside with a thoughtful hum as well.

"…when Safe Haven established itself and your boss turned desperate…imagine the things you guys did for the sake of a living…" Mercy muttered.

Morgan actually dropped the knife and covered her face in shock, releasing Mercy. "…what have I done?"

Shrapnel and Forte looked between each other, before looking back at Morgan. Callous came over quickly, grabbing Mercy to pull over to her, Pierce and Johnny, and she took the time to untie Mercy. Pierce looked over Mercy to see if she was injured, aside from the cut to her neck. She seemed alright, and Mercy pressed a hand to her throat, while she watched Morgan crumble into the corner of the room. Both Shrapnel and Forte approached Morgan, both of them kneeling by her side.

"…guess it's our time to leave," Callous figured.

"...yeah." Pierce murmured, as he gave the mercenaries another look, before he turned to lead Mercy out.

"Pierce…"

That came from Morgan, making them halt.

Slowly, Pierce looked back at Morgan.

"…what happened to you…?" she uttered. "…and…what was that blade…?"

Pierce just hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...believe me... you're better off not knowing." he spoke calmly.

Morgan silenced after that, and cowered in her corner beneath Shrapnel and Forte. With that, Pierce began leading the others off.

"…think they'll hold together after this?" Callous hummed while they walked away from the basement.

"...who can say?" Johnny remarked with a light huff.

"...I think... they'll need time to heal." Pierce mused. "...with Baltimore gone... their fate is in their hands now..."

"That's fair," Callous hummed. "At least Mercy shouldn't get kidnapped anymore."

Mercy huffed. "They ambushed me…"

"...nevertheless... I should apologize." Pierce murmured. "They ambushed you while I was not around to protect you..."

"In that case, you two should stick close together from now on," Callous chuckled.

"Yeah. Make sure not to let each other out of your sights." Johnny laughed.

Mercy growled, but turned away and blushed at the teasing. Pierce glanced aside with a small huff as well.

"C'mon, let's head back to that inn and grab breakfast," Callous suggested.

"...yeah." Johnny remarked in agreement.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Fun little bit of excitement for them at<strong>** least...**_


	67. Chapter 66

Jill had ended up staying up late last night worrying over Metal, so she was sleeping in the later part of the morning…

…then she was awoken by sounds of more helicopters landing in the village.

"Huh?" She got up, rubbing her eyes, and looked out the window of her father's cabin to see them landing in the village; two of them. Lock, Proxy and Omega were outside at the moment, seeing the helicopters landing inside of the village.

Jill came and stepped outside, looking at them with the three of them. "What are they doing back here?" She asked.

"...I suppose we'll find out..." Lock murmured, as he watched some soldiers exit the chopper.

Jill stepped a bit closer to the helicopters, but not too close. At that point, someone in particular stepped out from one of the choppers. "...Jill." he spoke.

Jill's eyes widened with a gasp. "…Metal?"

Metal stood there, smiling a touch as he approached Jill. Jill smiled with relief. "Metal…" and went to wrap her arms around him. Smiling back at her, Metal wrapped his arms around her as well.

"…I was worried about you," Jill said.

"...it's alright..." Metal spoke. "...everything's sorted out now..."

"…really?" Jill said, looking up at him.

"...really." Metal spoke. "I apologize that we couldn't come sooner... we were rebuilding a town before we came by here."

"Rebuilding a town?" Jill chuckled at that. Then she grew solemn. "…I'd…thought that you would've been…"

"...I thought so too... but it's alright now, Jill." Metal spoke. "...I'll tell you about it on the way home, alright?"

Jill smiled, "Of course."

The two opened, and someone stepped out. When they turned to look, they saw Joy rubbing her eyes, and when she saw Metal, her look brightened with a smile, running to Metal. "Daddy!"

"...Joy." With a smile, Metal knelt down to her as she came running for him, holding his arm out so he could hug her when she came close enough. Joy threw her arms around Metal and hugged him tightly. Likewise, he hugged her back; closing his eyes with a smile. Jill smiled at the sight of this, and looked to see the others walking out from the house.

"Welcome back Metal," Stella said.

"...seems like everything worked out well enough." Hex mused with a smile.

"Why more than one helicopter though?" Violet mused.

Metal couldn't help but chuckle. "...because we can't fit everyone in just one helicopter." he remarked.

"We're goin' home?" Joy asked hopefully.

Metal smiled at her. "...we're going home."

Ray stepped out from the house then, looking at them. "Leaving so soon?"

Metal looked back at Ray, as he rose to his feet. "...well... that was the plan."

Ray chuckled. "…well…I suppose you all have a lot of things to do…" And then he sighed. "Just be sure to visit me sometime."

"Yes Father," Jill said, smiling.

"We'll take the time to visit you." Metal spoke with a nod.

"…until then, don't work too hard," Ray spoke with a nod in return.

With that, Metal began leading the others to the helicopters, everyone getting on board one way or another. Ray watched them all climb aboard, and saw the helicopters take off into the sky once everyone was secure.

From where Joy sat, she looked back down at Ray and waved at him. He waved back. Metal just gazed back down at Ray as they flew off into the sky.

"...hm... it's a nice change of pace not having to wander all the way back..." Tails mused with a light smile crossing his lips.

"Yes, it is…" Stella agreed. "…I hope Ivory manages to get back to her friends just fine though."

"...I'm sure she'll manage." Lock mused.

* * *

><p>Later, the helicopters from all around suddenly descended down onto Safe Haven. This drew the Safe Haven soldiers nearby to curiously watch what this was about. After all, a lot had been happening over the course of the two days after all of the fighting had ended. Even King brought over Tasha to see what this was all about.<p>

Just then, three figures stepped out from one helicopter. They were Metal and Jill, and they were holding hands with Joy.

Tasha smiled with relief. "...it's them."

King smiled as well. "...they're back..." Then, he looked at the other helicopters that were landing, along with some other figures coming towards the island alongside them.

"Woo! Finally home!" Ani exclaimed as she hopped off of the helicopter. Then she looked at another helicopter and ran toward it. "Dad!"

"Huh?" Hunter had turned to see her throw her arms around him to his surprise.

Stepping out of one helicopter, Wiper glanced around, before suddenly being tackled to the ground. "Oof!"

"Wiper!" The one who had tackled him was Sonia, who hugged him tightly whilst smiling widely. "I missed you!"

"Nh... Sonia..." With a light smile, Wiper hugged her back. "...I missed you too... but do you think you could pull us up?"

"Oh, sorry!" With a laugh, Sonia hoisted Wiper back up on his feet. His group around him laughed at that.

Diablo from his helicopter looked around. "...back here...huh?" He muttered.

Kiri just stood close to him, looking up at him with a small nod. "...don't worry, Diablo... everything's better now." she spoke in an assuring tone.

One of those in the large crowd around the helicopters noticed someone else from them.

"...Nage?" It was Cyrene.

Looking over towards her, Nage immediately brightened up, and ran for her. "Cyrene! You're alright!" she called, quickly grabbing Cyrene's arms and smiling at her. "You're really alright...! That's so good to know!"

As they disembarked, Fargus and Toki glanced over at the two of them, with Fargus chuckling a bit. "...seems like the reunions are coming in at full force." he mused.

"No kidding," Toki mused.

Striker turned...and let out a surprised yelp. "_Spiel?!_"

"Yo." With a grin, the pig waved at Striker. "You've grown up, huh?"

Krieg, standing by Spiel's side, simply kept his arms folded, though he regarded a nod to Striker... at least where he assumed he'd be standing.

The others around Striker gawked at them, and even surrounded them.

"No way! But you guys were..." Ani fell silent in shock.

Milo, meanwhile, hummed. "...I'm guessing Jill had something to so with this?"

"Jill and Callous." Spiel remarked. "It was pretty big; shame you guys missed it."

"Man..." Jack uttered with wide eyes. "...so you guys are really back?"

"That would be the case." Krieg hummed with a nod.

Looking over at them from where she disembarked, Hex couldn't help but blink. "...that's... bizarre."

Joy suddenly noticed Spiel and Krieg too, and she gasped in surprise. "Mama, Daddy, look!"

Jill looked over. "Ah..."

Metal looked over at them as well. "...what do you know..."

Jill walked up to Spiel and Krieg then. "I see things kept under control while I was gone."

"Jill!" Ani exclaimed, hugging her too.

With a light chuckle, Spiel just nodded. "Yeah, everything's been a-okay over here."

Jill nodded.

Then something occurred to her. "Would you happen to know where the Lieutenants are?"

"At the HQ." Krieg answered.

"Thanks," Jill said, walking away. "There's just one more thing I'll have to take care of..."

Spiel glanced at her as she began walking off. "...now what would that be?"

Joy blinked at this, and suddenly took off after Jill. "Wait for me Mama!" Metal, though remaining silent, followed them as well.

While they watched the three of them walk off, Arsenic looked around. "...hey, where's Charon?" She asked.

Jack hummed, as he looked up at the air. "...oh! There he is!"

Indeed; above them was a massive figure that flew above the island, landing in a clearing without as many soldiers in it, to give himself more space.

Aboard his back was Oblivion, along with Crystal and Dax. As they climbed off his back, Crystal laughed.

"That was awesome!" She said.

A smaller figure landed by Charon's side, breathing out. "...finally here..." Demi hummed, as he looked up at those on Charon's back.

When Oblivion climbed down Charon's back, she immediately hugged Demi. Demi hugged Oblivion in return, eyes closing.

"Awww," Crystal cooed when she saw that.

Charon simply smiled as he looked down at that, before glancing ahead.

"Wow...it's been awhile since we were here," Dax mentioned.

"...I'll say..." Demi remarked. "...three years now, isn't it...?"

"Yeah...something like that," Crystal muttered.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Jill, Metal and Joy arrived at the HQ, and walked into the front doors. As they wandered the halls, Metal still remained silent; simply glancing at Jill.<p>

Jill had an idea where the two of them might've been, and she headed toward the infirmary.

As they entered it, they saw both Trash and Brawn inside; Brawn just resting on one of the beds while Trash sat and waited on a nearby chair. He noticed Jill, Metal and Joy, and just regarded a nod to them.

Jill nodded back and walked up beside he bed Brawn slept on. "...he doing alright?" Jill asked Trash.

"He's coming around." Trash remarked with a nod.

Joy pulled up a chair so she could sit down beside the bed, looking at Brawn curiously.

Brawn just remained asleep for the moment.

Jill looked down at Brawn, and set a glowing hand on his head. Then she closed her eyes, as the glow spread to Brawn, concentrating on healing him. It seemed to work, with Brawn momentarily squirming as he breathed out; relaxing just a touch. All of the scars he sustained between the battle Jill had with Husk diminished away too, leaving him unscathed when Jill finished and pulled her hand off of him.

"...there," she said.

"...whoa..." Trash uttered with wide eyes.

"Once he wakes up, he should be much better," Jill said.

"...that's good..." Trash murmured, as he rubbed his head a touch.

"Who are they Mama?" Joy asked.

"...they're names are Brawn and Trash, Joy," Jill answered. "They are Lieutenants of GUN."

"...right..." Trash hummed with a small nod.

Joy nodded at that too, and looked up at Trash curiously.

Trash just glanced back at her. "...what?"

"…nothing," Joy responded shyly.

The door to the room was knocked upon, and Jill turned to it. "Come in."

Who else should came but the Sergeant, and behind him, the Commander; whom gave those inside the room a small nod. "...Brawn's recovering well enough, I see."

"Yes," Jill said with a nod in return. "…and I heard things have stayed well here while we were all gone."

"...yes." the Commander hummed. "And I have a feeling that things will improve soon enough, once the wounded have recovered..."

"Hopefully," Jill agreed.

Meanwhile, the Sergeant glanced over at Joy. He couldn't help but feel a bit of a lump in his throat when he looked at Jill's daughter, and given the things that have happened…

"…Please excuse me, if I may," he spoke up. "…but I believe I owe a personal apology to the three of you." He talked mainly to Jill and Metal, as he looked at Joy.

Metal simply looked at the Sergeant without saying anything.

"After all...part of all of this had been my mess too," the Sergeant admitted.

Joy got down from her seat, walking up to him. Metal cast a glance in Joy's direction, head tilting a touch. The Sergeant even looked down at Joy curiously.

"…you don't have to be sorry," Joy said. "…you didn't know."

The others remained silent after she said that. The Sergeant just looked down at Joy with a wistful look for saying that to him; when even a five-year-old was saying that he didn't have to be sorry…

Then he cleared his throat, to keep it from going silent. "…at any rate…I'm going to start pulling out any available forces I can use to start providing aid to the cities that have been victim to the Corrupted attacks," The Sergeant said. "Lieutenant Trash, you and Lieutenant Brawn can take some time off, but once you two are ready, you can report to aid the public."

Trash nodded. "I'll let him know when he wakes up."

The Sergeant nodded. "…with that, I'm going to take my leave…" and he turned to leave the room. The others just watched him leave in silence.

"…Mama…" Joy looked up at Jill. "…can we go home?"

Jill pet Joy's head. "…not really, Joy. We could look around there…but we can't really stay there right now."

"How come?" Joy asked.

"…half of it was destroyed in the attack on Safe Haven."

"...we'll have someone work to repair the damages." the Commander spoke. "It's the least we could do."

"…thank you," Jill said with a smile to the Commander. Metal smiled at the Commander as well, who simply smiled back at them with a small nod.

Joy smiled too, but was curious, "So…where do we go until then?"

"...I suppose we can stay at King's place until then." Metal mused with a hum.

"Mkay," Joy said with a nod.

With a small nod, the Commander turned. "...well, then, I suppose I'll see you later." she spoke, as she began heading out.

"So…should we go find King and ask if we can stay with him?" Jill supposed.

"...yes, I think so." With a nod, Metal glanced at Trash. "...give him our regards when he wakes up."

"Will do," Trash hummed.

"C'mon!" Joy seemed to become quite happy, taking Jill's and Metal's hands, tugging.

"...alright..." With a smile, Metal followed Joy whilst giving Jill a small nod.

* * *

><p>Needless to say, King agreed whole-heartedly to the idea of Metal and Jill staying at his place. After all, with everything that had happened and Jill watching over Tasha, he owed Jill out of his gratitude; though even then he would've agreed simply because they were friends.<p>

With a lot of the GUN forces pulling out that day, it dispersed the long accumulated tension the entire island had, and what were most of the soldiers, as well as King, were known for? Celebration to work off the stress after so much had happened.

This was different though; this wasn't an organized bash to have. This was just simply everyone gathering around and allowing themselves to loosen up. After so much, there really wasn't enough energy to put together anything big, but this little celebration everyone had at the pub would work just as fine. Everyone chattered comfortably and happily, and had all been reunited with again.

Watching everyone just celebrate amongst themselves, some figures kept off to themselves, just enjoying seeing the rest relaxing so much. "...makes ya think, huh?" Spiel mused. "How things can just be so cheerful after all that commotion."

"...frankly, I'm not questioning it." Hex mused with a small smile of her own. "I'm just enjoying the moment."

"...perhaps that's for the best." Krieg remarked as he smiled as well.

Diablo had been with these guys with Kiri by his side, and when he looked over at them, a thought occurred to him. "…hey…we're all together again…" he muttered. "…only one we're missing is Raider…"

"...a shame, what happened to him..." Hex murmured as she closed her eyes.

"...this all happened because..." Kiri murmured, as she closed her eyes.

"...I don't think you guys oughta be that sad." Spiel mused, before he took a bite out of some meat. "Raider's doin' something important right now."

"...what would that be?" Hex hummed as she looked over at him.

"...well... someone's gotta keep Novagod in check down under, now that me, Krieg and Johnny ain't there anymore." Spiel mused.

Diablo looked over at Spiel in surprise. "You think he can handle that?"

"Of course." Spiel mused. "After little Joy dealt with him, he's got nothing to work with. Raider'll be more than enough."

"…well…I suppose that's good at least…" Diablo murmured, looking away.

Kiri looked sadly at Diablo. "...don't feel sad..." she spoke.

Diablo actually smiled down at Kiri, rubbing her head. "…don't worry. I won't."

Kiri smiled back at him.

"...so... what to do." Spiel hummed.

"...I got people I live with..." Hex mused, as she closed her eyes. "...I guess I'll head back to them..."

"…at least you know where you belong…I don't even know where I'm supposed to go after being locked up for so long…" Diablo muttered.

"...you can come with us, Diablo." Kiri uttered. "To the Clubhouse..."

"…you think they would let me stay there?" Diablo asked.

"...they let me stay there." Kiri noted, as she tilted her head. "Why wouldn't they let you stay?"

"…I guess that's true," Diablo said.

"Aw, man, I'm so glad to be back in this place again," Hunter huffed with a relieved sigh, while standing behind the counter.

"You're telling me." Sage mused with a smile. "It feels like ages since we were here last..."

"Yeah, no kidding..." Sonia mused as she sat by her. "It's seriously been months since this all started... hard to believe, isn't it?"

"Well, the months were certainly dragging along, but enough about that," Cal said. "Now we can just relax…"

"...yeah..." Natal hummed with a small breath of her own.

"...but man..." Newt sighed. "...it feels good bein' back, y'know?"

"...indeed." Wiper mused. "It's not often I come here... but it's always a joy whenever I do."

Boomer looked around curiously. "…hey, where's Metal? And Jill and Joy for that matter?"

"...they're having a moment for themselves." Sage mused. "After everything that's happened... I'd say that they've earned it."

"…yeah, that's fair," Boomer agreed.

Meanwhile, Rudy had gathered together with the others his age, laughing with them. "Oh wow…man, I can't believe what you guys went through," he said.

"Yeah, it sure was crazy, wasn't it?" Jack laughed as he rubbed his head.

"So, Rudy, how about you?" Ani asked. "Anything interesting happen to you at least?"

"Well, uh, not really?" Rudy turned away to try and hide a blush.

Milo actually smirked at that. "Really now?"

Jack grinned a slight bit. "...c'mon, you can tell us!"

"Yeah, c'mon Rudy!" Striker egged on.

Rudy looked shyly over, and even Arsenic and Kristine were grinning, but they weren't saying anything.

"C'mon!" Jack uttered with such an excited grin.

Rudy looked away again, blushing more. "…Weeeeeeeell…maybe…there was this girl."

'Ooooo's echoed from the group then, with their grins growing.

"What's her name?" Jack uttered with some excitement; almost as if he were eager to start the teasing immediately.

"…well…ehm…" Rudy turned bashful.

"Aw c'mon man; tell us about her!" Ani exclaimed.

"…well…okay, but keep quiet about it okay?" Rudy muttered.

"We will, promise!" Jack nodded.

"…It's…uh…Odium."

It went silent among them. Rudy looked back with a sheepish smile. "What?"

Just a bit besides them, someone very nearly spat up the drink that he was drinking. "...I'm sorry, I thought I heard my sister's name over here?" Turning to look at them with a confused, yet bemused look, Demi tilted his head.

Rudy shot a startled look back. "D-Demi?! I didn't know you were-!" And he looked like he was about to panic.

Which was actually very funny for the others.

"...no, please, tell me what you were saying about my sister." Demi seemed genuinely curious as he turned to look at Rudy.

"Um…well…um…" Rudy looked even more nervous which got the others snickering. Noticing that, Demi just blinked a touch out of confusion, before glancing back at Rudy.

"…maybe I…might…um…" Rudy was stumbling over his words and fidgeting with his sweatshirt.

"…like her…a little?"

"...oh." Demi hummed, tilting his head a little. "...does she... know about this?"

"…ye-yeah?" Rudy muttered with a scared grin.

"...have the two of you talked about this?" Demi inquired again.

"…yeah," Rudy kept fidgeting with his sweatshirt.

"...and...?" Demi motioned a bit with his hand to see if Rudy would tell him more.

"…uh…" Rudy actually wasn't quite sure what Demi wanted; he just didn't want to make Demi mad by accident.

"...does she like you back?" Demi eventually asked.

"…yeah?" Rudy answered.

Demi blinked when he heard that...

...and then, he stifled a snicker. "...never took her for that type." he mused with a growing smile.

"Hey!" Rudy protested, and then that's when the rest of his friends burst out into laughter at that.

Still snickering, Demi just held a hand out to Rudy. "I'd definitely like to hear more about you and Odium being together." he said with a wide smile; a genuine one, at that.

Rudy grinned, still nervously, and took his hand to shake it, "…em…sure."

"At least Demi seems okay with it," Ani laughed.

"But you'd have to impress Bismark now!" Striker added.

"Knowing father, I'm sure he's already impressed that Odium actually likes someone." Demi mused with a laugh.

"True," Milo mused.

"So everything's fine, then!" Jack noted with a grin.

"Yeah," Rudy chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

_**...you know, if he wrongs her, I'm gonna have words with him. Lots and lots of words... hurtful words, if need be.**_

_Not if I have a say in things. I don't think he's ready to deal with you, of all people._

_**Now why would you say that?**_

_No particular reason._ Demi just kept smiling as he didn't show any sign of having gone through any internal monologue with Blood. At least Rudy was able to ease up on that.

"...hey Demi, where's Oblivion?" Milo asked.

Demi glanced at him. "Outside with Charon." he responded.

"...ah, I see," Milo muttered.

"Is she keeping him company because he can't fit in here?" Jack assumed.

"Most likely." Demi nodded. "Though... she did mention that she wanted to talk to Charon about something."

Just like Demi said, Oblivion was outside with Charon, keeping him company. Not only was Charon too big to fit in the pub, but the two of them weren't used to large crowds, and preferred the space anyway.

"...we've come a long way from when we first met," Oblivion mentioned.

"...indeed..." Charon hummed in response, looking thoughtful.

Oblivion looked up at the night sky, mostly the stars, in silence.

Charon eventually looked down at Oblivion. Oblivion looked back at Charon. "...is there... anything on your mind?" Charon hummed, tilting his head a touch.

"...I'm trying to figure out what to do," Oblivion said. "...about staying here...or going with Demi, Crystal and Dax."

Charon hummed a touch; nodding as he glanced ahead once more. "...I see..."

"...I would never want to leave you...but I feel conflicted..." Oblivion muttered.

Again, Charon hummed thoughtfully. Oblivion became silent again.

"...perhaps... discussing this with them would be ideal?" Charon mused. "Just to see what they all think..."

"...maybe..." Oblivion supposed.

"...but... I want you to know, no matter what you decide upon..." Charon spoke earnestly as he looked down at her. "...that you have, and always will be my very closest friend... and I'll stand by your decision, no matter what it may be."

Oblivion smiled up at him. Seeing that, Charon just smiled back at her.

"So I suppose until then, we just relax..." Oblivion said.

"...I agree." Charon spoke with a nod.

Inside the pub, Cyrene set down her mug on the table after she had gulped down her drink. Finishing her own drink, Nage breathed out as she set her mug down, before she glanced over at Cyrene.

Cyrene was silent, but there was a depressed look on her face. Nage frowned a little as she saw how depressed Cyrene appeared. "...wanna talk?" she inquired.

"...Nage...I don't know if I want to keep being a mercenary anymore..." Cyrene muttered.

Nage looked worriedly at her, but she understood where she was coming from.

"...I mean...I..." Cyrene hiccuped for a moment, and then continued. "...I don't see any point anymore..."

Nage just hummed, tilting her head a bit. "...you think you lost your way, right?"

"...sure...let's go with that..." Cyrene muttered.

Nage hummed again. "...well... I know it's been tough on ya, everything that's happened... but are you really gonna let it keep you down forever?"

Cyrene slowly placed her head on the table tiredly, looking even more depressed. "...I just..." But he couldn't continue.

Nage sighed as she saw Cyrene like this. "...look, I'll level with ya... I can't say I know exactly what you've been through. But I've seen people get just as messed up thanks to that stuff... Nage, Jack..." She glanced around, seeing both of them still mingling with the others. "...but look at 'em... they don't seem down in the dumps over it..."

Cyrene was silent.

Flamenco even came over, and set a hand of concern on her shoulder, which Cyrene just brushed off to his surprise. Nage looked back at Cyrene with a saddened look in her eyes.

"...Flamenco..." Cyrene muttered. "...listen..." Her head lowered, so her hair hid her face. "...between you and me...I don't think..."

Flamenco waited until Cyrene could continue, and when he eventually saw that she couldn't continue, he sighed. "...I understand..." After all, he already had a pretty good feeling what it was.

"...after all...I don't think you could stay tied to one woman...anyway..." Cyrene muttered.

Flamenco nodded. Though it might've seemed like a rude accusation, he wouldn't deny that it was the truth. "...if you need anything later on..." He said. "...I'm still here."

Cyrene nodded, her face still hidden. "...now please...just...leave me alone."

Flamenco nodded, albeit a bit sadly, and he walked away. Nage's sad look grew worse when seeing that.

Over by their table, Jack just happened to glance over in that direction, seeing Flamenco walking away from Cyrene like that. "...hm...?"

"...hey, what happened?" Ani asked when she noticed too.

Milo glanced over solemnly. "...basically...I think Flamenco got dumped."

Jack looked a bit sadly at that, as he rubbed his neck a bit.

"...poor guy..." Kristine muttered.

Eventually, Jack just stood up from his chair, looking straight at her. "...I'll be right back." he said, before he began walking over towards Cyrene.

Cyrene didn't even notice Jack approaching.

He took the seat right next to her, something that surprised Nage, as he just looked straight ahead. "...why are you sad?" he inquired.

Cyrene was silent, but she did slowly look up at Jack. Jack just looked back at her; looking at her with a tilted head as he folded his arms on the counter.

"I'm sad...for a couple of things," she answered.

"...wanna talk about it?"

"...I don't know..." Cyrene muttered. "...it's kinda complicated...and I'm not even sure myself..."

"...well... maybe trying to talk about it would make it less complicated?" Jack supposed.

"No offense kid...but you out of everyone else probably aren't the best one to talk to..." Cyrene muttered. "...especially after what I did to ya..."

"...oh..." Jack uttered, as he glanced aside. "...still upset over that, huh?"

"I'm more surprised that you aren't," Cyrene remarked.

"...well... I managed to move on." Jack remarked. "It was really tough, I'll admit... but I had someone really close to me who helped me through it..." He then looked back at Cyrene. "...you don't have someone like that though, do you?"

"...no, not really..." Cyrene muttered.

Jack simply hummed again, before looking ahead. "...I guess it's harder to move on... without someone you can talk to..." He then closed his eyes, thinking a little.

"...are you saying I go back to Flamenco?" Cyrene presumed.

"...I'm not saying exactly that." Jack remarked. "What I'm saying is that it'll be a lot harder for you to move on if you don't talk with anyone..."

Then, he turned to look at her. "...it must've hurt you just as much as it hurt me and the others, right? What happened..."

"...yeah...it did," Cyrene muttered.

"...none of us really wanted that..." Jack murmured. "...so... even when all that happened... I don't blame you or the others for it. In fact..." He managed just a small smile, as he tilted his head. "...I forgive you for what happened."

Cyrene gave a sad smile to Jack. "...y'know:..that actually takes a huge weight off my shoulders..."

Jack just smiled in return. "Glad to help."

"...in the meantime...i'm gonna get drunk." Cyrene supposed, looking at her mug.

"...if you're gonna do that..." Jack supposed. "...wouldn't it be best to do it with a friend?" As he said that, he glanced over at Nage, who just blinked the moment she was looked at.

"...I guess..." Cyrene muttered.

"...hey, what's that supposed to mean?" As she shook her head, Nage set a hand on Cyrene's shoulder, grabbing her own mug whilst smiling. "C'mon; if we're gonna get wasted, let's do it together, alright?"

Cyrene managed another smile. "...sounds good to me."

With a grin, Nage just nodded. "That's the spirit!"

Smiling a bit at seeing Cyrene start to cheer up, Jack stood up and began heading back to his own table.

"...hey..." Cyrene muttered, halting Jack. "...thanks."

Jack stopped briefly, and looked back at Cyrene with a smile. "You're welcome."

Cyrene then went back to filling up her mug and then gulping it down. With a light grin, Nage filled up her mug as well to start chugging along with Cyrene.

"...guess she seemed a little better after you go done talking to her," Arsenic hummed when Jack got back to their table.

"...I sure hope so." Jack hummed once he sat down, glancing over briefly before he gave Arsenic a smile.

Meanwhile, Hunter glanced over at King. "So, think of any names yet?"

Looking over at Hunter, King hummed a bit. "...well... me and Tasha have been talking a bit about some names..." he murmured, glancing ahead. "...she's come up with a few names... me, on the other hand... geez, I only came up with one."

"And what's that?" Hunter hummed curiously, while he looked off at where Tasha was. She was preoccupied talking with Bruno, Belinda, and most of all, Caitlin.

King glanced back at them very briefly, before he looked ahead again, a small smile crossing his lips. "...Valor. That's the name I thought of..."

"Valor, huh?" Hunter said.

"Yup..." King nodded. "...wanna make sure that we both agree on the name before we make anything clear, though."

"Sure," Hunter agreed.

"...but... what do you think about the name?" King inquired.

"...I like it," Hunter said, rubbing his chin. "...but why that name? I'm curious..."

"...I don't know..." King hummed. "...I guess I was thinking about a name that would... fit. Since he'll have a little of both me and Tasha in 'im... a name that could sum up both of us..."

"I could see that," Hunter hummed.

"...so... you think it fits, huh?" King supposed with a small smile.

"Well, personally, I think it's a bit much for a baby name," Hunter chuckled. "But I definitely think your kid would live up to the name later on."

King chuckled a bit as well. "You think so, huh?"

"Yeah," Hunter answered. Then he looked over at Tasha again. "Tasha and your mom seem to be getting along pretty well," he observed.

"...seems that way..." King hummed as he looked over at them.

"That'll be good," Hunter remarked. "...bet she's excited to get a grandkid."

King just chuckled a touch, as he rubbed his head. "...well... thinking about that..." A thought crossed his mind, as he looked back at Hunter. "...you ever think about that? About grandkids?"

Hunter gave King a baffled look. "Ani? Having children?"

King shrugged. "I know it sounds weird... but it might happen eventually, right?"

"Well, yeah, but..." And Hunter gave a nervous chuckle. "...man, I'm not old enough to be a grandpa yet..."

King just grinned, patting Hunter's back with a light chuckle. "Hey, that's something you'll grow into, I reckon."

"Yeah, but c'mon King, this is Ani we're talking about," Hunter muttered.

"...well... that's true..." King remarked. "...but it could still happen, right?"

"...I guess it's not entirely impossible," Hunter muttered.

"...still, it's kinda tough imagining how her kid would be like..." King mused thoughtfully.

"Imagining Ani as a mom is even more difficult to imagine," Hunter remarked. "I guess it all depends on who the dad would be..."

"Yeah..." King hummed with a small nod.

"...hey, at least we weren't having kids at the same time," Hunter mused. "Can you imagine the trouble our two kids would cause?"

King couldn't help but crack a light smile upon imagining that. "...I have a vague idea of how that would play out..."

Then Hunter realized something. "Y'know...Ani has my telekinetic ability." And he turned to King. "...you think there's a good chance that your boy will pick up your ability with lightning?"

King couldn't help but blink at that. "...you know... I never thought about that."

"...think it'll be tough raising him if he does?" Hunter asked.

King looked ahead again. "...I don't think it'll be that tough... it might be challenging, but I figure me and Tasha'll see it through well enough..."

"...well, and if you guys have any trouble, you have all the help you need," Hunter assured him, setting a hand on his shoulder.

King smiled back at Hunter. "...thanks."

Hunter nodded. "Sure thing."

Then Crystal suddenly popped up in front of them with a grin. "Soooooo King! You proposed to Tasha yet?!"

"GAH!" Seeing her pop up out of nowhere like that caught King off guard. "Where'd you come from?"

"That don't matter! Now answer my question!" Crystal exclaimed.

King just blushed a touch out of embarrassment, as he glanced aside. "...yeah... yeah, I did it."

Crystal's grin grew. "Good. Otherwise, I woulda marched ya up to her now to do it. I assume she said yes?"

King nodded again. "Yeah... she said yes."

"Great!" And Crystal seemed excited.

Then she calmed. "All teasing aside though, there's something I gotta ask you."

"...yeah?" King hummed, tilting his head a touch.

"This is still just an idea, but I figure I'd ask ahead of time so that when we decide to do it, it's okay with you," Crystal said. "...would me, Dax and Demi be able to live on Safe Haven?"

King couldn't help but blink upon hearing that, tilting his head yet again. "...you're asking if... you could live on Safe Haven?"

"Yeah," Crystal said.

King tilted his head. "...why are you asking?"

"...y'see, it's for Demi and Oblivion," Crystal said. "Demi may not show it, but he's actually kinda depressed at the possibility that Oblivion might end up staying here for Charon when we have to go home. I know they could still visit each other, but after separating the first year we were here, I don't think they want to be far apart anymore."

"You're willing to move to Safe Haven just for Demi?" Hunter asked in astonishment.

"Sure!" Crystal said. "That, and I couldn't help but overhear you guys a little. If your little tyke DOES end up having electric abilities like his dad," she paused as her grin grew, "then somebody's gotta babysit when you and Tasha go on that honeymoon!"

Again, King blinked...

...and then, a grin crossed his lips. "...well... I don't really see any reason why you guys couldn't live here."

"Sweet! Thanks!" And with that, Crystal took off.

King just watched her head off with a bemused look. "...boy, she's sure energetic..."

"But she really would be a good babysitter; after all, she'd have enough energy to keep up with your kid," Hunter chuckled.

"...true enough..." King mused.

"…so…if you and Tasha are getting married," Hunter muttered. "…what does that mean for that treaty?"

"...the treaty..." King hummed.

"…I'm not sure how everyone feels, but given everything that's happened, I don't think the tribals and the Safe Haven soldiers are so opposed to sharing the same space anymore," Hunter said. "Either way…that's going to have to be addressed before thinking about marriage between the two of you."

"...yeah... that's true..." King mused.

"…but they seemed supportive of you and Tasha having a baby, so I think it'll go well," Hunter said.

"...yeah, I guess so." King mused with a light smile.

* * *

><p>While all of those collected at the pub relaxed and talked on, there was a group of three that decided they just needed some space to spend time together. They took advantage of the fact that everyone else was at the pub and took solace in King's place.<p>

"Tails Doll!" Joy ended up squeezing her favorite plush doll in a hug.

_"Joy!"_ Hugging Joy back, the plush doll seemed more than happy to have Joy back.

Jill smiled at this reunion. True, Tails Doll had come with her to her village to find Joy, but given how much Joy had been asleep, and then just suddenly returning to Safe Haven, she hadn't gotten a chance to see Tails Doll. Likewise, Metal just smiled at seeing Joy hugging the plushie so eagerly. He had broken the news regarding his arrangement with GUN to Jill and Joy earlier, so they were both aware of the agreement they had reached.

Frankly, it relieved Jill beyond belief, though at the moment, she was just enjoying the solitude of each other for the moment.

"I'm sorry I ran away Tails Doll," Joy apologized as she hugged the doll.

_"Oh, don't worry... I'm just really glad that you're back with us!" _Tails Doll exclaimed.

"…I'm glad I'm back too," Joy said, walking over to hug Jill and Metal. Simply giving her a smile, Metal crouched down to gently hug Joy. Jill hugged Joy too, turning into a family hug.

Then Joy coughed a bit.

"…Joy, are you alright?" Jill asked worriedly.

Joy nodded. "…just still kinda sick…"

"Hm..." Metal hummed a bit, setting a hand on Joy's forehead. It felt a little warm, but not alarmingly. Jill felt it too, and she stood up.

"I'm going to look for any medicine that King might have," she said, leaving the room.

"Alright..." Metal spoke with a nod, before he looked at Joy. "...you might still need a bit of rest..." he mused.

Joy nodded…and then she glanced down at the ground nervously.

Seeing that, Metal tilted his head. "...what's the matter?"

"…Daddy…there's something I gotta tell you…" she muttered. "…it's not bad…"

"...what is it?" Metal hummed.

"…when Malice went away…I…well…" Joy fidgeted with her clothes a bit nervously. "…I got the power over Corruption…"

Metal's eyes widened in surprise, "...really?"

Tails Doll looked at Joy in surprise as well.

"Mhm…" Joy nodded, and just to show him, she released Tails Doll. Then she held up her palms, and a black energy appeared suspended over them calmly. Seeing this surprised Metal, but he just looked at Joy after seeing her summon the black energy.

Joy let the energy disappear then, and looked back up at Metal. Humming thoughtfully, Metal just looked back at her.

"…Callous said that because you can use both energies too…that maybe you could show me how to practice them," Joy mentioned.

"...did she, now..." Metal hummed, rubbing his neck a bit.

Joy nodded. "…then she just…left. Dunno where she was going, but she said that we were gonna see her again sometime."

"...really..." Metal just hummed, wondering what she meant by that... merely visiting, or for some other purpose...?

Joy looked at her hands then. "…After what happened with Malice…I don't know if I should be scared of Corruption…or feel better that it isn't hurting me…"

Metal didn't say anything, as he looked back at her with a thoughtful gaze.

"…Callous said too that it can't be purified out of my body because I was born with it…" Joy muttered. "…so…I gotta live with it."

"...I see..." Metal hummed.

Joy looked up at Metal, and that was when Jill walked into the room with some cough syrup. When Jill noticed the mood between the two of them, she stopped. Still, Metal simply remained silent for the moment, looking at Joy. Joy stared at Metal too, until she eventually noticed Jill standing there. "Oh…Mama…"

"…what is it?" Jill hummed.

Joy looked at the ground again. "…I told Daddy…"

Metal looked back at Jill with a small nod, affirming that this was indeed the case. Jill came over and knelt down to Joy. Then she looked at Metal. Metal simply hummed as he looked back at Joy.

Joy looked a little uncomfortable.

"…it's not a bad thing Joy," Jill said. "…We're just not sure how to…well…y'know, take it."

"…I know…" Joy muttered.

"...even so..." At that point, Metal set a hand on Joy's shoulder. "...no matter what... we're here for you."

Joy smiled at that.

"…now, here," Jill poured some of the cough syrup on a spoon for her to take. "This should help you feel a little better."

When Joy took it, she cringed. "…it tastes bad."

"...that means it's better for you." Metal mused.

Jill even giggled at this. Then Joy threw her arms around Jill, interrupting her giggle.

"I missed you…" Joy muttered, sounding like she could cry again.

"Oh honey…" Jill murmured, rubbing her back while she hugged her. "…it's okay."

Metal simply looked over at them, smiling a small touch, before he reached over to join them in their hug. Joy cried, but a bit silently, while her two parents hugged her dearly. As they hugged her, Tails Doll just watched them with a tilted head, glad that they were all together again like this.

Eventually, Joy finished crying and while Jill rubbed her back, she could see Joy rubbing her eyes. "…would you like us to tuck you in Joy?" she asked, getting a nod from Joy.

So Jill scooped Joy up and stood up. Metal stood up along with her, looking at Joy with a small smile as well. Jill nudged her head for Tails Doll to come along, and they headed into one of the guest rooms. Tails Doll simply fluttered in after them, still remaining silent. Jill set Joy down onto the bed in the guest room, running her fingers through her hair while she pulled the covers over her.

Tails Doll took the chance to slip into the bed next to Joy, settling right next to her. Joy wrapped her arms around Tails Doll, cuddling up to Tails Doll.

"Comfy?" Jill asked, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"Mhm," Joy answered.

"...that's good..." Metal hummed with a smile.

_"...ready for sleep, Joy?"_ Tails Doll chimed in.

"Mhm," Joy nodded.

Jill kept stroking her hair, smiling. As Joy closed her eyes, she breathed more easily. After everything that's happened, and with how much she missed home, this felt like paradise. Sure, it wasn't their exact home, but no matter where Joy was, as long as she was with her Mom and Dad, she felt safe and happy. She really had missed them so much...

...being so comforted by Jill and Metal being there, she fell asleep within seconds. Seeing her fall asleep, Metal couldn't help but smile at that sight. Jill leaned down and kissed Joy's head. Then she turned on a little night light that was by her bedside; something that King was able to find. After everything that happened, Jill figured she might need it.

Then she stood up, and walked out of the room silently. Giving Tails Doll a small nod to show his appreciation for him staying with Joy, Metal silently followed Jill out of the room. They made sure to shut off the overhead light, leaving on the night light, before they left entirely.

When getting to the hallway, Jill stopped, still silent.

Stopping by her side, Metal looked at her. "...is something the matter, Jill?" he inquired.

Jill rubbed her arms a bit, not responding. Metal set a hand on her shoulder, tilting his head just a touch as he looked at her.

"Oh Metal…" she muttered. "I'm just so relieved that you and Joy are back and safe…" She sounded like she was about to cry, but she tried to hold back.

Seeing that, Metal moved to gently hug Jill back; eyes closing. Jill clutched to him, burying her face in his shoulder. He just kept his eyes closed as he hugged her still.

"…and what the Commander is doing for you…" she muttered. "…she doesn't know how utterly thankful I am…I thought…you would…"

"...Jill..." Metal spoke as he kept hugging her.

"…I thought you were going to be…" Jill seemed less able to keep herself from crying.

"...I know... but Jill..." he spoke, holding her closely. "...it's alright... everything's going to be fine now..."

Jill wiped her eyes, managing to calm down a bit with a smile. Metal smiled back at her with a small nod. Jill hugged him closely. In return, he kept hugging her back. Jill rubbed his back dearly while they hugged. He rubbed her back comfortingly in return.

Jill ended up looking up at him, and she stared. Metal stared directly back at her.

Though it wasn't nearly as bad as when they separated years ago, Jill still found it hard to believe that she was staring at Metal again, which only added to how happy she was that he and Joy were back. For Metal as well, it did feel amazing, just looking back at Jill after so many months of being separated; so much hardship that the two of them had gone through on their own... and now, the fates had brought them together again.

Slowly and silently, Jill leaned toward him. Metal leaned in towards her as well. It didn't take very long for their lips to touch softly, and Jill held to Metal. Gently holding her in return, Metal slowly closed his eyes as he breathed into their soft, gentle kiss. Jill closed her eyes and relished such a tender moment. Likewise, Metal merely enjoyed this peaceful moment with Jill.

Jill started to stroke his chest while they kissed. In return, he began stroking her back gently. Jill came closer to Metal to feel his body pressed up against her while she wrapped her arms around him. With a faint shudder, Metal held her closer as he felt their bodies press together. Jill kissed deeper out of longing. With a smaller breath, Metal deepened the kiss a touch as well, holding Jill dearly. Jill stroked his back while they kissed more. Metal kept stroking her back in return amidst their kiss. Jill grew warmer from all of this. In return, Metal grew warmer alongside her.

Jill pulled from kissing him to nuzzle up against him. "…I love you Metal."

Holding her closely, Metal closed his eyes as he gently nuzzled against her. "...I love you, Jill..."

* * *

><p>Those at the pub were still awake in the wee hours of the night, but Demi had left the pub to be on his own.<p>

…that is, until Oblivion found him and sat next to him. "Hello Demi."

Demi glanced over at her with a small smile, holding his hands together, "...hey, Oblivion."

Oblivion smiled back at him, and then looked up at the night sky. Demi glanced up at the sky as well, a small smile crossing his lips. "...such a peaceful night..."

"…yes, it is," Oblivion agreed, and she actually scooted closer to Demi. With a small smile, Demi looked back at Oblivion. Oblivion smiled at Demi, but then she started to look a little sad even when she smiled.

Noticing that, Demi tilted his head a bit. "...what's wrong?"

Oblivion looked away, and her smile faded. "…Demi…there's something I have to tell you."

Demi looked at her. "...yes...?"

"…I think I may end up having to stay here for Charon, when you guys leave."

Demi hummed, slowly nodding as he held his hands together. "...I see..."

"…I…don't know what else to do, to be honest," Oblivion murmured.

Demi closed his eyes, breathing out a bit.

"...well... he is your friend... you've known him for quite a few years..." he mused.

"…yes…but…" Oblivion felt conflicted. She worried if she was going to make Demi feel sad that she made this decision.

Slowly, Demi set a hand on hers, giving her a nod. "...listen... I don't want you to feel conflicted about this... he's your friend, and I understand if you don't want to leave him. I really do..."

Oblivion felt sad as she held to his hand.

"Hold it right there!"

"Crystal?" Oblivion was surprised, and she looked behind her and Demi.

Standing there was Crystal and Dax.

Charon, too, towered behind them as he looked down at the two of them.

"...uh... what is it?" Demi inquired as he looked at the others.

"We've talked it over, and guess what?" Crystal said with a grin, "You, me, and Dax are going to live on Safe Haven, Demi!"

Oblivion's eyes widened at that. "…what…?"

"...what." Demi seemed surprised at that.

"...it's a mutual decision, I can assure you of that." Charon spoke with a nod.

"Yeah, not only that, but we felt that you guys living in a cave wasn't right," Dax said. "Tomorrow, we might talk to King about building a special kind of house; one that would be big enough for Charon to fit into."

Oblivion blinked at that. "…you would…help Charon like that?"

"Of course!" Crystal said.

Demi blinked. "...wow..."

"...I was amazed by the suggestion as well." Charon mused with a small nod.

"I mean, hey, there's lots of benefits from us living here on Safe Haven; me seeing King's kid, us helping Charon," And Crystal's smirk grew, "And, y'know, you and Demi being close."

Oblivion blushed at little at that. Demi blushed along with her, glancing aside a touch.

"So don't you guys go sayin' goodbye; this ain't goodbye in the slightest," Crystal chuckled.

"That's right..." Charon spoke with a nod.

Still, Demi was just at a loss for words upon learning about this.

"…I…I don't know what to say," Oblivion said.

"Don't say anything then," Dax supposed with a shrug, smiling.

Demi looked at them with a small smile of his own, tilting his head.

"Now then," With a chuckle and a teasing look, Crystal turned to walk away. "Guess we better leave you two lovebirds alone to spend some time with each other, shouldn't we?"

"...you two stay safe, then." Charon mused as he began walking off as well, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "Try not to go overboard..."

"…but…" Oblivion blushed more in embarrassment, watching the three of them walk away. Demi just blushed as well, watching them walk off in silence.

Oblivion just blinked…and slowly, she looked back at Demi. Slowly, Demi looked back at her in return.

Oblivion brushed her hair aside shyly, looking away. "…well then…I suppose…"

"...yes, um..." Demi hummed, drumming his fingers together a touch shyly as well.

Oblivion couldn't help but smile, but she was still shy about it.

_**...so are you gonna jump her or not?**_

_Wha- Blood! You can't just-!_

_**Oh, come on, they sanctioned it, so just sweep her off her feet! Do I have to everything around here?**_

_But... but I couldn't just-_

_**Look, it's cool now. It's been a rough while, it's all calming down... the least you can do is make her a happy lady!**_

With a small smile, trying to mask the internal argument he was having, Demi slowly moved a hand towards her. Oblivion hadn't noticed since she was still shyly looking away. Eventually, Demi's hand found hers, gently holding it. Oblivion looked at their hands, and then at Demi again, blushing a little more. He looked back at her with a blush of his own.

Oblivion smiled a little, and actually scoot close enough to him to hold him dearly. Smiling back, Demi gently held her in return. Oblivion buried her face into his chest, still blushing while they hugged. Gently, Demi started to gently stroke her back whilst holding her closely. Oblivion sighed in appreciation, enjoying his hands through her hair. Breathing a touch, Demi just kept stroking her, his breath flowing against her skin as he simply held her. Oblivion relaxed significantly, getting lost in his touch. Slowly breathing against her, Demi brushed his fingers against her, breath focusing on her neck as he merely caressed her. Oblivion breathed at him caressing her, still not having noticed where he was going. His lips trailed ever closer to her neck, his breath still on there, as his mouth opened ever so slowly, all amidst his caresses. Oblivion started to shudder in delight at the goose bumps he made her feel. Slowly, as he kept caressing her, something came over him... something that told him to do this... and it wasn't even Blood this time.

Ever so gently, he sank his fangs into her neck, still gently caressing her.

Oblivion let out a surprised gasp at that, not expecting him to bite her, but she breathed even more, trembling in delight. Gently, he kept caressing her, his fangs still gently digging into her neck. Oblivion actually started to let out some moans while he kept this up. Still brushing his fingers against her, Demi kept his fangs within her neck as he kept caressing her. Oblivion started to feel the buzz from his fangs, and she moaned a little more, growing more sensitive to his touch. Breathing out, Demi still caressed her body as he kept his fangs within her neck. Oblivion clutched to him with her head falling back in the pleasure she felt. Clutching to her as well, Demi just gently rubbed her body with his fingers.

"Demi…" Oblivion moaned out unsteadily.

Breathing out, Demi slowly clutched to her, still letting his fangs sink against her neck as he caressed her. "Oblivion..."

Even a little blood trickled down from her neck where he was biting, but Oblivion simply winced out of pleasure. Slowly, he pulled his fangs away, tongue gently licking against her neck as he kept stroking her body. Oblivion gasped and moaned at that, shuddering some more. Slowly, he looked back at her, still caressing her body. Oblivion looked back at Demi with a very hazy look; drunken on the pleasure that his bite made her feel.

Gently, Demi settled a hand on her cheek. "...are you okay...?"

Oblivion breathed. "…I'm…alright…"

With a small blush, he looked at her. "...do you... want us to go somewhere... private...?" he inquired.

Oblivion blushed, feeling warm. "…yes."

With a small blush of his own, Demi just nodded. "...alright..." Gently, he picked her up, looking up at the sky. "...wonder if it's still there..." With that, he took off up into the sky, flying towards a specific location.

Oblivion held to Demi, just breathing as she felt the cool breeze of the night brush against her face.

* * *

><p>Flamenco was sitting by himself on the curb near the pub, drinking from a bottle of wine. After what Cyrene said to him...he wasn't sure why, but he had been very bothered by it.<p>

Sure, he walked away from girls in his lifetime, and they've even walked away from him. By now he should be used to this.

Then again, Cyrene was a different case. She was someone that he had known for a very long time. Despite the bickering, and the rivalry, and even through a lot of their misunderstandings, she was still his friend. He still cared about her, and especially after the fact she had gone through being Corrupted, he worried about her.

Though now, it didn't seem like she wanted to be near him anymore. He wondered if it had something to do with Husk...

"...Flammy?" Someone sat next to him at that moment, a sympathetic look cast his way. "You're looking really down..."

"...yeah...like, real bummed," added another voice.

Flamenco looked over. By his side were both Lin and Jam, the former being the one who was sitting next to him.

"...what of it?" Flamenco murmured, looking back at the ground.

"...well..." Lin looked sadly at him, before setting a hand on his shoulder. "...wanna talk about it?"

Flamenco was silent, sparing Lin another glance before he took a swig from his wine. "...Cyrene and I broke up."

"Ouch, man...sorry to hear," Jam muttered.

Lin just blinked upon hearing that. "...oh no..."

Flamenco took another gulp from his wine bottle.

"...Flammy..." With a sad hum, Lin just shook his shoulder. "...you can't let this get you down, alright?"

"I'll be alright..." Flamenco muttered, brushing her hand off his shoulder.

"Doesn't seem like you're okay right now though," Jam muttered.

Lin just nodded. "Trust me, I know that getting wasted over stuff like this isn't good for ya."

Flamenco looked at his bottle when she said that.

"...so... c'mon, try and cheer up!" Lin remarked with a light smile.

Flamenco looked over at Lin with a couple blinks. Then he held up the bottle. "...care for some?" He offered.

"Dude, you were drinking straight from that; I ain't drinking it," Jam muttered in disgust.

Lin just looked at the bottle... and then she snagged it. "Well... as long as you're drinking with a buddy, it should be fine!" she remarked with a grin.

Jam was startled by that. "Whuh? Lin?!"

Lin just looked at Jam with a smile. "C'mon, it can't hurt, can it? Flammy's a friend, so it's fine drinking along with him!"

Jam sighed at that. "...I guess."

"Alright!" With that, she grabbed Jam and Flamenco to hold them close, before raising the bottle up into the air. "Let's drink the night away!"

Jam seemed uneasy while Flamenco looked pretty content at the idea.

"Now c'mon, let's drink!" Lin cheered.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Not the smartest thing to say, but okay!<strong>_** XD****  
><strong>


	68. Chapter 67

With so many soldiers drinking last night, naturally, the morning was not welcomed at any of them.

One such was Cyrene, for, after getting hammered with Nage to drown away her sorrows, she was finally waking up with a violent headache. She moaned, touching her head sorely.

"...ugh..." The same could be said for the one that happened to be right next to her; rubbing his head lightly as he groaned out.

"...the hell...?" Cyrene didn't recognize that voice, and she tried to look over at who it was.

"...whuh...?" Slowly, he looked over at Cyrene as well. "...you...?" And the one that was lying next to her was Will.

"...the hell did we do last night...?" Cyrene muttered. Then she fully realized that she was in a bed next to him, and completely naked under the covers.

"...take a wild guess...?" Will remarked as he seemed to notice this as well.

"...hrm..." Didn't take a genius to figure this out.

So Cyrene grabbed a pillow and covered her head to soothe her headache.

"...ugh..." Will groaned, as he rubbed his head. "...can't even recall how this happened..."

"Drunks usually don't…" Cyrene muttered.

"...well..." Will huffed, as he grit his teeth. "...I do remember... not being the one makin' the first move..."

"Hey," groaned Cyrene in protest. "You weren't as drunk as I was…"

"...well... can't blame ya for being that drunk, though." Will remarked.

"…yeah…" Cyrene muttered, wanting to forget that.

"...hn..." With a small huff, Will just laid back down again.

"…don't think I caught your name…" Cyrene muttered.

"...same with you..." Will hummed, as he glanced over at her. "...name's Will."

"Cyrene," she said, looking back.

"...right, Cyrene..." Will hummed as he just looked at her.

"…goddamn my head hurts…" Cyrene grumbled.

"...hangovers tend to hurt..." Will groaned.

Cyrene slowly managed to sit up from the bed, facing away from Will while she rubbed her eyes tiredly. Will slowly looked over at her, tilting his head. Cyrene just continued to sit there silently.

"...hey," Will eventually hummed as he looked at her.

Cyrene slowly looked back at him.

"...now that things are cooling down... what're you gonna do?" he hummed.

"…Don't know…" She muttered, looking away. "…I still got some problems I have to sort out for myself…"

"...trying to solve problems on your own might work sometimes... but other times, it's not too bright doing things like that," Will eventually spoke seriously.

"…heh…you're really not the first person to say something like that…" Cyrene muttered. "…but what makes you say that, hm?"

"...because..." Will hummed, as he closed his eyes. "...I've known some people who've done that... didn't go too well for 'em."

"…really now…?" Cyrene muttered.

"Yup." Will nodded.

"…I guess I'll keep that advice in mind," Cyrene hummed.

"...you'd better." Will huffed. "If ya don't, people are gonna worry..."

Cyrene managed a small smile at that, closing her eyes. Noticing that Cyrene managed a smile, Will cracked a small smile as well.

Eventually, Cyrene got up to get herself dressed.

"...hey." Will eventually hummed again.

Cyrene looked back at him.

"...if ya got nothing against it..." Will hummed, as he rubbed his neck. "...I dunno... maybe you'd like to talk over a cup of coffee or somethin'?"

"…sure," Cyrene hummed.

"...huh, really?" Will blinked, before he slowly rubbed his neck more. "...didn't think you agree right off the bat... not complaining, of course..." With that, he stood up to get dressed as well.

"Well, I could use the coffee…but I don't mind talking to anyone really…" Cyrene murmured.

"...right..." Will hummed, glancing over at her.

With a sigh, and her head still hurting, she walked toward the door. "Well…let's go then…"

"...sure thing..." With a nod, he walked on after her.

Turns out they had been in one of the back rooms of the pub, so they simply headed through the hall and out into the bar area.

Many were still slumped over the chairs and tables out cold from last night, but a select few others were awake and sitting at the bar stools, drinking their own cups of coffee in harsh silence at their hangovers. Two of those were Wiper and Sonia, both of them rubbing their heads as they slowly sipped from their cups. Hunter was there too, and they seemed to be the only other ones besides Ani who was behind the counter.

Ani noticed Will and Cyrene then. "Want some coffee?" she offered.

"…that'd be great…" Cyrene groaned.

"...yeah, sounds great..." Will murmured.

"Have a seat, I'll bring it to you two," Ani said.

Cyrene took one of the seats on the barstool, rubbing her temples. Will sat down next to her as well, rubbing his head.

Ani then set down two coffee mugs in front of them, pouring the coffee for them.

"…thanks…" Cyrene muttered.

"...yeah, thanks." Will grunted as he gave Ani a smaller nod.

Ani nodded back and then left them alone. Cyrene sipped some of her coffee to some relief.

"...mmh..." Will just shrugged as he began sipping his coffee as well.

Cyrene looked over at Will. "…you've been on Safe Haven this whole time?"

"...yup... since day one." Will spoke with a small nod.

"...that long, huh?" Cyrene murmured. "...wonder what those days were like..."

"...there weren't as many people around, that's for sure." Will mused.

"I'd figure..." Cyrene murmured.

"...but it was a simpler time, really..." Will mused with a hum.

"…we all had to live in one building though," Hunter mentioned with a grumble. "…that wasn't easy, let me tell you."

"...was really cramped, too." Sonia shot in where she sat.

"…and with Hex and Spiel there?" Hunter muttered, shivering.

"…I can see," Cyrene mused.

"...I mean, ya got used to it eventually," Will remarked. "But the first few weeks weren't exactly pleasant... there is a reason why Sonia's got a shack for herself."

"True enough..." Sonia mused.

Cyrene blinked at that, and then sipped more of her coffee.

"…now they've all changed for the better though," Ani said. "…still can't get over Spiel being alive…"

"...yeah, still wondering just how that's supposed to work..." Will murmured as he rubbed his head a bit. "...where is he, by the way? I don't see him or Krieg around the pub anywhere..."

"...last thing I saw before we headed out last night, he was still hanging around..." Wiper murmured as he rubbed his head a bit.

"I was up later than most of you guys…and I think I heard them talking about taking off," Ani mentioned.

Hunter blinked. "…you mean…leaving? Where would they go?"

Ani shrugged, "Beats me."

"...huh... you'd think Spiel would at least say somethin' to King before heading off..." Will murmured.

"...well... those of us who do know Spiel know that he's as easy to figure out as quantum physics..." Sonia mused.

"…amen to that," Hunter muttered.

Next thing they knew, two more came from the back, turning out to be Boomer and Newt, both stretching. Neither one of them had drank last night, so they weren't suffering any kind of hang over.

Boomer glanced around at the mess that the pub was in. "…well, this place sure is dead after last night…"

"...less dead and more wiped out." Newt remarked with a small hum.

"Nh..." With a light groan, Wiper rubbed his head a bit more, sipping further on his coffee.

Boomer blinked at that. "…Wiper? Did you seriously drink last night?" she asked in astonishment.

"...my bad." Sonia admitted as she raised her hand. "I was just so happy to see him, that I convinced him to join in on a drinking game..."

"..._never again._" Wiper murmured with a pained groan, rubbing his head slightly.

"…pfffft-!" And Boomer had to try and stifle her snickering.

Hunter blinked at that. "Wait a minute…" And he looked at the two of them wonderingly. He knew just how Sonia was when she got drunk, and that made his eyes widen at them.

Sonia glanced over at Hunter. "...what is it?"

Hunter turned away hurriedly. "Nothing."

"...oh, no, it's definitely something." Sonia remarked.

"…Sonia…you know how you are when you're drunk," Hunter muttered. "…Did you and Wiper…?"

That made Boomer curious indeed, stopping her from chuckling.

And, quite immediately, both Sonia and Wiper tensed up considerably; eyes widening as they both blushed when they realized what Hunter was getting at.

"Hm?" Cyrene looked over in wonder. Will looked over as well.

"…well?" Hunter hummed.

"...uh..." Sonia rubbed her head a touch awkwardly as she glanced aside.

Boomer smirked. "C'mon."

Wiper rubbed his head a bit as he narrowed his eyes.

"C'mon, let's hear it!" Newt urged.

"...we..." Sonia murmured as she breathed in just a bit...

"...we... played chess."

Boomer's smirk fell with disdain. "Really?" She groaned.

Cyrene blinked in astonishment at that. "You two managed to play chess while being hammered?"

"...I'm just surprised that they managed to even think about chess while being hammered." Will noted.

"...look, it's not a matter of how or why." Wiper murmured. "What matters is that... it was a tied game."

"Oh, yeah... that's true." Sonia remarked. "How many rounds did we go for before we passed out...? I honestly lost count."

"...how do ya even know ya tied?" Newt shot in with a tilted head.

Boomer lost interest at this point and sat on the barstool with a sigh. "Ani, want to get me some coffee?"

"Sure," Ani answered.

"Seriously, I mean…you can't think after all that alcohol; how would you keep track of it all?" Hunter muttered.

"I dunno, we just did..." Sonia murmured. "...wasn't it your idea, Wiper?"

"...yeah... yeah, I think it was." he hummed in response.

"…huh…" And with that, Cyrene turned away, sipping more of her coffee. Will just looked aside with a hum as well, sipping his own coffee.

* * *

><p>Outside, meanwhile, Cal was just sitting on a grassy hill, and he was looking at his hands. For years, he had Corruption inside of him, pressuring him, pushing him, and he's had to hold back all of that.<p>

Now…it was just…nothing.

It was strange for him to suddenly feel nothing at all pressuring him inside.

"...feels strange, huh?" Sitting down by his side was Natal, glancing over at Cal with her folded arms.

"…yeah…" Cal muttered.

"...well... I'm sure you'll get used to it." she mused with a light nod. "Even if it may take some time..."

"…even though it feels weird," Cal said, and then he turned to smile at Natal, "…god, I've never felt better."

Natal smiled in return upon seeing him smile. "...I'm glad to hear it, Cal."

"…what about you? Have you been doing better?" he asked.

"...yeah, a lot better..." she mused with a light smile, looking down at her own hands.

"…I…still feel a little guilty for what happened to you…but it's not that bad anymore," Cal murmured.

She looked over at him with a light smile, setting her hand on his shoulder with a nod. Cal smiled back at her, touching her hand. "...see, just keep smiling... it's a welcome sight." Natal hummed with a small nod, still smiling at him.

Cal wrapped his arms around her and hugged her then. "…thanks Natal."

"...you're welcome, Cal..." Natal hummed as she gently hugged him in return.

Cal stroked her back while he hugged her. A small, soft sigh escaped her lips as she hugged him in return. He hugged her tighter then. "...I'm just so glad that you're safe."

"...same to you, Cal..." she whispered as she closed her eyes.

Cal looked down at her then, smiling. Natal smiled back at him.

Then he leaned down and kissed her. Ever so gently, Natal kissed him in return.

* * *

><p>For Hex, her phone suddenly rang out, attempting to wale her up from her sleep.<p>

"...nh..." With a small groan, Hex had a lone tentacle slither over to the phone; grasping it and pulling it over to her so she could answer it. "...mmrfhello?"

"...oh...sorry Hex; didn't know you were asleep," it turned out to be May on the other end.

"...May?" With a yawn, she rubbed her eyes as she slowly rose from where she had been sleeping. "Oh, don't worry about it... what's up?"

"…um…Desire and Rascal went missing."

Immediately, Hex's eyes widened. "...uh oh."

"Yeah 'uh-oh.' I don't know where either of them went…and you and I both know they're still Corrupted."

"...damn it..." With a small huff, Hex rubbed her temples a bit. "...not what we needed right now..."

"…in a little bit, I'm gonna go try and search for them while Mordecai and Fae stay here," May muttered.

Hex gulped. "...please don't do anything rash..."

"…I promise not to," May muttered.

"...alright... just take care." Hex spoke with another nod.

"Right…" and with that, May hung up.

In the woods somewhere, two figures were ambling through weakly. One was Rascal, and he held to the hand of the woman next to him. Worriedly, he looked up.

Desire was not doing so good. She still looked like the life had drained from her, and to a point she actually looked kinda sickly. Given the nightmarish experience the two had not too long ago, the two were completely different from how they used to be.

Desire just felt...well, guilt, agony... The way she saw it, both she and her son lost everything. There was no way she could go back to Bismark, and after everything she did in her life, she realized just how much she wasted on such selfish ambitions. Then when she thought about how she had brought her only son into all of it as well... It made her heart ache. She had neglected him so much... And all these years, she didn't even know who his real father was because of how much she had slept around...

...she honestly wasn't sure how much farther she would be able to make it, because she stumbled and fell to the ground.

"M-mom?!" Rascal was startled at that, and he knelt by Desire. "Mom! Are you okay?!" And he tried to shake her. "Mom!"

Desire barely responded with a faint whimper at being shaken, but that was the only response she could spare. All of it was finally catching up to her...

"Mom!" Rascal tried to shake her more, growing tears in his eyes in fright. After what they went through, the last thing he wanted to lose was his mother. "Mom! Please, get up!" He sobbed.

She didn't respond this time.

"MOM!" Rascal cried out, still shaking her with tears pouring down.

Then suddenly...

"...is someone there?!"

Rascal looked up in surprise. "Somebody help!" He begged. "It's my Mom! She won't get up!"

From the brush came a certain group of dogs, and upon seeing the sight of Desire collapsed on the ground with Rascal weeping next to her, they rushed over.

"What happened?!" Asked the youngest one, turning out to be Mud-Pie.

"M-my Mom and me, were-!" Rascal was crying so much out of fright that he couldn't form any cohesive words.

"...geez, that doesn't seem good..." One of the dogs, who turned out to be Rott, warily approached the two of them, looking them over. "...what should we do?"

"...we can't just leave them here." another dog, Merde, murmured as he folded his arms thoughtfully.

The large one, Smokey, grunted as he looked down at them.

The last dog, Cowpoke, looked down at Desire, and then at Rascal in pity.

Slowly, he knelt down to Rascal. "...listen buddy...we're gonna do what we can to help yer Mom... So don't worry."

Rascal looked up at Cowpoke with surprise, especially when Cowpoke scooped Desire right up into his arms and stood up. Then he looked down at Rascal. "Come with us; we'll take you to our house and take care of you two."

"O-okay..." Rascal uttered with a few sniffles, wiping his eyes.

"...looks like you guys have been walking awhile..." Cowpoke muttered. "...Mud-Pie, you wanna give him a piggy-back ride?"

"Sure," Mud-Pie said, kneeling down. "Climb on."

Rascal looked unsure, but since they had offered, he walked over and tried to climb onto Mud-Pie's back. The young bloodhound hoisted him up easily, and with that, the dogs started walking back where they came from.

Rott briefly glanced over at them as they walked, before leaning in to whisper to Merde. "...makes ya wonder what kinda trouble they ended up in, huh...?" However, his only reply was a mere shrug.

* * *

><p>Later, Cowpoke was sitting in the bedroom with Desire laid down on the bed, passed out. Thankfully, she was still alive, but Cowpoke could tell that she and her son had gone through some kind of hell. Desire looked flushed from any natural color to her skin, and was even a little frail looking.<p>

He just sat in the chair next to the bed with a beer, keeping an eye on her to make sure she would at least wake up, so he could ask her what happened. While Cowpoke was sitting here, his buddies and Mud-Pie were taking care of Rascal. He was even a little worried about the woman; someone stranded out in the middle of nowhere with her son and with how weak she was...

...Cowpoke simply grunted in slight amusement. This reminded him of someone else he cared about not too long ago.

Then, he heard some whimpers and he looked over to see Desire slowly open her eyes, trembling a little. "...don't overwork yourself," he warned her. "You're not looking too good."

Desire blinked when she looked at him. "...m-my son...where-?!"

"He's safe; my boy and my buddies are looking after him." Cowpoke said.

This eased Desire and she laid back down weakly, sinking back to her depression.

"...mind telling me what happened? If it doesn't hurt to ask that is..." Cowpoke muttered.

Desire turned over away from him, unable to answer.

"...it's okay," Cowpoke assured. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"...it's just that...I don't think...you'd believe me," Desire muttered

"...try me; I've seen some funky shit in my time," Cowpoke said. Then he tensed. "Er...sorry about the language ma'am."

"...don't worry about language; it's not like words hurt me," Desire muttered. "...now a certain power on the other hand..."

Cowpoke closed his eyes. "...lemmie guess...Corruption?"

Desire shot a startled look at Cowpoke. "How did you know?!"

"A lot of folks all over were hit pretty bad by it; I wouldn't say it'd be too farfetched," Cowpoke said. "...but I also know pretty extensively about the power and its origins, so I could tell..." Then he shot a glance at the door. "...was your son affected too?"

"...yes...he was..." Desire muttered guiltily. "...we..._still_ are..."

Cowpoke looked at her indifferently. "...so it's still inside of you and him then?"

Desire nodded, turning away from him.

"...if you want...I know a friend that can get rid of the Corruption from the two of you."

Desire gave him another startled look, but slowly looked away again quietly. She wasn't sure how to feel about that...especially when she felt like she deserved every bit of suffering that the Corruption made her endure. "...you'd...help me like that? Not even knowing as much as my name?" She muttered.

"...it's not like I have a reason _not_ to help you," Cowpoke replied. "Besides, with Corruption, it goes without saying that you've suffered enough..."

"...so...I take it you have had your own experience with it?" Desire muttered.

"...something like that," Cowpoke hummed.

Desire closed her eyes, and laid back down on the bed. Cowpoke watched her silently, taking a gulp from his beer.

"...could I...be alone?" Desire asked.

"Sure," Cowpoke answered, standing up with his beer in hand. "Just holler if you need anything at all." And he headed toward the door. "...you won't mind me letting your boy know you're alright? He was pretty worried about you."

Desire glanced at him as he headed toward the door. "...yes...you can tell him..." She muttered, surprised to hear that her son was actually worried about her.

"Alright then," Cowpoke opened the door, and threw a glance back at her over his shoulder. "Take it easy now..." And he closed the door behind him, leaving Desire alone.

And wouldn't you know it, Rascal ran up to Cowpoke in hope. "Is she okay?!"

"Yeah, she's doing fine," Cowpoke said. "…she's gonna be alone for a bit though." And he knelt down to Rascal. "…do you know about a power called Corruption?"

Rascal looked at the ground nervously.

"…I'm gonna take that as a yes," Cowpoke muttered. "…listen, I know somebody who can get rid of the Corruption."

Rascal looked up in shock at Cowpoke. "Really?!"

"Yeah…" Cowpoke muttered. Then he stood up. "…I gotta make a phone call bub. Take it easy, okay?"

Rascal nodded, and Cowpoke walked down the hall with a grunt, with his beer in hand, and some thoughts came to mind.

…he didn't know what was going on with the situation with Joy, so he wasn't even sure if he could call someone to purify them. So who could he possibly call?

When he pulled out his phone, he dialed someone who gave him their number; knowing that she'd probably be able to give him the info he might need to know, as well as maybe provide help if she could.

* * *

><p>And not too long later, Hex's phone started ringing again. Blinking, Hex looked over at her phone. "...who now...?" She answered the phone, and looked to the side. "Hello?"<p>

"...Hex? That you?"

Hex's eyes opened wide. "...Cowpoke?"

"Ah, good. I got the number right," the other voice hummed.

"...Cowpoke..." With a hum, Hex adjusted herself a touch, rubbing her neck. "...what's up?"

"...I gotta know the situation with Joy..." Cowpoke muttered. "...you guys still looking for her?"

"...not anymore." Hex hummed, as she closed her eyes. "...we found her... and she's safe."

Hex heard a relieved sigh. "...that's...that's good. Really good."

"...a lot of people share your sentiment on that front." Hex remarked with a light smile.

"...and she's with her parents?" Cowpoke asked.

"Yes." Hex spoke with a nod.

"...good."

"...anything else?" Hex hummed as she laid back a touch.

"...I've got a woman and her child who was affected by Corruption, and still have it in them," Cowpoke muttered.

Hex's eyes immediately widened. "...what?!"

"Yeah," Cowpoke remarked. "Found the mother collapsed in the woods and the kid crying beside her."

"...mother and kid...?!" Hex held her head with wide eyes. "Desire and Rascal! You found them!"

"…so you know them then?" Cowpoke hummed.

"...yeah..." Hex murmured as she looked to the side. "...she's the woman who Corrupted me the second time."

"…ah, I see…" Cowpoke muttered. "…same one who was neglecting her kid too?"

"...yeah." Hex nodded.

"…ah…okay, I get'cha," Cowpoke muttered.

"...if any of your gang see a flamingo wandering around looking for them, then know that she's a friend." Hex spoke. "I'll try and get Jill or Metal over to purify them as soon as I can, alright?"

"…sure thing…" That answer was hesitant, but he said so anyway.

Hearing the hesitant tone, Hex blinked. "...is something the matter?"

"…just…" Cowpoke was silent for a bit and then, "…Jill can purify now?"

"...yeah... long story." she spoke in return.

"…Uh-huh," Cowpoke murmured. "…when should I expect one of them?"

"...I'll try to get Jill or Metal over there as soon as possible; hopefully within the day." Hex spoke.

"…Alright, and…what should we do with, erm, Desire and Rascal when they're purified? They've been pretty affected by it."

"...I don't know..." Hex murmured.

"…well, alright then; just figured I'd ask," Cowpoke muttered. "…although…do you want to give me a better idea of what happened with them; that is, if you know?"

Briefly, Hex remained silent, as she looked ahead in silence. "...depends on what you'd like to know."

"…I know you told me she neglected her kid and she Corrupted you…but I guess I'd like to have a better idea of her background…and what's happened when she was Corrupted too."

"...I don't know much of that." Hex murmured. "All I know is that she used to have a husband, but things weren't exactly happy in that marriage... her being Corrupted was apparently the last straw."

"…hrm, I see. Know who she was married to?"

"...she was married to... a Novagod, I believe..."

"…shit…she was married to a Novagod?" Cowpoke sounded utterly shocked at that.

"...yeah." Hex spoke with a small nod.

"...geez..." Cowpoke muttered.

Hex remained silent for the moment, eyes closing.

"…guess that gives me a pretty good idea of what I'll be dealing with," Cowpoke muttered. "…so I guess I'll see you guys when you get over here. I'll make sure to watch out for your friend."

"...alright." Hex hummed with a small nod.

"…so see ya," And with that, Cowpoke hung up.

Looking back at the cellphone, Hex let out a small sigh before she put it away. "...alright... time to find them, I guess." she murmured as she headed off.

* * *

><p>Cowpoke sat outside with his friends, overlooking the town. They were watching for Hex's friends, or even just Hex and... whoever she was bringing to purify the two.<p>

"...so when do you think any of them are gonna show up?" Rott hummed as he kept looking ahead of the group.

"…dunno," Cowpoke murmured.

"...best to keep our eyes open, then." Merde murmured.

Cowpoke blinked when he saw a particular flamingo arrive into town. "…I think that's her friend looking for the two," he pointed out. "Mind flagging her down, Rott?"

"...sure thing." With a small nod, Rott began walking over towards this flamingo.

May, the flamingo he was approaching, looked around in puzzlement to see if she could try and find Desire and Rascal. She knew about this town that was not too far away from her summer home, and wondered if she could even find them; surprised that she made it here in less than a few hours.

Then she noticed the dog walking up to her.

"…the hell?" she uttered.

"...hey." Rott spoke with a small nod to her. "You a friend of Hex, right?"

May raised her eyebrow. "…yeah?"

"...ah, great." With a nod, Rott motioned towards where he had come from. "Me and my friends found the two people you were looking for."

May folded her arms. "...how do you know I was looking for someone, and how do I know you aren't just trying to lead me onto something?"

"...well, Hex told us that a friend of hers was looking for the two we found." Rott remarked.

May stared at him for a bit.

Then she started walking with him, "okay, I'll bite for now."

Rott just gave her a small nod, as he began leading her back towards Cowpoke and the others. When she got over to them, May gave them a suspicious look. "...so how do you know Hex?"

"We were at Safe Haven one year," Cowpoke mentioned.

"That's right." Merde spoke with a nod.

"...we also know that the two you're looking for are still Corrupted," Cowpoke muttered. "I called Hex to bring someone with her who can purify them."

May raised her brows. "...so...I'll be seeing Hex?"

Smokey nodded.

"...we dunno when they'll show up, so we'll probably have to wait a while for them." Rott remarked.

"They do know where our house is, though, so we can wait there," Cowpoke said. "That way, you can get comfortable while we're waiting. Mud-Pie stayed behind to watch over 'em." Then Cowpoke turned to walk away.

When the other hounds followed him, May just shrugged and followed him as well._ ...at least this means that Hex'll be coming back, _she thought to some relief.

* * *

><p>Hours later, a helicopter was heading toward the town. Aboard it, was Hex of course, and with her was Jill. Jill came by herself, partially to allow Metal to relax and spend time with Joy...and partially because this was Cowpoke.<p>

Jill wanted a chance to talk to him by herself, and make amends for this misunderstanding between them. That way, maybe they could leave on good terms...

She watched as the helicopter basically landed in the large lot in front of a large house. Jill looked up at it.

"...is this the place?" She asked Hex.

"...unless he decided to move while we were looking for Joy, this should be it." Hex responded, before she glanced over at Jill.

Jill climbed out of the helicopter then, and as she did so, the front door opened. When Jill looked over, May was the one that stepped out toward them...

...and then she stopped when she saw Hex.

Once Hex had gotten out of the helicopter, she quickly noticed May, stopping in place as she looked at the flamingo.

"...it really is you," May said in amazement.

Hex just looked at her in silence...

...and then, without a word, she suddenly dashed straight for May; lunging at her and grabbing her in a tight hug.

"OOF!" May was surprised at that.

"It really is you, May...!" Hex uttered, clutching to May tightly in this hug.

May hugged her back. "...I missed you."

"...I missed you too..." Hex uttered.

Jill smiled a little at that reunion, glad that someone had missed Hex. There was someone that could support her in all of this.

Then when Jill looked over at the door, her smile faded. Cowpoke was standing there, originally looking at May and Hex, but then his gaze slowly turned to Jill.

Slowly, Hex noticed Cowpoke in the doorway; still holding onto May, but wondering what was going to unfold.

"...C'mon," he said, nudging his head. "...I'll show you where they are." And he disappeared inside.

When Jill walked inside, May noticed them. "...what's with them?"

"...personal history." Hex murmured, before she began leading May inside as well.

When the two of them went inside, they saw Jill kneel down in front of a frightened Rascal.

"...how come...you look like Joy?" Rascal muttered.

"...because I'm her mother," Jill answered.

Cowpoke looked surprised when she spoke._ So she does have her voice back..._

Seeing this, Hex just kept silent as she looked back at Jill and Rascal. May kept watching too.

"...here...take my hands," Jill said, holding her hands up to Rascal.

He flinched away from her. "Wh-what are you going to do?!"

"...I'm going to help you Rascal," Jill told him. "...I can get rid of that bad energy from inside of you."

Rascal look uneasily at Jill's hands. "...it's...not gonna hurt, will it?"

Jill closed her eyes. "...I won't lie. It might hurt a bit...and it might even be a little scary...but trust me; you'll feel much better afterward."

Hex just looked at this with folded arms.

Rascal didn't look too reassured at what Jill told him, but he swallowed, and he took Jill's hands shakily. A white glow appeared around them, and Jill closed her eyes to concentrate. She hadn't purified a child before, and so she hoped that it would be easier.

...suddenly, Rascal burst out into another sob, and threw his arms around Jill. "What's gonna happen to me and my mom?!" He uttered, surprising Jill. "I can't go home anymore! All my things are gone! And I don't even know if my mom's gonna be okay."

Jill noticed that the black smoke sizzled from him though, so she hugged him back while she continued to purify him. "...everything's going to be okay, Rascal..." Jill assured him. "...I'm sure you'll figure out what to do...and I'll help your mom, so I promise that she'll be okay."

The rest of the black smoke sizzled away, leaving Rascal fully purified as he cried in Jill's shoulder. Hex just looked away with a small, regretful frown drawn across her face as she folded her arms. May saw her regretful look, and she understood why Hex had that look. After all, Hex severely punished Rascal and Desire for what their behavior was like when they were Corrupted.

Rascal quieted down, and Jill felt Rascal go limp as she discovered that the little bat had passed out from his exhaustion. Jill held Rascal as she stood up, and she looked at Cowpoke. "...where's his mother?"

"...in one of the guest rooms," Cowpoke answered. then he looked down the hall. "...Smokey? You wanna take the kid to a bed so he can rest?"

Smokey walked into the room, and his eyes widened at the sight of Jill, but he nodded and took Rascal away from Jill's arms to go do what Cowpoke had asked of him. With that, cowpoke turned to walk down another hall. "...I'll show you guys where she is," he said.

With a small sigh, Hex followed him. "...let's get this over with..."

When Cowpoke led them to the bedroom, they saw Desire lying in the bed he had placed her on awhile ago. Desire was just barely surprised at the sight of Hex coming in, and the woman that looked like Joy, but other than that, she sank into her depression, remaining unresponsive to them.

Jill looked at how frail and sickly Desire looked...and she grew worried. "...it's really affecting you..."

Again, Desire didn't respond.

Hex bit her lower lip just a touch, looking aside. Even if Desire had been the one who had Corrupted her... she realized that how she had treated her and Rascal had been despicable. Them having been left as Corrupted for so long, with no prior experience... she felt guilty for having done something to this extent to the two of them; Desire especially.

Though part of her still blamed Desire for what she had done, it was a small part; one Hex was quick to silence as she thought of the bigger picture, that Desire had, inadvertently, allowed Hex to help the group and come to terms with her own past, rather than just feel guilty over it. Right now, she just hoped that Jill could help Desire come to terms with it as well.

Jill came over to Desire's side and sat down, feeling her forehead. "…she has a fever…"

"…her boy said that she just collapsed in the middle of nowhere when we found them…" Cowpoke muttered.

"…something that Jill should be able to fix…right?" May assumed.

"…I'll try…" Jill murmured, with her hand glowing on Desire's forehead.

Hex slowly looked over, clutching to her arm with a worried look on her whilst observing this.

Desire squirmed a bit, and she looked to be in pain from Jill trying to purify her. Cowpoke watched in amazement at the fact that Jill was able to do this, when he remembered that she couldn't do it before. Part of him wondered what happened to allow Jill to do this. Still, Hex just watched this with a worried look, hand slowly clenching.

…tears slowly streamed down Desire's face, while black smoke sizzled off of her as well, proving to be as productive as the purification on Rascal was.

"…Guess that's a good sign," May supposed while watching this.

"...mh..." Hex simply hummed as she folded her arms.

Slowly, the smoke withered away, and once Desire stopped squirming, she laid back down, passing out as well. Jill pulled her hand away, looking down at her. "…it's done."

"...so... she's alright?" Hex uttered.

"…for now," Jill said. "The Corruption is gone at least…"

"...and... the fever?" Hex inquired.

"Gone, but…I don't think it's changed how weak she is," Jill murmured. "But either way, sometime in bed will help her heal a bit."

"...right..." Hex murmured as she folded her arms a bit.

At that point…things became very quiet between all of them. Jill just sat there, looking uneasy. Cowpoke tried not to look at her.

May, observing this, simply sighed.

"…hey…do you two just want us to leave you guys alone?"

Cowpoke and Jill gave shocked looks at May. Hex looked at May as well, before looking back at the two of them.

"…you two just look like…you need to get something off your chests…so want us to leave?" May asked.

"…yeah, sure," Cowpoke replied.

"...right..." With a nod, Hex gave May a nod before she headed out. May went with her, and they were out of the room, just as May closed the door…

…only…she made it seem like the door was closed, and she yanked Hex back to the door. "Hang on…"

Hex blinked as she looked back at May.

"I wanna hear them talk; I'm pretty curious about them," May hummed, peeking through the door to look.

"...hm..." Hex hummed as she looked through the doorway as well.

Jill sat there, looking away awkwardly, and so did Cowpoke, while he rubbed the back of his neck. Now that the two of them got to this point...neither one knew where to start.

"...Cowpoke," Jill spoke up with a sad sigh. "...I'm sorry."

"...what'chu got to apologize for? I'm the one that should be saying sorry," Cowpoke said, looking at Jill. "...after all...I didn't want to pressure you about it if you hadn't been ready."

Jill looked back at him. "...but I'm just as much as fault for not calling you...even if it was to tell you that I found someone else."

"...well, either way...don't feel guilty about it," Cowpoke muttered. "...I had some time to work through my feelings...and I'm not as sore about it as I was when I heard what happened from Ivory."

Jill still felt uneasy at the fact that Cowpoke had to find out the hard way.

Hex just kept watching this throughout the doorway with a silent hum fleeing her lips.

"...but what I do know...is that Metal is much better for you than me," Cowpoke said. "He's more capable of protecting you than I would be... And he put much more effort to being there for you and Joy than I did. I could see how devoted he was to you and Joy when he was here..."

Jill didn't know how to respond, so Cowpoke continued, "...you and Metal went through some rough times together, supporting each other all the way through...so you two have a bond that I don't think I could interfere in; that I _shouldn't_ interfere in."

"...I'll move on...don't worry," Cowpoke muttered, closing his eyes. "...what matters is that you're happy with Metal."

"...you've really thought about this, haven't you?" Jill hummed.

"...a lot," Cowpoke muttered. "...but like I said, I'll be alright. There's plenty of other fish in the sea for me."

"…so they dated, huh?" May whispered to Hex.

"...yeah..." Hex murmured. "...don't know too much about how it was for them, though..."

Jill looked at him. "...what are you going to do about Desire and Rascal?"

"Let 'em stay until they can get back on their feet," Cowpoke answered, nodding at Jill. "...they're gonna need some support after what they went through."

Jill nodded back at Cowpoke for that.

"...what kind of feelings did you get from them when you purified them?" Cowpoke asked.

"...Rascal feels mostly frightened...and doesn't know who to rely on. He's not sure if he can even trust his own mother after leaving him alone so much...there's some anger and sadness about that," Jill said.

"...and Desire is just...guilty. Her self-esteem was hit really hard. She knows that Rascal is angry at her and she doesn't know how to cope with it because she feels that his anger is justified with how she's lived her life."

"...my advice on it," Jill continued, "would be to help Rascal feel safe, to help him learn he can trust someone. Desire needs to figure out how she wants to change for the better, and the way I see it, the two of them need to mend their relationship and bond for a bit, as mother and son."

Cowpoke nodded, and folded his arms. "...so...I suppose I should expect them to stay pretty long?"

"...seems that way," Jill answered. "...are you willing to help them with all of that?"

Cowpoke looked thoughtful...and eventually, he shrugged. "...better way to spend my time then getting drunk." Then he looked at Jill. "...I've been thinking of trying to spend more time with Mud-Pie...maybe I could bring Rascal along and see how he could do."

Jill nodded. "I think that would be good for him. Just make sure he spends enough time with Desire for the two of them to fix their problems with each other."

"…right…" Cowpoke muttered.

"…hm…guess that's all we'll hear from them," May supposed, walking away from the door. With a small hum, Hex slowly followed May.

"…you doing okay?" May asked.

"...I'll manage." Hex murmured as she folded her arms more.

May set a hand on her back. "You sure?"

"...I... think so." Hex murmured.

"…okay…just wanna make sure," May hummed. With a small nod, Hex glanced to the side.

"…y'know…I'm really glad to see you…" May muttered, closing her eyes.

Looking at her, Hex slowly nodded, moving a hand to gently grasp May's hand with. "...I'm really glad to see you too..."

May smiled at her. "...what do you say we go home?"

Looking back at her, Hex managed to smile a bit. "...yeah... let's go home."

May held her hand tightly, and she headed down the hall with Hex.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Guess Hex doesn't have to worry anymore<strong>_


	69. Chapter 68

A restaurant about half an hour away from the harbor where ferries would depart to Safe Haven, was where two figures were currently residing, one of them feasting on the food served to him, and the other keeping his arms folded.

Suddenly, the doors burst open. "FREEZE!" and this sent most of those in the restaurant into a panic.

Slowly, one of the figures just glanced over at this voice, hands still clutching to his food.

They were a bunch of guys that had bandanas over their faces to hide their identities, and they wielded guns. This was enough to make the people duck under the tables...

...that is, except a certain two, which they noticed weren't even frightened by them. "Hey lard butt!" One of the burglars yelled, aiming the gun at the one eating the food. "You deaf?! Get on the ground!"

The figure just looked at them... and with a small shrug, he just returned to eating.

"Can this wait?" his companion murmured, keeping eyes closed as he reached for a glass that he stumbled just a touch to locate. "We haven't had a decent meal in quite some time... so please don't disturb us."

"...you're kidding me, right?!" The same burglar growled in irritation.

"...no, I'm quite serious." the figure remarked in reply, before he grabbed the glass and began slowly drinking from it.

Suddenly, the glass shattered in his hand, due to a gunshot. He didn't seem to react at all; merely feeling the air as he noticed that the glass had shattered.

"...I ain't playing games..." The burglar growled. "...now unless you wanna keep being wise guys...I suggest you get on the ground."

At that point, the other person slowly glared towards the burglar. "...hey, hey... spilling good drinks like that... you're gonna pay for wasting my comrade's drink, yeah?"

"...what kind of fat fuck are ya; expecting me to pay for your buddy's drink?!" The burglar roared. "I'm warning you one last time; get on the fuckin ground!"

With a small sigh, he set the food he held down on the plate, before slowly rising from his seat... and as he glared down at the burglar, he slowly stomped towards him, showing just how much he towered over him. "...make me." he spat.

He burglar couldn't help but be a little intimidated by the guy...but foolishly, he grabbed the guy's arm forcibly. And a chuckle escaped his lips. "C'mon, is that it?" He even moved a hand to snag the burglar's gun away from him; yanking it out of his grip effortlessly. "Not even gonna use this?"

"Wha-HEY!" The burglar uttered.

Seeing their friend like that, the other burglars all pointed their guns at he towering titan that had their friends gun. "Drop it!" Another burglar uttered.

He just chuckled in response. "Alright, alright, don't lose your heads..." At that point, he suddenly _crushed_ the gun in his grip, rendering it unusable, before he dropped it. "There; happy now?"

The burglars stepped back skittishly at that, startled at how this guy crushed the gun in his hand.

"...well? You guys wanted me to get down on the ground?" he remarked with another chuckle, before he suddenly grabbed the burglar closest to him by the collar. "You guys can get down first!" With a laugh, he then hurled the burglar straight at the group, intending to knock them all down in one go.

Not only was it a strong enough throw to knock them down, but it actually knocked them out the doorway outside of the restaurant. Those inside the restaurant gawked in amazement...

...and outside, four figures were driving by on a couple of motorcycles when they noticed all of the burglars get thrown out of the restaurant.

"...huh. That's not something you see everyday." one of them remarked.

"Seems like we just missed a brawl." another noted with a chuckle.

Inside, the larger figure just brushed his hands together with a scoff, before he walked back over to his table; sitting down and resuming his feast.

Outside, the burglars scrambled to get to their feet, and angrily, they charged back inside.

"Well, looks like whatever whooped 'em, they want more, chuckled another one from one of the motorcycles. "Who wants to check it out?"

"I do." one of the riders remarked with a chuckle. "This should be interesting."

Noticing that the burglars were rushing back in, the figure just sighed. "Really? You're still after more?"

All the burglars roared while they all tried to throw a punch at the guy. At that point, though, his comrade suddenly got out of his seat, and knocked each of the burglars down to the floor, without even looking at them.

This amazed everyone in the restaurant even more.

"...I apologize, but you did waste my drink." he spoke, as he simply towered over them without even bothering to look at them.

The burglars groaned while they each tried to get back onto their feet from being hit like that.

"If ya ask me, you oughta just cut your losses and scram." the larger figure currently eating remarked. "This is just getting embarrassing."

The burglars just growled at him.

"…you'll pay for this!" the first burglar yelled, as they all went scurrying out the door of the restaurant.

This earned applause from those in the restaurant.

"...hm... hardly deserving of applause." the one standing up remarked, as he took his seat again.

"Well, nothing we can do about that." the other figure noted. "In the meantime... could anyone get my comrade here another drink?!"

"Sure thing," replied one of the waiters from the counter.

Four more walked into the restaurant, and one of them smirked. "Well no wonder they went running."

"I'll say..." another of them chuckled, folding his arms.

"…hey, you fat bastard! You should've held them off for us to have fun with them too!" called the first one, hoping to get the attention of the two at their seats.

Slowly, the two of them looked over... and the larger one laughed a touch. "If that's how ya felt, you should've rushed inside sooner before they scampered off!" he called back to them.

The four in the doorway walked in. The first one that had shouted at him turned out to be Callous, and she folded her arms with a smirk. Another was Mercy, who looked at the two at their seats in puzzlement.

The third one was Pierce, who simply spared the two of them a look. Finally, the last one was Johnny; his arms also folded as he chuckled. "Enjoying life, huh?"

"You could say that." the larger figure chuckled with a nod to them.

"Now what I'm curious about is why you two left Safe Haven," Callous hummed, walking up to them.

"...well... we haven't exactly been off that island for the last couple of years." the larger figure remarked with a chuckle. "Figured we could take some time to roam about, explore, stuff like that."

"…so…you know them?" Mercy muttered.

"Course we do," Callous chuckled.

"They're buddies of ours." Johnny noted with a chuckle of his own.

"..well, that's well and good... but who are they?" Pierce remarked.

"The large one eating is Spiel," Callous pointed out, "and his buddy is Krieg."

"Pleased to meet ya." Spiel chuckled with a nod to them. Krieg simply remained silent.

"...my name is Mercy," Mercy introduced with a nod.

"...and my name is Pierce." Pierce shot in after her.

"Mercy and Pierce..." Krieg hummed, simply nodding a touch.

Pierce blinked as he observed Krieg. "...you're blind...?"

"Yeah, he's blind," Callous remarked. Then she hummed, "...I'm curious. Were you born blind or did you get blinded later in life?"

"My eyesight faded from me later in life." Krieg spoke with a nod. "It happened long before I decided to join Safe Haven, though, so it's not like it's much of a handicap."

"Clearly, after that display against those ruffians."

The six of them turned hearing a new voice, looking over at a well dressed gentleman who wiped his mouth with a napkin, just finishing his food.

Spiel raised an eyebrow as he looked at this person. "...and who are you supposed to be?"

"...just an aristocrat of sorts; nobody important," the man replied. "My name is Douglas."

"...Douglas..." With a hum, Johnny raised an eyebrow. "So, what inspired you to pipe up, all of a sudden?"

"Well, after what I saw, those two handle themselves well. I felt it necessary to comment that much," Douglas said. "Incidentally, I have a few problems of my own where your kind of approach might solve it. Would any of you be hirable, per chance?"

Mercy raised her brows curiously, "...you talking to all of us?"

"Yes," Douglas answered.

"...well, color me curious." Spiel chuckled.

"...I do wonder how we seemed to get roped into this, though..." Krieg remarked.

"...well... we might as well hear him out." Pierce noted, as he glanced at the others. "Unless anyone has any objections?"

"I have no problem with it," Callous chuckled.

"...I'm not opposed to it either," Mercy murmured.

"Good," Douglas said, setting down a couple of bills on the table for a tip. "But do go ahead and finish your meal first. I will be waiting outside to disclose the details."

And with that, he collected his jacket and rose to leave the restaurant.

Johnny just chuckled, as he folded his arms. "...seems like he's got something shady for us to do."

"What makes you say that?" Krieg inquired with a hum.

"Well, he just seems like the kind of guy who'd prefer to let hired guns deal with certain issues." Johnny remarked.

"Well, as long as the pay's good." Spiel shrugged as he kept eating his food.

Mercy just kept looking out the front door in silence.

"...what do you think about this?" Pierce hummed, as he glanced over at Mercy.

"...I'm with Johnny on this one...I think he might have some shady business in store for us," Mercy murmured.

"...hm... probably." Pierce murmured in agreement. "But it would be rude not to hear him out after he gave an offer."

"Besides, if he tries screwing us over somehow, we all know that he won't get out of it without having six powerhouses breathing down his neck." Johnny shot in with a light laugh.

"True..." Mercy hummed.

"Just relax; it shouldn't be anything bad," Callous chuckled. "If you're so worried, you have Pierce protecting you."

Mercy shot her a glare for that.

"...you sound sure about that." Spiel remarked, as he glanced over at Pierce whilst finishing up his meal. "So you're her bodyguard, huh?"

"...that's right." Pierce spoke with a nod.

"You seem to be capable enough..." Krieg remarked, nodding a touch. "...she's in good hands."

Eventually, Spiel and Krieg finished up their meals and the six of them stepped outside to find Douglas, as he finished off a cigarette and crushed it on the ground with his foot.

"So...I own a weapon manufacturing company," he began. "I supply mercenaries with whatever weapons they need...however, some of my supplies and stock have recently been stolen."

"...wouldn't you have guards to watch the place?" Callous hummed.

"That's just it," Douglas remarked. "It was the guards. They all schemed together to rob me of my wares, and are doing who knows what with that artillery."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Seems like you should've been more careful about who to put on your payroll."

"Well, with all these mysterious attacks on everyone from these creatures I heard about, I had been limited," Douglas remarked.

Pierce just hummed upon hearing that. "Not that surprising, actually."

"Your job would be to seek out the ones that stole my merchandise and take it back from them; dealing with them however you see fit." Douglas said.

"Sounds simple and boring enough." Spiel noted as he cracked his neck. "And what would we be expecting in return for this?"

"You can name whatever reward each of you wants, as well as a cash bonus thrown in if you're willing to set out today," Douglas promised.

"...that's awfully generous," Mercy muttered.

"I am very well off; it's really no problem," Douglas hummed.

"...hm..." With a hum, Johnny glanced over at Callous. "...you think we should decide on rewards right now, or discuss it with him when we're done?"

"...let's wait until we're done," Callous mused. "That way, we'd have time to think about what we want, and he'd have no choice to cough up after we did what he wants."

"Sounds fair." With a nod, Johnny held his hand out to Douglas for a shake. "You got yourself a-"

"Now hold on." At that point, Spiel took Johnny's arm to pull away, before he looked at Douglas. "Before we agree on anything, I'd prefer it if we set up a time and place to meet with you when we're done. Just so you don't decide to skimp out on payments by skipping town."

"...that's fair," Douglas said with a nod.

"So, when and where?" Spiel hummed. "Let's make this simple."

"You get what I asked you done by tonight...and I will be waiting tomorrow morning at a location I will write down for you," and he pulled out a notepad. "I will also write down the location of the weapon factory, which I believe they've taken over."

"...how convenient..." Krieg mused to himself as he folded his arms.

"...fight back for the holding of said factory, and you'd have accomplished your mission," Douglas remarked, finishing what he wrote to hand to Spiel.

Taking the note with a nod, Spiel looked it over before showing it to Callous. "This look good to ya?"

Callous took a glance and shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"I trust you ate all capable enough, so...then I will be expecting you all tomorrow?" Douglas hummed, just as a limousine parked up beside him for his driver to climb out and open the door for him.

Callous, again, shrugged. "Why not?"

Douglas climbed into his seat as the driver closed the door, and he looked at them through the open window. "Good, then I wish you luck."

As his window rolled up, the limo drove away, leaving them behind.

Johnny chuckled. "Something tells me he's not really expecting us tomorrow."

"You sensed something unconvincing about his demeanor?" Krieg assumed thoughtfully.

"Nah, he just seems like an asshole. They tend to be double-crossers; I should know." Johnny noted with a shrug.

"Well, not like any of us have anything better to do." Spiel shrugged, before he cracked his knuckles with a grin. "Shall we head off, then?"

"Fuck yes," Callous chuckled. "Not like whatever trap he's gonna set for us is gonna work anyway."

"Just what I wanted to hear." Johnny chuckled. "Let's get going, then."

* * *

><p>Later in the day at the pub, everyone was finally up and about...and all that everyone was doing was just relaxing and leisurely walking about.<p>

The pub, surprisingly enough, was pretty empty except for Ani and the Clubhouse gang with Arsenic and Kristine, and Sonia.

At the moment, Sonia was actually talking to Arsenic and Kristine; primarily Arsenic, but managing to involve Kristine in the conversation. "So you seriously have those kinda powers?" she inquired.

"...yeah...I was born with them, so I'm not really sure how I have these powers," Arsenic murmured.

"...don't they have bad side effects?" Kristine asked.

Arsenic chuckled. "What? You mean, having people shun me for being a danger to everyone?"

Kristine's eyes widened, "o-oh, I-I didn't mean that!"

Arsenic chuckled some more. "I'm just messing with you." And then she looked up thoughtfully. "...I was born with a bad heart, so I don't know if the radiation did that or if I was just gifted with a bunch of birth defects...but since I got the surgery, I've been feeling much better." Then she thought of something, and frowned. "...well...I'm also..." And she said something else but she was too quiet for Kristine and Sonia to hear.

"...you're... what?" Sonia blinked upon hearing that; looking at her with an intrigued expression.

Arsenic looked at Sonia in silence for a moment. Sonia just tilted her head a touch.

"...I'm...also wondering how far me and Jack would go..." Arsenic murmured.

Sonia hummed just a bit, nodding. "...right, that makes sense..." She glanced over, seeing that Jack was still chatting with the other Clubhouse members; not hearing what they were talking about. "...well... I figure you guys'll work that out together. No sense worrying over that on your own, right?"

"Yeah; Jack's a pretty nice guy if you ask me," Kristine interjected. "You made a good choice!"

Arsenic smiled a bit awkwardly, and then the door opened so she glanced over to see who would walk in.

So did the others and Milo smiled. "Oh, hi Violet."

"Good afternoon," Violet greeted, tipping her hat to them as she entered.

Sonia glanced over as well... and her eyes shot wide open. "Ah- it's you!"

Hearing her exclaim that, Jack looked at Sonia with a tilted head. "...what's up, Sonia?"

Violet looked over with a hum. "...well look at that."

Jack looked between both Sonia and Violet. "...you guys... know each other?"

Violet walked over and sat next to Sonia. "I believe so...I remember faces pretty well, usually," Violet said. "Good gracious, you grew."

"...man, this is..." Sonia just looked at Violet with wide eyes. "...didn't think I'd meet you again..."

"...how are your parents?" Violet hummed.

"...they're doing well." Sonia spoke with a nod. "Moving away from the old neighborhood really helped the two of them..."

"That's good," Violet hummed. "...you ever visit them?"

"Oh! You ever introduce Wiper to them?!" Ani threw in.

Violet blinked at that.

Sonia rubbed her neck with a light chuckle. "Not yet." she noted. "Well... not personally, at least. I tend to write them letters from time to time, and I've mentioned Wiper a few times."

"…interesting. I didn't think Wiper was involved with someone," Violet mused.

"We've been an item for the past two years now." Sonia remarked with a smile.

"I see," Violet said. Then she smiled. "Guess there's someone for everyone. I didn't even think my son would find anyone, but he did."

"…wait…Lock has a girlfriend?" uttered Ani in surprise.

"He does?" Sonia seemed surprised by that as well.

"Yep. Stella," Violet said.

"Oh, really?" Sonia hummed with a smile.

"Oh yeah, that's right," Ani muttered, remembering that something like that had actually been mentioned not too long ago.

"They fit together, huh?" Jack hummed with a small nod.

"I suppose so," Violet said.

* * *

><p>It was about the time evening came over when the six of them found their destination, but they definitely waited a bit longer for it to get darker for the best cover. Now it was just a debate on whether or not to storm in unannounced or to try and sneak into the stronghold, crippling the most crucial parts of the territory. Guards were patrolling around the area, and there were quite a few of them in numbers. There were also spotlights lighting up their perimeters, making itself up to be quite a well-guarded, sizable fortress.<p>

Though it wouldn't really be much of a challenge to the six of them, they would definitely have to think about their move.

"...let's just plow through." Spiel suggested.

"I'd think taking them out from the shadows would be wiser; the element of surprise is important." Pierce retorted.

"But I'm not really good with this stealth kind of stuff," Callous moaned, folding her legs from where she sat. "Sure, I can do it, but I'd feel so much more satisfied if I just tore through them and saw the looks on their faces."

"Well, either way, we need to decide what we need to do," Mercy muttered. "…and figure out just what they'll have in store for us so that we can counteract it."

"...to begin with, we'd need to get their sentries off their posts." Krieg remarked. "We need... a diversion."

"Right, a diversion..." Johnny hummed. "...not it."

"Not it." Spiel shot in right after him.

"Not it," Callous shot.

Mercy opened her mouth to object, but then she glared at all of them.

"...hm..." Pierce just hummed, as he looked ahead of them.

"...I suppose me and Pierce will get their attention while the rest of you take 'em out," Mercy sighed.

"...seems reasonable enough..." Krieg murmured.

"...C'mon Pierce," and with that, Mercy headed down quietly. Pierce followed her without a word.

"...he seems loyal to her." Krieg remarked as they went out of earshot.

"I guess that's one way you could put it." Johnny remarked with a small chuckle.

"That's for sure," Callous added, also chuckling.

Spiel glanced over at them. "...what's so funny about that?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Callous mused. Then she glanced over at Spiel. "So…we head down from behind and whack out the guys with the searchlights then?"

"Sounds about right," Spiel nodded.

Meanwhile, Mercy and Pierce both inched their way against a wall, peering around to see a couple of guards walking nearby with one or two searchlights in that particular area.

Quietly, Mercy pulled out her pistol and loaded it. Pierce silently drew out his sword in response, giving Mercy a small nod. Mercy nodded back, and slightly peeked out from her cover to shoot at one of the guards, alerting them. As some of them began warily approaching the area, Pierce kept himself to the shadows, and one by one started to knock the guards out before they could even spot him.

With this method in place, Mercy and Pierce were able to move around the building, each knocking out the guards. The gunshots, though, definitely alerted the guards up on the searchlights, and they were frantically trying to search around for what seemed to be knocking out the guards.

Watching this take place from their hiding spot, Johnny just chuckled. "They don't stand a chance."

"Shall we take this moment to charge?" Krieg inquired with a curious tone.

"It's as good a time as any," Callous recommended, running out. With those words, Johnny, Spiel and Krieg charged after her.

"Spiel and Krieg, you guys go for the left side of the building; me and Johnny will take the right," Callous instructed as they scurried.

"Just don't screw around while we're not around to keep an eye on ya." Spiel remarked with a chuckle, as he and Krieg quickly veered off to the left.

Callous chuckled at what he said, climbing up the right side of the building with Johnny in tow. Johnny just laughed as well, whilst climbing up alongside her.

There were a couple of guards standing there. One was monitoring the searchlight frantically while the others were watching him and looking around.

"They look so scared," Callous chuckled, as she and Johnny approached them quietly.

"It's kinda endearing, when you look at 'em like this..." Johnny remarked with a light nod to her.

"Isn't it?" Callous chuckled.

The guards there kept frantically looking around...and then suddenly, one got hit in the head hard enough to get knocked out. Startled by the noise, the other guard whirled around in time to only catch a glimpse of Callous and her smirk before she knocked him out as well.

The guy at the search light was alarmed when he witnessed Callous knocking them out. Before he could open his mouth to sound any alarm, a hand clasped over his mouth before Johnny knocked him over the head to knock him out. Callous came over, and she flipped the switch to turn of the searchlight after that.

"That's one down," she said.

When the guards all around noticed the searchlight go off, they grew worried. But before they could worry much further, they would suddenly be knocked out, one by one. The one on the farthest end looked in shock at his buddies getting knocked out...and more specifically, the ones who were knocking them out. Now it was all quiet on the right side of the building, and the searchlights went off without a hitch.

"They work fast," Callous mused in observation, once she and Johnny got the last searchlight off on their end.

"...they're efficient, at least." Johnny mused.

Callous looked over the side of the building at the ground. "...looks like Mercy and Pierce finished up on their end too. Don't see any of 'em walking around down there."

"Alright, the outside's cleared out, then..." Johnny mused, as he cracked his knuckles. "...let's bust on inside."

"Right," Callous hummed.

Meanwhile, Mercy and Pierce had already found their own way inside the factory, sneaking around the corners to make sure they wouldn't be spotted in case there were guards around. Pierce's eyes remained narrowed as he kept his hands on his blade. Mercy kept her finger on the trigger of her pistol as they sneaked their way further.

Upon opening the door, they saw stairs that led down underground.

"…there might be some generators down there," Mercy whispered to Pierce. "If we neutralize those, we can take out the lights in this place and the others can take 'em out."

"A sound plan," Pierce nodded. "Stick close to me. I'll go in first." With those words, he began heading down the stairs, hand still clutching to his sword. Mercy followed closely after him, closing the door behind them to keep from arousing any suspicion.

With a mere hum, Pierce kept descending the stairs, hands clutching to the hilt of his sword. He eventually cast a glance towards Mercy just to see how she was holding up, before his attention returned to the stairwell beneath them.

Eventually, they came to a series of hallways down below in the basement level, and strangely enough, as they traversed these hallways, they noticed that there wasn't a single guard in sight. There was technical equipment of all sorts, but none that indicated it was a generator of any kind.

"…hm…we figured this might be a trap, but no one on patrol down here only helps those suspicions…" Mercy remarked. "…and is it just me…or does this seem more like a laboratory?"

Pierce just hummed as he kept his hand on his blade, eyes darting slowly about.

The more they wandered around, the more they ended up seeing computers, and eventually, Mercy decided she'd try to access one.

Pierce just stood by her, eyes narrowed, "...careful."

"…right…" Mercy nodded, managing to get into the computer's systems to access its files. Her main hope was to maybe look for a layout of the place and figure out where the generators are, but she was also curious just what this place held in store of weapons. While she did that, Pierce kept a sharp eye out on the surroundings, hands clenched firmly around his blade.

"…hm?" Mercy suddenly stumbled upon something, and curiously tried to dig deeper into it.

Pierce glanced back at her when she made that noise.

"…aw damn…can't get into it," Mercy muttered, finding that the file she was trying to access was firmly locked up. "Oh well. I figured out where the generators are. Just down the hall in the northwest part of the basement level." She logged off, and with her pistol in hand.

"...I'll take care of them." Pierce hummed, as he nodded. "You watch my back while I take them out."

"Sure thing," Mercy replied. "Let's go."

With a nod, Pierce led off down the hall, making sure to head for the northwest part of this area. Mercy followed closely behind him, making sure that Pierce was heading down the right way…

…finally…

"Aha."

They arrived to a large room with a couple of large generators running on high loudly. From across the room, Mercy could spy a couple of levels that were labeled POWER. Obviously, they had to flip those off to turn off the generators.

Without a word, Pierce approached one of these levers, grabbing one of them to shut it off. The lights completely went out, and the generators' loud hum faded to silence.

That left Pierce and Mercy standing in the dark for the moment.

Pierce just looked around, hand clutching to his sword still. "...that should do it..."

Upstairs, in the large factory, all of the machines and the lights suddenly went off, shocking the guards wandering around. At this moment, Callous and Johnny had entered their way into the factory, and Callous smirked.

"They shut off the power," she hummed. "That's smart."

"...let's take advantage of that, then." Johnny chuckled.

…suddenly…in the basement level…lights flickered back on. There was a small hum, but it didn't come from any of the generators around them.

Mercy sighed. "…they might have a backup somewhere that we need to take out…"

"Hm..." Pierce hummed. "...did you see if there were any other generators marked when you found these ones?"

Mercy rubbed her chin. "No, I don't think…" and she stopped.

"…do you hear that?"

Just as Mercy asked that, Pierce could hear a strange, faint, hissing noise. Pierce's eyes slowly widened, and he looked at Mercy seriously.

"...gas."

Her eyes widened at that, and just as Mercy turned around to dash out, there was a large metal door that slammed down in front of them, trapping both Mercy and Pierce in the generator room. Pierce hissed. "Cover yourself!" Immediately, he ran towards the door and slashed at it with his sword.

Mercy started coughing, and fell to her knees, covering her mouth and nose to keep from breathing. It was growing more and more apparent that a strange colored gas was filling the room and looming over the floor underneath their feet.

Pierce coughed a touch as well, but he kept himself focused on just attempting to cut the door asunder so they could flee. Mercy winced, feeling weak and not feeling so good.

"...damn it!" The door was stronger than the steel was, as it seemed like Pierce hadn't even scratched the door, even after multiple slashes. "We're trapped..." He quickly rushed over to Mercy, kneeling by her.

Mercy couldn't keep herself from breathing and the more she breathed, the worse she felt. She could feel dizziness swooning over her and she had a cold, sickly sweat come over her while her skin paled.

Immediately, Pierce glared up at where the gas was coming from. "...hold on..." Out of desperation, he hurled thick globs of Corruption against those vents, sealing them up so that no more gas could flow into the room. With a small hiss, he stabbed his sword into the ground. "...I can keep more from coming... but... there's still too much in here..."

Mercy coughed more, and she finally just collapsed on the ground, losing the strength to keep herself up.

Gritting his teeth, Pierce attempted to blow away most of the gas that surrounded Mercy, before he formed a barrier of Corruption around them to keep the gas away. "...nnh... what kind of gas is this...?"

"…maybe…it was in…that locked file I couldn't access…" Mercy croaked weakly.

Pierce hissed. "...so this was a set-up after all... and we must be taking the fall."

"…what if…the gas…runs throughout the entire building…?" Mercy uttered. "…Callous, Johnny, Spiel and Krieg and all of them…"

"...I have my doubts that the four of them would succumb so easily..." Pierce murmured, setting a hand on Mercy. "More importantly... we need to keep you stable..."

Mercy coughed a bit more, weakly, trembling. For some reason, she felt cold.

Narrowing his eyes, Pierce set his hand on her forehead. "...forgive me... I should have protected you from the gas sooner..." he murmured, still wondering how it had taken such a toll on her.

"…how would you have been…able to protect me from something like…this…?" Mercy uttered.

"...I don't know... but..." Pierce murmured, closing his eyes. "...I am your bodyguard... if I cannot even protect you, then what good am I?"

Mercy trembled some more. "…don't go thinking that way…" and she rubbed her arms to try and warm up to no avail.

Looking down at her, he began rubbing her a little as well to try and warm her up as well, "...then... how would you have me think?"

"…I don't know…" Mercy uttered. "…just…don't go calling yourself useless…is all…"

Pierce hummed, still rubbing her body with a thoughtful expression. "...as long... as you stay with me... then I'll keep those thoughts away..."

"…I'll try…" Mercy muttered.

Meanwhile, upstairs in the large factory, as well as it being dark, the gas started to flood the entire area.

"The hell?!" Callous coughed.

"Shit... did someone set off an alarm or something?!" Johnny growled, waving his hand in front of his face to get rid of this gas.

"Over there!"

Callous and Johnny then ducked underneath gunfire, seeing that the guards were wearing gas masks.

"Ah fuck; there goes our cover!" Callous growled.

"...alright, then..." With a snarl, Johnny crossed his arms, before he stood up. "..._**fuck stealth!**_" With that roar, he uncrossed his arms to unleash a wave of Corruption that just rocketed at the guards to knock them out. The impact of the wave also knocked off their masks, and the guards wheezed while they passed out.

Callous stepped over and saw their faces go pale and sickly, as well as trembling. "Geez, they don't look too good," Callous grumbled. Then she looked at herself. "How come it doesn't affect us?"

"I figure it must be because of the Corruption." Johnny murmured. "Or maybe we're just special cases since I used to be dead and you used to... well, not be your own person."

"True…" Callous muttered. "Well…I think we got all of the guards here, but why the hell did they release the gas? Was that supposed to be the secret trap they planned all along?" and she scoffed. "Lame."

Johnny just huffed, as he folded his arms. "...well... to be fair to them, they didn't know that we'd be immune..."

A moment went by as he suddenly realized something.

"...shit. Mercy isn't immune, is she?"

"…aw damn it; she's gonna be the little damsel in distress again," Callous growled. "…well, where there's a deadly gas, I'm pretty sure they would've developed an antidote for it…I'm hoping, unless they were really THAT stupid."

"...no, rich assholes usually have cures stacked up in limited supply for the highest bidder to crawl forward and beg like a good dog." Johnny scoffed. "First thing first; we've gotta regroup with Spiel and Krieg, then find Pierce and Mercy."

"_Well, well, well, you are definitely smarter than you give me credit for."_

"Oh lovely; just the rich asshole we wanted to talk to," Callous grumbled, folding her arms.

A TV monitor flickered on, and there was Douglas, smirking at Callous and Johnny. "_Now, that's not necessarily appropriate language._"

"No, that's _entirely_ appropriate language, fuckstick." Johnny spat. "Was this your plan? Just have us start coughing a little so you could put us in centuries of debt to get that miracle cure of yours?"

"_No,_" Douglas hummed. _"In reality…it's all a test to see the effects of the chemical that I've been developing for warfare. After all these mysterious attacks, I thought of a new way to try and fight those…things…although now that they seem to be gone, I could still sell it to mercenaries that might get some use out of it."_

"What mercenaries? I heard that kind of business doesn't work anymore ever since King set up Safe Haven," Callous pointed out.

"…_hm…you must've run into Baltimore's group then…"_ Douglas hummed. "_Actually, I WAS about to sell this stuff to them…but they seemed to drop off the map."_

"Yeah, I wonder why..." Johnny remarked as he rolled his eyes. "...well, guess what, chump? This stuff you got doesn't work on us. All you got out of it is what I'm guessing is really expensive nerve gas; not really a worthwhile investment."

"_Oh, but as you two have guessed, it still works."_

The monitor switched from his face, to a security feed to the locked up generator room, where Pierce and Mercy were.

Johnny shot a look at that, gritting his teeth. "Of fucking course..."

"_And now it's up to you to not only find the switch that deactivates the security system keeping them trapped, but to also find the antidote…and guess what? There are duds placed around as well, which, when given to those affected by the gas, will only drastically speed up the process until it kills them."_

Johnny hissed. "...and what's stopping us from just finding where you are, beating you within an inch of your worthless life, and forcing you to give us the antidote?"

"_Because if all of you survive this, I'll still reward you with the same money and offerings I promised, and get back to developing that chemical."_

"What, so you can test it on some other suckers that you rope into 'saving your base'? I don't think so," huffed Callous.

"I'd rather you cough up the antidote, pay us _triple_ what you promised us, and then we wipe this place off the face of the earth." Johnny snarled.

"_Triple? Hm…you like to drive a hard bargain…_"

"That's what you rich fucks like to do, don't you? Gamble?" Callous assumed.

"…_but unfortunately I'm not wiping off this place. This is some very valuable research that I've been funding…and who knows…maybe it could even take down Safe Haven if I wanted it to._"

Callous sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, what an _original_ idea that is."

"Yeah, it's not like everyone and their fucking dog's already tried that." Johnny remarked with a dry scoff.

"_Well, at any rate," _Douglas chuckled, as the monitor focused on his face again. _"You don't really have much of a choice in the matter of what needs to be done. Unless you don't care about your comrades, I suggest you get to finding that antidote quickly; that chemical acts in a matter of hours, and with your friend crippled as she is, I don't think she's fighting it too well."_ Then his smirk grew. _"And I'm not anywhere near anyplace you can get to at the moment, with the lockdown in place. So no negotiation over pay will go over anytime soon."_

Johnny snarled. "...you're so gonna pay, you motherfucking son of a-!"

And in that moment, the ground seemed to quake underneath Johnny and Callous.

Douglas looked off screen in a startled reaction. "…_what the…?!"_

Callous looked at the screen…and then smirked, "…not anywhere near where we could get to, huh?"

_"...well... seems like we weren't alone here after all."_ a familiar voice mused...

...and then an even _greater_ quake rattled the basement underneath them, as if something had just been blown asunder.

Douglas looked visibly afraid at this point, running away off screen.

As he fled, a different figure pursued him off-screen as well, running faster than what the camera could show.

"Oh shit; you're not getting away from him that easily!" Callous actually started laughing at this.

Johnny just laughed without saying anything as well.

In that moment, a good chunk of the floor was suddenly blown upwards, before someone leaped upwards carrying two figures. "Hey, guess we're done here!" Spiel called to them. "Krieg's taking care of our employer, if you're curious."

"Oh good; I was wondering what you guys were up to," Callous said.

"Yeah, I got bored with waiting around, so we decided to head downstairs to see what was happening." Spiel chuckled.

"…y'know…if he was developing this stuff to fight the Corrupted…then he failed miserably if it doesn't affect us," Callous said. Then she looked at the two that Spiel were carrying. "They gonna be fine?"

"Mercy's lookin' worse for wear, but Pierce is doing fine." Spiel called back to them.

"...then we need that antidote..." Johnny hummed. "...and once we've given it to her, we get our payment, and blow this place right up."

"Works for me. Keep an eye on 'em Spiel!" And Callous took off running across the catwalk.

"Way ahead of ya!" Spiel called, as he watched her and Johnny rush off together.

"…aw shit, that guy said there were dud antidotes, weren't there?" Callous muttered when they got farther.

"Well... Krieg's got him busy, right?" Johnny glanced over at her. "We just grab any we can find, meet up with them, and then force him to pick the right one out for us."

"Guess that's the only option we got," Callous huffed.

Meanwhile, Spiel had set down Mercy and Pierce, and Mercy started coughing some more, weakly. Pierce glanced over at her, moving a hand to grasp hers. "...just stay awake..."

"Hm... what kinda gas was that supposed to be, anyway?" Spiel remarked, looking back at the hole they had leapt out of.

"…I…don't know…" Mercy uttered.

"...well, don't stress over it. You're gonna be fine." Spiel remarked.

"…right…" and Mercy coughed a bit more.

Pierce just held her hand a little closer. "...just don't close your eyes on me..."

"…I'll try…not to…" Mercy muttered.

"...y'know, I'd say somethin', but considering the situation, I'll keep my trap shut." Spiel chuckled, still looking down the hole.

Pierce's eyes widened, as he looked at Spiel. "...what...?"

"I dunno; part of me just finds that connection you two got going a little charming."

Mercy just chuckled dryly. "…you're not the first…to be pointing something like that out…"

"Well, you're hanging out with both Callous and Johnny. I figure it's not that big of a surprise." Spiel chuckled.

Mercy started coughing again, and shivering some more. "…damn it…why does it feel so cold…?"

"...cold...?" Spiel hummed, glancing over at her with a raised eyebrow. "...what kinda gas makes ya feel cold?"

Pierce's eyes just narrowed in concern, holding Mercy's hand tighter.

"…I-I…don't…know…" Mercy sounded fainter.

Pierce's eyes narrowed more. "...don't give in... just stay with us...!" he uttered, rubbing her hand worriedly.

This time, Mercy didn't respond.

"...Mercy?!" Pierce immediately set his hand on her neck to feel her pulse. He still felt a pulse, but it was weak, and it appeared that Mercy finally passed out.

Pierce grit his teeth. "...Callous... Johnny... hurry..."

Callous and Johnny ran all over the building. There were even a couple of times that some traps had triggered for the two of them when it seemed like an antidote was within reach, but it wasn't any sort of problem for them. Eventually, they scrounged up four antidotes, and felt that it should be plenty.

Then their next step would be to find Krieg and 'negotiate' which one of these were the real one with Douglas.

"He has to be down below." Johnny hummed, cracking his knuckles. "Let's go right down there."

"Right," And Callous kicked down a door that led to a flight of stairs.

Once they got downstairs, they saw large holes all over the walls, presumably from Spiel and Krieg's raid through the place, and they followed the holes in an effort to try and find Krieg.

Johnny's eyes darted about whilst he snarled; eager to find Douglas and finish their business here.

Finally, they arrived at some sort of control room with a lot of monitors, and there stood Krieg. He was standing behind a chair, where Douglas was gagged and tied up to, and looking a bit afraid.

"Ah, that's a more suitable look for you," Callous chuckled, walking up to them.

"...you certainly took your time." Krieg mused.

"Alright, enough fucking around," Johnny hummed, as he walked up to Douglas. "We got some antidotes. You're gonna tell us which is the real one. Wanna spill the beans right away, or do we have to get ugly with you?"

Callous removed the gag from Douglas' mouth, and he panted. "L-listen, I—!" And Callous smacked him across the face roughly, making him yelp.

"That's a warning," She said. "Any other words that isn't 'this is the antidote' that come out of your mouth, and we're going to do worse."

"So, without further ado..." Johnny gave Callous a nod, before he took out two of the antidotes; waiting for her to bring out the two she had on her person. Callous brought out the other two, and they held up the four for him to look over.

Douglas' eyes darted about to each of the four vials of supposed antidotes, sweating nervously.

"C'mon, we don't have all day," Callous growled.

"If you don't hurry up and decide, we'll have Krieg smack you next." Johnny huffed. "Or punch your guts out; either one, really."

"…that one…" Douglas huffed, nudging his head to the vial that was in Johnny's right hand. "…that's the real one."

"Now, you sure?" Callous hummed.

"…yeah."

"...alright; you'd better be sure." With a huff, Johnny leapt upwards, smashing through the ceiling, ending up a smaller distance away from where Spiel and the others were. Rushing over to them, he knelt down by Mercy with the correct antidote. "Alright... keep her steady."

Pierce nodded at him, taking hold of Mercy to hold her in place.

"This stuff better work," Callous muttered. "Otherwise…we're smacking that guy around some more."

Popping off the cork keeping the antidote sealed, Johnny forced Mercy's mouth open before pouring it into her mouth. The liquid drained into her mouth, and presumably, Mercy consumed it.

"...so... how do we know it works?" Spiel remarked.

Mercy's eyes shot open suddenly, gasping and wheezing. There were even small whimpers of pain in all that, and she grew so pail that her blood veins could be seen, which were bulging out.

"I'm not taking that as a good sign!" Callous snapped.

"...shit!" Johnny snarled. "That motherfucker lied to us!"

The moment he heard Johnny yell that, Krieg _immediately_ grabbed Douglas by the collar, blind eyes glaring daggers at him. "...you dare deceive us?" he growled.

Douglas gulped.

Then suddenly…there was a sound of shattered glass from up above. A figure had jumped through one of the windows, and landed right near the group. In their hand, there was another vial, but it was a purple liquid this time. Before anyone could object, the figure rushed over to Mercy and forced that liquid into her mouth.

Mercy had no choice but to take it…and afterward, her breathing steadied. She started to regain some color to her face, and her blood veins subsided and vanished from sight.

Pierce's eyes widened when that happened. "Wha...?!"

"...well." Spiel blinked upon seeing that.

"…you guys are a bunch of morons."

As it turned out, the one that had come to their rescue was Ivory, and she looked up at them. "I mean…c'mon, you knew it was a trap, but you still went for it anyway…I can't help but be a little disappointed."

"...you?" Johnny huffed.

Spiel just folded his arms. "What? We got some exercise out of it. I'm just surprised that you knew where we were going to begin with."

"Yeah, but I could've told you that it was a bad idea. After all, jackass tried the same thing with me, my bro, and Mia when we left Safe Haven," she said. "Thankfully, he didn't count on me having the actual antidote. It was hidden in a spot even you guys wouldn't have thought to look, and all along, he was planning on killing all of you off."

"…well, thanks for that little exposition," Callous hummed. "Now…why were you following us again?"

Ivory shrugged. "…had nothing better to do."

"...not even going back home to your brother and Mia?" Spiel remarked.

"Well, I will, eventually…but that doesn't stop me from taking a few stops every now and then," Ivory hummed. Then she looked over at Mercy. "…feeling better?"

"…y-yeah…" Mercy muttered shakily.

Pierce breathed out in relief, keeping his hand on Mercy's. Mercy held his hand tightly, and Ivory only smirked at this, but then her smirk fell when she glanced down at the hole in the ground where Krieg and Douglas were. "I'm surprised they didn't kill you yet," she hummed, folding her arms. "Just how many has it been, you bastard?"

Douglas was quivering, unable to answer her question.

"...it's taking every ounce of my being not to decimate him." Krieg snarled, still gripping tightly onto his collar.

"...bring him up here Krieg," Ivory muttered.

With that, Krieg leaped up to where the others were, bringing Douglas over to the others.

"...remember what we said back before we accepted the deal?" Spiel remarked. "About the issue of trust and all that jazz?"

"...y-yes?" Douglas uttered.

"...well, you broke our trust." Spiel huffed, cracking his knuckles. "Not too smart of ya."

Douglas gulped again, quivering at the sight of Spiel cracking his knuckles.

"...you thought of killing us off... and you nearly killed Mercy..." Pierce snarled, keeping a hand on his sword. "...unforgiveable..."

"And it was a huge _waste_ of our time!" Callous growled, folding her arms.

"...so, what do ya got to say for yourself, huh?" Johnny remarked, as he grabbed Douglas by the neck; not tightly, but enough to hoist him off the ground. "Or are you just gonna try and lie to us again?"

Douglas just couldn't muster up the courage to say anything as he stared at Johnny frightfully.

"Now...about that reward of ours," Callous hummed.

"It better be worth it... at least ten times over." Pierce snarled.

"...r-right...erm...I believe we were at triple the amount?" Douglas stammered.

"...considering that you lied to our faces and nearly had one of us killed..." Spiel mused, as he then cracked his neck. "...I think that's too little. Try again."

Douglas's face went pale at that.

"Oh c'mon; you're rich, so I'm sure you can dish out more than that easily," Callous chuckled.

"Yeah, no need to be shy." Johnny chuckled. "C'mon, splurge. It's not like anything _valuable's_ at risk here, or anything."

"…or…y'know…we could make him breathe the same gas he tried to kill us with…" Callous sneered evilly.

"O-Okay, I'll multiply the amount five times!" Douglas sputtered fearfully.

"Oh? Is that your final offer?" Johnny chuckled wickedly. "I might have some of that fake antidote left on me, if you're feeling thirsty..."

Douglas gulped again. "…times six?"

"My, that's quite a bit," Callous chuckled. "…what do you guys think?"

"...it does sound plentiful..." Krieg mused. "...and it can be split quite evenly that way..."

"...well... unless he's generous enough to make it ten times bigger, I think that sounds tolerable." Spiel noted with a light chuckle. "Heck, even twelve times. That way we still get an even split."

"Let's not push our luck here, though." Johnny remarked. "I mean, we don't wanna end up like the genius over here, right?"

"Right, so six times the amount, the destruction of this factory and the research, and what else?" Callous hummed.

"...he did make mention of one individual request each from us." Pierce mused.

"Oh yeah, he did..." Spiel rubbed his chin in thought. "...huh... guess I didn't think too much on that."

"…I want one of your best weapons."

Callous looked down at Mercy. "Really now?"

"Yeah…" Mercy hummed. "…I want something worthy to keep up with you guys."

"…well…erm…" Douglas looked nervous.

"...well?" Pierce shot Douglas a deadly glare for that.

Douglas sighed in defeat. "...a-alright..."

"...good." Pierce hummed. "What about the rest?"

"...well...um...what would you all want?" Douglas uttered, trying to smile despite how scared he was of them.

"Hm...let's see..." Callous tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"...a building."

Pierce glanced over at Spiel then. "...what?"

"You heard me." Spiel chuckled. "And not just any rundown shack, either... I'm talking a large building, several floors... we could use a base, so make it a damn good base."

"...that's not too bad an idea." Johnny remarked.

Mercy hummed with interest at that, and looked over at Pierce.

"Hey, what about me? Don't I get some kind of compensation for helping out?" Ivory muttered.

Pierce hummed as well, as he folded his arms. "...actually... let her have my reward." he spoke, motioning towards Ivory. "I feel like she deserves it..."

Krieg just hummed, closing his eyes in thought.

"Oh really? In that case," Ivory said. "…I wanna get a business started."

"…what?" Douglas uttered.

"You heard me," Ivory huffed. "I want a business. So I can earn my own money; had that dream since I left Safe Haven. You rich types know how to do that right? And I'm not going through the bullshit schooling for it either."

Krieg simply hummed. "...adding onto that... I request a library within the building you'll supply Spiel with."

"...didn't take you for the reading type." Spiel remarked with a bemused chuckle.

"I'm not... but I'm certain it could benefit the rest of you." Krieg shrugged.

"We'd better have a damn good training room in the building too," Callous added with a chuckle. "With equipment that either can't break, or it's easily replaceable."

"And have some state-of-the-art tech lined up there, too!" Johnny shot in. "Only the best and most expensive is gonna be enough to satisfy us!"

Douglas just looked at all of them…and eventually, nodded. "…o-okay…" he uttered.

"...well, look at that; the rich asshole can be complacent, after all." Spiel remarked with a laugh.

"Now, first things first; we're destroying this building and the research with it!" Callous said.

"Right." With a nod, Spiel cracked his knuckles. "So, we're busting this place down... want me to do it, or should this be a joint effort?"

"I wanna take part in this," Callous chuckled.

"I wouldn't mind helping out either," Ivory hummed.

Pierce just hummed. "...I'll pass. I'll take Mercy and... this coward out of here." he spoke, as he grabbed Douglas before helping Mercy on her feet.

"Right; then the rest of us'll tear this place apart." Johnny chuckled.

Callous rubbed her hands together with an evil chuckle. "This is gonna be fun," and she summoned her scythe, twirling it in her hands.

"See you guys when you finish," Mercy hummed, turning to walk out.

Pierce followed her out, dragging Douglas after him.

"...alrighty..." As he cracked his knuckles, Johnny began summoning black fire around him. "...let's bring this place down."

Spiel simply chuckled, as an aura began to appear around him, whilst Krieg slowly drew his swords.

Ivory pulled out her spear, and looked around at the others.

As Mercy, Pierce and Douglas got outside, they heard a lot of noises commence, along with cruel laughter of those inside enjoying their raid over everything inside.

"Geez...they're pretty eager," Mercy muttered.

"...an orchestra of destruction." Pierce remarked. "And they're the instruments."

"...that's one way of putting it," Mercy said.

Then a couple of explosions happened.

"AGH!" Douglas was especially startled by that.

"...it begins." Pierce hummed, as he took Mercy's hand. "We should move further away. There's no telling how this place will meet its end." He began moving quickly away from the building.

Mercy was surprised at Pierce taking her hand, blushing a little. Then he looked back at the building as more explosions consumed it.

"Are they crazy?! They'll surely be killed in that!" Douglas wailed while watching the destruction from Pierce's hold.

"...you underestimate them." Pierce spoke. "This... this is nothing to them."

"...really?" Douglas uttered. "...just...who are you people?"

"...no one of consequence." Pierce spoke in reply.

After that response, there was suddenly a large, overall explosion that completely destroyed the building.

Pierce just hummed. "...and there it goes."

After that, Mercy looked at Pierce. Pierce looked back at her.

Douglas just looked between the two of them as they stared at each other, until finally... "...so is there something going on between you two?" He hummed curiously.

"...quiet." Pierce spoke to him without parting his gaze from Mercy.

Mercy couldn't help but blush when Douglas had asked that, yet, she didn't look away from Pierce...she even realized that he still held her hand when he had dragged them farther from the building. Likewise, Pierce still found himself looking at her, his hand still wrapped around hers.

Mercy grew more bashful...enough that she finally pulled her eyes away shyly, but because of that, she happened to glance at the inferno that used to be the factory and noticed four figures walking through the flames. "...they're coming back," she pointed out.

Pierce noticed that as well, glancing over to see them. "...not a moment too soon."

Callous had a big smirk on her face with her scythe propped up on her shoulder. "That was fun."

Johnny just cracked his neck with a chuckle as well. "Good to stretch out, at least." he remarked.

"Yeah, that was a good bit of fun, alright." Spiel noted as he stretched out. "Your thoughts, Krieg?"

"...hm. It was entertaining." Krieg hummed as he simply sheathed his swords, one by one.

"At least the research was destroyed now," Ivory added.

When they got to the three standing there, Callous took and look at Mercy and Pierce with her smirk growing more when she saw they were holding hands. "Now isn't that adorable?" She chuckled.

Pierce just glanced to the side, before his gaze neared Mercy.

"Well, would ya look at that; it's like they've gotten used to it." Spiel chuckled.

Mercy scowled a little with a blush, releasing Pierce's hand. Then she looked at Douglas. "Anyway..." She mumbled.

"...time to settle things." Johnny shot in with a light chuckle.

Douglas cowered as they all towered over him.

"No going back on your word now," Callous said.

"Or else..." Spiel hummed with a somewhat threatening chuckle.

"...o-of course," Douglas uttered.

"Good," Callous replied. Then she went over and picked him up to carry him off. "Let's go."

"W-wait, where are you taking me?!" Douglas uttered.

"Why, isn't it obvious?" Johnny remarked. "It's not like we can have the new place out here in the middle of nowhere."

"Yeah what do you take us for?" Callous supposed. "You?" And she laughed. Spiel laughed at that as well, as he followed them, along with Johnny, Krieg and Ivory.

Pierce just watched them start to head off, taking a lone step before he glanced over at Mercy.

Mercy was looking back at the building that was destroyed, but eventually she looked back at Pierce. Pierce didn't say anything, but he simply gazed back at her. Mercy stared back at him…

…eventually, she shook her head. "…what are we getting ourselves into?"

Pierce just hummed. "...I... can't say for sure..." he responded thoughtfully.

"…I mean…they talk as if we're all going to stick together…for a while…" Mercy murmured, rubbing her arm.

"...maybe in their minds... they've decided that it would be for the best for the moment..." Pierce remarked.

"…so…we just…tag along as usual?" Mercy muttered.

"...well..." Pierce simply closed his eyes. "...I go where you wish to go. To me, that won't change for anything."

Mercy looked up at Pierce when he said that. In turn, he looked back at her. Slowly, Mercy walked toward where the others had gone, but slowly stopped when she was right up to Pierce. Pierce's gaze lingered on her, not a single word spoken.

Mercy started to blush shyly, and she looked at the ground, rubbing her arm again. "…well…erm…I suppose we should…catch up with them…shouldn't we?"

Pierce looked towards where the group was for a moment, before he looked back at her. "...well..." he began, as if wondering if Mercy wanted to just follow them right away, or...

Mercy looked up at him again, blushing even more bashfully.

"Hey, you two coming or what?!" called Callous from afar.

Pierce glanced over at where she was. "...don't worry about us; we'll be right behind you!" he called, before he looked back at Mercy.

"…Pierce…" Mercy muttered. "…thanks for protecting me…or trying to anyway."

Pierce simply nodded. "...I'm just grateful that you're alright..."

Mercy nodded, looking at the ground one more time… and then she went over and kissed Pierce on the cheek. Pierce's eyes widened momentarily, and a brief hint of a blush was briefly visible on his face.

Mercy pulled away, still blushing, but she walked past Pierce with nothing else to say. Pierce slowly looked towards her, and with a small, inaudible hum, he began walking after her. Mercy made sure to slow down enough so that Pierce could catch up with her, looking over at him. Pierce looked back at her as he caught up to her, remaining silent for the moment.

* * *

><p><em><strong>And can you imagine the things they do after this? XD<br>**_


	70. Chapter 69

_Three months later_

Wintertime came overhead the island of Safe Haven, and everyone was enjoying themselves as they were setting some things up. Due to the blockade, King had decided that they weren't going to have any newcomers this year. This year, they were going to spend on improving the island itself, especially after the attack that the Corrupted wrought against the island.

Christmas time wouldn't be too far off either, so on top of improving the island, everyone was also getting the Christmas decorations up for the season.

In particular, most of the Safe Haven admins and some friends of theirs were helping set up Christmas decorations on a particular house they finished building not too long ago…the house that was built for Charon's size, and for Crystal, Dax, Demi and Oblivion to live together in.

"Wow, I still can't get over how big this thing is!" Ani exclaimed.

"I know!" Jack looked up at the house with a wide smile. "They're gonna love this when they get to see it!"

"It's certainly cozy." Sage remarked with a small chuckle, as she hung up more decorations.

Vanessa chuckled at this, and glanced over at Tasha, who was admiring all the pretty decorations. Her stomach protruded out so much, and any day now, the baby was due. She needed a lot of help getting anywhere, really, so she was glad that she was out here watching everyone put up the decorations.

"So pretty!" Joy giggled, also admiring the decorations.

"Oh, you think it's pretty now?" Miser remarked with a smile. "Wait until we turn the lights on."

Joy jumped up and down excitedly. "Oh oh! Turn the lights on!"

Jill giggled at this. "Give them a minute Joy. They're finishing up."

Metal just chuckled as well. "It won't be long now..."

"...right; just have to set up a couple more things here..." Sonia hummed as she was also helping out with the decorations.

Tasha giggled softly.

Then she winced a little.

"Tasha, you alright?" Milo asked, noticing her wince.

Tasha tried to smile despite what she felt. "…I'm alright. Just some cramping is all."

"...the big day's getting closer, after all." Sage noted with a small smile.

"Just make sure you don't overexert yourself," Hunter said.

"I won't," Tasha answered.

"Right... now, let's finish these decorations." Miser hummed with a light smile.

"…aaaaaaand…done," Hunter hummed, setting up the last bit with his telekinesis.

"There we go..." Sage hummed with a light smile. "Now all we need to do is turn the lights on..."

"Right; I'll plug them in," Ani said, trotting over to the string of lights. Then she used her telekinesis to plug it in.

The house lit up with all manner of colors, putting together what were some of the best looking Christmas decorations they've ever seen.

"Ooo!" Joy squealed in amazement.

Jack gawked up at this as well. "Wow...! That's so cool!"

"They're really gonna like this," Striker said with a smile.

"Now it's just a matter of getting them here without spoiling the surprise..." Miser hummed with a smile.

"Oh, I'm sure we can think of something." Sonia noted with a small laugh.

"I think I can get them over here," Milo said. "I'll be right back…" and he headed off.

"I'll follow him!" Kristine exclaimed, running off after him.

Jack glanced over at the others. "You think we should tag along, or just stay here?"

"I think we'll be fine here," Striker said, "Could use a break from putting up Christmas decorations after all."

"It's fun putting up decorations though," Joy exclaimed, and Jill giggled, rubbing her head lovingly.

Metal chuckled as well, rubbing his neck a bit. "...though I do suppose we could show King what we've done here before the others get back. Think you could fetch him, Sonia?"

"On it," With a nod to Metal, Sonia began sprinting.

Arsenic let out a sigh, and looked around. "…Still find the island kinda…well, cool. So King cooked up the idea for this place?"

"That's right." Sage nodded, folding her arms. "Quite ambitious, wouldn't you say?"

"It's really cool, is what it is!" Jack shot in with a small grin and a laugh of his own.

"And this used to be a prison base for GUN back then, so it's got a lot of history," Striker said, grinning. "Kinda like the Mystic Ruins."

"Oh that reminds me; have you guys finished building the additions to the Clubhouse?" Jill hummed.

"Oh yeah; Whisker helped out and everything!" Striker said. "Now we just gotta paint the new rooms."

"And with everyone helping out, it'll be a breeze!" Jack chimed in again.

"Well, we certainly believe that." Miser noted with a small smile.

"The Professor said he might even try and make it over here for Christmas," Striker added.

"Oh my!"

Everyone turned and they saw Crystal, Dax, Demi, Oblivion and Charon towering over them. Milo and Kristine walked around them while they all gawked at their new home which was now garnished with all of the Christmas decorations they all put up.

Crystal looked up at the house with a big grin. "Wow! That looks really awesome guys!"

"Thanks so much," Oblivion added, smiling brightly. "We had no idea you were doing this."

"Well, we wanted to surprise you guys!" Ani laughed.

"Well, you... certainly accomplished that." Charon remarked with wide eyes.

"I'll say... this place is gigantic, and... it looks great!" Demi shot in as well.

"Yay! They love it!" Joy cheered.

"And if you think the outside is impressive, well... you haven't been inside yet." Sage noted with a light laugh.

"Would you like to come inside and see?" Tasha asked.

"Sure, we'd love to!" Crystal exclaimed.

Tasha was going to approach the door, but she winced again with a grunt, and actually touched her tummy. This got some concerned looks from the others.

"Tasha, maybe you need to sit down?" Arsenic suggested.

Looking over at Tasha, Sage slowly hummed... and narrowed her eyes. _...hang on..._

"Oh, I should be fine, don't worry about—!"

And suddenly, Tasha stopped. Her eyes went wide, and she was silent.

The others looked over at her then. "...Tasha?" Jack uttered.

"...someone grab her, now!" Sage immediately yelled. "Get her to a bed! And hurry!"

"W-wait! Is Tasha going to be okay?!" Striker uttered, growing worried.

Vanessa's eyes widened at that, "…Oh dear," and she took Tasha by the hand.

Tasha muttered something, but none of the others could quite hear what she said.

"…what?" Jill uttered.

"I said…I…I believe my…water just broke," Tasha uttered faintly.

"Just as we thought," Hunter muttered. "When Sonia brings King over, I'll direct them to where you guys are going."

"Thank you, Hunter." Sage spoke with a nod, before looking around. _Damn it... why did it have to happen away from our hospital wing?_

"Come on, then." Metal spoke, as he began helping Vanessa take Tasha inside.

"Do you want me to get some nurses over here?" Jill asked Sage.

"If you can get to them fast enough, that'd be most favorable." Sage spoke with a nod to her.

Jill nodded. "Right." And then she knelt to Joy real quick. "Stay here, honey. I'll be right back."

"Yes Mama," Joy said with a nod, and with that, Jill took off running as quickly as she could.

With a small hum, Miser looked over at Striker, Ani and Jack. "We're going to need as much help as we can for this... do you three think you could be on standby if we need it?"

"…uh…um…" Striker looked a little nervous…but eventually, he nodded, "Y-Yeah."

Breathing out just a touch, Jack eventually nodded. "...I... I'll do my best."

"Just tell us what we need to do when it's time," Ani said, nodding.

"Right." Miser spoke, glancing over at Arsenic. "You think you could help out as well, if it's needed?"

"Of course," Arsenic said.

"Alright," Sage hummed. "And... when King gets here, we have to try and prepare him for the moment."

"That's gonna be interesting," Ani hummed.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, the ferry arrived at the docks, carrying what was nothing but visitors to the island, come early for the Christmas season to visit family.<p>

"I do hope everyone is taking care of themselves," Belinda hummed.

"I figure that much would be obvious." Caitlin remarked with a light chuckle, rubbing her neck a touch.

"Well, either way, I'll be glad to see them," Bruno said with a grin, as all of the passengers on the ferry disembarked.

"...man, the place looks really peaceful, y'know?" Newt remarked as he looked around with a light grin.

"Hm..." Natal just adjusted her glasses a touch, though she was smiling.

"...things always seem peaceful during winter." Wiper mused, as he folded his arms behind his back.

"But at least King and everyone else have had this year to really take it easy without any recruits to train," Cal commented.

"Should be good for all of them," Boomer said.

"...a year on their own to just unwind sounds... refreshing." Lock mused as he adjusted his hat a touch.

"Yes, it does," Stella murmured.

Others that walked off the ferry were a couple of girls; Cyrene and Nage, looking around at the scenery. Then…

"…Cyrene," hummed a voice, and Cyrene turned, seeing Flamenco approach her.

"…Flamenco," Cyrene muttered, regarding a nod to him. "…you've been good?"

"Si," Flamenco nodded. "…I assume you're seeking Will?"

Cyrene nodded.

"…last I remember, they were heading toward the pub, amiga," Flamenco pointed out.

"…thanks…" Cyrene muttered.

Nage just let out a small hum, giving Flamenco a nod before she looked at Cyrene. Cyrene looked at her, and with that, she started walking off. Nage followed her without a word.

"...aaaw, Flammy..." Lin walked up to Flamenco with a sad look on her. "...you doing alright?"

Flamenco nodded. "I'm doing better."

"...you sure?" Lin tilted her head just a little. "I don't even see you flirting with random girls anymore... I'm kinda worried."

"…it takes time," Flamenco murmured, "…but I am respecting her decision…and I am healing."

Lin just looked at him for a bit. "...wow... you're really tough, Flammy. I dunno what I'd do if I were in the same boat you were in..."

Flamenco shrugged.

Cyrene and Nage made it to the pub, meanwhile, and entered through the doors. Ani wasn't behind the counter, and neither was Hunter, so the pub was merely just a place to hang out rather than serve as it usually did.

And just as Cyrene had hoped, she saw Will's group here just relaxing…but then they noticed the girls.

"...hey, check it out!" Marco called, as he nudged Will. "It's Cyrene!"

Will knocked him lightly over the head for that. "Yeah, we can see that." he said, before he looked back at Cyrene and Nage. "Heya," he said to them.

"Hi," Cyrene responded, smiling a little.

"So, you guys come over to visit for the holidays?" Seymour hummed.

"Sure did!" Nage shot in with a small nod.

"Man, that's real nice of ya!" Marco remarked. "If we knew you were coming over though, we'd have gotten ya somethin'..."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Cyrene said.

The door opened, and Hunter peeked in. "…hey, you guys know where King's at?"

"…no, why?" Ed asked.

"Just looking for him…if you guys haven't seen him, I'll look elsewhere," Hunter hummed, and with that, the door was closed.

"…huh…that was weird…" Seymour muttered with a raised eyebrow.

"...you're telling me." Will remarked.

Hunter was running as fast as he could around the town. _I REALLY hope Sonia finds him!_ he thought.

Eventually, he spotted Sonia and King by one of the buildings overlooking the other soldiers putting up decorations.

"KING!" Hunter exclaimed.

King glanced over at Hunter with a surprised look on him. "Hunter? What's wrong?"

Sonia looked at him with a concerned expression. "Did something happen?"

Hunter panted to catch his breath when he caught up to them. "It's Tasha!" He huffed. "S-She's going into labor!"

Both of their eyes shot wide open when they heard that. "Seriously?!" they yelped.

"Wha-buh-right now?!" King sputtered, quickly grabbing Hunter's arms. "Y-you gotta take me to her! I have to be there for her!"

"We're all going, so let's just hurry!" Immediately, Sonia grabbed both Hunter and King by their wrists, before she began dashing through the snow. "She's at the new place, right?!"

"Yeah! They got her into a bed and Jill went to get the nurses!" Hunter uttered.

"Good going!" Sonia nodded. "Now we've got a really important task ahead of us before we get there... make sure that King doesn't faint because of this!"

"No kidding!" Hunter laughed at that.

And King was... well, he was still sputtering as he was dragged along.

"Better start trying to calm him down!" Sonia called, as she kept running onwards.

"King, you gotta focus!" Hunter yelled, snapping his fingers in front of his face.

"Wha- huh?!" King shot a look at him. "Ah, I... y-yeah, focus! Gotta focus, you're right!"

The three of them ended up passing by some of those from the ferry, but given the circumstances, they didn't pay any attention as they rushed by and disappeared in the distance.

"...was that King?" Bruno pointed out, blinking.

"...sure seemed like it." Caitlin remarked. "And he was with Hunter and Sonia too, right?"

"...hm...those three seemed to be in an awfully big hurry," Belinda mused.

"I wonder why," Bruno muttered.

"...you think we oughta tag along and find out what's up?" Caitlin hummed.

"Don't know," Bruno muttered, "maybe-" and he paused when he saw Jill run by in the same fashion, following the direction that King, Hunter and Sonia ran, and with Jill were what seemed to be a couple of nurses carrying equipment with them.

This made Belinda's eyes widen. "King and a bunch of nurses?"

Caitlin's eyes narrowed. "...no matter how ya slice it... that just screams one thing...!" And she began running after them.

"Oh my, this is exciting," Belinda chuckled, running after her.

"Ah-wait up!" Bruno yelped, hurrying after them.

All the while, Caitlin had grown a grin that showed off just how excited she was. _I can't believe it... just when we're visiting, they're finally gonna bear him! This is the best timing I've ever heard of!_

* * *

><p>"Oh! King!" Crystal yelped when she saw him, Hunter and Sonia approaching. "It's Tasha, she's-"<p>

"He knows," Hunter interrupted, huffing. Then he chuckled. "Can't you see how panicked he is?"

Crystal laughed. "You're right!"

"Right, let's not keep teasing him." Sonia chuckled, breathing out a bit. "C'mon, let's get inside. Which room did they bring her to, Crystal?"

"They brought her to my room," Crystal said, and them she got excited. "Oh man! He's gonna be born in my room! I'm so excited!" She squealed.

Then she stopped when she saw something. "Hm?"

Jill suddenly showed up, and the nurses were right behind her. "Oh good; you're here King," Jill huffed. "I got the nurses."

The door opened and Vanessa stepped out. "King, you're here." Then she noticed the nurses, "and medical help. Good."

"How is the mother?" one of the nurses asked. "How far into the labor has she gone?"

"Well, her water broke not minutes ago, and her contractions have started, but she hasn't dilated very much," Vanessa answered.

Striker had a confused and nervous face. "Uh...what...does any of that mean?"

"...it means that she's gonna be in labor for a while," Vanessa hummed.

"Sounds like it," the other nurse responded. "That should give us enough time to set things up." Then the nurse looked at King. "...and you're the father?"

"...uh..." King uttered, still a little out of it as he tried to get himself psyched up.

"Yeah, he is." Sonia nodded. "Need him to do anything?"

"All we just need to do is set up our equipment, and we wanted him to know that he had the choice to come in with us to be with the mother or to stay out here," the nurse said. "We would come get him when the labor gets farther."

"Although we do need help setting up our equipment," the other nurse said.

Miser hummed upon hearing that... and she smiled. "...Jack? Striker?"

Jack glanced over at the rhino. "What is it?"

"I think you two should get Ani and Arsenic. You four could help these nurses out, right?" Miser spoke with a light chuckle.

"U-Uh…sure!" Striker uttered.

"We, uh... we'll help out!" Jack added.

After hearing what the nurse had to say, King had managed to calm down just a little. "...I... I should be with her." he eventually managed to utter.

"Alright then. Please come with us," the nurses said. "Would you be so kind to show us where she is?"

"Certainly," Vanessa said, turning to walk inside with the nurses following.

"…Uh, Jack, you go get Arsenic and Ani and I'll stay and help!" Striker uttered, walking in after the nurses.

"On it!" Jack nodded as he hurried to run to where Ani and Arsenic were. After that, King followed the nurses and Vanessa into the house. Crystal also followed them into the house.

"...man, this is sure gonna be a busy Christmas, isn't it?" Sonia noted as she glanced over at Hunter with a light chuckle.

"It sure is," Hunter said. "…well, I think I'm gonna go and overlook the other soldiers hanging the decorations, and make sure everything gets done for King with this going on." And he walked away.

Giving him a nod, Sonia breathed out as she rubbed her hands together. "...right... now what to do..."

Inside the house, Vanessa led the nurses, Striker and King to a room. Opening the door, there stood Dax, Demi, Oblivion and Metal, and of course, lying in the bed was Tasha, wincing in her pain. When Crystal followed in, she went and stood over with her friends.

Tasha looked over though, and gave a sigh of relief when she saw the nurses and King. "Twilight…"

Smiling back at her, King walked over to her to gently take hold of her hand. "Tasha..." he uttered.

Crystal smiled at this. Then she spoke up, "hey King. Are there things need to be done for the island?"

King glanced over at her with a slight nod. "...yeah, just a few things." he spoke.

"Then tell us what we need to do and we'll take care of it for ya!" Crystal offered.

Hearing that, King smiled, before he nodded. "Alright... there's a couple of things that have to be done by the harbor and the music square. Ya think you could head over there?"

"Sure thing!" Crystal said. "C'mon Dax!" and she hurried out the door, with Dax following.

"We'll help too, right Demi?" Oblivion asked.

Demi regarded a quick nod to her. "Of course." he spoke, as he headed out with Oblivion.

Tasha turned to look at King, grasping his hand with a smile up at him. "…and by the way…I've decided on the name…" She closed her eyes. "…I think we should go with what you thought of."

King smiled back at her, gently grasping her hand in return. "...you... really think so, Tasha?" he spoke.

"Yes...I do," Tasha said with her smile growing. Then she suddenly winced with a hiss, and her hold on King's hand tightened.

Seeing that, King held her hand tightly to try and give her something other than the pain to focus on. "Tasha..."

"I'm alright," Tasha grunted.

Just then, Arsenic and Ani came in, with Jack following. "Um, you needed help with setting up equipment?" Arsenic hummed.

"Yes," one of the nurses answered.

King gave the two of them a small nod, before his focus returned to Tasha.

"Just let us know if we should help out with anything as well." Metal shot in as he gave the nurses a nod.

"Right..." One of the nurses said with a nod.

At that point, the door was slammed open, and someone stumbled inside. "He's not come out yet, has he?!" Caitlin yelled as she heaved for her breath.

Startled by her appearing so suddenly, King just gawked at her. "M-mom?!"

"Caitlin!" Tasha was startled too, giving a yelp. Then she winced some more. King quickly looked back at her, holding her hand tightly.

"Oh... oh, not yet." Caitlin uttered, before breathing. "Phew... thought I wasn't gonna catch it in time."

"No, I believe we have a while before the time comes," one of the nurses said. "But it seems like you're family. You can stay if you'd like."

Caitlin gave her a small smile. "Thanks, miss. I appreciate it."

Ani laughed a little. "Definitely King's mom!"

King chuckled as well. "Yup, she sure is..." Then he gave her a nod. "...thanks for being here, mom."

"Oh, don't go soft on me, Twilight." Caitlin laughed, as she folded her arms. "Don't want ya fainting on us when the big moment arrives!"

"He better not," Ani chuckled in addition. "Don't want the first thing your son sees is his dad fainting!"

Tasha giggled at this.

"Hey, hey..." King chuckled a bit as he rubbed his head a touch awkwardly.

"Right, time to get ourselves ready, then." Metal hummed with a light chuckle of his own.

* * *

><p>It was a building that was on the edge of a city, where it wasn't as chaotic or busy as the downtown or center part of the city was, but at least it was within a distance anyone could reach if there was any real emergency.<p>

Thankfully with the season, there wasn't very much call for any work, and so the individuals that lived inside this particular building were just occupying their own time with anything other than decorating for the Christmas season.

...only within the building could a sudden quake be felt.

"...hm...Mercy's training again," Ivory mused while she drank hot cocoa in the lounge.

"...seems that way." Krieg remarked as he simply sat upon a couch, meditating to himself.

The large training room they owned was underground, and was built with walls made out of the strongest material they could afford to withstand the roughness of their training.

That didn't stop the room from shaking, however, thanks to the impact of a couple of sentries that were programmed to shoot at what appeared to be a shiny object drifting around the room, avoiding rockets.

This fast object was a figure that was wearing mechanical, robotic armor, and what helped the figure evade the rockets were a pair of jet thrusters that were on it's back and the back of its legs, skating around the room smoothly and gracefully. After a while, the robotic figure pointed its arms at the sentries and released a hailstorm of laser fire, destroying the sentries all up until there was no more retaliation against it.

In a cloud of smoke from all the warfare, the robotic figure stopped skating around and stood, looking at the destroyed equipment.

"_Geez, you do realize that we have to replace those things, right?_" Spoke a voice over an intercom in the training room.

The robotic figure turned to see a nest up near the corner of the room that was protected by a shield and bullet-proof glass, with which the robotic figure could see Callous leaning back with her legs propped up on the control panel.

_"I'll say. We can't just blow that stuff up willy-nilly; that'd screw over our budget."_ another voice chimed in; this one belonging to Johnny, leaning against the wall within this nest.

The robotic figure stared up at them. Eventually, it pressed a button on the side of its head, which caused its head piece to split apart, revealing who it was underneath.

"...I'm done training anyway," Mercy muttered, and with that, she left the combat area.

"...hm, testy," Callous chuckled from within the nest.

"That she is." Johnny chuckled as well. "Ya figure she's got you-know-who on the mind?"

"Probably," Callous supposed. "He's been gone for a week now without reporting back from his mission." And she smirked. "Seriously; those two have really been beating around the bush with each other. I'm surprised she hasn't tried to set out to look for him."

"I figure it's only a matter of time before he comes back or she decides to head off." Johnny chuckled a bit.

"Let's see just how long she'll last..." Callous snickered.

Mercy emerged from the elevator that took her to the floor where the living quarters were at, walking down the hall in silence. Even training couldn't keep her from worrying over the fact that he had been gone for a week without any word. Her comrades kept trying to reassure her that he'd be fine, and she knew that she really should believe that given that he spent years alone, taking care of himself.

Still...she couldn't help but just...worry...

"Geez, you keep worrying and you might actually get sick," grumbled another voice nearby.

"Don't you have anything better to do, Gruff?" Mercy muttered, stopping in the middle of the hallway.

"None of us have anything better to do," grumbled the rooster from the doorway of the infirmary. Then he folded his arms. "C'mon...just knock it off and fuckin' try to relax."

Mercy simply grunted. "...easier said than done old man..." And she headed off into her room.

Gruff growled, scratching his head. "...fuckin' retirement...yeah right..." And he sighed. "...kept me out of debt though..." And he entered back into his office.

Meanwhile, Mercy stepped into a mechanical pod with a platform, and little robotic arms took off her robotic armor piece by piece. This had been the so-called "ultimate weapon" that aristocrat had promised her all those months ago, and since then, has kept her up with the others in terms of fighting. It managed to earn her a little respect at the lack of needing to be saved, and at least she learned enough about it to keep it in maintenance, as well as look for any chance to upgrade it.

All that was left of her afterward was the full body suit that she had worn specifically for the armor and when she stepped out of the pod, she proceeded to change clothes to a tank top and a pair of jeans. Then she sat down on her bed.

Like their medical specialist had bluntly established, there just wasn't anything to do...so there really wasn't anything to keep her mind off of what she was worrying about. Even the idea of a nap didn't seem likely, despite still laying down onto her bed.

Little by little, her hand clutched to the bedsheets.

"...Pierce..."

And her thoughts went back...

_"Sure is one hell of a place to retreat to," Callous huffed. They were all marching up a mountain which was in the middle of a snowstorm, but it didn't really affect any of them as they traversed up the snow-covered slope._

_"Feh... seems like he's betting on anyone chasin' him to just die in the cold wastes." Spiel remarked with a huff as he walked ahead of the group._

_"...hm." was the only response out of Pierce, who simply kept his blade close._

_Callous chuckled. "Too bad it's not even a challenge for us." Then she turned her head back. "What bad timing for your robot suit to be in maintenance, huh? Maybe you should've stayed at base."_

_"I'll be fine," Mercy insisted with an annoyed huff. "...I shouldn't have to rely on it all the time y'know? I don't think it'll be needed to track just one guy."_

_"Feh, suit yourself." Johnny chuckled. "Too bad Krieg's not here to join in the fun, huh?"_

_"Well, you heard him; he figured he'd just be a hindrance during a blizzard." Spiel remarked in response, chuckling as well. "Personally, I think it's a load of shit, but hey, whatever floats his boat."_

_"Maybe he just wanted to let us have the fun this time," Callous chuckled._

_Suddenly...Mercy stopped._

_As he noticed that, Pierce came to a halt as well. "...what's wrong?"_

_"...I'm just...getting a bad feeling..." Mercy muttered. "...I mean...you'd think the guy would try and leave something to stop anyone from finding him instead of just this game of hide and seek..."_

_"Well, you have a point, but we won't know exactly what he's tried to use until we get to it, won't we?" Callous hummed. "Don't be so paranoid, Mercy. It doesn't suit you."_

_Mercy grumbled at that._

_"I figure she's just worried she's gonna trip over something now that she's not in the suit." Johnny remarked with a light laugh._

_Pierce simply hummed, as he closed his eyes thoughtfully._

_"Anyway, c'mon, let's keep going," Callous hummed, turning to walk onward._

_"Right, right..." Spiel hummed as he followed suite, with Johnny not far behind._

_Pierce glanced over at Mercy with a thoughtful hum. "...stick close to me." he spoke with a small nod._

_"...right," Mercy responded, since she took every warning Pierce had very seriously. They continued as well, with Mercy walking closer by Pierce's side. Pierce slowly looked towards Mercy as they walked, before glancing around the landscape._

_Suddenly, in the distance...there was a blast. It was very far away, further up the mountain, but it echoed far enough for the group to hear it._

_"...you guys hear that?" Callous muttered, looking up the mountain._

_"...yeah." Johnny remarked. "It sounded like something blew up..."_

And at that point, Pierce's eyes narrowed, and he came to an immediate halt. "...then we can't stay here. We have to retreat."

_"Yeah," Callous agreed. Then she chuckled as they all stared running. "That was actually pretty smart of the guy. I'd say Mercy's paranoia was actually warranted this time."_

_"Feh, if you're afraid of an avalanche, just let me handle it." Spiel remarked as he ran along with them. "I'd just blow it away."_

_"And risk a greater avalanche upon us?" Pierce huffed. "It would be wiser to wait this one out, and return once it settles. He can't have much more explosives prepared..."_

_Then there were more blasts that sounded off in other directions._

_Callous stopped with a grunt. "...hmph. He figured we'd know what he'd do and try and escape from it. He thought his moves ahead."_

_"So then where do we go?" Mercy said. "If we don't try and get off the mountain soon-" and she was interrupted when the ground around them quaked and shuddered._

_"Shit... doesn't look like we're getting that easily outta this one." Johnny huffed._

_"Quick! If we find something that can cover us, we can hide in it!" Mercy yelped, making all of them run off again._

_"What can we hope for?" Callous snapped back at her. "With all those explosives he set off, this thing is gonna be massive!"_

_And when she turned, she _gawked_. There was a path of an avalanche that was heading down from where they were running to._

_As he noticed that, Pierce narrowed his eyes. "...perhaps it can be delayed!"_

_"How?!" Spiel called. "You just said I couldn't blast that thing!"_

_"...then I'll do it myself!" At that point, Pierce spun around, and with a single slash, he had drawn his sword, sending a horizontal cutting wave rocketing towards the thundering avalanche._

_The avalanche split in half, going past the group and leaving them unharmed for the moment as they watched in awe._

_Then suddenly, another avalanche came from another direction, disrupting the slice through._

_Mercy watched as the avalanche closed in around them, with escape an impossibility at this rate, and she shut her eyes to brace for the impact. She figured the others would probably survive, but she wasn't so sure about herself._

_That was the last thing she remembered at that point..._

_...the next thing she remembered was being tremendously cold...and somehow managing to dig out of the snow with a gasp for air. She huffed after going through that, catching her breath as well as amazed that she had survived it._

_A cold wind was blowing around her, and everything seemed dark. Night had fallen... and there was no sign of anyone else._

_No one... save for a lone blade poking out of the snow a small distance from her._

_She let out a gasp, "Pierce?!" And went over to dig in the snow where the blade was._

_After a while, she managed to dig out the dark blade, along with its owner. Pierce, however, did not look in good shape; the impact from the avalanche had knocked him out, as was evidenced by blood trickling from his head. He was thankfully still breathing, however. _

_"Oh no..." Mercy huffed. Her teeth started to chatter due to the cold, but she forced through it as she tried to pull out Pierce._

_It took some doing, but eventually, Pierce was brought out, swaying limply as he was picked up. Mercy then pulled him over her back for her to carry, picking up the sword._

_"...please hang on Pierce..." Mercy uttered, limping away. The first thing they had to do was find some kind of shelter out of the blizzard._

_They both had been blasted away to an unrecognizable part of the mountain, and Mercy limped on for a while, but she persisted out of worry for Pierce._

_Eventually her tread across the snow led her to a cavern, which was probably going to be the best shelter for the two of them in the given circumstances. Mercy limped inside, and was relieved just to get out of the storm. _

_When she got far enough into the cavern, she placed the sword down, and then gently placed Pierce down, examining him worriedly. He was still knocked out, in a daze. The injury to his head didn't seem too serious, though if the blizzard persisted, it could cause more damage than expected._

_"...I have to clean the head wound first," Mercy told herself, and thankfully, she knew what to do. She pulled out a handkerchief she had in her pocket and moved his hair around so that she could clean up where the blood was coming from..._

_...then she ripped off a piece of his clothing and used it to bandage the head injury that she had cleaned up. He didn't move or make much resistance, so bandaging the injury was the easy part._

_"It'll have to do...now if I could get a fire started to warm us up," Mercy muttered. She stood up and looked out in the direction where she entered the cave. "...but who knows if there's anything I can use out there."_

_Then she looked down at Pierce with increasing worry. "...I can't just leave him here..." She uttered. "...but if I don't do anything...his body will suffer from hypothermia..."_

_She even clutched to her chest at a heartache she started to feel. She was suddenly reminded of when she went hunting bounties just to earn money for her late husband's surgery...just to come back to him, discovering he had died..._

_Her eyes shut, trying to hold back tears. "...N-no I...I can't leave him alone..." And then she looked down at him, admittedly a bit frightfully. "...but...what do I do...?"_

_Not only did she have Pierce to worry about either...if she wasn't careful, she could go into the same kind of shock from the cold. She had to think of something that was going to keep the two of them warm, and looking for things to make a fire was too risky..._

_Then it hit her...and her eyes widened. She thought it was a ludicrous idea and wondered why the hell she even thought of it. It actually made her blush in embarrassment at it. She couldn't really do was she was thinking...could she?_

_...but then she looked at Pierce again. Still, he remained unconscious, though small breaths escaped his lips occasionally._

_...there was no telling how long they might've been buried in the snow, or how long Pierce might've been unconscious. Mercy knew that if she didn't do anything soon, he was going to freeze to death. She touched his arm, and felt just how chillingly cold he was to the touch. His body was dropping in temperature..._

_Mercy closed her eyes, and grit her teeth. "...Pierce...please...stay with me..." And she looked away from him with a blush. "...and whatever happens...I hope you don't take any of this the wrong way..."_

_With that, Mercy, a bit hesitantly, reached down and unraveled his clothes on his upper body. She put a hand on his heart and thankfully felt that it was still warm, but it was faint._

_With that, she pulled off her jacket and set it aside, shivering immensely at how cold it was in the cavern. Even if they were out of the storm, it was still below freezing in there. _

_Now came the hard part for her. Slowly she undid the buttons on the front of her shirt, keeping her eye on Pierce shakily. Still, Pierce remained unconscious._

_When she got her shirt completely off, she shuddered even more out of the cold and the embarrassment of her naked chest, but she knew that this was the only way for the two of them to keep warm in this circumstance._

_Slowly she lay down beside Pierce and wrapped her arms around him, holding him closely enough for their bodies to make contact. At first she jolted at his cold body pressed up against hers, but she bore with it, and even pulled her own jacket over the two of them as an improvised blanket to keep the heat retained between them. With as close as she was to him, the sound of his breath grew more audible, as he didn't seem to react to her touch just yet; though the heat was still retained between them._

_Slowly but surely, she could feel the heat spread on his body, and intensifying between the two of them. Because of this, Mercy finally stopped shaking in the cold, warming up too._

_She gave a sigh of relief. "...we should be okay until you recover..." And she wasn't sure how long that would be, but she hoped that he would wake up soon._

_It was a possibility that they might even have to spend he night here if things were that bad. Mercy didn't like the thought, but she knew that until Pierce was capable of walking around, they had to stay put...and she had to keep them alive until then._

_Strangely enough, the warmth between them gave her a bit of...comfort. It relaxed her enough that she realized how exhausted she was, and her eyes slowly closed while she nuzzled up to him._

_"...please...stay with me Pierce..." She whispered before she ended up falling asleep._

Just remembering that moment, that feeling of being so close to him, was enough to actually lull Mercy into the nap she wanted to try and take...

...and at that point, the doors to the building opened, and a figure slowly slumped inside, breathing ever so lightly.

Luckily, Brute was by the front doors at this time, so he took notice, "hm?!"

Before the figure could collapse, he jabbed something into the ground to keep himself steady, breathing out. "...I'm... back..."

Brute recognized him, "Pierce!" And went to help him stay on his feet.

Pierce just breathed as he supported himself on the sword. His feet were trembling, and gashes were drawn across his body. Even with the Corruption within him, he chose to keep himself from using it, so wounds like this were things he seemed to suffer a bit from moreso than the likes of Johnny or Callous. As he breathed, he just glanced up at Brute. "...just... get me to Callous... then my room... no fuss..."

"Right," Brute nodded, and helped him limp down the hallway.

After a time, when Brute finally had carried all the way to where Callous and Johnny walked out from the elevator, she looked mildly surprised.

"Huh, you're back; go figure," she mused. "...and you look like hell."

"...it was a... rougher mission than anticipated." Pierce murmured. "Took me a few days to find them... took me a few days to wake up."

"Sheesh." Johnny hummed. "What, did ya blow them up and get caught in the explosion or something?"

Pierce blinked, before he glanced aside. "...maybe."

Callous actually laughed at that.

"Well, what matters is that ya got the job done." Johnny laughed. "Now get some rest, before you have Mercy freaking out again."

Pierce hummed. "...she worried, I presume."

"Like you wouldn't believe." Johnny chuckled.

"What else d'ya think she'd be doing?" Callous mused.

"Anyhow...I'll help him down," Brute said, helping Pierce into the elevator.

Pierce just hummed as he was led inside.

Johnny folded his arms with a small laugh. "You expecting high-octane drama for whenever Mercy finds out that he's back?"

"Definitely," Callous chuckled. Then she rubbed her chin. "...but it's strange how hurt he let himself get. He's usually more diligent than that."

Johnny shrugged. "Eh, I figure he had something on his mind, is all. Nothing major, though."

"True. At least he got back alive," Callous said.

Brute got Pierce to the floor of the living quarters and walked him to his room. "Rest first, and then Gruff?" Brute asked him.

"...yes." Pierce spoke with a small nod.

"Right." Brute managed to help Pierce sit down on his bee and with another nod, left the room. This left Pierce alone for the meantime.

With a small breath, Pierce fell backwards and closed his eyes, managing to relax. Ever since he had found those they were hired to take out... they had been prepared. The only way he could have taken them out without having them alert their conspirators was, indeed, to annihilate them in a towering explosion...

...and he _really_ shouldn't have been standing so close to the explosion itself.

He momentarily cursed his own foolishness. What if the explosion had been even greater? What if no one had managed to find him? He had been out of it for several days, and it could have taken him quite a while longer to actually recover. Where had this unfocused blunder come from?

Perhaps... he hadn't yet forgotten another time his life had been saved...

_...as his eyes slowly opened, the first thing he felt, aside from a cold wind howling not too far from him, was... a warm sensation draped across his being. "...nh...?" Slowly, he looked over..._

_...and as it turned out, Mercy was lying there right next to him in slumber, holding closely to him. The warmth he felt came from the fact that the two of them were sharing body heat under her coat. Pierce also spied her shirt lying on the ground next to them, as well as his sword._

_Needless to say, he was... surprised; just looking at Mercy with a baffled expression, as he still seemed a bit out of it. "...Mercy..."_

_She still slept, nuzzled up to him._

_It didn't take him long to realize the situation. They were both alone, in the freezing cold of the mountain... resting within a cavern, with his own shirt rolled up, and hers lying on the cave floor by them. Even though the blizzard still seemed to rage outside... the warmth that they had shared had carried both of them through the night._

He winced. Just the stinging sensation of the wound against his head would've been enough to fully wake him, but it was the sight of Mercy that was really keeping him awake. He didn't remember much after that avalanche hit them... whether Callous, Johnny, Spiel and Krieg were out looking for them or were spread out on their own was something he couldn't answer, either...

_...but Mercy had gone to this extent, just to keep him safe during these harsh conditions... and to think, it was usually the other way around..._

_...in a way, he couldn't help but be flattered, to think that she valued him enough to shield him from this harm... but it also put him in distress. Already had he sworn to protect her, and yet she had done him such a favor in saving him..._

_...how could he possibly repay her for this?_

_Slowly, Mercy shifted in her sleep...and with a slight yawn, started to blink as she sluggishly woke up. Seeing her wake up, Pierce tilted his head a touch, but remained silent._

_When Mercy looked at Pierce, she grew relieved. "...you're awake."_

_"...thanks to you..." Pierce spoke slowly, before he winced a touch from the head injury again. "Nh... how long... was I out?"_

_"All of last night since the avalanche," she told him. "...I dragged us out of the storm so that we could rest for the night."_

_"...I see..." Pierce hummed ever so lightly as he nodded. "...what about you? You're not hurt, are you...?"_

_"I'm okay," she answered. Then she smiled. "I'm just glad you're okay."_

_He smiled back at her. "...I, too, am glad that you're alright..."_

_Mercy kept smiling._

_Then her smile faded. "Do you think you'll be able to walk if we try and look for the others?" She asked him._

_Pierce hummed a touch when he heard that. "...hm... I'm not sure..." he murmured. "...we'll simply have to try..."_

_"Alright," Mercy said._

_...then she blushed severely and looked away. "...then...you...may want to look away for a moment..."_

_Pierce blinked... and when he realized why that was, he looked away as well, a faint blush growing across his face as well. "...right... I see."_

_With that, Mercy discarded the jacket and Pierce presumed that she was going about getting her shirt back on._

_Pierce remained silent, in deep thought. The thought of Mercy getting herself dressed in his presence... he wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that, considering his status as a bodyguard to her. He respected her boundaries... but part of him could not forget that warmth he had felt... no, the warmth he was _still_ feeling..._

_"...alright, you can look now."_

_Pierce slowly looked back towards her. He saw that she had her shirt on again, and she reached to pull on her jacket. Looking her over, he could clarify that she didn't seem hurt in any way... which he was ever thankful for._

_With a light hum, he slowly tried to stand up from where he was sitting; though with his injury, a slight tinge of dizzyness hit him, forcing him to support himself against the wall._

_"Pierce?" Worriedly, Mercy took a hold of his arm to help support him out of worry. "Are you alright?"_

_Pierce just breathed out. "...I'll manage... just a little disoriented, is all..."_

_"Right," Mercy responded with a nod. Then she picked up his sword and held it up for him._

_With a small hum and a nod, Pierce slowly took the sword and clutched to it. "...shall we?"_

_Mercy wrapped her arm around his to keep her support on him, and nodded. "Yes..." And with that, they ambled out of the cave..._

...and after that... he just hummed. It didn't take them long to reunite with the others after leaving the cave; in fact, Spiel and Krieg had been spending the entire night searching for both the two of them, as well as Johnny and Callous. He admired their tenacity, even if they weren't even Corrupted...

...but then he wondered about himself. He had allowed himself to be knocked out in such a way twice now, and the second time, Mercy hadn't been there...

...he wondered if she would be angry with him, if she discovered him in this state.

There was a beeping noise overhead, and a voice. "_Just got another mission guys,_" Ivory hummed. "_Time to meet up for the briefing._"

As he heard that, Pierce sighed. "...so much for the nap..." With that, Pierce slowly stood up from the bed, making his way towards the door.

The minute he got out the door...

"Pierce?!"

Mercy had just walked out her bedroom door, and on top of being surprised to see that Pierce was back, she was also shocked at how injured he looked.

He simply stood there in the doorway, blinking as he realized that Mercy stood practically right in front of him. "...Mercy..."

Mercy gawked at him for a moment...

...and then her eyes narrowed. "...go back to bed. You're hurt."

Pierce let out a small sigh, closing his eyes. "...once I've heard the mission briefing... I will." he spoke.

Mercy looked at him, and grew worried. "...well...alright then. Do you need help getting there?"

A small hum escaped his lips... and he nodded. "...yes." he spoke bluntly.

"...okay," and she took his arm again, similar to how she did back then in that cavern. With a small breath, Pierce gave her a thankful nod before he allowed her to lead the way.

They got up the elevator and down the hall to the briefing room, and when they walked in, the others looked surprised to see them; except Callous, Johnny and Brute.

"Oh yeah; I forgot to mention that Pierce was back," Callous hummed.

"...you... could probably have stood to mention it sooner." Krieg remarked.

"Feh, you know how she is." Spiel shrugged. "If either Ivory or Mia had noticed, you'd think him coming back would be bigger news than the next assignment."

"Oh, like you're not used to it at this point." Johnny remarked with a light chuckle. "So, what's on the agenda today, Ivory?"

Once Mercy helped Pierce get seated, Ivory set down a file on the table they all sat at. "This one is a rescue mission. A hostage situation has taken place in downtown Westopolis five hours ago, and police haven't had any luck trying to get in."

"Wait, wouldn't this be a job for GUN to take care of?" Mercy pointed out with a blink.

"Well, the client wanted to hire us because we're cheaper than GUN," Ivory said. "And I don't think they could get team Alpha and Chaotix anyway, since they probably have special leave for the holiday."

"Figures..." Johnny remarked with a small hum. "So, who're we sending out?"

"I figure I'll be enough for this." Spiel chuckled. "If it's just knocking some bad guys about, I think-"

"It won't be that easy." Pierce murmured, as he just breathed out. "With the hostages, they have leverage against any attackers... what we need is someone to get the hostages out without them noticing, before we take them out."

"My thoughts exactly," Ivory said. "So I have kind of a basic plan for that. I figure we have Johnny and Callous sneak in to rescue the hostages, with Spiel and Krieg as the offensive to take care of the kidnappers, and me, Mia and Brute can act as crowd control, as well as make sure that none of the kidnappers get away. There's been some already injured reported too, so we might actually need Gruff with us on this to provide emergency care until any of the paramedics can make it to the scene."

"Fuck...seriously?" Gruff groaned, rubbing his temples.

"Oh, you can handle it old man," Callous chuckled. "As far as the plan, I'm down with it so far."

"I agree." Johnny chuckled. "This is gonna be a cakewalk."

"Hm... it seems easy to memorize, yes." Krieg mused. "But then... I take it that Mercy and Pierce are left in charge of the base until we return?"

"Yeah, since...I'm gonna be straight with you Pierce," Ivory said, looking at the poodle. "You don't look like you're in any condition to take on this mission, and after just coming back from one you did on your own, you could probably use the break." Then she looked at Mercy. "And given that Gruff is coming with us, it goes without being said."

"Right," Mercy nodded with no intention of making any argument against that. Likewise, Pierce simply nodded. It didn't seem like he even had any plans of taking on the mission to begin with.

"Right, then I guess we've got everything settled, yeah?" Spiel chuckled.

"Yep," Brute responded.

"Alright. We're heading out in two minutes. Everyone get what they need before then," Ivory said. "That's all."

Mercy came over and helped Pierce back up on his feet. As he got up, Pierce looked over the group... and he gave them a nod. "...good luck."

"Thanks, but it's kinda unnecessary." Johnny chuckled. "We've got this in the bag."

With that said, Mercy helped Pierce down to the elevator, and eventually, back to the living quarters, and to his room. Throughout all of this, Mercy was silent. Likewise, Pierce remained silent as well, keeping his eyes closed.

Mercy managed to get Pierce to sit on his bed. "...there," she murmured.

"...thank you." Pierce murmured.

"Sure thing..." Mercy responded. Then he stood there in silence...

...until, "...Pierce...if you don't mind me asking..."

Pierce glanced towards her. "...what is it?"

Mercy looked down at him, and eventually pulled a chair over by his bed to sit down. "What happened on your mission?" She asked.

He hummed, before he glanced aside. "...they were... expecting challengers. Taking them head-on would be foolish, so I... took them out with an explosion..."

"...and got caught in the blast?" Mercy presumed.

Pierce simply nodded. "I was careless..."

"...I see..." Mercy murmured.

With that, Pierce remained silent as he just... didn't quite know what to say. How Mercy acted... he hadn't foreseen her taking it with such calm...

"...were you...distracted?"

Pierce nodded in reply.

"...by what?" Mercy asked, growing more worried.

Pierce let out yet another sigh.

"...what happened... back at the mountain... it lingered strongly in my memory, even when..."

Mercy grew silent, staring at him in surprise, and waiting for him to continue.

"...I know it seems strange of me, given that I am your bodyguard..." Pierce murmured averting his gaze. "...but... you saved my life up there... and I simply don't know how to repay you for that..."

Mercy was still silent, unsure what to say in response...

...though eventually, Mercy smiled in amusement. "...if we're talking about keeping score, then I'm the one that owes you after all the times you've saved me."

Her smile fell then, but she looked up at him. "...Pierce...you've done so much for me ever since we joined forces; even if it was just the two of us. I know you just see that as doing your duty but...to me, it really means a lot."

Then she closed her eyes. "...so...really, there's no need to feel that you have to repay me for it..."

Hearing her say that, Pierce couldn't help but crack a light smile. "...I... suppose you are right..." He then rubbed his neck a touch. "...but... I suppose why that stuck with me so much was... until you saved me, I cannot recall... anyone ever aiding me in such a way..."

"...really?" Mercy asked.

Again, Pierce responded only with a nod.

Mercy looked down at the ground thoughtfully for a moment, before she stood up. "Well, you should get some rest. I'll check up on everything in the base in the meantime," she said, moving the chair back to where she had gotten it.

Pierce hummed a touch as well, before nodding. "...you're right." With that, he laid himself down on the bed, breathing out as he closed his eyes.

"...rest easy...Pierce," Mercy muttered, leaving the room.

Once more, before he could even doze off, Pierce just thought... there didn't seem to be a lot he could think of in order to repay Mercy, even if she had told him that she was technically the one owing him for all he had done for her...

...but even with that, why was it that he couldn't shake the issue off? He racked his mind for answers, but nothing seemed to come to mind... maybe she had better answers than he did? He didn't quite understand yet...

"...fuh..." With a small breath, his eyes closed, and he finally dozed off for the moment.

Mercy stopped and slumped against the wall, covering her eyes shakily. She tried to hold back her tears but they came anyway. She had just been so relieved that Pierce was back that she sobbed quietly.

She had been worried... very worried. Flashbacks of her husband had even bothered her as she worried about Pierce, fearing that something happened to him while he was out there and that she couldn't have helped him. She was afraid that if they had gone out to look for him, it would've been too late. She wasn't able to handle the thought, let alone the possible sight of Pierce being...

...she had a lot of time to think, and it had become more obvious to herself that she really cared about Pierce. She wouldn't have gone to that desperation to keep him alive on that mountain if she didn't care, and especially after that, she's worried more and more about him.

Callous had been right...she had feelings for him.

Anyhow, Mercy was able to calm down after having gotten that out, so after wiping her tears, she headed for the elevator to take care of the responsibilities around the base.

* * *

><p><em><strong>You guys should let me know if you want to read the actual mission the team goes on! <strong>_


	71. Chapter 70

Cowpoke was sitting in bed, sighing again. He didn't think Desire was going to stay as long as she did. It was interesting having someone else like her to talk to, but she was silent a lot; probably thinking about a lot of things.

It wasn't that bad though. After all the things she went through, she needed plenty of time to think. After all, she and her son were still healing...

"…_I'm surprised you're staying another day," Cowpoke mused. "Got no place to go?"_

"…_no, not really…" Desire muttered, walking up next to him to lean on the railing. "…with cheating on my ex and all…well…and him finding his first wife alive when she was thought to be dead, I'm pretty much sure that I can't call that place home anymore."_

"…_hm…" Cowpoke muttered._

"…_the only thing I haven't done yet is file for divorce…" Desire mumbled._

"…_so until then, where do you think you'll go with Rascal?" Cowpoke hummed._

"…_I don't know…I need to get my bearings together…after the Corruption and…well…Patricia and that nightmare…I need to figure some things out," Desire muttered._

"…_so…this ex of yours…I heard he's a Novagod."_

_Desire widened her eyes at him. "Who told you that?"_

"_Hex."_

"…_oh…" And Desire looked away from him quietly. "…yes…he was a Novagod. Bismark Novagod to be precise…he's pretty well known as well as his sister, Patricia…"_

"…_hmph…funny, I never heard of 'em," Cowpoke muttered. "…only Novagod I know is Deity."_

_Desire looked at him curiously. "…so…you know about the guy who... created Corruption?"_

"…_not personally…but yeah, I heard a lot about him," Cowpoke grumbled. "…didn't meet Patricia until Joy arrived at my doorstep and the bitch threatened my son."_

_Desire blinked at that. "…really?"_

"_Yeah…but then the group looking for her came and stopped 'em," Cowpoke muttered. "…it wasn't a happy day for anybody after all that…" and then he smiled. "…but…damn it, I'm just glad she's back with her parents again."_

_Desire looked away. "…sounds like you cared a lot about the girl."_

"_Still do. After all, I dated her mom for a bit when I was at Safe Haven."_

_Desire gave him a shocked look._

"…_because I dated her mother, I know all the things I do," Cowpoke muttered. "I know about Corruption, and Deity…" and then he peered over at Desire. "…I know about their family history with all of that…that woman went to great lengths to try and protect her daughter from a shit load of misery. Then everything with Malice happened…"_

_Hearing that, Desire looked away, now feeling uneasy…and even a bit guilty. She rubbed her arm. "…y'know…I took Joy in for that night because I thought I could make a quick buck by turning her in…but I never expected Malice to corrupt me and my son…"_

"_It's still confusing on how Malice came about…and it'd be much too complicated to explain, Desire," Cowpoke muttered. "…the gist of it is that Joy was running away…because she wanted to keep Malice from hurting her family and her friends…Corruption does horrible things, and Malice seemed to be full of a lot of it…"_

_Desire now felt a lump in her throat._

…_not only did she hear about a mother who did everything she could to protect her child from something horrible like this Corruption, but even the child had gone to great lengths to keep something malevolent like that little brat from hurting her own parents…_

…_and she had only been interested on making a pretty penny on the girl's reward._

_She realized, yet again, how much of a cold-hearted, ignorant bitch she was._

_Suddenly, Desire started sobbing uncontrollably. Cowpoke just stared at such a drastic change of behavior out of her, though he sympathized with her. Nothing he went through could ever compare to anyone else, since his story was basically him getting dumped; he wasn't traumatized like this poor woman. Even if she was a horrible person before, she still lost everything as well as went through being Corrupted for a bit…_

_Suddenly, Desire felt arms wrapped around her, and she jolted in shock to see that Cowpoke had hugged her. At first she was going to snap at him, but she felt too miserable and just ended up crying in his shoulder. Cowpoke just hugged her silently while she wept._

_When she finished, Cowpoke let go, and went back to the railing he sat against, while Desire wiped up her tears._

"…_I'm…such a horrible person," Desire uttered._

"_What makes you say that?" Cowpoke hummed._

_"...I...I'm a dirty, rotten liar and a cheater...and I've stolen money from a lot of people...and not only that, but I'm a horrible mother to boot... I spoiled my child, and at the same time, neglected him and made him miserable..." Desire muttered._

_Cowpoke hummed, "I know...Hex told me."_

_Desire grit her teeth. "…she also tell you that I was the one that Corrupted her the second time?"_

"_Yup."_

_Desire looked away guiltily._

"…_hey… whoever you were before and during Corruption doesn't matter...you're clearly a much different person now," Cowpoke said. "…I don't think you should be so hard on yourself."_

_When Desire didn't respond, Cowpoke just hummed. "You wanna hear somethin' stupid?"_

"…_what?" Desire asked, looking at him._

"…_the reason I got depressed at first was because her mother already moved onto someone else," Cowpoke muttered. "…back when I was on Safe Haven, when I was dating her, neither of us was ready for a committed relationship. I just got out of a divorce with Mud-Pie's mom, and Jill's lover, and Joy's real father, had died not too long ago. It was just kind of a fling, really…but afterward, we both said to each other that whenever we were ready, to give each other a call…"_

_Cowpoke closed his eyes. "…I…never really called her back. I guess I was waiting for her because I didn't want to push her…but I missed my chance with her because she's with someone else now…and it's pretty serious because Joy see's the guy as her daddy now. Same guy came to find her months ago when she was running away…he was doing everything he could to bring his daughter back to her mother, and seemed pretty devoted to protecting the two of them…"_

"…_so…I got depressed…got drunk a lot…kinda left Mud-Pie with my buddies a lot for a while…" Cowpoke muttered. "…and even I started having guilty feelings about neglecting my son."_

_Desire blinked. "But…your son is nothing like how Rascal used to be…Mud-Pie is so well behaved and happy…"_

"…_yeah…my buddies are really good with him, and they've really helped me out all these years," Cowpoke muttered. "…maybe it was because of their influence…either way, I started thinking I was an asshole because here I was moping over missing my chance with someone, and here was this little girl running from her daddy in fright, just trying to keep that evil little thing inside of her from hurting those she cared about the most…"_

_He looked at her. "…I'm sorry for whatever happened to you…I know it must've been horrible, even if you believe that you might've deserved it or not…but don't blame yourself for any of it, okay…? Like I said, you shouldn't waste yourself away after what happened…it's not good for you…and I'd hate to see someone pretty like you just…throw themselves away."_

_Desire turned away. "…why did you tell me I'm pretty?"_

"_Because I think you are," Cowpoke answered. "Why? Do you not believe that you're pretty?"_

"…_it's not that…it's just that most of the time, the ones that tell me I'm pretty end up being perverted jackasses that wanted a quick fuck from me…" Desire sighed. "…and 'pretty' is not the word they tend to use."_

"…_okay, I won't tell you you're pretty then," Cowpoke supposed with a shrug. "If it pisses you off because of that, then I'll respect it."_

_Desire turned and looked at him in silence. Cowpoke sighed, and headed inside. "I got some things to take care of, so hang around and do what you like…" he murmured._

"…_sure…" Desire murmured, looking at the ground._

That talk was a long time ago, but Cowpoke had always gone back to thinking about it...

Then his door opened, and Desire walked in, closing the door behind her and looking at him. They stared in silence, and then she walked over and sat on the bed next to him.

Cowpoke sat up. "…what is it?"

"…thank you, for letting me stay," Desire spoke, looking at Cowpoke sincerely. "…it was really nice of you, and I'm sorry if I was an inconsiderate bitch about it."

"Nah, it's fine; don't apologize," Cowpoke said.

Then Desire looked away bashfully. "…and you…still think I'm pretty…?"

Cowpoke blinked, wondering why she asked that. "…Yeah, I do," he answered truthfully.

Desire looked back at Cowpoke, and he stared back.

"…uh…is…there a reason you came in here?" Cowpoke asked.

"…just to thank you, really," Desire answered. "…I'm thinking about leaving eventually; don't know when though, so I wanted to thank you personally."

"…kay…"

"…so…yeah," Desire got up, turning away.

"Hang on a moment," Cowpoke said, standing up from the bed and getting Desire to turn back around toward him. "…I guess you're actin' a bit weird for me," he said. "You doin' okay?"

"…It's probably obvious to you that I've been doing a lot of thinking," Desire said. "…Cowpoke, you've been really nice to me, and talking to you helped me a bit. I don't normally say this, but I really appreciated it." She looked at the ground, blushing a bit. "…maybe…more than appreciated it, but y'know…I didn't want to make it awkward."

"…ah, I see," Cowpoke murmured. He felt flattered that Desire actually said that…and maybe even wondering what she meant by 'more than appreciated' it…

Desire looked up, and then leaned forward and actually kissed his cheek. This stunned Cowpoke. When Desire pulled back, she blushed even more and looked up at Cowpoke. He touched his cheek where she kissed him, and stared back at her in his shock.

They stared at each other like that for a while.

Despite blushing, Desire actually smirked a little. "You're red in the face."

Cowpoke turned away with a scowl. "Shut up."

Desire chuckled. Cowpoke was not like most of the men she had met in her lifetime. He wasn't just polite and caring...he was honorable of all things. Not once did Cowpoke give her that kind of look most men did when they wanted her. He respected her space when she wanted to be alone, and was polite in his own way; blunt, but still caring. Desire was not used to that in the slightest. She was used to being taken advantage of, and a majority of it being her fault because of the stealing and lies she told, as well as cheating on Bismark.

Not even his buddies gave her that hungry look either; they were just as respectful of her as Cowpoke was. Then the father-son relationship that Cowpoke had with Mud-Pie; that was really something. Bismark hardly spent time with his children, but Cowpoke was devoted to his son. He even allowed Rascal to be involved, and Desire was baffled at the fact she could see Rascal smiling.

She rarely ever saw Rascal smile, partially because she was never around for him, but partially because he never just seemed...happy. Then here he was with Cowpoke and Mud-Pie, almost as if he was just...another one of theirs.

...no man has ever done that before her.

...she gained a lot of respect for him.

...she might've even developed some feelings for him because of it too. Desire was shocked that while she thought she was unable to feel anything anymore, she suddenly started to genuinely care about someone.

At that point, the doorbell rang; quite suddenly, even.

Both Cowpoke and Desire blinked at this...and they both headed for the front door.

When they got to it and opened it... a most surprising figure stood before them, wearing a thick cloak and a wide hat, whilst humming. "...I do hope I'm not disturbing you..." he spoke calmly.

Desire's eyes widened in shock. "...Bismark?!"

He moved his hat ever so lightly, and the heavily bandaged face of her ex-husband looked back at her. "...Desire." he spoke with a nod to her.

"...what...are you doing here?" She uttered.

Bismark hummed, as he glanced to the side. "...you left quite suddenly." he remarked. "Considering the circumstances of the time, it was inevitable... however, as time has gone by, I have pondered..."

"...and what's that?" Cowpoke hummed. Bismark didn't respond right away; merely stepping back...

...and at that point, objects carried by a mystic energy began floating past Cowpoke and Desire, landing neatly in the hallway behind them. These objects, as it turned out, were all of Desire's and Rascal's belongings from when they had lived at Bismark's manor.

Desire looked extremely surprised by all of this. Cowpoke seemed surprised too.

"...it took me a while to divinate..." Bismark mused, as he rubbed his cheek a touch. "...but I have a feeling that you would be in need of these around this time..."

Desire just kept gawking at the things in the hallway.

"...I'd say she appreciates it," Cowpoke chuckled.

"...hm." Once the objects were all carried into the hallway, Bismark breathed out, before he adjusted his hat. "...I suppose that is the case..."

Mud-Pie and Rascal came into the hallway then, and they were both surprised at everything. "Whoa!" Mud-Pie yelped at the stuff.

"...Mr. Bismark?" Rascal uttered at the bat he saw standing at the door.

Bismark just gave the two a small nod, before he glanced aside again.

Rascal looked at the stuff then. "...is that...mine and my mom's stuff?"

Bismark slowly nodded. "Yes."

Rascal looked at Bismark in amazement.

"...you have... something you want to say?" Bismark presumed, keeping his arms folded.

Rascal looked down at the ground insecurely, rubbing his arms. Desire looked at her son with concern. Even so, Bismark said nothing, as he simply waited to see if anything would be said for him.

"...actually...Mr. Bismark...could you do me a favor?"

Bismark glanced over at Rascal then.

Rascal looked up at him. "...could you give away my toys instead? To other kids that aren't able to get gifts this year?"

Desire's widened at that. Bismark hummed in what seemed to be suprise as well, as he looked down at Rascal.

"...Wow, you'd really give away all of that?" Cowpoke mused, looking down at Rascal.

"...yeah," Rascal nodded. "...It'd be better that way."

"...hm." Bismark closed his eyes. "...then... I'll do just that."

"...and..." Rascal looked at the stuff and fumbled through it, seeming like he was looking for something...

...then he pulled out a toy, which looked like a samurai action figure, and walked up to Bismark. "...could you give this one in particular to Joy? I want to tell her sorry for how I acted."

Now Cowpoke was surprised at that one.

Bismark looked down upon that figure...

...and with a small chuckle, he crouched down to gently pick it from Rascal's grip. "...I was thinking of visiting Safe Haven during the holidays anyway... I'll make sure to deliver this to her for you."

"...thanks," Rascal said with a nod. Then after having gotten uncomfortable in his presence, he walked away.

With a small hum, Bismark slowly rose again, before he held his hand out as he began chanting. Slowly, toys began to rise from their belongings, rising up due to a mystic energy that carried them out of the house.

"Whoa," Mud-Pie was amazed at this sight.

Once the toys were carried off, Bismark simply hummed, closing his eyes.

Desire closed her eyes too. "...perhaps you should take my things too Bismark." And she sighed. "...I bought those things with stolen money out of selfish, materialistic reasons... So they would get better use and more appreciation by those less fortunate..."

Then she smiled. "...and after what my son did...I don't want to do anything to discourage the choice he's made."

Cowpoke smiled at this.

Bismark hummed once more. "...hm..." And as he began moving those items away with the same kind of mystic energy... somehow, beneath his bandaged face, a small smile seemed visible.

"...uh, we're sorry you had to come out here with all this stuff just to take it back," Mud-Pie said.

"...oh, it's nothing to worry about." Bismark mused. "Truth be told... I knew they would ask me to take them back."

Mud-Pie's eyes widened. "You did?"

"Indeed." Bismark spoke. "Such is the advantage of knowing how the future turns..."

Mud-Pie looked more curious. "Huh..."

"...well..." With a hum, Bismark gave them a nod. "...I'll take my leave, then. Enjoy the holidays." With those words, he turned to start walking off.

"You too," Cowpoke called out.

"...give your regards to your wife for me," Desire muttered.

"...very well." With a small hum, Bismark kept walking until he was out of sight, passing by some buildings...

"...so... how'd it go?" Once Bismark had walked a distance away, he came across someone leaning against a wall, a lit cigarette in her mouth.

"...Odium." Bismark hummed with a slight nod, before he closed his eyes. "...it went just as I foresaw it."

"Still, giving away all that stuff... guess you were right about them changing for the better." Odium remarked with a huff.

"True enough... seems like these recent events changed quite a few things..." Bismark chuckled.

"...so did they look like they were gonna go through with it?" Odium looked back at Bismark with a small hum. "You know, that other thing you foresaw..."

"...after seeing how she has truly changed..." Bismark hummed, before he began walking, patting Odium's shoulder to lead her away with him. "...yes. They'll definitely go through with it."

"...right..." Odium hummed. "...guess even they deserve a happy ending too, huh?"

"Indeed... now, let's go home." Bismark chuckled, as they kept heading off.

* * *

><p>"...hm... the holidays are upon us, huh..." Wandering the streets, Hex let out a small, tired sigh. "...I honestly can't remember the last time I went shopping like this..."<p>

"Exhausting, isn't it?" May chuckled.

"It really is." Hex laughed, as she carried several bags with her.

May was also carrying several bags too; all full of Christmas gifts for the four of them. "I think Fae and Mordecai are gonna love the things you got for them," May said.

"You really think so?" Hex hummed as she glanced over at her.

"I know so," May said with a smile.

With a smile, Hex looked ahead again. "But it's strange... how urgent Fae was in sending us off to buy everything we needed..."

"Yeah, suspicious, isn't it?" May hummed. "...you think they're up to something?"

"Depends." Hex mused, chuckling a little. "If they had enough time to finish what they were scheming while we were out..."

"Guess the only way we'll find out is when we get home," May said, also chuckling.

"Alright, homeward it is, then." Hex said with a smile, as she began picking the pace up just a bit.

May followed after her, chuckling.

After a short while, the two of them eventually returned home. "...here we are... let's see what they have in store for us..." Hex chuckled, reaching with a tentacle to open the door.

When they opened the door, it turned out to be really dark. "…huh…wonder why it's dark," May murmured. "Fae?!" After she called out, she reached for a light switch.

"Hang on! Wait a minute!"

May stopped reaching for the switch. "Er…okay?"

"Trust us!"

And suddenly…the whole room lit up with a rainbow of colorful lights. This made the entire foyer glow and revealed just how decorated with Christmas decorations it was.

May's eyes lit up with amazement. "Whoa…"

Looking around, Hex gawked in awe. "...wow..."

"What do you guys think?!" Fae asked, hopping down the stairs in a red Christmas outfit garnished with white fuzz at the ends.

Looking at this outfit, Hex blinked, before she smiled just a bit. "...this is really amazing, Fae."

"Is this what you were doing while you sent us shopping?" May asked, setting the bags down.

"Sure is!" Fae laughed. "You should see the _rest_ of the mansion!"

"You got the whole place decorated?" Hex hummed with a laugh. "That's quite impressive."

"You'd be surprised what Mordecai can do," Fae said. "So you guys took care of the shopping?"

"Well, what do you think?" May laughed, pulling up the bags again to carry into the hallways. Hex just laughed as well as she carried her bags into the halls as well.

May took the bags to her room then, and presumed that Hex followed her into her room. She dumped them on the ground then. "Alright. Drop them off. I'm gonna do all the present wrapping!" May announced.

"You got it." With a chuckle, Hex dropped the bags on the floor as well.

"Now shoo! And no peeking!" May exclaimed, waving Hex away with her hands.

"Alright, alright!" With a laugh, Hex simply left the room, intending to look through the rest of the mansion in the meantime.

Down the hall, Hex managed to encounter Mordecai…who seemed to be also dressed in a Christmas outfit, but it was proper and sharp, and not as cute as Fae's seemed to be. When he turned, he noticed Hex. "Oh, Madame," he hummed. "How was your trip?"

Hex couldn't help but smile at seeing him in this kind of outfit, still. "...it was pleasant, Mordecai." she spoke with a small nod.

"That's good," Mordecai said. Then he looked at himself. "…Fae insisted that I wear this, and I wouldn't normally wear this…but I suppose the holiday calls for it."

Hex just laughed. "It certainly does... speaking of, the outfit suits you." she spoke semi-jokingly.

"Oh, and I got an outfit for you and May to wear too!" Fae exclaimed, skipping cheerfully down the hall up behind Hex with two similar outfits on hangers, where Hex's seemed to be a more elegant gown, and May's was just a similar one to Fae's.

Hex looked back at Fae with a slight smile. "...really? For us?" she remarked with a small laugh.

"Yup!" Fae giggled. "And you _have_ to wear it. No buts!"

Hex chuckled a little. "...I'll go and change into it, then. Thanks, Fae."

"Sure thing!" Fae said, handing her the outfits. "And take Fae's to her too. I know she's probably wrapping gifts but she can take a minute to put an outfit on, I'm sure!"

"Alright." Hex chuckled, taking both of the outfits before she began heading to May's room.

When Hex got back to May's room, she saw that the door was open just a _slight_ crack, and with a slight hum, Hex peeked in just a touch to try and see inside, remaining silent. She saw the bags of things sitting on the ground…but no May in the view of the crack. She could hear May humming a Christmas tune inside, though, so she was still in the room.

With a small smile, she moved away from the crack, and knocked on the door. "May, it's me. I'm coming in." she called, gently moving her hand to grasp the doorknob.

"A-Ack! Don't come in!"

Hex blinked a bit, stopping herself. "Oh! Oh, I'm sorry... I just have some outfits here that Fae wants us to try out..." she spoke.

"…Okay, but uh…just give me a minute…"

"...alright..." Hex spoke with a light nod, letting go of the doorknob.

Hex stood there and waited silently for May. In the time that she waited, Hex couldn't help but ponder what May was doing. Obviously, one thing would be to pack up Christmas presents, so she would probably try and keep the gifts a secret... but then her mind started to wander. Would that have warranted such a shocked reaction, especially since they had bought most of their things together? What if she...

...Hex blinked. Though the image popped into her mind, she couldn't help but wonder... why that would even be a thing. It just seemed... bizarre to imagine that May would have taken the moment to... she wasn't even sure if she should finish the thought before she got some clarification on that, but it just kept buzzing within her mind...

May opened the door then with a flustered huff. "What's up?"

Shaking her head to get her mind off that image, she looked back at May. "Uh... these?" And she held up the outfits again. "You get the one that matches Fae's outfit."

May chuckled, taking the outfit from Hex. "Oh, these huh?"

"Yup." Hex chuckled, before she tilted her head ever so lightly. "...so... what were you up to in there? Packing together presents?" she guessed.

"No," May answered. Then she looked embarrassed. "Let's just say, uh…I had another outfit that I was trying out, and I was in the middle of trying it on when you knocked."

Immediately, Hex grew a flustered expression. She had been right on the money after all! "...uh... i-is that right?" she spoke, as she rubbed her neck a bit.

May laughed then. "You almost look as embarrassed at me."

Hex laughed a bit as well. "I guess I let my thoughts wander a bit while I was waiting..."

"You let your thoughts wander, huh?" May chuckled. Then she leaned in to whisper in Hex's ear. "…I might let you see that other outfit tonight then…"

Hearing that, Hex couldn't help but break into a smile, whispering back. "...if that's the case... I'll be sure to look forward to it..."

May chuckled.

Then she pulled away. "Better put on the outfit Fae gave me though. I won't hear the end of it if I don't." and with that, May shut herself back up in her room, making sure to lock the door this time.

Hex let a small laugh escape her lips, before she headed off into her own room, locking the door behind her. "...right... let's see how this fits on me..." With a small hum, she began changing into the new outfit.

* * *

><p>Mercy took care of just about everything she needed to around the base, so she took it upon herself to cook up some food for herself and for Pierce, and she took it on her way down to the living quarters, walking down to Pierce's room.<p>

As she entered his room, she saw that Pierce was still lying on the bed, resting as he slowly breathed in and out. Mercy smiled in content at seeing him resting as he did, and came over to set his food down beside him, wondering if she should wake him up or just let him sleep as she looked down at him.

"...nnh..." At that point, he grit his teeth, slowly squirming. He seemed uneasy...

Mercy blinked at this.

"...gn... no..." With small groans, he kept squirming, as one of his hands stretched out ahead of him. He seemed to be reaching for something.

Mercy grew concerned about him. _Is he having a nightmare…?_ She thought.

"...no... g-get out..." he uttered in his sleep, his brow furrowing. "...g-get out... Mercy..."

Mercy's eyes widened at that. _…I'm…in the nightmare…?_

"...don't... just... reach... don't go...!" As he kept squirming, Pierce slowly started to grow more panicked.

"…Pierce…" Mercy muttered, feeling even more like she needed to wake him up, but she still watched him worriedly.

Eventually, it reached a point where he suddenly shot a hand towards his sword. "NO!" And then he shot up in a sitting position, wide awake as he slashed his sword at thin air, breathing heavily as he slowly realized that he wasn't dreaming anymore.

Thankfully it hadn't been directed at her, but Mercy was certainly startled by it though, as she gave a surprised yelp at Pierce whipping out his sword. He didn't even notice her yelp, just looking ahead... and then he breathed out, his body relaxing as he rubbed his temples. "...nh..."

"…Pierce, are you alright?" Mercy asked worriedly.

Pierce slowly turned to look at her, looking at her as he breathed out. "...I..." He looked aside. "...nh... I suppose I had a nightmare..."

"…I suppose you did," Mercy said, deciding not to question on it.

Pierce eventually looked down at his sword, before he sheathed it again. "...quite a horrible dream..."

"…was it?" Mercy muttered.

"...yes..." He closed his eyes. "...I... failed to protect you..."

Mercy looked away uneasily. Was he really that worried about being unable to protect her?

He let out a small sigh. "...I am sorry... I shouldn't worry you with this, when my recovery is still an issue..."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Mercy said, looking back at him. "I want to make sure that you're doing okay." Then she nudged her head at the tray of food beside him. "I got you something to eat."

Seeing the food, Pierce managed a small smile, before he took the tray, beginning to eat the food that rested upon is. Mercy smiled at that as well, and took the chair to sit down beside him. To begin with, Pierce's attention was entirely on the food, savoring each bite he took. Eventually, as he took a few bites from the food, he happened to glance over at Mercy from time to time.

When Pierce glanced over at Mercy, she felt the need to start up conversation. "How's the food?"

Pierce stopped for a moment to swallow, as he gave Mercy a nod, "...amazing."

"Glad you like it," Mercy hummed.

After that, he resumed eating his food, though his gaze did linger on Mercy now. Mercy eventually looked away from Pierce, getting lost in her own thoughts.

She was aware of her feelings for Pierce, but she wondered about what Pierce's feelings were based on all of the things he was experiencing; like this nightmare for instance. She couldn't tell if Pierce knew what he felt and he was just holding back because he felt he was just a bodyguard, or if he really was unaware if he had any feelings or not. Mercy wasn't sure why this made her nervous…but it did.

Noticing her acting like this, Pierce blinked, as he eventually finished his food. "...Mercy... is something the matter...?"

"Hm?" Mercy looked over at Pierce.

"...you seem uneasy..." Pierce observed. "...what's on your mind?"

Mercy looked away again, uneasily. "…I'm worried about you."

Pierce looked at her. "...worried about me?"

"…yeah…" Mercy muttered.

Pierce hummed a touch, looking down at the bed. "...I see..."

Mercy rubbed her arms anxiously. "…I…worried a lot about you when you were out there…"

Pierce remained silent, though he did look up at her as she spoke.

"…I guess…similar to how you would be afraid of being unable to protect me…I was afraid that something drastic would've happened to you out there…" Mercy mumbled.

Looking at her still, Pierce just nodded slightly as she spoke.

"…but…you're fine, so…" Mercy tried to smile, but it seemed forced. "…I guess there's nothing to worry about…"

With a small sigh, Pierce moved a hand to settle on hers. "...listen... I don't want you to... push your worries aside... that, in turn, worries me..."

Mercy looked at Pierce, surprised that he put his hand on hers.

"...as your bodyguard... well..." He looked aside. "...maybe as more than just your bodyguard... I do worry that I may not be able to protect you... that I may stumble, or falter, or simply not possess the strength to keep you out of harm's way..."

"Pierce…" Mercy muttered, actually blushing from what he said.

"...I felt the same kind of worry when I absorbed the beast of Corruption back when we first met Johnny and Callous..." he murmured. "...that perhaps, for even a moment, I wouldn't be able to contain it... that I could end up hurting you somehow..." He closed his eyes as he thought about it. "...even the thought of... seeing you hurt... it troubles me deeply..."

Mercy clenched her hand around Pierce's while he spoke.

"...if anything were ever to happen to you... whether or not I would be present..." Pierce, in turn, clenched his hand around Mercy's as well. "...I would... be lost..."

Mercy stared at Pierce weakly. Pierce eventually looked back at Mercy, remaining silent. Mercy could feel herself starting to tremble a little bit, and she wasn't entirely sure why. Noticing her trembling, Pierce blinked, unsure if he had said something wrong or not. Mercy actually covered up her face, wondering what was wrong with her…and suddenly, she felt a couple of tears squeeze out of her eyes.

Pierce noticed a glint of tears from that, and leaned just a touch closer to make sure that he hadn't been seeing things. "...Mercy..."

Mercy tried to wipe her eyes, turning away from him at the embarrassment that he noticed her crying. She wasn't even sure why this had come over her like this…

Looking at this, Pierce was confused. Had what he said carried such weight to it that she was moved to tears? Or was there something else that brewed? Even amidst his confusion, however, his concern still lingered for her.

"…I-I'm sorry…I'm not sure why I'm like this…" Mercy muttered.

"...well... you don't need to apologize..." Pierce spoke, still keeping his hand wrapped around hers.

Mercy looked back at him. "…it could be that I'm just…so relieved that you're back…" she supposed. "…I think I'd be just as lost…if anything happened to you."

As he looked at her, he slowly nodded. "...so... we think alike when it comes... to the safety of the other..."

Mercy closed her eyes. "…yes…we do..."

Pierce closed his own eyes, nodding a small touch.

Mercy wondered what that meant exactly between the two of them…she knew how she felt, but she didn't want to make any move on it, because she was scared. That trauma of losing her husband was coming back, and she already expressed that she was afraid of losing Pierce, so she had frozen up on it.

Slowly, Pierce looked back at her, still keeping his grip around her hand... and then, he reached forward to briefly kiss her cheek, before pulling back.

Mercy's eyes shot open in surprise, blushing profusely as she stared at Pierce.

He looked aside, a blush prevalent on his face as well. "...I, uh..." he began, clearing his throat a bit. "...I remember you did the same... a few times... did I step out of line...?"

"…n-no, you weren't out of line," Mercy muttered. "…it just…surprised me…" and she could feel her heart beating faster and harder when she said that.

"...I see..." Pierce hummed, as he looked back at her.

Mercy looked back at him, and slowly scooted closer from her chair. "…and actually…I…didn't mind it at all…" she mumbled.

He blinked just a touch as he heard that, keeping his hand around hers. "...you... you didn't?"

"Yeah," Mercy answered.

It was subtle, but Pierce managed a small smile, as he kept looking at her. "...that's... good to know..."

Mercy looked at him, and actually smiled too.

Looking back at her, Pierce couldn't help but find himself... somewhat fascinated. It had come to a point where both of them were feeling such concern for the other, and now... it was as if that had brought them closer than what they were before.

…then something suddenly occurred to Mercy. "Erm…I should take that tray back, shouldn't I?"

Pierce blinked, before he nodded lightly. "...I... I suppose, yes..." he hummed.

"Right…" Mercy stood up, and went to pick up the tray. "…it'll just be a minute," she said, walking out of his room.

Pierce remained where he sat, watching Mercy as she left the room, before he looked down with a thoughtful hum.

Even though she went up to the floor with the kitchen just to return the tray, her heart was still beating rapidly at such a moment between her and Pierce. She also grew even more anxious at the thought of what would happen should she return back to his room…

Likewise, Pierce was just breathing, reflecting on the moment the two of them had just shared, hands fidgeting just a touch as he wondered on what to do now.

Eventually, Mercy made her way back down to the living quarters, and hesitated in front of Pierce's door. She, again, realized that the two of them were all alone in the base, since everyone else had gone to that mission, so if they really ended up getting any farther on that moment…there wouldn't be any interruptions from anyone…

Shaking that thought aside nervously, she walked into Pierce's room then.

Pierce looked back at her once she entered, giving her a small nod. Mercy nodded back, but instead of sitting back on the chair…she cautiously seated herself on the bed next to Pierce, looking away from him.

His gaze lingered on her, though he still remained silent.

"…Pierce…" Mercy finally muttered. "…do you remember when Callous roped me into that drinking game, and she said that I was just trying to hide that I…y'know, liked you?"

Pierce hummed, before he nodded. "...yes... I do remember that..."

"…we speculated on that for days, and we weren't sure if it was even true or not," Mercy said. "…but after thinking about it for a long time…I think I've come to a conclusion about it…"

He kept looking at her, still nodding a touch in silence. "...and that conclusion is...?"

Mercy looked at Pierce.

"…it's…true."

When he heard that, his eyes widened a smidge, and he looked at her whilst nodding even slower now. "...really..."

Mercy nodded, looking down at the ground now.

"...I see..." Pierce looked at the ground too, humming thoughtfully. Mercy sat there in silence, feeling her heart beat again in the suspense of what his response would be. His response seemed slow to emerge, as he simply drummed his fingers together, humming just a touch to try and think of what to say.

"...do you... recall the day afterwards... when I spoke to you about my purpose...?"

"Yes," Mercy replied, looking at him.

"...I think... I have found that purpose now..." He looked back at her, "...not just... to protect you... but also... to remain with you, through thick and thin."

"…really?" Mercy mumbled.

"...yes." Pierce spoke in reply.

Mercy looked away from him, but with a smile…and she set her hand down on Pierce's in response to that. Pierce smiled a little in response, gently holding her hand in return.

"…so…now what…?" she murmured softly.

"...now..." Pierce hummed, looking back at her. "...well... I don't know..."

Slowly, Mercy looked back at him. He continued to look at her, tilting his head ever so lightly as he gazed into her eyes. Mercy gazed back at his own eyes in silence.

As he found himself gazing into her eyes, he found himself drawn to them, subconsciously leaning forward without quite realizing it. Mercy leaned in too without really realizing it, but her heart did speed up in the process. He felt his own heart begin to beat a bit faster, but his focus remained on her eyes as he kept leaning forward.

The two of them had grown incredibly close now, and Mercy breathed a little the closer they got. Likewise, Pierce breathed ever so lightly as he inched closer to her. Mercy could feel him breathing, they had gotten that close. At this point, if they got any closer…

He felt her breath as well. He lingered momentarily, wondering if moving closer would be wise... if she would want him to move closer...

…eventually, Mercy made the first move, and she slowly pressed her lips against his. For a brief moment, he was frozen, surprised, but the surprise of the moment made him press his lips briefly against hers as well.

Mercy could feel her emotions growing more and more in the moment, building after holding back so much over the course of when Pierce had been gone, while she broke away from the kiss and looked up at him. Breathing out as the kiss was broken, Pierce gazed back at her in return.

Slowly, Mercy touched his chest, and her fingers traced some of the scars he had from his mission. His eyes closed, and he breathed out once more, the sensation of her fingers against his chest foreign, yet... pleasant.

"…you need to be more careful next time…" Mercy whispered.

"...I will... be more cautious." Pierce spoke with a small nod.

Mercy looked back up at him…and then closed her eyes to gently kiss him again. This time, he gently kissed her back right away, rather than briefly lingering like he had done the first time. Mercy wrapped her arms around him to hold him closer, but took care to be gentle since he was still hurt. Breathing out at a slower pace, he gently moved his arms to hold her closely as well. Mercy felt shivers down her body at the feeling of him holding her. In return, he felt the same kind of shivers as they held each other in this manner. Mercy's fingers continued to stroke his wounds, but again, she was being gentle. Still, her touch brought more shivers to him, as his hands gently traced against her unmarred, unharmed body. His touch made her gasp in delight.

Just hearing her make that pleasant noise made him caress her just a touch more, still remaining gentle in his approach. Mercy trembled and gasped even more at his caresses. She really enjoyed being touched by him, and missed him the time that he had been gone all the more. The mere sensation of her touch lingered against his being as well, and his hands continued to caress her dearly. Mercy went about just stroking his entire chest with her hands while she deepened the kiss slightly. Feeling her hands stroking his chest, it was as if he felt her touching something more than just his body...

...and deep, deep down within him... that part wanted more.

Deepening the kiss in return, he took to caressing her more, hands wandering all across her body as his eyes closed. Mercy breathed and gasped even more at his caresses, still stroking his chest. Just hearing those noises fueled his want for her, making him caress her further as he kissed her longingly. Mercy actually started to utter little moans at his caresses. Those moans simply served to spur him further; caressing her dearly as he deepened the kiss just a touch more.

He had deepened the kiss enough that Mercy felt his tongue, and she bashfully played her tongue with his while she moaned at more of his strokes across her body. Just feeling her playing with his tongue drove him to caress her further, the noises she made fueling his want even more. Mercy didn't anticipate Pierce being so forward, but while she was slightly nervous, she was enjoying it on the other hand. Even still, Pierce was focusing mainly on caressing her, fingers both gentle and firm as they touched Mercy all across her body.

Mercy eventually broke away from the kiss as her head arched back in delight, breathing and moaning at his caresses. Now that he could hear her sweet moans, no longer muffled by the kiss, he breathed out as he kept caressing her in this manner.

"P-_Pierce…_" Mercy moaned out unsteadily.

"...Mercy..." Now hearing her moan out his name... it was driving him further beyond want, and into the realm of desire. He breathed out as his hands kept caressing her so diligently.

"P-Pierce…" Mercy moaned. "Y-You're so…_soft…_"

"Mercy..." Just the way she spoke at this point spurred Pierce forward, as he gently moved forward to leave a lingering kiss against Mercy's neck, all as his hands continued to caress her.

"Aan…" Mercy closed her eyes and just relished the feeling of his lips against her neck and his hands touching her body all over. Pierce kept leaving those lingering kisses against her neck, his hands trailing against her body ever so gently, yet still firmly, all to give her such bliss.

"…m-more…"

Mercy wasn't sure what was coming out of her mouth, but she was enjoying it thoroughly, losing control on herself. She knew that she wasn't quite ready to go so far with anyone, and yet, she begged for more.

_...m-more..._

Subconsciously, Pierce seemed like minded. He had never been this close to anyone ever before, but just hearing Mercy utter that word... it spurred him on. He couldn't control himself either... his hands, still caressing, slowly trailed down towards her thighs, touching her further. Mercy gasped and moaned a little more at his advances.

"...more..." Pierce uttered in a hushed whisper, lips still pushing occasionally against Mercy's neck, all as his hands slowly approached her inner thighs. Mercy shuddered as he got closer and closer, growing a bit more worried at what she heard him whisper, but she was moaning and gasping in the heat of the moment.

"…Pierce…" Mercy whispered, going to rub his scars…only to stop with widened eyes. "…Pierce…your scars are gone!"

Pierce blinked when she made that comment, looking down upon his being. "...they... are?"

Sure enough, when they both looked, they saw that Pierce's body did not look like he had been injured.

And this fact made Mercy afraid. "…y-you're not…"

Pierce himself was surprised. "...I... I don't know how-"

And before he knew what he was doing, he had suddenly pulled Mercy into a kiss; eyes wide in surprise once he felt their lips connecting. Mercy was shocked too, and she tried to push Pierce away. However, his grip on her proved too strong, even as Pierce tried to pull away from her as well. Mercy whimpered in the pain of his grip, still trying to struggle away from him. Still, he kept a firm grip on her as he deepened the kiss...

...and then, in a desperate move, Pierce managed to toss himself away from Mercy, backing up against the wall to get some distance between them. He breathed out in legitimate panic as he realized what he had almost done. Mercy also backed away from him a bit, breathing as she looked away from Pierce.

Pierce looked away from her as well, closing his eyes as he breathed out. "...forgive me..."

Mercy just looked back at him worriedly.

Pierce closed his eyes. "...I... if I hadn't been made aware of the situation... there's no telling what harm I could have brought upon you... if you hadn't said anything, then I could have..."

"…Pierce…you don't need to apologize…" Mercy murmured.

"...but why not...?" Pierce murmured. "...I risked you harm... that is a sin that I could never forgive myself for..."

"It wasn't your fault…it was the Corruption in your body," Mercy said, closing her eyes. "…believe me…I know how hard it is to fight it…"

Pierce just grit his teeth, looking away regretfully.

"...Pierce..." Mercy grew worried about him again and slowly crawled toward him.

For the moment, Pierce remained silent.

Mercy was right up in front of him now, and she placed a hand on him. "...please don't blame yourself."

Pierce slowly looked back at her when she said that, though he still remained silent.

"...just promise me that you won't blame yourself," and at that point, Mercy actually wrapped her arms around him, hugging him dearly. Pierce remained silent, even as he was hugged...

...but eventually, he did hug her in return. "...I will... try."

"...thank you," she said, still hugging him.

"...no... thank you." Pierce whispered to her as he kept hugging her. Mercy held him in silence after that. Likewise, Pierce remained silent as he simply held her.

Eventually, Mercy looked down at Pierce. "...I should probably let you rest some more..."

"...probably..." Pierce murmured in response.

Then Mercy blushed a bit. "...so...would you mind me...resting with you?"

Pierce's eyes widened a bit, and he blushed as well; looking at her. "...um... I... I wouldn't mind..." he spoke.

"...okay..." Mercy nodded, still blushing.

Pierce simply looked back at her with that faint blush of his own.

Mercy released him then so that the two of them could lay down on his bed side by side. Once they had laid down and gotten themselves comfortable, Mercy looked back at him. In return, Pierce looked at her, tilting his head just a touch.

"...this...reminds me of what happened back on the mountain..." Mercy murmured.

"...it does...?" Pierce hummed curiously.

"...yes...and...that warmth I felt..." Mercy murmured, closing her eyes. "...could I...cuddle up to you...so I can feel that warmth?"

Pierce closed his own eyes, nodding. "...of course..."

With that, Mercy softly nuzzled herself up to him, and sighed in content when she was close enough to him to feel his warmth. With a small breath as well, Pierce nuzzled a touch closer to her, sighing as he felt her warmth next to him.

"…I missed you…Pierce…" Mercy mumbled.

"...I... missed you too... Mercy..." Pierce spoke softly.

Mercy tried to keep her eyes open, but she was actually having a hard time doing that. She was very comfortable lying up against Pierce like this, and her nap had been interrupted by Ivory after all. Even after Pierce nearly taking advantage of her…she felt content. She was no longer bothered by her fears anymore, thankfully, and yet she wasn't sure why…

In turn, even though his injuries had just vanished from out of nowhere, Pierce was having a hard time keeping himself awake as well. It was just comforting to remain so close to Mercy, especially after she seemed to have forgiven his moment of weakness... though he did wonder if he would be able to control himself if something like this were to happen once more...

Mercy wondered this too…and may have been a little concerned about Pierce. He had never let his Corruption take over him before, and if this was the only instance that it did, then he really had no experience being close to anyone like this…

…in a way, she wondered if she should help him be able to control the Corruption in that aspect.

But she was much too tired for thinking anymore, and she had finally fallen asleep, cuddled up to Pierce. Likewise, in that moment, Pierce fell asleep as well, remaining so close to Mercy.

* * *

><p>Later that day, a car pulled over by the Novagod Residence, letting out both Bismark and Odium. "Hmm..." With a hum, Bismark gave the driver a nod. "...make sure to give away those items to whomever may be in need of them." he spoke, before the driver headed off.<p>

"...hope they appreciate those things." Odium noted, as she and her father began heading for the front door.

"...I have a feeling that, no matter who receives those things, they will appreciate them..." Bismark mused with a thoughtful hum.

When the front door was opened for them by the butler, he nodded his head. "My lord, I must inform you that you have a guest waiting for Ms. Odium that the Mistress has been talking with since you've been gone."

Bismark simply hummed. "I see."

"...wait." Odium blinked as she looked at the butler. "...a guest for me? No joke?" With a curious hum, she walked in past the butler to see just who this guest was.

They walked into one of the living rooms in the mansion, seeing Catherine sitting across from someone with a cup of tea in her hand. She turned when she saw Odium. "Oh, hello sweetheart," She greeted with a friendly smile.

The other, who was the guest, shot up to his feet. "Odium!" exclaimed Rudy happily.

Odium blinked for a moment, but then she cracked a smile. "Rudy! Wow, this is a surprise!"

Bismark walked in after her, giving Rudy a small nod. "...greetings."

"Rudy and I here were just chatting," Catherine said.

"Yeah, the Captain said that I could spend Christmas however I wanted, so I wanted to see you guys," Rudy said with his smile growing.

"Wow, that's..." Odium hummed, smiling a small bit as she rubbed her neck. "...well, I dunno what to say, really..."

"I think just spending time with him would suffice, Odium." Bismark chuckled, giving her a small nod, before he looked over at Rudy as well.

Catherine giggled. "He really is a nice young man, if a bit energetic."

"I can vouch for that, yeah." Odium chuckled again, giving Rudy a nod and a smile. "So, what have you two been talking about?"

"Well I've been telling her all about some of the cases that the Chaotix have worked on in the past, and I sorta asked her a bit about Bismark because I was curious," Rudy chuckled a little nervously admitting that in front of Bismark.

Bismark just chuckled. "I had a feeling you would be curious. No need to worry."

Odium just laughed a bit. "Man, I don't think you've told me a lot of stories like that yet."

"Of the Chaotix? Oh there's tons!" Rudy chuckled. "I even know some of the stories the Captain told me about his time with Espio and Vector!"

"No kidding?" Odium laughed again. "That's pretty cool."

"Yeah!" Rudy said. "…so yeah, I wanted to visit you guys."

Odium smiled. "...that's pretty cool of you, too."

Bismark simply chuckled, before he glanced at Catherine. "...do you think we should let the two of them be on their own for a small while?" he hummed.

Catherine nodded, "Sure," and she picked up her cup of tea to follow Bismark away, leaving Rudy and Odium behind on their own.

With a small smile, Odium walked towards Rudy. "So... you wanna keep talking here, or... maybe talk up in the observatory?"

"Let's go up to the observatory," Rudy suggested. "Believe it or not, I got you a present I wanna give to ya."

"Oh, really?" With a small smile, Odium took Rudy's hand. "Alright, let's go." With that, she began leading Rudy down the halls, smiling a touch brighter. Rudy was also smiling pretty bright, excited to give Odium the present he wanted to give her.

Eventually, they made their way up past the secret passage and up into the attic, where Odium's secret observatory awaited them. With a smile, Odium breathed out. "Always relaxing, just to come up here..." she remarked to herself.

"Really?" Rudy asked.

"Yeah." With a smile, she looked back at Rudy.

"Okay, so the gift I was talking about," Rudy hummed. "Close your eyes."

"...alright." With a nod, Odium closed her eyes.

After a moment…Rudy put something around Odium's neck, and something hang from her neck while he fixed it onto her from behind. "Okay, you can look now." With a small hum, Odium opened her eyes to look down at what he had hung around her neck.

When she looked down, she saw that it was a necklace, and it was a pretty looking four pointed star made out of diamond.

Her eyes widened, and she let out a small gasp of surprise. "...Rudy, this... wow..." she uttered, stunned at seeing this.

"Well, when you work for the government," Rudy supposed with a shrug, smiling. "…you like it?"

"...I... I love it!" Odium uttered, as she looked back at Rudy with a huge smile. "I just... I can't even..." And then she threw her arms around him in a hug. "...thanks, Rudy!"

Rudy laughed, hugging her back. "Sure thing; I'm just really glad you like it."

Odium laughed with him as she pulled away from the hug, before she glanced aside. "But shoot... you went ahead and gave me this really great gift, and I don't think I have anything to give to you..."

"Oh don't worry; Christmas is about giving after all," Rudy said with his smile growing. "I'm not worried about getting anything in return. What makes me happy is that you like it."

"...yeah, I guess you're right." Odium hummed, as she looked back at him with a smile of her own. "Thanks again, Rudy."

"You're welcome," Rudy replied.

At that point, Odium hummed. "...actually... now that I think about it..."

"Hm?" Rudy blinked at this.

Before he could inquire further into this, Odium leaned forward to plant her lips against his for a few moments, before pulling back, a small smile across her face. Rudy blinked again at this, and smiled, kissing her back. Odium returned the kiss this time, closing her eyes slowly. Rudy wrapped his arms around her and held her while they kissed. With a small breath, she wrapped her arms around him in return.

After a while of kissing, Rudy broke away with a smile. "I guess that'll do."

Odium smiled back at him with a small nod. "Guess so."

"…then again…I don't know…" Rudy chuckled. "…I might want some more of that," and he went and kissed her again. Chuckling with him, Odium kissed him in return. Rudy held her dearly while he deepened the kiss a little. Odium took to gently rubbing Rudy's back as she deepened the kiss a little as well. Rudy brushed Odium's hair back while he kissed her, sighing in content. Odium moved a hand up behind Rudy's head to gently stroke him there whilst continuing to kiss him. Rudy hummed in delight at that. Hearing that, Odium hummed pleasantly as she held him a touch closer, deepening the kiss more.

"…I enjoy spending time with you Odium," Rudy said after a while.

"...and I enjoy spending time with you, Rudy." Odium responded.

"…so…you think we might be able to pick up anything from the telescope?" Rudy asked.

"...well, only one way to find out." Odium chuckled.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Catherine chuckled in content. "…I think Odium has found herself a nice young man…"

"...she has, indeed." Bismark mused with a small smile of his own.

"…that's good…sometimes I wondered just what happened to all of you when I had been gone," Catherine said.

Bismark let a small hum escape his lips. "...when we thought you were lost, it was... quite trying on all of us. I'm simply glad that you've returned, Catherine..."

Catherine nuzzled up to her husband affectionately. "I'm glad too…"

Closing his eyes, Bismark leaned against her in a similar manner.

"...how did it go when you went to give back their things?" Catherine asked.

"...just as I foresaw." Bismark hummed. "They asked me to give them to others who would need them more..."

"I see," Catherine answered, smiling. "…I guess they must be in a good place if they feel they don't need their things anymore…"

"...that they are," Bismark mused. "I can tell that they'll enjoy their stay there."

"I hope so," Catherine said.

With a small hum, Bismark closed his eyes as he pondered about a few things. Catherine looked at him. "Do you know how Demi is doing?"

"...ah, yes." Bismark hummed. "It would appear that he has moved to Safe Haven."

"Is that so?" Catherine said.

"Yes." Bismark nodded. "Out of concern for Oblivion's friend, Demi's comrades arranged for them to move to Safe Haven, so they could all live together there."

"Well that's nice," Catherine said with a smile. "At least he'll be able to spend more time with Oblivion."

"Indeed..." Bismark hummed. "...I was planning to visit them during the holiday season." He looked back at Catherine. "Perhaps you would like to come along?"

"I would enjoy that," Catherine said, smiling again.

Bismark smiled a bit as well. "I suppose we could ask Odium and Rudy if they would want to come along as well, or if they would prefer keeping an eye on the manor in our absence."

"Of course," Catherine said.


	72. Chapter 71

Somewhere in a household in a neighborhood, someone walked through the door. "I'm home!" called out Autumn.

"...welcome home!" Morrigan's voice called back to him.

"Hope you haven't had too much trouble," Autumn said, walking toward where Morrigan's voice was.

"Oh, no need to worry, I didn't have a lot of trouble." Morrigan replied.

Autumn walked into the room where Morrigan was, and in her arms was their little bundle of joy, named Summer after Autumn's sister. She was a corgy like her mother, and she was sleeping soundly in her mother's arms. Autumn smiled and rubbed her head lovingly. "That's good," Autumn said in response to what she said.

Morrigan simply smiled up at him, before looking back down at Summer. "...she looks so peaceful, sleeping like this..."

Autumn smiled some more. "…here, let me hold her."

"...of course." With a small smile, Morrigan held her up just a touch.

Autumn carefully took her into his arms, and smiled warmly even more at the sight of his daughter sleeping while he held her. "…I was able to get some vacation time for the holiday, so you won't be stuck at home with her by yourself," he said.

Morrigan smiled more upon hearing that. "That's great news, Autumn..."

"…gosh she's so adorable," Autumn chuckled.

"She really is..." Morrigan spoke with a small smile. "...she has your eyes."

"…you think so?" Autumn said, looking at Morrigan.

"Yes, I do." she spoke in reply, looking back up at him.

"Well, I hope she doesn't get my kind of hair," Autumn muttered. "Hate for anyone to deal with anything as troublesome as the tangles you can get with my hair."

Morrigan giggled just a bit. "Well, we'll deal with that as she grows."

"Yeah," Autumn said, chuckling.

With a small hum, Morrigan closed her eyes. "...so... have you heard anything from Safe Haven lately? With everything settling down there and all..."

"Not much, other than that King's gonna build a bit more on the island, fix things, and improve it and get it ready for the next year's recruits," Autumn answered. "I was even thinking of taking one of the days to go visit them, if you'd like?"

"...I wouldn't mind that." Morrigan noted with a small smile.

"We'll have to make sure Summer stays pretty warm with all that snow outside," Autumn said, looking down at their daughter.

"You're right." Morrigan spoke with a smile as she looked down at her as well.

Suddenly, Summer gave a yawn, and blinked her eyes, waking up.

"Hi sweetie," Autumn greeted her with his smile growing.

Morrigan smiled. "She's missed you while you were off."

"Really?" Autumn hummed. Then he rubbed his nose on Summer's nose. "Did Summer really miss daddy? Huh?"

Summer ended up giggling because of that. Morrigan giggled a little as well.

"…adorable; just adorable," Autumn said.

With a small smile, Morrigan turned towards the TV. "...I'll put the news on, before I'll prepare some dinner." she spoke, taking the remote to flick through the channels.

"Ok, that works," Autumn said. "I'll just sit here with Summer." And when he looked on the news…he flinched. "…what?"

Blinking, Morrigan looked over as well.

"…in downtown Westopolis the police have still been unable to get through inside the federal bank where, hours ago, a group of robbers have taken those inside the building hostage," the news reporter said. "They stated that if they're demands are not met, then they will start to shoot the hostages one by one."

"...oh dear..." Morrigan uttered.

"…why wasn't I aware of this?!" Autumn growled. "Shouldn't they be getting GUN to fix this?"

"…Oh, wait a minute! There seems to be some individuals pushing their way through the crowd!"

"Hm….?" Autumn blinked as, indeed, shown on the camera were a couple of figures pushing their way past the crowd that were watching behind the police.

Morrigan blinked as she squinted, to try and see who was going through the crowd. Autumn squinted too, and once the figures emerged from the crowd, he groaned. "Oh, no wonder GUN wasn't called…it's them."

Morrigan let out a small breath. "...well, at the very least someone was called in." She looked up at Autumn with a slight smile. "I'm just glad they didn't call you in, for something that could be dangerous..."

"…I suppose…" Autumn murmured.

* * *

><p>The figures that had pushed their way through the crowd turned out to be Ivory, Brute and Mia, and they were making their way to the police.<p>

Noticing them, one police officer grunted. "Oh, for pete's sake... Jim, keep these guys away from the scene, y'hear?"

"Righto..." With a groan, a larger officer began walking towards the three. "Look, you three gotta back off. We've got a dangerous situation goin' on here, we can't have civvies waltzing up."

"We're not citizens," Ivory explained. "We're from a mercenary group. We were hired to deal with the situation."

"Ya were hired?" The officer folded his arms. "By who? We weren't informed of any mercs bein' hired."

"I believe your boss hired us?" Ivory muttered, also folding her arms. She was going to get angry if this was some kind of set up. After all, everyone else was already in position to move at her say.

"Ya don't say?" With a huff, the officer glanced back at one of the officers. "Hey, we've got some mercs, sayin' they got hired t'take care of this mess. Ya hear anything about that?"

"Can't say that I have." the other responded. "Might not've heard the notice, though; keepin' the civvies offa here's been priority one fer us, y'know."

While the officers were talking, Mia leant in to whisper to Ivory. "...we can't waste time. Just give the signal."

"…you might be right…" Ivory muttered.

"...alright, now move back, y'hear?" the officer huffed as he looked back at the three. "We'll call HQ to hear about any mercs gettin' hired, but ya gotta stay put, or those bastards are gonna start shootin'..."

"See, that's the problem. You take your sweet time, and some innocents get killed. Just how long has it been since the kidnappers have made the demands?" Ivory hummed.

"...couple o' hours." the officer grunted. "We've been tryin' to negotiate with 'em, but between them holin' up and the civvies pushing around, we're not makin' much progress."

"In that case…"

Ivory raised a button in her hand, and pressed it. This caused an explosion to happen at the top of the building, which would be the so-called "signal" that she was giving out to the rest of the group.

"Alright, showtime," Callous chuckled, from atop one of the nearby buildings.

"Took her long enough." Johnny laughed, standing next to her.

As the crowd panicked from seeing that explosion, the officer quickly shot a glare down at the three. "What the hell do ya think yer doin'?! Since when did ya plant those explosives?!"

"Oh, I didn't plant those," Ivory said.

"Then who did?!" the officer barked, unaware of the two figures that were currently pushing through the crowd, rather rapidly.

"Just some associates of mine," Ivory hummed, trying to not look at the figures that were rushing through the crowd.

"Just some- do ya realize how much trouble yer in fer property damage alone?!" the officer barked. "Mercs or no, I oughta-!" And at that point, he was pushed aside by the two figures, who both rushed towards the entrance to the building. "Ah- FREEZE!" But his order fell on deaf ears, as the two burst inside.

"...everyone, ya heard the officer!" Spiel laughed, as he loudly and viciously cracked his knuckles. "So just freeze!"

"...and do not think to harm the innocents." Krieg hummed, as he had drawn a few swords. "Otherwise..."

The guys, all of them garbed in outfits to hide their faces and any other features, all turned around in shock at the two that just burst into the building. "The hell?!" One of them uttered.

"Krieg." Spiel chuckled, as he began stomping towards them. "Surround 'em."

With a small nod, Krieg suddenly dashed _straight_ past Spiel, ending up on the other side of the room before the men could react, spinning around so his back was against the wall. Now all of the criminals were in the area between where Spiel and Krieg stood.

Some of them were surprised that Krieg could run that fast, but then they laughed. "You think you can surround all of us with just the two of you?"

Spiel just chuckled, before he stomped his foot into the ground with such force that a massive crack shot directly through the floor, all the way to his left. In that instant, Krieg slashed against the ground to _his_ left, creating a elongated split in the ground. The two of them then did the same to their right, creating an area that, in essence, completely surrounded the criminals.

"...does that answer your question?" Spiel hummed.

They looked shocked at that.

"…hey, you better watch it," one of them growled. "We have our buddies upstairs with all of the people…you try anything and we'll kill 'em." It was an attempt at a threat, but seeing as they were a little intimidated by how the two of them surrounded them all, there was still that hint of intimidation in his voice.

And at that point, Spiel just laughed. "You guys are seriously stupid, you know that?"

"…wh-what do you mean?" one of them uttered.

"Listen, I'll level with ya. You got hostages you're threatening, that's neat and all..." Spiel remarked, as he cracked his neck. "...but consider this... you threatening them? That's a gigantic threat against you as well."

"…and…why is that…?" another uttered.

"See, you threatening them is basically life insurance. You just point your guns at them, and the cops won't do anything..." At that point, Spiel began approaching the criminals, cracking his knuckles more. "...but if you decide to kill the hostages... _what's stoppin' us from ripping you guys apart?_"

"…uh…" all of their eyes went wide in fright at that epiphany.

"...so now you see the problem before you." Krieg hummed as he began approaching the criminals from behind. "If you kill the hostages, your lives are forfeit... but you value your lives; otherwise you wouldn't have been robbing a bank to begin with."

"That's why... you're not keeping those people hostage." Spiel chuckled again. "You're basically being kept hostage by your hostages... and now we're gonna take advantage of that, alright?"

One of them grabbed a walkie-talkie out of panic and talked into it. "Forget the demands! Just shoot them all!"

"You _idiot_!" Another screamed at him.

"_Oh, and you want fries with that order, sir?"_

The one with the walkie stopped a moment, baffled at hearing a completely different voice he didn't recognize. "Wha-WHAT IS THIS?!"

There was laughter on the other end. "_He reacted just as you thought Johnny!_"

_"Told ya!" _another voice laughed. _"Man, these guys got nothing on us!"_

Krieg hummed, as he kept his swords drawn out. "...are the hostages safe?"

"_Yeah. Not really a smart idea keeping the hostages in the security room. I mean, sure, you get to see what's going on, but it was _way_ too obvious a spot,"_ Callous said. "_…and regarding what the fat one said? Well, that applies to hostages that were rescued too. There's nothing to lose, so they just might pummel you all."_

"Aaaw, thanks Callous." Spiel chuckled, before he grabbed the one holding the walkie-talkie by the arm. "You're too kind."

"_Sure thing,"_ Callous chuckled on the other end.

The one holding the walkie-talkie trembled with absolute fright, especially when Spiel had him by the arm.

"Alright, then... let's dance." And with that, Spiel just swung the criminal around, knocking about the criminals in range. As he did that, Krieg began slashing the dull edge of his swords against the others, to knock them out. To Spiel and Krieg, it was quite an effortless thing, knocking all of them out.

Meanwhile, outside, Ivory was still getting yelled at by the police, when suddenly, innocent people were flooding out from behind the building and running into the crowd.

"...wha-what the...?" The officers all seemed baffled to see this take place, rubbing their heads in confusion.

"You're welcome," Ivory hummed. The officer just looked down at Ivory with a baffled look.

At that point, when the crowd of rescued hostages had diminished, Callous came walking out toward Ivory. "I'm guessing the other two are still inside with the robbers?" she hummed.

"Yep, probably," Ivory answered.

It took a while, but the two of them eventually stepped out, Spiel cracking his neck. "Alright, we're done. Take 'em away, cops."

The moment he said that, the police officers quickly rushed in past them. Callous just chuckled at this, "look at 'em. Rushing in like that…" and then she turned. "I'm going to go get Johnny."

"We'll have to hang around here for a bit to finish up with the police, so make sure you two don't wander too far," Ivory called out.

"Yeah yeah," Callous huffed.

Krieg just gave her a nod. "We'll hang back and explain ourselves to the police. There's some things to sort out before we head back..."

"Yeah," Ivory murmured. Then she turned around. "Alright everybody; nothing to see! You should all get home now!"

That was enough to disband everyone that was standing around.

Meanwhile, Callous had walked her way down a dark, cluttered alley, looking for Johnny.

At that point, someone stepped in front of her. "So, that went well."

Callous smirked, "Yeah. For once, an easy one."

"Guess we all needed a breather." Johnny chuckled as well.

"According to Ivory, it seems like they need to fix things up with the police and all, so we're gonna be stuck here for a while," Callous sighed. "…but as far as I know, we don't seem to be needed."

"Right." Johnny hummed, stretching out a bit.

"So, any ideas on what to do until then?" Callous hummed, leaning against the wall.

"Well, you tell me." Johnny chuckled. "We've got time to think of a couple of things."

"Right," Callous hummed. While leaning back, she rubbed her chin. "…hm…"

Johnny glanced over at her as well.

…eventually, Callous chuckled. "You wanna hear something kinda stupid but adorable at the same time?"

Johnny chuckled. "Sure, go for it."

"Joy's started trying to call me 'Auntie Callous' of all things," Callous said.

Johnny laughed a bit upon hearing that. "Seriously?!"

"Yeah, isn't that just funny?" Callous snickered.

"Yeah, it's the funniest thing!" Johnny laughed.

After they laughed, Callous was still smirking, but she looked thoughtful. "I just don't get it. Despite being a malicious bitch to her mother, she actually wants to feel like I'm part of family."

Johnny hummed. "...guess that's just Joy being Joy. An even bigger goodie-good than her mother..."

"No kidding," Callous chuckled. "…but at least her training with Metal seems to be going good for the most part, and there hasn't been anything popping up about Malice…I certainly hope that it stays that way."

"...right..." Johnny hummed. "Because the last thing we need is another incident like what happened..."

"That's for sure…" Callous muttered.

"…say…Johnny," she suddenly spoke up after a moment. "…you haven't heard anything from…well, Astaroth…have you?"

"..." Johnny huffed. "...not a damn word; not from him, nor mom... guess they decided to just cut off ties to me..." He closed his eyes a bit. "...though... I'm still wondering if he ever plans to go after Jack..."

"God, I certainly hope not," Callous groaned. "That would be a big enough pain…"

"And then there's Lilith..." Johnny murmured. "...wonder how she's planning on turning the situation to her own favor..."

"Who knows," Callous answered. "And all those other Leoniels got absorbed along with Patricia and Bulk…so after losing all that family, who knows what _either_ of them are going to do."

"Feh..." Johnny closed his eyes.

"…well, at any rate, I suppose it's not a big deal if we don't hear anything from them," Callous said. "I mean sure, it could mean they're planning something…but there's nothing we'd be able to do until they act or anything."

Johnny simply nodded. "Guess so..."

"Well, anyway…" Callous chuckled again as she slowly walked up to Johnny. "I think there's something we can do to pass the time."

"Oh, I wonder what it could be." Johnny chuckled, as he glanced back at Callous.

Callous took him and pulled him closer. "…well…why don't you come here and find out?" she whispered.

Smirking, Johnny wrapped his arms around her to pull her close as well. "...I got a feeling, actually." With that, he pushed his lips against hers. Callous hummed in delight, kissing him back.

* * *

><p><em>Later...<em>

* * *

><p>The officers were barking at Ivory and the others for their reckless misconduct, so they didn't even notice Johnny and Callous approaching them minutes later. Krieg seemed to hear them, and gave them a small nod before they joined in the crowd.<p>

"Look, we'll even fix the damn building if it makes you guys feel any better," Ivory grumbled.

"Fixing the building's not the only thing!" the officer yelled. "You still risked the lives of the civilians inside with that stunt of yours! They could have misinterpreted the explosion as a threat from us, and acted upon it!"

"Yeah, well we got them, didn't we?" Spiel remarked.

"That may be so, but it doesn't excuse the fact that you put the civilians at risk!" the officer barked. "If you're so overconfident in your skills that you think you could take them on single-handedly-"

"Which we _did._" Spiel noted.

"-then at the very least inform the police force before you startle us like that!"

"But you would've taken, oh, maybe an hour to check with your boss on us?" Ivory muttered. "Sometimes you gotta act right away when there are lives at stake."

"B-but that wasn't a-!" the officer shot in, but Spiel just cleared his throat to make him stop.

"Look, we'll just discuss what went down with your boss, alright?" Spiel grunted. "That way, he gets our side of things, we get paid, and you can stop worrying over nothing."

"And maybe we can all get the holiday off if this goes well," Ivory hummed.

"...that would be pleasant, considering the time of year." Krieg hummed.

Callous elbowed Johnny with a chuckle whispering to him. "Wanna make any bets on how Mercy and Pierce are doing back at base?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if they've turned the place upside down while we were gone." Johnny chuckled with a whisper to her in return.

"So where is your boss anyway?" Ivory asked the police officer.

"...probably... at the station." the officer grunted in response.

"Okay, then let's go there," Ivory said.

* * *

><p>Since Tasha was already being taken care of, everyone left and decided to go take care of things for King. The only ones that remained were Striker, Jack, Ani and Arsenic as extra help for the nurses inside, along with Metal, King of course, and Caitlin…<p>

…and Joy and Jill waited outside, in the meantime. Mostly they waited on Metal, but they also stuck around because there was nothing much else to do, and Jill wanted to make herself available in case she needed to get someone else. Thankfully, there was a porch swing for the two of them to sit on together so they wouldn't have to stand the whole time.

"…wow…Tasha's been inside for a really long time," Joy mentioned, snuggled up to her mother as they sat on the porch swing.

"…well…labor will take a while Joy," Jill answered with a sigh.

Joy looked up at Jill. "…did it…take a long time for me to come, Mama?"

"…yes…it did," Jill gave a small chuckle along with a sigh, rubbing her head. "…I was in labor with you for more than a day, actually…"

Joy's eyes widened. "More than a day?"

"Yeah," Jill answered. "It's normal for first time mothers to have a really long labor. I wouldn't be surprised if Tasha doesn't start getting there until later tonight or early tomorrow morning."

"…they really have to wait a long time…huh Mama?" Joy muttered. "…King and Tasha…waiting to see their baby boy."

"Yep…but they'll be really happy to see him when he comes out," Jill said.

"…Mama…" Joy muttered uneasily. "…I know…you said that I wasn't ready to know where babies come from…but…"

Jill looked down at Joy, and grew a little concerned at how Joy seemed nervous. "…what is it?"

"…Malice…said where babies come from…and I know that lotsa stuff she said was supposed to be mean and I don't wanna believe her…" Joy said. "…so…could you tell me where babies come from…so that…what she said isn't true?"

"…well what did Malice say?" Jill uttered.

"…I don't wanna say…"

Jill blinked at Joy, and sighed, looking away. Even with as young as she was, she was still able to understand quite a bit…and for a long time, she had somehow managed to take care of herself when she had run away all those months ago. She wasn't going to be little anymore…she was growing up. Eventually Jill will have to tell her about things.

"…Babies come from Mommies and Daddies."

Joy looked over at Jill, and Jill simply looked down at her. "…Mommies and Daddies have to do this thing which makes the baby in the Mommy's tummy," Jill explained. "…and there it grows for many months until it's ready to come out."

"…what's the…"thing" they have to do?" Joy muttered.

Jill rubbed her head. "…I think _that's_ the part that you're not ready for, honey…and you really don't have to worry about that until you're much older."

"…okay…" Joy said, taking Jill's word for it.

"…but…Mommies and Daddies usually do it…because they love each other, and sometimes they even do it because they want a baby, and want to become a family to be even happier," Jill said.

"…so…then…Callous and Johnny wanted to have Malice after all?"

Jill blinked at that. "…well…that's a complicated one. I don't think Callous and Johnny really knew about Malice until she became active months before…and I actually believed that Callous couldn't _have_ a baby because of what she was…but neither of them were really very responsible to begin with." Jill kept stroking Joy's hair while her arm was around her. "That's another thing Joy…that thing that people do to make babies? There are some people in the world that just do it because…well…it feels good for them."

Joy raised her eyebrow in wonder. "How does it feel good?" she seemed baffled by the idea.

And Jill was embarrassed that Joy asked that question. "…well…erm, I can't really answer that Joy." Then she looked at her daughter. "…but I have a pretty good feeling that Callous and Johnny really loved each other too, so they didn't just do it because it felt good…though you have to keep in mind, with Corruption and Purity…a lot of things get complicated."

"…yeah, they do," Joy admitted in agreement, holding her mother's hand.

"…you…haven't really heard or felt anything from Malice…have you, sweetie?" Jill asked with some concern.

Joy shook her head. "No..."

Jill breathed a bit in relief. "…that's good…but you would tell us if you did, right?"

"Uh-huh," Joy said, nodding.

"…good…" And Jill managed to relax a little bit from that. It was strange…she still felt so obligated to protect Joy from certain things, naturally, but when she disclosed that kind of truth of life, she seemed to handle it a little better than she imagined. Better than Striker and Jack anyhow…

"…and you made me with my Papa…because you loved him and wanted to have me, right?"

Jill looked down at her with a smile. "…at first it was because we loved each other…but when I found out I had you in my tummy, I told your Papa…and he wanted to have you just as much as I wanted to…so yes."

Joy smiled at that.

At that point, the doors opened, and Metal stepped outside, wiping his brow just a touch, before he looked towards Jill and Joy with a light smile.

"Hi Daddy," Joy said, smiling back at him.

"So how is she doing?" Jill asked.

"...she's doing fine." Metal spoke with a nod to them as he approached them. "Her and King are being talked through the motions right now..."

"I see," Jill said, chuckling. "I bet that's interesting."

"Well, they seemed enthralled by it all." Metal chuckled, as he rubbed his neck.

"Do you wanna sit, Daddy?" Joy asked, patting the spot next to her on the swing.

Metal smiled in response. "...I'd love to." With a small nod, he took the seat next to her. Once Metal sat down, Joy cuddled up to him with a smile.

Metal looked back down at her with a smile of his own, setting a hand gently on her back.

"Daddy, where's Tails Doll?" Joy suddenly asked.

Metal hummed. "Good question... I think he's currently helping out some of the others on the island."

"Oh, okay!" Joy responded. "...I'm gonna play in the snow for a bit!" And she hopped off the porch swing to go to the front yard of the house and up snow. Metal watched as she hurried off to the snow, smiling just a touch.

Jill smiled as well, leaning on Metal. "...how has she been when you worked with her?" She asked.

"...she has been doing quite well..." Metal hummed in response, leaning slightly against Jill as well.

"...that's good," Jill responded. "...I worry about her..."

Metal simply hummed in response at that.

"...hopefully those at GUN aren't giving you a hard time?" Jill asked.

"...it's not too bad, actually..." Metal mused. "...the Commander, Sergeant, Captain and Admiral have some of the more militant people under control, so I don't have too much trouble working with them..."

"I'm glad to hear that," Jill said. "...I remember when you first started, that a lot of people didn't take it well..."

"...there's still a small number who don't take too kindly to it... but they're not vocal about it." Metal mused.

"Do you at least get a chance to work with teams Alpha or Chaotix?" Jill hummed.

"Occasionally." Metal hummed with a nod.

"...that's good," Jill seemed more at ease with all of that, glancing over at Joy while she played in the snow. Metal glanced over at her with a small smile as well.

Joy seemed to be having a good time. Even from those harsh months of running away, she still managed to seem cheerful and easily enjoy things in life.

Suddenly, she stopped with a couple blinks in one particular direction. She noticed someone in the distance approaching her. They weren't necessarily walking toward her intentionally, but they were heading in her direction. While one of them she didn't recognize, the smaller one she did. Both of them were mongooses, where one was the mother to the smaller one.

Joy knew the younger one with red hair. It was that mongoose boy that had given her food that one night...and she wondered why they came to Safe Haven.

The mongoose boy, Augury, was looking around at the sights he and his mother walked past...and then when he saw Joy, he stopped.

When Metal looked over, he happened to notice the mongooses that were approaching, blinking a touch. "...hm?"

When Jill saw them too, she looked at them questionably...especially since the boy and Joy were exchanging looks.

"...hey!" Suddenly, Augury came running for Joy.

"...hm..." Seeing him approach Joy like that, Metal tilted his head curiously.

Augury made it up to Joy, and he stopped to catch his breath with a few huffs. "It's you!" He panted.

"Hi," Joy said with a smile.

The older, female mongoose eventually stopped by the two, smiling down at Joy. "You must be the young girl Augury mentioned..." she spoke with a kind tone.

Joy looked up at her in amazement. She didn't think that Augury would tell his mother about her. Eventually, Joy nodded. "Mhm. My name is Joy."

"So it's Joy?" Augury asked. "My name's Augury!"

Jill sat and watched this development go on with a smile.

"So how come you're here Joy?" Augury asked.

"I live here!" Joy said.

"Oh, is that right?" Augury's mother hummed, before she happened to notice Jill and Metal not too far from where they were. "...oh!" Recognizing Metal, she gave him a small nod.

When Augury heard his mom, he looked over and noticed Metal too with wide eyes. "Oh, it's you!" And he smiled. "Hey, thanks for helping rebuild our town!"

Giving the two of them a brief look, Metal eventually smiled as he nodded back at them. "...don't mention it."

"Oh, but how can we not?" Augury's mother commented with a light smile. "You helped us out of a big pinch, you know..."

Metal just rubbed his neck, smiling a touch. "...well, as long as you're all happy..."

Jill chuckled at this.

Joy looked at Metal in amazement. "...you helped rebuild a town?"

"Uh-huh!" Augury said. "See, our town kinda got burned down when King and his friends fought the bad guys that were scaring the town! Then before we know it, him and his friends and Metal helped rebuild the town!"

"We still don't know how to thank you, but..." Augury's mother began, as she lifted up a bag she had been carrying. "...well, we brought you all some presents."

"Is that so?" Jill hummed, standing up to walk over. "Well thank you. That's very kind of you."

"It really is..." Metal spoke with a small nod to her, as he stood up as well.

Augury's mother simply smiled, as she tilted her head whilst looking at Jill. "I guess you're Joy's mother?"

Jill nodded. "I am. My name is Jill."

"That's a nice name." Augury's mother hummed with a light nod. "My name is Natalie."

"Nice to meet you Natalie," Jill said with a nod. Then she smiled down at Augury. "And it's nice to meet you too, Augury."

"Wow, so you're Joy's mom," Augury hummed. Then he looked at Metal, and slowly looked at Joy. "Wait…so…does that mean Metal's your dad?"

"Yup!" Joy answered.

Natalie blinked, as she looked from Jill to Metal. "I, uh... I see..."

"...oh, no, it's not like that." Metal remarked with a light chuckle as he approached them. "We're not related by blood, but... we are still family."

"Mama took care of me all by herself until Daddy visited two years ago," Joy said.

"…so…what happened to your real dad?" Augury asked.

Joy blinked, and looked at Jill for that, who had a saddened look on her face.

Noticing that, Natalie immediately glanced aside for a moment, before she knelt down by Augury. "...I don't think we should ask about that..." she spoke to him.

"Oh...okay," Augury muttered, understanding perfectly. Then he turned to Jill. "I'm sorry I asked."

Jill smiled. "Oh, don't worry about it. You didn't know." Then she looked at the two of them. "Erm...would either of you like to sit down?"

"Actually, I wanted to play in the snow with Joy!" Augury said, and he looked at his mother. "Can I?"

Natalie simply giggled. "Of course. Just don't catch a cold." she spoke with a light joking tone.

"Right!" Augury said.

Joy smiled at this. "C'mon! Let's go make a snow man!" And the two of them hurried off to an area with a lot of snow.

Jill giggled at this, and smiled too. "...you know, now that I think of it...Joy really never had anyone to play with that was her age."

"...that's true..." Metal mused.

"...well, seeing as you live on Safe Haven, I'm not too surprised by that..." Natalie mused, before she gave Jill a small smile. "...but I do hope that Augury and Joy will be able to play together a lot more now."

"I hope so too," Jill said. "They seem to get along really well."

"They certainly do." Metal hummed with a light chuckle.

Jill looked at Natalie. "...how does he know Joy?" She asked wonderingly.

Natalie rubbed her hands together. "He found her alone in our hometown, a while before King and his comrades arrived. He helped her out a little before she went off."

Jill figured that it was still when Joy had been running away, and she looked at the ground. "...he really helped her?"

"Oh yes. He gave her a bit of food and kept her company for a brief while." Natalie mused. "She was quick to hurry off, though."

"...well then..." Jill smiled up at Natalie. "He has my gratitude."

Natalie smiled back in response.

"Oh, would you like to take a seat?" Jill offered, pointing her head at the porch swing. "You must have done a lot of walking to get here."

"Oh, yes." Natalie remarked with a light laugh as she gave the two of them a nod. "Thank you very much."

"Of course," Jill answered, walking back over to the porch, but she stayed standing to give the seat to Natalie.

Natalie offered a small nod of gratitude as she followed her, taking a seat as she breathed out.

With a small hum, Metal began walking over to the porch as well, though he cast a glance back at Joy and Augury as he did so. When he checked on them, he saw that they seemed to be having a good time. Augury did most of the heavy lifting of the snow balls while Joy pat the snow. Metal smiled just a touch upon seeing that, before he turned back towards the porch, approaching it and coming to a halt next to Jill and Natalie.

"So was the reason you came to Safe Haven was because of Metal?" Jill asked Natalie curiously.

"...well, both for him and for King and his friends." Natalie hummed. "They helped us all out, after all..." She glanced at Jill. "Do you know where he is?"

Jill smiled. "He's actually inside the house here." And then she closed her eyes. "But he's in the middle of something really important, so unfortunately we can't go inside."

"...oh, I see." Natalie hummed, as she closed her eyes. "...I have an inkling as to what that might be."

Jill looked at Natalie. "...anyway, how are you enjoying the Christmas season so far?"

"Well, it's going rather well." Natalie hummed. "Everyone back home feel a lot closer than any other year, so there's been lots of people exchanging presents to one another; even if they're strangers or not on too friendly terms."

"That's good," Jill said, smiling.

Natalie simply nodded, smiling as well.

Jill looked over at Augury and Joy for a moment. "...I'm sorry if asking this is rude..." She murmured. "...but...where is his father?"

Natalie hummed a little. "...he died some time ago."

Hearing that, Metal closed his eyes. "...condolences."

"Oh, don't worry..." Natalie hummed. "...it was ages ago..."

Jill smiled, and then closed her eyes. "...You have our sympathies anyway..."

"...thank you." Natalie hummed, before she looked over at Augury and Joy. "...we've been on our own... but it wasn't too hard. We had the support of the others in town..."

"...That's good," Jill murmured. "...it's hard to try and do things on your own...sometimes it's better to have friends around to support you...I should know." And she smiled. "King and his friends helped me a great deal...and so did Metal."

Metal simply closed his eyes with a smile of his own.

"...you're really lucky to have close friends like that." Natalie mused, closing her eyes. "...I couldn't imagine how it'd be for someone without friends like that helping them through..."

Jill looked away at that, not really wanting to think about that. "...it's not pleasant."

"...it really isn't..." Metal murmured as he closed his eyes.

Natalie simply hummed, remaining a bit silent for the moment.

Jill looked over at Joy. "...her father died a long time ago as well..."

"...I see..." Natalie hummed.

"He died before she was born, so she's been fine," Jill murmured.

"...hm..." Natalie hummed. "...Augury was very young when his father passed away, so... it's been relatively easy..."

"...but even then we miss them," Jill chuckled a bit sadly.

"...quite a bit, yes..." Natalie spoke as well.

Metal looked over at them, folding his arms lightly before he closed his eyes in thought.

"...what other plans do you have for Christmas?" Jill asked.

"...well, we don't have too much planned, to be quite honest." Natalie mused with a light shrug.

Jill hummed then. "...would you guys want to come back here for Christmas then? We have a Christmas party every year."

Natalie looked at Jill with a smile. "...I'd love that."

"Great," Jill said. And she smiled over at Augury and Joy who seemed to be laughing about something. "And I think they'd really enjoy it."

Natalie smiled at them as well. "Very much so."

Metal folded his arms with a small smile as well.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yay! Now Joy has a friend her age to play with!<strong>_


	73. Chapter 72

The door to the HQ in the city opened and all of them walked through. "Finally, geez, I thought that was never going to be resolved," Callous grumbled.

"Well, the Westopolis Police Department isn't exactly the easiest to deal with," Ivory muttered.

"And we did cause a fair bit of property damage." Mia remarked.

"And we're just lucky that the chief didn't decide to deduct those damage costs from the reward money." Krieg mused.

"Bottom line, it's good to be done with that shit." Johnny groaned, as he rubbed his temples.

"Easy mission, but horrible aftermath," Brute muttered.

"Yeah yeah, I'm sorry, geez," Ivory muttered. "…would somebody go check with Mercy and Pierce to make sure everything was okay while we were gone?"

"Let me." Mia hummed with a shrug as she walked ahead of the group.

"...eh, we're headed that way too; I mind as well join her," Callous hummed, following Mia. "You coming Johnny?"

"Yeah, sure." Johnny hummed as he followed along. "You guys just do whatever in the meantime."

"That was the plan." Spiel yawned, as he rubbed his neck.

Mia, Callous and Johnny made their way to the elevator and took it down to the living quarters. Then they walked over to Pierce's door.

Callous knocked on it. "Hey, you guys in there?"

No response.

"...that's weird..." Johnny remarked.

"Hm…where could they be?" Callous muttered. She looked at the door again, and took a minute to search. "…no, Pierce is definitely in there. I can sense his Corruption in there."

"...so... what, is he just snoozing in there?" Johnny remarked.

"...maybe...but then that doesn't explain where Mercy is," Callous muttered.

Mai just huffed. "You think we oughta check up on him before we keep looking for Mercy?"

"...I think we should," Callous said. "Don't wanna risk the possibility that maybe Pierce underestimated his own Corruption somehow."

"...even if it's Pierce, yeah." Johnny noted. "Let's see..." With that, he opened the door.

They peeked into the room, and then stopped for a moment at that they saw. Both Pierce and Mercy were in here, huddled up to each other while they seemed to be fast asleep.

Callous smirked widely. "...oh, I see."

"...well." Mia hummed with a curious chuckle.

"Looks like we missed quite a bit, huh?" Johnny mused.

"We sure did," Callous hummed, still smirking. "...but it seems very obvious that they're fine."

"True enough." Johnny chuckled.

Callous rubbed her chin. "I'm so tempted to wake them up just to see the looks on their faces."

"Oh, don't be a jerk about it." Mia remarked. "I figure we let them sleep it out... _then_ we can tease 'em." she added with a bit of a chuckle.

"Oh, fine," Callous hummed, setting her hands on her hips. Then she walked out. "I'm heading to our room."

With a small huff, Johnny glanced over at Callous. "...mind if I join ya?" And he followed after her.

With a huff of her own, Mia just leaned against the doorway, shooting the slumbering Pierce and Mercy a glance. "...wait until we're out on duty to come clean, huh... about time, though." she remarked with a small chuckle.

Meanwhile, Callous and Johnny headed to the room that the two of them shared; them being the only ones out of the group that actually shared a room for obvious reasons.

Once inside, Callous just chuckled. "Finally. I was wondering when the two of them were finally gonna admit it."

Johnny chuckled as well, rubbing his hands together. "It took quite a while, too... shame we weren't around to see it."

"Oh well. I figure they'll get their fair share of never hearing the end of it," Callous chuckled.

"Indeed." Johnny chuckled a touch as well.

"Now then..." Callous sauntered up to Johnny and stroked a finger across his chest. "...where were we?"

Chuckling, Johnny stroked a finger against her cheek as he gazed down at her. "...you tell me. Or better yet... show me."

Smirking, Callous went and kissed him. He took the opportunity to kiss her back. She wrapped her arms around him and dug her fingers into the back of his mane while she deepened the kiss. His arms moved to wrap around her in return, fingers brushing against her own hair as he deepened the kiss in return. Callous started dragging him toward the bed, all while still making out with him. He allowed her to pull him along, hands grasping the back of her head to caress her amidst their deep kiss.

Meanwhile, over in Pierce's room, Mercy let out a breath of air…and slowly blinked, waking up. As she would see, they were both lying in Pierce's bed, and the poodle was still fast asleep. Mercy still felt a little sluggish, but she smiled and closed her eyes as she was still cuddled up next to him. He squirmed a little in his sleep, but only just; making it seem like he was nuzzling up against Mercy in return.

She knew she had to get up sooner or later, but she didn't want this feeling to end.

"...so you gonna doze off like that for long, huh?"

Mercy jumped up in shock, "wha?!"

There in the doorway stood Mia, waving with a light smirk crossing her lips. "So you made it official? Congrats."

Mercy glowered at her, but she couldn't hide her blush.

"...hey, don't give me that look. I'm not gonna tease you two about it." Mia chuckled, as she closed her eyes. "...now Callous and Johnny, on the other hand..."

"…oh geez, they know?" Mercy grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, the three of us found you two." Mia chuckled as she rubbed her neck.

"…ugh…great…they're not gonna let up on me, are they?" Mercy grumbled.

"I doubt it." Mia shrugged. "But hey, if you get too sick of them teasing you, just roll with it, and don't get flustered over it. I figure they'll stop after a while, once you stop reacting to it."

"...yeah, I suppose you're right," Mercy muttered, looking down at Pierce. He still slumbered peacefully.

"...so... what did you two end up doing?" Mia hummed with a raised eyebrow. "Not to tease you, but... better to say it now before Callous and Johnny catch wind of it."

"Well...after talking to him for a bit...we finally made the confessions to one another, with one thing leading to another and..." Mercy hesitated, looking bothered.

"...his Corruption reacted to it..."

Hearing that, Mia's brows furrowed in concern. "...is that right?"

"...he was able to stop himself before anything drastic happened," Mercy said, "but he felt incredibly guilty about it...and we all know how Pierce has really kept his Corruption in check so well. The fact that this has been the only instance when it happened for him...really says something..."

"...guess he doesn't have experience in everything, like we thought..." Mia murmured, before she rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"...seems like it..." Mercy muttered. Then she stood up from the bed. "...at any rate...we should let him rest. He still needs it."

"...guess so." Mia hummed, giving Mercy a small nod of understanding.

Mercy headed out he door, but she looked back at Pierce. Pierce still lingered in his slumber, not moving from where he lay.

"...get well soon..." She hummed quietly, finally leaving out the door.

Mia just hummed, as she walked out with Mercy; remaining silent so she wouldn't say anything out of line. When Mercy and Mia left Pierce's room, Callous and Johnny came out of their room. When they saw Mercy, Callous smirked.

"Well, look who's up," she chuckled, folding her arms.

Johnny smirked as well. "Enjoy your nap, huh?" he chuckled as well.

"...yeah..." Mercy responded, and after that, she turned and headed down the hall for the elevator.

"...hm...was expecting more of a rise out of her than that," Callous mused.

"...yeah; that seemed kinda lackluster." Johnny noted.

"...well, can't win them all, huh?" Mia shrugged.

"Well then, how's Pierce?" Callous asked.

"...still asleep." Mia remarked with a shrug.

Johnny hummed as he glanced past her shoulder. "...you sure? Because I don't think he is."

"...wait, what?" Mia looked over at Johnny in surprise.

Callous looked past Mia's shoulder as well with a hum.

"...I think someone's been faking being asleep for a while." Johnny remarked, folding his arms before he glanced at Callous. "You think we oughta confirm that?"

"Sure, why not?" Callous chuckled.

With a chuckle, Johnny headed back for Pierce's bedroom. Callous followed him.

Coming to a halt in the doorway, Johnny folded his arms. "Alright, Pierce, up and at 'em. You're not fooling anybody."

"Yeah, c'mon," Callous said, actually walking over to Pierce on his bead to poke at his head. He didn't respond...

...until a sigh escaped his lips. "...nothing gets past you two, does it?"

"Don't bet on it." Johnny chuckled.

"Someone's gotta pick up on the little things around here," Callous added in amusement.

With a light groan, Pierce slowly sat up and rubbed his head a touch. "...how did the mission go?"

"Other than the Westopolis Police Department being stubborn as hell, it went good," Callous said. Then she chuckled. "But don't change the subject. What exactly happened with you and Mercy, huh?"

Immediately, Pierce looked aside.

"...I think I can imagine what went down fairly well." Johnny remarked with a laugh of his own.

"So you two finally couldn't hold back anymore," Callous chuckled as well. Then she suddenly noticed something about Pierce.

"...hm, now that I think about it, your wounds healed awfully fast, didn't they?"

Pierce looked away even more now, actually turning away from them.

"...uh..." Johnny looked between Pierce and Callous, eyes narrowing. "...that's strange..."

"Hm..." Callous rubbed her chin with a hum, thinking.

"...I lost control." Pierce eventually admitted.

"...it was reacting to her, wasn't it?" Callous assumed.

Pierce just nodded.

Johnny sighed then, folding his arms. "Of course it had to be something like that..."

"Though seeing as you two were still sleeping in the same bed, it must not have been too drastic," Callous added.

"...I... managed to snap out of it." Pierce murmured. "Before I could have..."

"...so you still feel guilty about it, I take?" Callous said.

Pierce nodded again.

"...and what do you intend to do about this?" Callous hummed. "You can't think of distancing yourself from Mercy now that you two confessed, can you?"

"...no." Pierce responded. "Doing that would be a foul thing for me to do..." His eyes narrowed. "...I would need to learn proper self-control..."

"That's the spirit," Callous chuckled.

Pierce hummed. "...though... I have little experience with that activity... learning self-control over that manner of Corruption would be difficult on my own..."

"Then let Mercy help you," Callous suggested.

Immediately, Pierce tensed and appeared flustered. "I-I... I couldn't just ask her about that out of nowhere!"

Johnny chuckled. "I think that's the real first time I've seen ya flustered like that, Pierce."

"Yeah, no kidding," Callous laughed. "...but you'd be surprised what Mercy'd be willing to do for you."

Pierce still tensed, glancing aside. "...what makes you say that?" he uttered, tone still flustered.

"...tell me; how exactly did you and Mercy survive that avalanche on that mission a few weeks ago?" Callous asked.

Pierce remained silent for a few moments, closing his eyes.

"...we... shared body heat..." he eventually answered.

"…huh, so that's why Mercy didn't want to say anything about that," Callous chuckled. "…but you see what I mean?"

Pierce slowly nodded.

"Besides, you two could really use that kind of alone time," Callous chuckled.

He tensed again, and looked aside with a flustered huff.

"What's the matter? Never been close to a girl before?" Callous laughed teasingly.

"...I haven't." Pierce responded bluntly.

"Then it ought to be a good learning experience for you then," Callous chuckled.

Again, Pierce just looked aside with a flustered expression.

Callous laughed. "Anything else you wanna get off your chest?"

"...nnh..." Pierce just blinked.

Callous raised her eyebrows, still smirking at him.

At that point, Pierce shook his head. "...no, nothing else." he spoke.

"Good. We'll leave you alone to do some pondering then," Callous chuckled, walking away from the bed.

With a chuckle of his own, Johnny just gave Pierce a nod as he began walking away from the doorway.

* * *

><p>Stella and Lock were just taking a stroll through the woods on their own.<p>

"...you haven't had too much trouble with your work, have you?" Stella asked.

Lock simply adjusted his hat. "Not too much, no." he replied.

"...even with you being a wanted man?" She asked again. "How did that happen anyway?"

Lock hummed a touch as he rubbed his cheek. "...it's actually a somewhat embarassing story..."

Stella blinked. "Really?"

Lock simply nodded. "...a bit of a misunderstanding... a target I was hunting was hiding in Future City, and... I caught the wrong person." He sighed. "Turns out, walking up to the police officer with his son in tow, expecting a reward for bringing in a criminal, isn't exactly how you make a good first impression." He then covered his face with his hat to hide a somewhat flustered expression. "...I swear, the resemblance was uncanny."

"Oh my," Stella giggled at that. "I suppose everyone makes mistakes…"

"...right." Lock remarked with a chuckle. "I've managed to make my amends for my mistake... but I requested that they keep the bounty up. I like to think of it as a reminder not to make assumptions."

"…but don't people that aren't part of the loop end up trying to take you in?" Stella asked.

"...occasionally." Lock adjusted his hat a touch. "I don't bother giving them the time of day, though. It wouldn't be fair to them, suffering the possibility of making the same kind of mistake I did."

"I'm assuming you didn't tell my family about it then?" Stella hummed; "Seems they're still a little intimidated by you."

Lock rubbed his cheek a touch. "...it's never really crossed my mind, honestly... I suppose it's just habit, from before I met Jill and her comrades."

Stella chuckled. In turn, Lock couldn't help but chuckle a touch as well.

"Well, that's fine. I think it keeps things interesting," Stella said.

"Right..." Lock chuckled, adjusting his hat a touch more. "...reminds me when we returned to Future City those months ago..."

_"...you're sure you'll be alright?" As they wandered through Future City, Lock cast a glance towards Stella, who he made sure to stay close to. _

"_Yeah, I should be alright," Stella said. "After all, it's a great chance to try and catch up with Grandpa and get to know my siblings…I haven't seen them since they were really young."_

_"...true enough." Lock mused with a small nod._

_They eventually reached the house they wanted, and Stella stopped to stare at it. Lock simply looked up at it as well in silence._

_Then suddenly...there was a loud blast that was heard from within the building, shaking the ground._

_"...eh?" Stella uttered at this._

_"...huh." Lock blinked as he adjusted his hat a touch._

_"...what in tarnation did you young'uns do now?!" a grouchy voice huffed. "The place is a mess! I thought you whippersnappers knew how to handle this kinda gear!"_

_"I swear it wasn't like this yesterday!" yelped a girl's voice._

_"Seriously, it just started acting up right now!" a male voice followed._

_"...hm. Seems like you're needed." Lock mused._

_"Indeed," Stella mused, walking up to knock on the door._

_"And another-!" The knock stopped the grouchy voice from ranting further. "...well, don't just stand there! Go open that door! And if it's a salesman, you know what to do!"_

_There was some grumbles and the door opened. "Yeah; listen, we don't want whatever you're-oh!"_

_The one who opened up the door turned out to be Gale, and she gawked at Lock and Stella. "Grandpa, it's her and Lock!" She called back. "They're back!"_

_"...wait, who now?" the grouchy voice huffed._

_"Did you say...?" After a while, Punk walked towards the door, and gawked as he saw them. "...holy... yeah, it's them, alright!"_

_Stella tilted her head. "You guys have trouble with salesmen?"_

_"Well, yeah, given out reputation, people want our money and all," Gale huffed. "But come in guys; don't be standing out there."_

_"...very well." With a small nod to them, Lock led Stella inside whilst closing his eyes._

_"So what was that explosion we heard?" Stella asked._

_"Oh, one of our gears wasn't working; right after we had taken in to a mechanic to fix too," Gale growled. "I think that mechanic messed up on it or something."_

_Gale and Punk led them to a room where a broken gear was lying on the ground with some burnt marks everywhere, and Jet was in the room. Jet just shook his head, before he glanced over at Stella and Lock; regarding a slight nod to them._

_"...so you need someone to look over your gear?" With a hum, Lock glanced at Stella. "...you think we should give it a once-over?"_

_"Sure," Stella said, walking over to kneel down at the gear to look at._

_Which made Gale blink. "Wait...you're a mechanic?"_

_"Sure didn't come off as it to me..." Punk remarked._

_Lock simply remained silent, walking to the gear as well with an observant eye. Stella looked it over very carefully too. Though she didn't have much experience with actual Extreme Gear, the trashy one she had worked on indicated that she was able to figure it out at least._

_"...where's your tool kit? I can fix this," Stella stated._

_"What?! Really?!" Gale uttered._

_"She's serious." Lock mused with a small nod._

_"...well, what're you standin' around for?!" Jet snapped as he looked at them. "Go get the tool kit, ya whippersnappers!"_

_"Uh... alright..." With a confused nod, Punk headed off to find the tool kit. Gale followed, just as confused as he was._

_When they left, Stella took the moment to stand up and hug Jet. "It's good to see you Grandpa," she said._

_Jet took the moment to hug her back. "Good to see ya too."_

_When she broke away from hugging him, she saw Gale and Punk come by with the tool kit and she took it up, kneeling down at the gear again. She opened up the tool box and started searching through to see what tools they had to try and find what she needed. Lock, in turn, also knelt down by the gear, looking it over to see just what would be wrong with it._

_Finally, Stella found the tools she needed and immediately began working, taking the gear apart._

_"Hey, hey, HEY!" Gale yelped. "Be careful!"_

_But Stella didn't respond._

_"...hey, hey..." Punk just gawked at this with a tilted head._

_Lock, however, remained silent as he just observed her at work._

_"...done." Stella announced, standing up with the gear in her hand._

_"Wha-already?!" Gale yelped._

_"Yeah; even though it suffered a blowout, there was no damage done to it," Stella said. "The parts just happened to be in the wrong places slightly."_

_Lock looked it over as well. "...it's repaired, alright. I can vouch for it."_

_"...seriously?!" Punk gaped as well._

_"Well... seems like you got an eye for machines, Stella." Jet mused as he rubbed his chin. "More than the other whippersnappers seem to..."_

_"...here, lemmie test it," Gale said, snatching it with a bit of skepticism and she ran out. Blinking, Stella followed her._

_Lock, Punk and Jet simply watched from the window, blinking a touch._

_Out the window, they could see Gale hop on the gear and hover around smoothly, while Stella watched. Eventually, Gale jumped off the gear, giving an amazed look at it while she and Stella headed back inside._

_"It works great!" Gale uttered when she and Stella were inside again._

_"...it really does?" Punk uttered with a gawking expression._

_"...I had a feeling it would." Lock mused as he gave Stella a small nod._

_"Well, being on the Space Colony ARK, I learned a few things," Stella admitted._

_"...she's quite handy with machines, yes." Lock mused._

_"...well, that's sure to come in handy." Jet remarked with a light chuckle._

_"Well...thanks," Gale said._

_"Anything for family," Stella said with a smile._

_"...family...huh?" Gale mused._

_"...huh..." Punk rubbed his neck a little in thought._

_"...what's with those slack-jawed reactions?!" Jet quickly began jabbing his finger at the air towards the other two birds. "The two of you oughta clean up your act and be more like Stella! She's way more well-behaved than the two of you are; bickering between yerselves, acting like delinquents, picking fights, getting in trouble..." He kept going still, not losing his breath as he listed off the many, _many_ things the two birds were renowned for doing._

_Lock simply chuckled, giving Stella a small glance. Stella couldn't help but feel a little…embarrassed. She didn't realize that what appeared to be her siblings were so rough like that, and that Jet was going to make an example out of her.__Seeing her embarrassed like that, Lock simply set a hand on her, giving her an encouraging nod._

_Once Jet was done yelling at them, Gale sighed. "Well, wanna stay for dinner tonight Stella? Guess we all got some things to chat about."_

"_Right," Stella nodded. "…do…you mind if Lock joined us?"_

_Gale suddenly looked very shocked. "What?!"_

_Lock simply hummed, before he adjusted his hat. "It's a lovely offer, but I'm afraid I must decline. I'm expected somewhere else."_

_"...huh...?" Punk gawked at him. "You gonna meet with someone?"_

_"Yes." Lock spoke, glancing over at Stella. "I'm meeting up with Violet later on. I hope you under-"_

_"Oh, c'mon, don't be modest!" Jet then patted Lock's back with a bit of a chuckle. "I'm sure Violet can bother waitin' on ya for a while!"_

"_Well…but…Violet is pretty important too," Stella murmured, having not realized that Lock had to meet with his mother. Given that he spoke her actual name, he probably wanted to hide the fact that it was his mother._

"_Oh, no need. Decided to come here myself."_

"_ACK!" Turns out, Violet walked in through the door, which startled Gale._

_"GAH!" Even Punk and Jet were startled by her appearance._

_Lock looked towards the door then, adjusting his hat as he gave her a nod. "...fancy seeing you here."_

"_You had taken a little while, so I decided to track you down," Violet said. Then she looked at the hawks. "And I see what took you."_

_Lock simply adjusted his hat a touch, closing his eyes with a light smile. "...that obvious, hm?" he chuckled._

"_Perhaps," Violet chuckled. "…but then again, maybe this is a good thing."_

_"...how do you figure?" Lock hummed, opening his eyes lightly._

_"Well, you do have to get to know Stella's family after all," Violet hummed._

_Gale blinked at that remark. "What's that supposed to mean? And besides, we already know Lock."_

_"Yeah, why's he suddenly gotta know us more than he does now?" Punk noted._

_Lock chuckled a bit, as he glanced over at Stella. Stella looked embarrassed again, smiling sheepishly while she rubbed the back of her neck. "Erm…"_

_Gale folded her arms. "Well?"_

"…_maybe I'm…" Stella began nervously. "…sort of…dating him?"_

_Silence._

_"...whaaaaaat?!" was Punk's immediate reaction as he looked between Lock and Stella._

_"...it's the truth." Lock remarked with a small chuckle._

_"But...but how does something like this happen?!" Gale uttered, baffled by this news._

_"Easy. Stella got shot in the shoulder on their journey, and Lock took special care of her," Violet answered with a hum._

_Gale looked shocked now. "Y-you got sh-shot?!"_

_"Long story." Lock mused with a small hum._

_"But i'm alright now, so there's no need for worry," Stella reassured._

_"...well, that just seems obvious." Jet noted with a light hum._

_"Wait, you're just accepting it?!" Punk gawked._

_"...better to do that than to just keep denying it." Lock mused with a shrug. "It's in the past anyway, so no need to fret over it."_

_Violet smiled. "If you'd like to have dinner with them, Lock, then I wouldn't mind it. And actually, would you be willing to have me as well?" She asked Jet._

_"...well... I guess it's been a while since we had proper visitors..." Jet mused, before he shrugged. "Eh, what the hell? One more guest couldn't hurt."_

_"...thank you." Lock hummed with a small nod to the eldery goshawk._

Stella couldn't help but giggle at the memory of that. Lock chuckled a touch as well, as he glanced over at her.

"Oh, and their reaction when they found out Violet was your mother," Stella added with a smile.

"I don't think I've ever heard a reaction that loud before." Lock mused with a small chuckle.

Stella turned and smiled at Lock.

"...by the way, I never asked," Stella said. "Why did you need to meet with Violet?"

Lock simply smiled back at her, before he adjusted his hat a touch. "...we were going to meet my father. We did so after we finished the dinner, anyhow."

"I don't think I met your father yet," Stella hummed. "What's he like?"

"...he's a very quiet fellow." Lock mused, closing his eyes a touch. "You would almost be justified in assuming he is mute, but he simply speaks when he feels the need to speak. He's also the one who built me my rifle."

"Really?" Stella looked amazed.

Lock nodded in reply.

"...I would like to meet him, if I could?" Stella said, smiling more.

"...that's absolutely possible." Lock responded with a smile.

"I would like that," Stella said.

Lock simply hummed with a small smile, adjusting his hat a touch before glancing aside. "...then it's a date, as the saying goes."

Stella giggled at that.

* * *

><p>A while had gone by since Cyrene and Nage had stumbled upon Will's group, and currently, two of those six were now wandering on their own. Cyrene had, after a while, wanted to spend some time on her own with Will, so they were now wandering through the woods on their own.<p>

Cyrene seemed a little more relaxed. Ever since she had been purified, she had always been tense. She had changed significantly from the way she used to be; from the jewel thief looking for adventure. She had left those days behind her. Will cast a glance over in her direction, glad to see her more at ease now. It had seemed like just how tense she was had fluctuated since they had first really met each other; now, even when she wasn't just on her own with him, he could tell that she was doing better than before.

"So I take it that life here's been treating you alright?" She asked, deciding to make small talk.

"Yeah, things have been going well over here." Will spoke with a small nod in reply, rubbing his neck. "We've been fixing the island up a bit, making some polish all around... I'm tellin' ya, when the snow melts, Safe Haven's gonna be looking better than ever."

"That's good," Cyrene remarked.

"Yeah, it sure is." Will mused with a nod.

"...and your friends are doing good?" Cyrene asked, looking at him.

"Yeah, they're doing fine." Will spoke with a light nod, glancing back at Cyrene.

Cyrene fell silent after that, but she did smile at Will.

Will smiled back at her, simply nodding a touch.

Cyrene looked out ahead of them while they walked. "…still…what the heck was up with Hunter earlier? That sure was weird…"

Will rubbed his neck a touch. "Yeah, sure was..."

"…hope it's not an emergency," Cyrene muttered.

"...yeah, I hope so too." Will mused.

Cyrene fell silent again, feeling a bit awkward. She wasn't used to talking to Will very much, so she was never really sure how to talk to him. Will glanced over at her, seeing her somewhat uncomfortable expression. With a light sigh, he rubbed his neck. He wasn't too used to talking to her a lot either, mainly due to him not having much experience in conversation aside from his buddies and the others on the island.

"…Well…Nage and I hadn't entirely given up on the mercenary life, but I can safely say that I'm not as reckless as I used to be," Cyrene started. Then she closed her eyes. "We even tagged with Spiel's group once…and they seem to be handling themselves just fine."

"...you don't say?" Will glanced over at her with a small hum, as he tilted his head. "What did you guys do?"

"We had to defend a stronghold from bandits that were planning to take it," Cyrene answered. "It was considerably challenging, but it also paid us really well."

"Oh, that's good to hear." Will mused. "You guys pulled through without too much damage though, yeah?"

"Yeah. If anything, me and Nage played more of a supportive role rather than being able to keep up with them," Cyrene said. "They're a league all of their own..."

"...yeah, I know all about that." Will remarked. "Spiel was pretty much an unstoppable force even when we first started out here on Safe Haven."

"...there's no way I could work so hard to be so good at fighting like that," Cyrene said. "...I find that I don't enjoy fighting like I used to."

"...you know, I can understand that..." Will hummed.

"...in some ways, I'm glad that you understand," Cyrene muttered.

Will glanced in her direction when he overheard that comment. "...really?"

"Yeah…I hate the feeling of having to explain myself to everyone else," Cyrene muttered. "Having to bring up some harsh memories just to justify why I am the way I am…the fact that you already get what's going on is relieving to me."

Will rubbed his neck a little. "...well, I'm glad to hear that you're relieved by it." he noted.

"…what…happened to you guys though…during the outbreak two years ago here?" Cyrene muttered. "…I never really learned what happened here."

Upon hearing that, Will... fell strangely silent, as he glanced aside.

Cyrene eventually looked away too, "…sorry…that unpleasant huh?"

"...well... it's a bit harsh, yeah..." Will murmured. "...but... not so much that I can't tell ya... if you wanna know and all..."

"…I guess if it's not too much trouble?" Cyrene asked, looking at him.

With a hum, Will closed his eyes.

"...Ed, Seymour, and Marco got corrupted." he murmured. "Nearly got me, too..."

Cyrene's eyes widened at him.

"...it didn't last too long for 'em before Joy purified them, though... maybe an hour or so..." Will murmured. "...but it was still the scariest shit I had ever seen..."

"…I could understand that," Cyrene said.

"...I guess I got lucky, getting away from being Corrupted..." Will murmured with a sigh. "...but I don't think I've ever felt more helpless than back then..."

Cyrene looked away, looking a bit sad at that. Seeing that, Will just looked at her in silence.

"…yeah…helpless…" Cyrene muttered. "…I don't think there's a feeling I hated more…then that."

"...it just sucks, right?" Will murmured with a light nod. "Knowing you can't do a damn thing about something like that..."

"…I think Safe Haven really is a good thing…" Cyrene muttered. "King's philosophy behind it might be different…but it helps those, who really hit rock bottom, to be able to find their ground and work their way back up."

"...yeah, no kidding." Will mused with a small hum. "I don't think I ever looked at it like that until after that incident was over and done with... but now I really get what it can do to help people..."

Cyrene tilted her head at Will. "How come you joined Safe Haven?"

Will glanced aside with a lightly embarrassed look. "...eh... last girlfriend I had broke up with me because she didn't think I was man enough for her... I got pissed, and joined Safe Haven, day one, just to show her up... never seen her since then. Good riddance, actually..."

Cyrene chuckled. "You did it to try and impress her?"

Will rubbed his neck. "...maybe... but I ended up forgetting about that after a couple weeks on Safe Haven. Served me a lot better in the long run..."

Cyrene chuckled some more, but then sighed. "Well…I should talk about impressing someone…I spent most of my good years just trying to catch Flamenco's eye…"

Will glanced back at her. "You did?" he hummed.

"Yeah…I was a pretty jealous woman in my early years; studied under the same fencing instructor as Flamenco and we've had some heists back in the day," Cyrene said.

"...you don't say..." Will mused with an interested tone, looking at Cyrene.

"Came here about…oh? 3 years ago I think," she muttered. "…I finally ended up getting together with Flamenco…"

Then she frowned and rubbed her arm insecurely. "…then all of what happened a few months ago happened…"

"...right..." Will just folded his arms and sighed, nodding just a touch.

"…it still feels…awkward being around him," Cyrene muttered.

With a small nod, Will just folded his arms. "...can't blame ya for feeling like that... it must've been rough..."

Cyrene suddenly stopped walking then, eyes widening. They had both been walking so far that they had gotten into the more foresty areas…and the particular area they stumbled upon, she suddenly recognized; only because there were still blood stains here.

She may not have been here when the actual battle happened…but she had seen this place later and realized…this was where Husk had taken Patricia and Bulk… to bide time…

Cyrene couldn't help but be frozen.

Will stopped as well, noticing this area, before he glanced over at Cyrene. He didn't say a word, though he did look at her in concern.

Cyrene could feel her eyes water up, but she kept a firm hold on herself. "…could we…please…walk somewhere else?" She muttered, closing her eyes so she would have to look at the area."

"...of course." Will spoke with a small nod.

With that, Cyrene turned a different direction and headed away. Will cast a brief look back at the bloodied area, before he turned to follow Cyrene; still looking at her with concern lingering in his eyes.

"…s-sorry…" Cyrene muttered, while they walked.

"...it's fine. Don't worry about it." Will noted as he still just looked at her.

Cyrene was silent for a bit longer, and she tried to hold her tears back but they dripped down, and she covered her face. "…guess it still hurts…" she uttered.

Will just looked sympathetically at her, nodding lightly in silence as he set a hand on her shoulder.

"…just…why? Why did he have to…go like that?" Cyrene muttered, nearly on the brink of breaking down again.

Will didn't say anything, as he figured it was something incredibly personal to Cyrene.

"…and it doesn't help that Johnny, that asshole…took his body and…"

Finally it was too much for Cyrene to take and she started crying. Seeing that, Will stopped, looking at Cyrene with a sympathetic look...

...and with a sigh, he wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug, just letting her cry while he remained silent. She held him while she cried. It wasn't much crying, but it definitely felt like Cyrene was in pain. Will definitely understood that, so he decided to just keep quiet and allow her to let it out. Better not to let it bottle up for her.

Eventually, Cyrene finished up with a few sniffles. Will looked down at her, still not saying anything.

"…thank you…" she muttered.

"...it's the least I could do." Will responded after a while.

"…normally I wouldn't let anyone touch me…" Cyrene muttered. "…but you're comforting."

Will just hummed, nodding ever so lightly. "...glad I could help comfort you, even just a little." he mused.

Cyrene wiped her eyes, looking up at Will with a smile. Will smiled as well as he looked back down at her.

Cyrene then pulled away, to keep walking. Will simply followed along.

"…would you like to find the others…or…walk around a bit longer?" Cyrene asked shyly.

Will glanced over at her with a lightly surprised look, before he gave her a small smile. "...we can walk around a bit longer, if you want."

"...I'd like that," Cyrene said, smiling.

Will smiled back at her with a small nod. "Then we'll do that."

So the two walked on farther.

* * *

><p>Mercy was heading back down to the Living Quarters while the others were settling down after their mission. She hadn't seen Pierce and wondered if he was still in his room, so she was heading down to check on him.<p>

When she got to his door, she knocked on it. "Pierce, are you in there?"

"...yes." was the blunt reply that seemed just a touch delayed.

"...can I come in?" She asked.

"...yes." Another delayed response.

Mercy opened the door then and walked in. There, sitting on his bed was Pierce; back turned to the door as he seemed to be fiercely meditating; taking exceptionally deep breaths whilst remaining stationary.

"...oh, sorry; I didn't mean to interrupt," Mercy muttered.

"...no, it's fine." Pierce hummed with a breath.

Mercy closed the door behind herself and she walked over to sit on the bed beside him, looking at him. He didn't look back at her, as he simply kept his eyes closed in meditative silence.

"...what are you thinking about?" Mercy asked him.

"...ways to improve." he responded after a while.

"...on what?" she asked again.

"Self-control." he replied.

"...I see..." She muttered.

"...it's tough." he eventually admitted.

"...Pierce, there's something you need to know," Mercy muttered.

"...yes...?" Pierce opened one eye slightly, glancing towards Mercy.

"When we were Corrupted...Bulk slept around. With Cyrene, Ivory, Patricia...even me." She looked ashamed and disgusted at that last part.

Pierce hummed, before he closed his eyes. "...I'm sorry that you had to endure that. If I had known back then, I could have tried to stop it..."

"Don't worry about it...all I'm trying to say is...I know how easy it is to get sucked in...even if it's against your will..." Mercy muttered. "...it's just not something you can do on your own and..."

"...that's why...I want to help you be able to control it."

Pierce opened his eyes then, breathing out. "...thank you..."

"...of course," she responded.

"...I had wanted to ask, but..." Pierce began, a light breath escaping his lips before he looked back at her. "...this is something I have little experience in... I wouldn't know how to put it into words..."

"Well...then good thing I suggested it then," Mercy said with a nod.

Pierce slowly nodded, before he turned to face her. "...yes... good indeed..."

Mercy stared back Pierce when he turned to look at her. Pierce just looked back at her, and though he looked serious, it was immediately clear that he seemed incredibly awkward about even beginning. Slowly, Mercy crawled toward him to get closer to him. Pierce simply breathed out, leaning forward just a touch in response.

Mercy leaned toward him, enough to be able to kiss him. Pierce closed his eyes as he gently kissed her back. Mercy wrapped her arms around him while she kissed him back. Breathing out, Pierce slowly moved his arms to wrap around her in return.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Just some filler...<strong>_


	74. Chapter 73

**_Oh my god, has it been, like, a couple years since I updated? Geezuz..._**

_**Here, I need to finish this up for you guys... We got a couple chapters to put up.**_

* * *

><p>"It's so exciting!" Crystal chuckled, while she, Dax and Demi were walking through town. "And he's gonna be born in <em>my<em> room!"

Demi just smiled a little as they walked along. "I figured that you'd be excited." he mused.

"You bet I am!" Crystal laughed.

"But I don't think you're as excited as King and Tasha, though." Demi noted with a light chuckle.

"Yeah, not nearly," Dax agreed.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Crystal responded. "Besides, it'll just be a matter of time before you and Oblivion have a kid, Demi!"

And immediately, Demi broke into a flustered blush. "Wh-what?!" he sputtered, looking at Crystal with wide eyes. "D-don't just surprise me with saying things like that..." he noted in a flustered tone.

"Why not? Haven't you two talked about that stuff yet?" Crystal asked.

"N-no, we haven't..." Demi remarked as he rubbed his head awkwardly.

"Oh c'mon! You guys have practically moved in together now! You guys need to start planning your future ahead!" Crystal pestered him, while Dax chuckled in the background.

"B-but it's not just as simple as asking if we should have kids, Crystal..." Demi remarked as he rubbed his neck, glancing aside. "I mean, what if someone asked you if you had plans to have kids?"

"I'd say that I got no time for kids seeing as I'm gonna be an Auntie soon!" Crystal laughed. "See? Easy to answer!"

"You should know better than to ask her questions like that, Demi," Dax chuckled.

"...I guess..." Demi remarked with a light sigh, rubbing his head a little. "Nothing gets you flustered, huh?" he noted as he gave Crystal a light smile.

"Nope!" She said with a grin. Then she softened. "All joking aside, it doesn't have to be about a kid, but definitely talk to her about the future. I mean, she's one of the only people that's been totally cool with Blood."

"...you're right." Demi eventually hummed, smiling as he rubbed his neck. "We do need to talk about the future..."

"…speaking of which, I've always been kinda curious," Crystal said. "What does Blood think of Oblivion, huh?"

"He's actually been warming considerably up to her during the last few months." Demi noted with a light smile. "I mean, he has warmed up to everyone else too, but it's been going exceptionally well for him getting used to her."

"So he's not used to a lot of people, huh?" Crystal hummed.

"Well, no... he has only really been with you, me and Dax until we met the others back then." Demi responded.

"But he runs in your bloodline right? Doesn't he have, like, memories of past lives or something?" Crystal asked.

Demi just shrugged. "The memories he had weren't exactly full of friendly people. There is a reason why the wings were thought of as an ill omen, after all."

"…given Oblivion's abilities, though, has she ever seen those memories?" Dax asked curiously.

"...a few times." Demi nodded. "But there are quite a few of those memories about... it's not an easy task to go through them all."

"…geez…" Crystal muttered, rubbing her head. "…how does Oblivion cope with it all? Seeing such horrible memories from other people?"

"...well, she has both me and Charon to support her." Demi mused with a light hum.

"And us too…." Dax added.

"Yeah, but I mean…before she even met Charon…how was she able to deal with it?" Crystal asked.

Demi hummed. "...you know, I don't think I've ever asked her that... but I can only guess that it was really tough for her..."

"…at least she seemed to make it," Crystal said. "I know it's a bit much to say it, but I think I'd want to end my life if I had to keep seeing stuff like that…"

Demi just hummed as he heard that.

"…that's a pretty dark thing for you to say Crystal," Dax muttered with wide eyes. "I don't normally hear you say stuff like that."

"I guess…but it's hard to think about…" Crystal said. "…and I don't think I've seen any family of hers either. Yeah I've met Demi's family…but not hers."

"...it must be a really heavy topic for her..." Demi murmured. "...I don't think I could ask her anything regarding that..."

"...guess not..." Crystal muttered.

"...oh, hey Oblivion!" Dax suddenly blurted out, noticing Oblivion down the road.

She turned. "Hi guys," she greeted with a smile.

Demi gave her a light nod and a smile as well. "Hey."

"What'chu been doing?" Crystal asked.

"Just making sure things are in order," Oblivion answered.

"Yeah, we're doing the same," Dax added with a smile of his own.

Demi nodded, before he glanced around curiously. "...where's Charon? I would've thought he'd be with you."

"He's off to take care of something for himself, which actually did surprise me a little bit, but he assured he'd be back," Oblivion answered.

"Well, that's good to know." Demi mused, nodding lightly in response.

"Soooo…can I ask you something Oblivion?" Crystal said.

Before Oblivion could answer though, Dax glared at her. "No Crystal. Don't ask her about that."

"Ask me what?" Oblivion asked in confusion.

Demi just rubbed his hands together a touch awkwardly; now that she was curious about it...

"...I guess...about...any family of yours?" Crystal asked, looking nervous but still curious. "...cause, you never talked about having any family."

Oblivion looked solemn and was silent for a bit.

Demi let out a small breath. There, the question had been popped...

"…I…don't like to talk about my family…but…you guys are my friends."

Then she looked up at them. "…let's just say that it was them that allowed me to figure out how to use my powers to protect myself."

Crystal looked shocked. "…were they that bad?"

"…they…never really believed that I had powers," Oblivion said. "They thought I was a child acting out for attention…and on top of that…well…" she rubbed her arms in discomfort. "…they were miserable with their own lives…and they took out their frustrations on me."

"…say no more…" Dax murmured. "…so…you just broke away from them?"

"…yeah…" Oblivion said. "…they shouldn't even remember they have a daughter like me even to this day, and I've never seen them since. I've been on my own since I was really little, so who knows where they are or what they're doing now."

Demi just looked at her with a concerned expression on him.

"...but I'm not worried about that anymore," Oblivion said with a smile. "I'm happy now, and that's all that matters."

Hearing that, Demi managed a light smile.

"If anything, I consider you guys and Charon my family," Oblivion added.

"Awww, really?" Crystal cooed warmly.

Oblivion nodded.

Demi smiled just a touch more as he heard that. "...that's quite a kind thought..." he mused.

"Yeah, it is," Dax agreed.

Oblivion smiled as well. "Anyway, how have you guys managed on things for the island?"

"Music Square is all set up!" Crystal said with a grin.

"It's looking pretty good right now." Demi shot in with a light nod.

"That's good," Oblivion said. "...well, I'm going to go meet up with Charon. I'll see you guys later!"

"See ya!" Crystal called while Oblivion ran off.

Demi waved after her with a light smile. "Later!" he called out...

_...no comment whatsoever?_

_**Hey, that seemed pretty obvious even to me. What'd you expect me to add to that?**_

_I dunno; something off-kilter to upset the mood a bit?_

_**I don't do that kinda thing!**_

_...no, you definitely do._

_**...only on occasion...**_

"Well," Crystal gave a yawn and stretched. "Everything else seems to be in order. What do you guys want to do?"

"...you know, I'm not sure." Demi mused with a light hum, looking up at the sky as he thought about this.

"...Oblivion took the question you asked pretty well," Dax remarked.

"...she did..." Demi mused thoughtfully.

"...just...don't ask questions like that again," Dax muttered.

"Whaaaaat?" Crystal looked sheepish.

Demi just let a small sigh escape his lips, as he glanced over at Crystal.

"I mean…never mind," Dax said. "You're always going to be asking the most uncomfortable, inappropriate questions."

"Damn straight!" Crystal laughed.

A light chuckle escaped his lips as she made that comment to Dax's observation. "...some things never change, huh...?"

"Hey Demi, maybe you should catch up to Oblivion and help her and Charon out?" Crystal suggested.

Demi hummed a little. "...you know, that's a good idea." he noted, looking at the two of them. "Is it okay with the two of you?"

"Yeah, sure," Dax said with a shrug.

"...alright; then I'll see you guys later." With a nod, Demi began walking on after where Oblivion had gone, giving Crystal and Dax a small wave as he went.

It took a bit, but eventually he saw Oblivion walking toward the woods, looking around curiously. _Hm…I wonder where Charon went…_ she thought, not having noticed Demi.

Seeing that she hadn't noticed him yet, he took to stopping a bit as he watched her walking; a touch unsure on how to approach her without startling her. He noticed Oblivion stop slowly, and look at the ground. She seemed more thoughtful, but he couldn't tell what. One thought came to his mind, and as he made sure to stay hidden behind some trees, he simply watched her.

"…I wonder…if they'd worry about me…if they'd remember me…" Oblivion muttered, looking at her hands.

Demi blinked just a touch. Was she thinking about her parents...?

Oblivion looked up at the sky then, and looked a little sad. "…how weird…that they hurt me the most…yet they're the ones I also miss the most."

Demi looked at her in concern.

"...sometimes I wish I could erase my own memories but...well...they'd have nowhere else to go other than back to my mind..." She mumbled.

Hearing that, Demi slowly closed his eyes in silence.

"...but...I haven't had it nearly as bad as Charon or Blood..."

Demi's eyes opened when he heard that.

"...I wish I would've been able to stop the stuff they both went through...and Blood has more memories than I can count of those experiences..." And she closed her eyes. "...no one should ever have to go through all that..."

Demi slowly looked down at the ground. There was only silence in his mind as well, so he figured that he was aware of this as well...

"...I wonder...how he would respond...if I offered to erase those memories...so that he only remembers happy ones," she said. Then she chuckled. "...no...he'd think it was silly or something..."

Demi let a small, inaudible breath escape his lips, pondering...

_**...she'd wanna offer something like that...?**_

_...guess so..._

"...Though...I shouldn't brush it off as nothing...I should ask him about it," she murmured.

Demi still just stood there in thought.

"Maybe...I'll ask him after I find Charon," Oblivion said.

With a small nod, Demi moved just a touch so it would seem like he just got into this area, before he turned towards Oblivion. "...hey, Oblivion." he spoke as he walked towards her.

"Huh? Oh, hi Demi," Oblivion turned and smiled at him.

He smiled back at her. "Crystal and Dax said I could go and help you and Charon out a little, so... here I am." he spoke as he stopped in front of her. "Still looking for him?"

"Yeah. He actually didn't really tell me where he was going," Oblivion admitted. "But if you're helping, maybe we'll find him faster."

"...sure. I'd be glad to help." Demi noted with a light smile.

"Thanks," Oblivion said.

Then...her smile fell. "...though...before that...can I...ask you something?"

Demi hummed, as he tilted his head somewhat. "What is it?"

"...it's about Blood," Oblivion said.

Demi slowly nodded. "...what about him?"

"...I know...he remembers some horrible things from his past lives..." Oblivion said. "...so...I wanted to offer to...maybe erase some of those memories, if he didn't want to remember them."

Demi hummed just a touch, eyes closing...

"...maybe... you shouldn't ask me about that."

And when his eyes opened, he let out a small breath as he looked at her. **"...hey."**

"...Blood..." She was surprised that he came out like that.

**"...you said something about my memories, yeah?"** Blood hummed, arms folding as his wings stirred just a touch.

"...I wanted to know if there was anything you didn't want to remember...so that I could erase them if you wanted," Oblivion said.

Blood hummed, closing his eyes. **"...well, take a quick look, see if you can find anything unpleasant. I'm not too good with memories myself..."**

"...alright..." And with that, Oblivion placed her hands on his head, and closed her eyes to concentrate. Blood's eyes closed as well, as he just breathed out.

Suddenly, Oblivion shuddered.

She witnessed a memory of Blood as his large, creature self in a village; massacring everyone in it. Due to this, the other villagers attempted to fight back, and even started to gang up and overwhelm him with fire and stones being thrown at him. Arrows and swords also pierced through him, and though it took a lot of effort, it all lead down to a brutal, painful death.

**"...first death, that..."** Blood mused. **"...you know, I think that was an accident, truth be told."**

Oblivion gulped, trying to keep it together. "Well...is this something...you wouldn't want to remember?"

Silence...

**"...no... no, I need this."** he eventually spoke. **"That night was when the supposed Novagod 'curse' fell into effect... gotta remember that."**

"...okay." Yeah, Oblivion could understand that. So she began surfing through his memories some more, going through the life of the first incarnate.

This one learned to love a woman, but a bad man kidnapped her and forced Blood out of him when he threatened to kill her should he not cooperate with him. Blood ended up savagely tearing apart the bad man...but the woman ended up being killed in the process.

Blood's reincarnate couldn't take the pain...so he took his own life.

Oblivion was horrified at this.

**"...pity he never learned to communicate with me... we could've prevented that." **Blood mused.

"...is this...one you want erased?" Oblivion managed to ask.

**"...no, keep this one."** Blood murmured.

"...right..." So Oblivion continued.

The next incarnate, strangely enough, was a woman. She lived alone in a castle and lured in unsuspecting men into her manor to seduce them, and then brutally murdered them. Afterward, she would drink their blood.

Oblivion...couldn't help but be disgusted.

**"...so that's where I got the taste from..." **Blood murmured.

Oblivion followed this memory to a point where the woman had been figured out and tracked down by a group of men seeking justice. Oblivion thought that this would just be a quick death for the woman...

...but instead gasped when they caught up to her and she witnessed what they did to her. Before a slow, painful death, they all took turns violating her over and over bitterly. This reminded her of the memories she erased of Raider and Jill...only this woman ended up getting killed after it was all over.

**"...irony is a harsh one..."** Blood murmured.

"...y-yeah..." Oblivion was trembling through this, "...how...about this one?"

**"...no. Keep it."** Blood hummed.

"...okay..." Oblivion muttered.

The next one was a boy...and unfortunately, only lived a small amount of childhood. By this time those around him had started catching on that the large wings were Blood's omen, so when the child developed the large wings...he was taken from his parents. He cried in fear and panic as he was savagely beaten to death by a bunch of men.

Oblivion could help but cover her mouth, feeling like she could cry. It was horrible.

Blood's eyes were narrowed. **"...harsh... cruel..."**

"...he...was defenseless..." Oblivion uttered.

**"...better to uproot the problem before it'd grow. I figure they all thought that." **Blood murmured. **"Keep it."**

Gulping down the lump in her throat, Oblivion kept going. She followed the memory of another child who was smuggled away after what happened to the last one, at the expense of watching his parents get killed. This one was motivated just to keep living; even managing to find a girl to marry and she bore his children. This helped preserve the Novagod legacy, since this incarnate was constantly having to hide his family to protect him.

Thus...this incarnate stumbled upon dark arts.

"...so...this is when the Novagods started...using the dark arts..." Oblivion muttered, managing to calm down.

**"...hrm..."**

Then this incarnate discovered that even though he only wanted to use the magic to protect his family...it ended up twisting his intentions and suddenly all he wanted was power. He bitterly attempted to punish those who wronged the Novagod family, while at the same time, gaining a sort of dictatorship over everyone.

It didn't just disturb Oblivion how someone who just wanted to protect his family ended up getting so twisted, but she could see the anguish of his own family as they watched someone they cared about losing themselves to the dark arts he used so much.

Eventually, the incarnate was killed...by his own son, who just wanted to stop all the horrible things that were done. His son looked hopelessly heartbroken as he watched his father die by his own hand.

**"...and I didn't even have anything to do with that..."** Blood murmured.

"...no...you didn't..." Oblivion muttered, "...what about...this one?"

**"...keep it."**

So Oblivion kept going.

The next incarnate was another man, but this one seemed to have it pretty easy. He had money, a lot of it, and a decent life compared to the others. Though like the woman a few incarnates back, he would bring home a lot of women to seduce them. He didn't kill them; he just seduced a lot of women.

He even used his fangs, which had the same effect.

This just made Oblivion blush. "U-um...maybe I'll s-skip this one..."

**"...don't. I forgot how this one went..."**Blood murmured.

"U-um..." Still blushing, Oblivion lived through all the different woman he slept with, and finally cane to a point where a woman he had slept with before brought in a child and claimed it was his son. Not questioning it, the incarnate took them in and they became his family.

Yet even thought he was married now...he still had many affairs with other woman.

Oblivion couldn't help but still feel bashful going through these memories. Blood just hummed, arms folding lightly.

Eventually, the woman he was married to couldn't take it anymore, and in a fit of jealousy, she ended up murdering the man in cold blood...which the child witnessed.

"...oh dear..." Though it wasn't nearly as brutal as the other death's she's seen, and she pretty much saw this coming because of how much the man cheated on her, she still found it unpleasant that the child had seen it.

**"...huh..." **With a small hum, Blood just shook his head. **"...guess it wasn't worth not skipping it. Just keep it..."**

This next one…turned out to be the son of the child that had witnessed that event, and was even told about it, in an effort to try and raise the child properly. The child also took an interest to the dark arts and started to study it out of a hobby, rather than having any purpose for it. This child seemed a lot like Bismark in mannerisms; preferring to be alone, speaking to no one, and just…studying.

He had hoped to find out this so called 'curse' that came with the wings…and wondered if he could either cure it or find some way to make peace with Blood, though he didn't directly try to contact him, since it seemed like he didn't know how.

Blood was silent; actually observing this child curiously.

This child also got picked on as well for his ridiculous set of wings. At first, he was able to ignore them, but as more time passed, the more he was ridiculed. Everyone mocked him, or ostracized him for the things he studied, and just the fact that he was a Novagod helped further the onslaught of humiliation pinned against him.

It all started to take its toll on the child…so much so that he grew to be a bitter old man…and when there was one last insult, he couldn't take it anymore. Blood ended up bursting out from him, and another rampage of death ensued, with no effort to try and control himself whatsoever.

Blood's eyes narrowed, and he looked away.

This one ended up dying out, because he had just lost the hope to live after everything he had done, so he died alone with regret.

Oblivion was silently saddened by this.

Then… "…keep this one?"

**"...yeah."**

Oblivion gasped with the next memory.

This one was a set of twins. Blood housed in one of the twins…while the other twin, Oblivion recognized. She could still recall when she saw the ghost of the white bat when things on Safe Haven ended from the invasion of the Corrupted, and Joy had purified him to reveal his true face untainted by the Corruption.

"…Deity Novagod…" she uttered. "…and…he was a twin?!"

Blood looked over when he heard that; blinking. "...wait, he was?"

"Yes, you were in the other twin," Oblivon uttered.

Not only did Oblivion experience what this incarnate went through, but she learned more and more about Deity through this. Deity was a troublemaking little brat as a kid, and he seemed to enjoy making trouble. As he grew older though…he seemed to be more than just a troublemaker. More like what he became years later when they fought him.

The incarnate was always in a struggle to either join Deity in the things he did…or try to stop him. This one seemed to have that conflict going on, and while Deity studied the dark arts to use for his own gain, this incarnate also studied just to try and stop him. It became more and more apparent, Deity's true nature, and so the brothers warred between themselves just to find some kind of balance for the family.

Blood's eyes narrowed as he bore witness to this.

Then Deity just…disappeared off the face of the earth.

At first the incarnate was wary…but as time went on, Deity never really came back. He even started another family, figuring that maybe he was gone for good, and he told his family that he had a twin but he had died, just as a means of explaining what happened to him.

"…but he didn't die," Oblivion murmured.

**"...oh, how he didn't die..." **Blood grunted.

This memory seemed to go on a bit further. The incarnate lived long enough to actually see grandchildren.

Bismark and Patricia.

Oblivion couldn't help but gawk. Bismark was not in the slightest deformed; he was actually a fairly nice looking boy, while Patricia seemed to have the same mannerisms as Deity beforehand.

Then something tragic happened. The incarnate was called to an emergency and when he got there, the entire manor was under a large fire. He stormed his way through the burning manor, and managed to find Patricia and take her outside away from the harm, but then he rushed back in to try and find Bismark.

When he found the boy, he was crying over the fact that both his parents, being the incarnate's son and his wife, had been killed and were burning along with the wreckage. Bismark ended up getting too close to the fire himself, and he had suffered some horrible burns all over his face. The incarnate grabbed his grandson and ran through to get him out as well…but the floor gave way underneath them.

Bismark crashed into some of the burning wood, while the incarnate was knocked out.

Oblivion could see the incarnate waking up in a hospital a few days later, recovering. Next to him was Bismark…but his face was all bandaged up, covering any sort of feature of his face at this point. Because of the fact that he had crashed into the burning wood, not only had he suffered 3rd degree burns all over his face, but the wood tore his face up to the point it was irreversible, and no amount of surgery was going to fix it.

"…so that's what happened…" Oblivion muttered, feeling sympathy for the fact that Bismark endured a lot of humiliation because of that accident, but how he also lost his parents.

**"...truly a pity..." **Blood murmured.

With the two orphans in his care, this incarnate ended up raising both Bismark and Patricia; with Patricia being the troublemaker that reminded him of Deity so much that he was concerned. He tried to help Patricia, and even Bismark did to an extent, but eventually Patricia was too much to handle that the incarnate kicked her out, and told her to figure things out for herself. She never came back at that point.

The last memory was that of the incarnate lying in a bed, with only Bismark at his side as the only family to see him. Bismark, despite his bandaged face…looked mournful. He had lost his parents and now he was going to lose his grandfather.

The incarnate spoke to Bismark, saying that he should make sure Patricia stays out of trouble…and the memory faded away to his death.

"…I don't see a reason to get rid of this one either…" Oblivion murmured.

**"...neither do I..."**

Oblivion already knew who the next one would be, and as she expected, she started to see the childhood memories of Demi; which were all very clear and vivid because there were two minds holding the same memories.

Catherine was as sweet as Demi said she was, and though Bismark didn't say a lot, he was somewhat supportive.

But they definitely made a big deal about the wings. However, they seemed to be the only ones who made a big deal out of them. Odium, being younger, didn't seem to mind them at all... she even seemed to find them interesting; never understanding why Catherine and Bismark made such a fuss over it.

Kids did make fun of them though…and Oblivion always got the feeling from Demi that he never really…belonged. He felt out of place.

She felt a bit of loneliness from him at times.

Then came the accident Demi talked about concerning his mother…and that threw them for one heck of a loop of misery. Blood folded his arms as he watched this.

They searched everywhere for her when they heard that she hadn't been found in the wreckage…but time after time, their efforts were met in vain. This served just to hurt Bismark more, and Oblivion could understand why. He lost his parents in a fire, his grandfather to old age, and this seemed like he lost his love too. Oblivion knew that Catherine ended up being perfectly fine, but even then, just seeing how Demi took this…

…it made a couple tears roll down her cheeks. It was hard to see how depressed and heartbroken he was.

Blood just watched this all in silence. His eyes were lightly narrowed as he watched this tragedy unfold.

Eventually…Demi just left. He left the family. He felt that the wings were the cause of all the misery that happened in the family, seeing as they were seen as a 'bad omen.' He figured that if he left, then nothing would happen to the family… and he needed to find his place in life, still feeling that empty loneliness inside of him.

Finally, Oblivion witnessed Demi cloaking himself with that garb…setting out for Safe Haven.

This was the point that Oblivion pulled her hands away, knowing the rest of the story at that point. As far as she was concerned, Demi was actually one of the first to make a true effort to communicate with Blood…but he was the only one that succeeded. Demi also had his life to still life, so there was no telling what would happen for him, and whether or not it would be as tragic as some of these lives she's witnessed.

Her stomach turned and her heart clenched tight. They were such horrible memories…and yet, Blood wanted to keep them all.

"…why…?" she muttered. "…why would you want to keep all those memories…?" She sort of had an idea why he would, but she still couldn't somewhat understand.

Blood hummed, glancing aside with a thoughtful look on him.

**"...if I forgot all those memories... whenever the time to slip into a new incarnate would come... who's to say that the new incarnate wouldn't slip into old habits?"** He sighed. **"If it hadn't been for Demi, I don't think I'd have thought about it like this... but how he's been growing with me made me realize that a lot of things could've been avoided, if those people had just talked with me, rather than either slipping out of control or exploiting my powers..."**

"…I see," Oblivion answered. Yes, that made a lot of sense to her.

**"...so horrible as they are... I gotta keep them."** Blood hummed, looking back at Oblivion. **"...I appreciate the thought, but... best to keep them around."**

She nodded. "…right."

With a small breath, Blood rubbed his neck. **"...anyway... figure you might wanna talk to Demi, huh?"**

Oblivion nodded. "…take care of yourself, Blood."

**"...you too."** He closed his eyes. **"...oh, and... take care of Demi, too."**

When he opened his eyes, he blinked lightly. "...mh... did it go well...?" he remarked.

"…as well as can be," Oblivion answered. "…we…didn't erase anything. We agreed that the experiences were best left untouched…since…well…Blood's learned a lot from those experiences…and when he'd lived with you, he's learned even more."

Demi hummed, before nodding ever so lightly. "...I see..."

Oblivion slowly looked up at Demi in silence. Demi looked back down at Oblivion in return.

"…Demi…you…know that you're not alone…right?"

Demi just looked at her, before he nodded ever so lightly. "...I know..."

Oblivion went and hugged him then. Demi slowly hugged her in return.

"…I hope you remember that…" Oblivion muttered.

"...I will..." Demi murmured in response. "...thank you..."

"…of course…" Oblivion muttered, her hug tightening. Maybe it was still getting over what she just experienced with the other lives on top of Demi's childhood, but she really did hope that he didn't feel lonely anymore. Demi simply remained silent as he hugged her a touch tighter in return.

"…would you…like to take a walk or something Demi?" Oblivion eventually asked. "…I think if Charon's done, he'll come find me, so…"

"...I'd like that." Demi spoke in reply.

Oblivion smiled at that, and reached to hold his hand gently, "…let's, then." Demi gently held her hand in return, giving her a nod.

So they started walking.

"…so…what…are your plans…?" Oblivion uttered. "…for the future?" She couldn't help but wonder, having seen lives pass over her eyes so quickly of course.

Hearing that, Demi hummed just a touch. "...truth be told... I haven't been thinking about that all too much... well, I have, but... not as much as I should, I'll admit..."

Oblivion couldn't help but giggle at that. "That's okay…I haven't thought about it as much myself…"

Demi chuckled a little as he rubbed his neck. "...well, we have been busy these days..."

"Yeah, we have," Oblivion said, smiling.

"...but... now with things calming down, and... the house being finished for all five of us..." Demi hummed as he looked down at Oblivion.

"…then…I suppose we should talk about the future, shouldn't we?" Oblivion said, looking back at Demi.

"...I suppose we should." Demi mused.

"So…any ideas?" Oblivion said, still smiling.

"...well..." Demi hummed as he rubbed his neck a touch. "...nothing comes to mind right away..."

"Hm…" Oblivion rubbed her chin curiously. Now that they thought about talking about the future…they can't think of what to talk about.

Demi glanced aside somewhat awkwardly. There was that one thing that Crystal had brought up, but... no, there was just no way he could bring that up right out of nowhere, even if they were looking for future topics to discuss...

And of course, Oblivion noticed his awkward look. "…what is it?" She asked.

"...well, uh..." Demi murmured, as he rubbed his arm a little. He still didn't seem too confident in bringing that topic up...

Oblivion smiled. "…you can tell me."

Demi blushed a little, as he kept looking to the side. "...well... uh... I thought maybe there was something possible, like... _startingafamily_..." He said those three words incredibly quickly, in a flustered murmur as his blush grew slightly brighter.

"What?" Oblivion didn't quite understand what he said, hoping he'd repeat.

And he understood that quite clearly... "...I said... maybe... starting a family...?"

Oblivion's eyes widened, and she blushed just as badly as Demi. "O-oh?"

"...y-yeah..." Demi just kept averting his gaze with that bright blush. He had actually blurted it out...

Oblivion blinked, looking at him while she blushed massively…

…then, suddenly…she started giggling.

Hearing her giggling, he looked slowly towards her... but just that sight made him crack the faintest of smiles in return.

"…you know…maybe I would like to," Oblivion said, still blushing but definitely smiling.

"...y-you would?" Demi kept blushing, but just hearing that made him smile a bit more.

"Yeah," Oblivion answered. "…I've…always wanted to have a family, really…but I always thought it wouldn't happen because I'd never find anyone."

"...I see..." Demi hummed, rubbing his hands lightly together as he pondered.

"…but, I guess I was wrong about that," Oblivion said, smiling up at him. Demi smiled back at her.

"…so…yes…I'd like to talk about it…it would be a big thing to start, so we'd have to be sure we're prepared for it," Oblivion said.

"...of course." Demi spoke with a nod.

Then she giggled some more. Demi chuckled a bit as well with her.

"…though…before that happens…I think we should think about other stuff first…" And Oblivion started blushing again.

Demi blushed as well as he rubbed his neck. "...yeah... I think you're right..."

"…but…we have a lot of time to talk about those things, right?" Oblivion hummed.

"...of course." Demi spoke with a small nod to her.

"…So…let's keep walking I guess," Oblivion said, taking his hand again.

"...yeah... let's," With a smile, Demi held her hand, and began leading the way.

* * *

><p>Eventually, nighttime fell upon Safe Haven. Those visiting for the day either left for home, or decided to stay the night. Either way, lots of the soldiers were unwinding, and most of them were in the pub doing so. Hunter was serving since Ani was still at Crystal's house.<p>

And guess who was bragging around here?

"King's boy is gonna be born in MY room!" Crystal laughed.

"Crystal, you only said that, like, fifteen times already," Dax groaned.

"So?!"

Of in a corner, Cyrene looked over. "…huh…so that's why Hunter was in a hurry to find King."

Will glanced over as well. "...what do you know..."

"Dude, that's, like, awesome," Jam commented with a smile.

"I'll shay!" Lin chimed in with a hiccup, as she was already taking to drinking, likely in celebration.

Hunter chuckled at their reaction.

Nage grinned a bit as she rubbed her head a little.

"How long has she been in labor?" Francis asked.

"Well…since earlier today," Crystal hummed.

"...and she's still not through?" Marco remarked in surprise.

"Hey, this kinda stuff takes time." Ruki called towards that group in particular.

"Let's just hope it won't be too hard on her," Flamenco added in, gulping his drink afterward.

"...well, she has King with her; I'm sure she'll manage." Nage remarked with a small hum.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at the large house, Ani, Arsenic, Striker and Jack were just waiting around in the kitchen. At the moment, their help wasn't needed, and Ani was just cooking up some grub in case anyone was hungry.<p>

Striker was pacing back and forth nervously about the whole thing. Having known were babies come from now, this was a really…weird thing for him to be part of. He couldn't help but feel a little anxious about it all.

Jack simply sat prone, twiddling his thumbs with a slightly anxious look on him as well. Mostly, he just hoped that everything was going to go smoothly.

"You guys doing okay?" Arsenic hummed, looking back and forth between the two.

"...mmh..." was Jack's response.

"…is food gonna help you guys feel better?" Ani asked.

"…maybe…not sure though…" Striker answered. Jack just kind of shrugged along with Striker.

"…what's the matter guys?" Ani asked, looking back.

"...well..." Jack glanced at Ani and Arsenic. "...aren't you two a little worried?"

"…well…maybe a little," Ani admitted. "…but this is what happens when you have a baby."

"...lots of worrying?" Jack tilted his head a little.

"Yeah," Arsenic threw in. "Lots of worrying happens. Just imagine how worried Tasha and King are."

"...that's kinda why I'm worried too..." Jack murmured.

"Well, what are you guys worried about?" Ani hummed.

"…I don't know…maybe…something goes wrong?" Striker muttered, rubbing his head.

"There are nurses there to make sure nothing bad happens," Arsenic remarked.

"...but... what if something goes wrong that the nurses can't help with?" Jack noted in a concerned tone.

"Well, we're here, aren't we?" Arsenic said.

"But…we're not qualified or experienced with this…and…and if the nurses can't handle it," Striker looked more worried.

To this, Ani set a hand on his shoulder. "Guys, it should be fine."

Jack just let a small sigh escape his lips. "...I guess, but... I don't know how to get not worried..."

"C'mon Jack; you're always looking on the bright side of things. Worrying isn't like you," Ani said with a chuckle.

Hearing that, Jack cracked a small smile as he rubbed his head. "...yeah, guess you're right about that."

Striker chuckled too. Then he rubbed his head. "…hrm…"

"…what now?" Arsenic asked.

"…just…thinking…" Striker said, "…realizing that Jill had to go through the same thing when she had Joy."

"...but she was almost all alone then..." Jack sighed.

"…yeah…" Striker muttered.

"But she came out alright," Ani said. "So if Jill was alone and both her and Joy were okay, then King and Tasha with a bunch of help should be just fine too."

Jack nodded, but he didn't say anything as he let out a small sigh.

Arsenic looked at the two of them, and stood up. "I'm gonna take a breather outside. Wanna join me Jack?" She asked.

Jack glanced at Arsenic with a light smile. "...yeah, sure..." With a nod, he stood up as well.

"Just let us know if you guys need anything," Arsenic said, as her and Jack walked out.

"Sure thing!" Ani called out.

As they walked out, Jack just rubbed his neck a touch, glancing over at Arsenic.

"I figured you'd need a breather too, being nervous and all," Arsenic said with a smile.

Jack smiled a bit as well as he rubbed his neck. "...yeah... I think that'd be good..."

"…but…what exactly about this whole thing makes you nervous?" Arsenic asked wonderingly. "…is it still about the whole thing of where babies come from?"

"...oh, that? Nah, not anymore..." Jack remarked as he glanced aside. "...I guess I'm just worried something might go wrong. I know it's probably gonna be fine, but... there's the chance, right?"

"…right, but like I said, the professionals should make sure nothing bad happens," Arsenic said. Then she shifted her feet a bit on the foot of the porch. "…so the idea of where babies come from…doesn't bug you anymore?"

"...well... _maybe_ a little..." Jack remarked, rubbing his neck a little. "...it's still sorta weird to think about, but... everything that happened back then... I guess that beat out me being grossed out by it."

"…hm…" Arsenic looked away awkwardly.

Jack glanced over at Arsenic then, tilting his head. "...why did you ask, by the way?"

"…oh, nothing really; just something your uncle teased me about," Arsenic huffed.

"...Johnny teased you about it...?" Jack tilted his head. "...when? He hasn't been around for months now, you know..."

Arsenic blinked at him. Was he really unaware that Johnny's been running around nowadays? She shook it off though. "Oh, he teased me when we were helping that guy from those loan sharks…" she muttered.

"..._oooh..._" Jack hummed in realization, nodding a little bit. "That makes sense... but man, that was a while back, wasn't it...?"

"Yeah, it was…hard to believe that stuff really happened, huh?" Arsenic said.

"...if I said 'yeah', I'd be a liar," Jack noted with a lightly awkward laugh. "I mean, compared to everything else, the loan sharks weren't that big of a deal..."

"…true, they weren't…" Arsenic muttered.

Jack looked back at her again with a curious look.

Arsenic looked back at him. "…what?"

"...oh, nothing; just... thinking," Jack hummed in reply.

"…about what?" Arsenic asked.

"...you." Jack replied.

"…you are, huh?" Arsenic muttered, and she couldn't help but smile.

"...yep." Jack responded with a light smile of his own.

"…and why are you thinking about me, huh?" Arsenic hummed.

"...I dunno. I just... wanted to think about you." Jack remarked.

Arsenic chuckled at that. Jack managed a light laugh of his own in response. After they had their laugh, Arsenic looked back at Jack again. Jack looked at her in return.

"…Jack…would you ever want to have children…?" Arsenic suddenly asked, looking at the ground. "…not right now of course…but…you ever think about being a dad?"

Momentarily, Jack blinked, before his eyes widened a bit in surprise. "Wha..." The question, especially how sudden it was, had thrown him a bit off-guard. Arsenic just rubbed her arm a bit, not sure how Jack was going to respond.

"...I, uh..." Jack rubbed his neck a bit as he glanced aside. "...I... I don't think I've... ever thought about that..."

"…I figured you didn't…" Arsenic muttered.

"...but, uh... why did you ask...?" Jack inquired.

"…guess I wondered…because…we'd probably be together for a while…" Arsenic muttered.

Jack tilted his head a little as he looked at her. "...Arsenic..." he uttered slowly.

Arsenic slowly looked up at him. He didn't say anything; just looking at her, eventually managing a light smile.

"…what…is it?" She asked.

"...just thinking..." Jack replied, before he glanced to the side as he rubbed his neck. "...about... um... well, the same question, just directed at you...?"

"…what I think…huh?" Arsenic murmured.

"...yeah..." Jack nodded.

"…I guess…maybe someday…" Arsenic said. "…I never thought of myself as a mom…"

"...mmh... I never really thought of myself as a dad, either, to be fair..." Jack mused.

"Right…" Arsenic muttered. "…I guess I asked because I was curious. We don't need to rush if we're not ready…but I just wanted to know."

"...right..." Jack nodded, tilting his head a little as he looked at her.

"…so…that was what your uncle teased me about," Arsenic admitted.

Jack blinked. "...was it? Huh..."

"Yeah…" Arsenic added.

Jack just hummed, rubbing his neck a touch.

"…but…it wasn't about having a child…so much as…the thing you had to do for it…" Arsenic muttered in embarrassment.

When he heard that, Jack suddenly blushed and averted his gaze; even if he was getting over that phase, it still seemed like an awkward thing for him to think about. Arsenic noticed his blushing and ended up blushing too.

"...guess that still kinda bugs me... that part of where babies come from..." Jack noted with a lightly sheepish chuckle.

"…I could understand that…" Arsenic muttered with the same sheepish smile.

With a light breath, Jack just rubbed his neck as he looked at Arsenic. Arsenic looked back at him, still a little awkwardly, but at least she was smiling. Even with an awkward look back at her, he smiled back at her.

"…well…other than that, I can't think of anything else to talk about."

"...we don't _need_ to talk though, right?" Jack eventually moved his hand to gently hold hers. "Just being with you is good enough."

Arsenic smiled, holding his hand in return. "…right." With that, Jack just looked at Arsenic with a smile.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back inside, Striker managed to take a seat. "…so, how come you're pretty easy going about this Ani?" He asked.<p>

"Well…we've been through worse things, so I guess that this has to go pretty well," Ani said. "I know that I'm doing the best way to help out in my own way, and as long as I do that, it should make things easier for other people."

"…right…" Striker muttered, looking down at the floor. He was silent for a bit. Then…

"…when…did you find out where babies come from, Ani?"

She looked curiously over at him, with a few blinks. Then she went back to tending to the cooking. "Shortly after I left to help build Safe Haven with Dad and the others."

He looked up at Ani. "How'd you deal with it?" he asked.

"Well, Dad gave me a boring talk about the 'birds and the bees'….after what happened with King and Tasha that is," Ani said. Then she chuckled. "It was embarrassing for them. Sage found them in this nest they'd meet at…and when I found out what happened, I asked questions…so it was up to my Dad to explain things. The look on his face when he told me about it was funny though."

Striker chuckled. "Hunter's not really the best at that kind of stuff, huh?"

"Probably not," Ani chuckled too. "And admittedly at first, I didn't fully understand what Dad told me. It wasn't until Hex started hanging around that I started to catch more and more onto the idea of it." And she sighed.

Striker scratched his cheek at that. "…she never…touched you…did she?"

"No, Dad made sure of that," Ani said. "And even then, I've always been pretty good at looking after myself."

"…so…that…thing…doesn't bug you?"

Ani stopped, realizing what Striker was trying to convey. She looked at Striker in shock, while she could see how embarrassed he looked. "…what's…this about?" she asked.

"Well…em…" Striker was trying to figure out a way to talk about it without offending Ani somehow. "…I-I guess I'm just wondering…um…about…"

Ani set her hand on her hip. "…you can tell me anything Striker, don't worry…"

Striker gulped, while looking at Ani. He wasn't sure how she would take it. "…Sex!" he blurted. "What are your thoughts on it?!"

And Ani jumped with a huge blush.

"Em…" Striker scratched his head again.

"Why?!" She asked in embarrassment. "Why would you want to know about that?!"

"Because I wanna know what happens if we ever get that far!" Striker uttered. Slowly, he calmed, and looked away uneasily. "…I wanna know if I shouldn't, or if I should, or…I don't wanna do anything that would make you uncomfortable…and this whole thing with Tasha and King got me thinking about us…what if we get as far as them?"

Ani blinked.

"…I just wanna know what you want, so that I don't mess up," Striker muttered.

"…hm…" Ani rubbed her chin at this. It was a heavy topic for her and Striker to think about. "…maybe, we'll talk about this later? After King and Tasha have their baby?"

"…sure…" Striker said, slowly looking up at her.

* * *

><p><em><strong>More chapters coming to finish this up...Sorry that there's a lot of filler. I wanted to establish a kind of 'ending' for a good majority of the characters...<strong>_


	75. Chapter 74

_**Also, filler I guess was establishing a lot of character stuff...anyway**_

* * *

><p>Hours had gone by since they had gotten back from the shopping trip, and currently, still waiting for Fae to give them the green light to head on out, Hex was in her own room now; looking at herself in the mirror with a small hum, to see if her form fit the outfit she had received earlier. "...hmm..."<p>

Then there was a knock at the door. "You got it on?" Fae asked.

"Yeah, just about." Hex called back, moving her arms a little just to see that it wasn't too tight around her.

"Ready to come out then?" Fae laughed outside.

"...yeah." With a smile, Hex walked towards the door, opening it and stepping out. "How do I look?"

Fae squealed at it. "Oh, you look so fabulous!"

Hex let a small laugh escape her lips when she heard Fae squeal. "Oh, thank you very much." she mused.

"Remind me again why we have to wear these," May muttered, coming down the hall, wearing the same dress that Fae got for her.

"Because we need to get into the holiday spirit!" Fae said.

Hex couldn't help but let a small smile cross her lips, nodding lightly. "...well, I'm certainly feeling that spirit right now."

"...admittedly, me too," May chuckled.

"Good!" Fae exclaimed. "Now, I'm going to find Mordecai so that we can prepare dinner!" And she pranced off happily.

Hex couldn't help but chuckle a little as Fae pranced off. "...so energetic..."

"That's Fae for ya," May said. Then she set her hands in her hips. "Okay...how dumb do I look?"

Hex looked over at her with a light smile. "...honestly... that looks good on you, May."

May looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah, no joke." Hex hummed with a nod.

"...huh..." May couldn't help but smile at that.

"...so, what do you think?" Veering the topic around, Hex looked over herself again. "Fae said this looked good, but I don't know; is it a bit too loose, or a bit too tight...? Can't really tell..."

"I think it looks good," May said. "It's slimming and flattering on you."

"...oh, you think so?" Hex hummed, smiling at her. "Thanks."

"Well, we got some time to kill..." May muttered. "What d'ya wanna do?"

"...well..." Hex tapped her chin lightly. "...I'm up for anything, really."

May rubbed her chin at that. "Hm..." Then she smiled at her Hex more. "...you seem to be feeling better lately."

Hex nodded lightly with a relieved expression. "I do feel a lot better... things are looking up these days."

"Yeah, for sure," May agreed.

Hex looked up at the ceiling then. "...and I owe it to you guys. If you hadn't taken me in..."

"...it's no biggie," May said.

"...I guess..." With a small smile, Hex looked back at May with a smile. "...but... thanks, anyway."

"...yeah," May answered with a nod.

With that, Hex just smiled at May. May smiled back.

Then she rubbed her neck nervously. "...I can see why the whole thing freaks you out though..."

Hex nodded lightly. "Yeah..."

"...you haven't had nightmares, have you?" May asked.

Hex hummed. "...nightmares...?" she mused, as she rubbed her chin a little in thought.

"Yeah," May said.

"...hmm..." Hex hummed a little as she rubbed her chin. "...well... not nightmares, but... there are dreams..."

"Dreams?" May wondered.

"...just... what happened in the village that day..." Hex murmured. "...and what happened before... when I was purified... sometimes, I tend to dream about those events... just recalling them..."

"...huh..." May murmured. "...but no nightmares?"

"...no, not to my knowledge..." Hex mused.

"...hm..." May looked away at that.

Hex hummed in silence, closing her eyes thoughtfully.

"...because...I think I've been having them..."

Hex's eyes widened, and she looked over at May.

"...they seem like bits left over from Patricia, when I had been absorbed by her," May muttered. "Reliving that same unpleasant experience...but...there's more to it..."

Hex's eyes narrowed lightly, and she folded her arms a little in worry. "...do you want to talk about it?"

"...Hex...is it possible to see memories when Corrupted absorb your soul?" May asked, looking at her.

Hex hummed, glancing to the side thoughtfully. "...I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case..."

"...because...I think I'm seeing some of Patricia's memories..." May murmured. "I know for sure as hell they aren't stuff I ever went through."

Hex hummed worriedly. "...what do you see...? If you feel like going into specifics..."

"...a lot of fire for one thing..." May muttered.

"...fire, huh..." Hex murmured in response.

"And this phrase I keep hearing," May muttered. "...just..._'I killed them, I killed them,' _over and over again."

Hex's eyes narrowed a touch again. "...that's..."

"...it sounds like Patricia talking...but she sounded...guilty," May muttered.

"...wonder what it means..." Hex hummed.

"...do you know what happened to Patricia when you guys finished everything off?" May asked.

"...I don't, actually..." Hex murmured. "...but there hasn't been any word about her or her entourage, so... I think everything's been cleared up on that front..."

"...right..." May responded.

Hex looked back at May again. May looked at her in turn.

"...May..." Hex began, as she gave May a light nod. "...if you have any more nightmares... just know that I'm here for you."

"…yeah, I know…" May muttered.

Hex fell silent after that, just looking at May.

"…I mean…they're not really that bad…just, not pleasant is all," May said.

Hex hummed a little upon hearing that, and nodded lightly.

"…I wonder if there's anyone that knows about Patricia…" May muttered.

Hex hummed again, rubbing her chin in thought. "...hmm..."

"And, like, I mean her past and all…because I'm wondering if something happened that she was actually guilty about…" May hummed.

Hex hummed more.

"...I think... the Novagods... would be best to ask about this..."

"…do you think it's not too late to call them at this hour?" May asked. "It's only a little before dinner time."

"...well..." Hex hummed, rubbing her arm a little. "...it might be worth a shot, but... if it's that kind of subject, calling about it on this day, of all days... it'd put a damper on things, wouldn't it?"

"Oh, true; guess I didn't think of that," May chuckled sheepishly.

Hex chuckled a little as well, giving May a nod. "We can likely call them up during the coming week, give them a chance to let the holiday spirits settle down."

"Yeah," May said with a nod. "…well then, wanna check to see if they got dinner up and ready?"

Hex smiled a touch, and nodded again. "Yeah, let's check up on that."

"Kay," May nodded, walking out of the room.

* * *

><p>"…okay…it's bugging me," Callous was sitting in the lounge room, looking at Spiel with a bored look. "…how in the world did you get sick in the first place? And why was it deadly to begin with?"<p>

After all, Callous remembered that Spiel had some kind of sickness…that apparently gave him a limited amount of time to live. Having Deity possess him, along with using the Emeralds to fight Metal and Jill, had sped up that process to kill him instantly…

Callous also partly wondering if it was still in effect once Spiel had come back to life. She had nothing to do at the moment; Johnny was out taking care of an errand somewhere, so she needed something to pass the time.

Spiel glanced over at her with a mildly surprised look on his face, as he had been busy eating a snack, in wait for the evening's dinner to commence. "...now where'd that kinda question come from?"

"I've just been curious," Callous said. "I mean…hell, you are one of the only people that give even me a run for my money, so a guy that strong…you'd wonder how the hell he got sick in the first place."

Spiel hummed, drumming his fingers together with a slow, droning hum. "...now that's something I haven't thought about for a long while..."

Callous hummed, waiting to see if he would start telling her about it.

"...I didn't always live around this place, to be honest." Spiel mused after a while. "This whole continent, I mean... I was born on an island a ways off from the coast; fair bit bigger than Safe Haven, I'll say that much."

"Really now?" Callous hummed.

"Yup." Spiel hummed, as he looked up at the ceiling. "...was a bit of a problem kid, I recall; got into fights with everyone and anyone I could find." He chuckled. "It might sound hard to believe, but I was pretty scrawny back then. Got my ass beat up a lot."

"Didn't seem like that stopped you," Callous chuckled.

"Hell no." Spiel chuckled. "I had gusto, so I just kept fighting. Even after I beat everyone else, I just kept fighting, because hell, what else was there to do on that island anyhow?"

"So you worked your way to the top. Then what?" Callous asked.

"Oh, I didn't work my way all the way to the top." Spiel remarked. "I mean, I was basically just a kid beating up other kids." He glanced over at Callous. "No, trouble started brewing when I grew old enough to travel out in the world. Ended up joining a militia group from a desert region."

"Ah, I see," Callous said, nodding.

"So we ventured about, fighting wars for other kinda regions... and I do mean all kinda regions." Spiel mused with a chuckle. "Weather or people weren't stoppin' us; we were unstoppable..."

Then he hummed. "...turns out, being a island punk with no knowledge about different climates ain't all that smart."

"Didn't really start out smart, did'ja?" Callous chuckled.

"Nope." Spiel chuckled, humming a touch.

"Okay, so where did you go from there?" Callous asked.

"Well, I stuck with my militia group, even through the harshest of climates and everything..." Spiel mused. "...then there was this certain country that wanted us to invade a neighboring country to take out their army..."

Spiel's eyes narrowed lightly then. "...I can still remember... the day before we headed out, I felt under the weather, so I got myself a check-up..."

"…and that's when you found out?" Callous assumed.

"...yep." Spiel nodded slowly.

"Hm…bet you didn't feel so great," Callous said. "What did they tell you exactly?"

"...they gave me a couple months, at most, and told me to quit the militia." Spiel murmured. "Said the different climates had been way too much for some islander like me..."

Callous kept silent, waiting for him to continue.

"...I didn't bother listenin' to 'em." Spiel murmured. "I think just hearing that I was considered expendable... kinda got to me, yanno?" He rolled his eyes. "I told my group that I wasn't gonna quit, no matter what; but they insisted that after that mission, we'd take things easier, just to accomodate me..."

He sighed. "...no one told us that the enemy would be launching mortars on our encampment."

"Damn..." Callous remarked at that.

"It all happened really suddenly; we barely had any time to pull out and head into battle." Spiel murmured. "Lost a couple of good folks in that initial attack... the rest got wiped out by more cannons the closer we got to the army..."

Spiel's eyes closed. "...eventually... I was the only one left. I was surrounded on all fronts... a sure death-sentence."

Callous waited for him to continue.

"...then... I killed 'em all."

That sentence was spoken out in a darker tone than usual, as his eyes opened somewhat narrowly. "Every last one of 'em... broken, crushed, smashed... total annihilation. I didn't show them any goddamn mercy... I was not gonna die out there in that hole..."

"Hm…" Callous would believe that he could take 'em all down on his own, but having it been back then was probably really something.

"...when every single one of those chumps were dead... I buried my comrades." Spiel hummed. "While I did that... I got to thinking. Those guys... they weren't any bigshots in the world. They were just... people; fighting for what they believed in. They did lots of really great things... and then they were just gonna be put to rest, never to be recognized for it..."

"...after that... I made a vow. No matter what I had to do, no matter how long it'd take, no matter how long that disease was gonna eat at my core... I was gonna make my name known to the world."

"So that's why you wanted what you did when you tried to take over Safe Haven," Callous hummed.

"Yup." Spiel hummed. "And that was years after I was diagnosed... I don't even know if the Corrupted me could've held me together after enduring that illness for so long."

"Well, guess you don't have to worry about that anymore," Callous figured with a chuckle. "Because, well, you died and came back to life. Who knows if the illness is even there anymore?"

"...no, it's gone." Spiel mused with a light breath. "I can't feel that tear in my chest anymore, so it's definitely gone."

"So you get to live out your dream after all," Callous said.

"Yep," Spiel hummed... and then he chuckled, "But no nation-wide takeovers this time."

"Not this time," Callous said. "No…instead we're caught playing the good guys."

"...well, we've got good guys keeping us in check." Spiel mused.

"…never thought I'd be here way back when I was still a teen running around on my own," Callous mused.

"...well, I never thought I'd be running about alive these days. Years change lotsa things..." Spiel chuckled.

"Yeah…" Callous hummed, kicking back in her seat.

"…I'll tell you what I told Johnny, which I find kinda funny, but I think Joy still considers me as family," she added.

"...well, it's not that implausible." Spiel remarked with a chuckle.

"…I don't get that kid sometimes," Callous murmured.

"She's a good kid." Spiel remarked with a shrug. "Maybe a bit too good, but I dunno; there's an endearing charm to that kinda personality."

"…to think she's still like that, despite all the crap her and her mom went through," Callous said.

"...guess bein' positive is the best option for her." Spiel mused.

"…where do you see her going? I'm curious," Callous asked, looking over at him.

Spiel hummed. "...you know... I dunno, really. Maybe she'll grow up just fine, make new friends, start her own family, live her life normally..." Then he chuckled. "...maybe she decides to go full-hog rebel. Wouldn't that be a sight?"

Callous chuckled too. "A rebellious Joy against the Toaster and her…that's really funny when you think about it."

"Heck, not even a hostile rebellion; just her being a regular teenaged girl." Spiel noted with a chuckle. "Given that it's Joy, it's a bit bizarre to imagine that."

"Yeah it is, but I'll take it over anything else that could go wrong," Callous muttered.

"Right..." Spiel hummed with a light nod.

"Hm…" Callous sat back again with a sigh, resting her head on her hand. "…when is he getting back…?"

Spiel chuckled a bit. "Hey, you could've told me that my sob-story was boring you." he noted jokingly. "Just give it a moment, he'll be back."

"Oh, hey, it wasn't boring me; I was actually really curious," Callous said. "…but just sitting here, being bored doesn't do well with me."

"Well, you could always spar with Krieg or something." Spiel remarked. "He's not doing much of anything at the moment."

"True…" Callous hummed, standing up.

With a light hum, Spiel stood up as well. "...figure I might go and chat with Ivory. We've gotta get some planning done for the new year and all..."

"Yeah," Callous said.

Then suddenly, the phone in the room started to ring.

Callous blinked, looking over at it. "…the hell?"

Spiel hummed a touch. "Lemme get that." With those words, he walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Yeah, who is this?"

_"Huh…didn't think you'd pick up Spiel…"_

The voice turned out to be Francis, the hawk that had been one of his newest recruits before his attempted takeover of Safe Haven.

Spiel hummed a touch when he heard that. "Francis? Well, this is a surprise." he hummed.

_"Eh, you were just the guy we wanted to talk to anyway,"_ Francis said.

"...we?" Spiel hummed with a raised eyebrow. "...how many people do you have in on the call?"

_"Like all of them, uncle Spiel!"_ Maya's voice suddenly called from the phone.

Spiel chuckled a bit at that. "Geez, you got a whole conga line by the phone or something?"

_"Something like that,"_ he could hear Blitz chuckle.

Spiel chuckled as well. "Well, to what do I owe the pleasure of this conga-call?"

_"We wanted to, like, wish you guys Merry Christmas, man,"_ Jam's voice said through the phone.

"Oh, that's considerate of you guys." Spiel chuckled. "You guys have a Merry Christmas as well."

_"We'll be sure to have one!"_ Ruki chimed in.

_"Also, we figure we should let you know,"_ Blitz threw in. _"King and Tasha are having their baby."_

Spiel chuckled. "Oh, is that right? Let 'em know I sent my well-wishes their way!" he spoke with a light laugh.

_"We sure will,"_ Francis chuckled.

_"In the meantime, do make sure to wish the others well, Spiel."_ Phyrra hummed along with them.

"Of course I will." Spiel chuckled.

_"Alright, take care of yourself!"_ Blitz called.

"Same to you guys." Spiel chuckled.

_"BYEEEEEE!"_ All of them called through the phone, before it was hung up.

Spiel just chuckled as he shook his head, setting the phone back down. "I do miss those guys sometimes." he mused, before he stretched out. "Well, better hunker down until it's dinner time."

* * *

><p>"Let's see here..." Wandering the streets with a couple of bags in his hands, Johnny simply rummaged through some of them as he looked for a particular item. He had done some last-minute shopping for the holidays, grabbing additional gifts for everyone, and some food for the week to follow. The thing he picked out first, though, was the most important one; evidenced by the small, ornate box that he fished out from the bag, swiftly opening it to gaze upon what laid inside. It was a beautiful necklace adorned with all kinds of jewels.<p>

Sure, Johnny wasn't really sure what to get, but he figured girl's liked jewelry, right?

Johnny smiled a little as he looked it over, before he closed the box and put it back in the bag. "She'll love it. I just know it."

As Johnny was walking down the street, he could see the crowds thinning out. Usually being the holiday season, they would be out, but of course their base was located in the more deserted areas of town.

He simply looked at the thinning crowds, nodding lightly as he wandered down the street.

Eventually he came to a completely empty street…

…well, _mostly_ empty. There was someone wrapped up in a coat with a hat on, pretty much hiding how they looked, and they were standing at the bus stop.

Looking back at this figure, Johnny blinked a little, before he began walking along, intending to just head down to the headquarters.

The figure glanced at Johnny, and then lit up a cigarette, taking in a breath of it. Then when they exhaled, they spoke.

"Certainly didn't expect seeing you around here."

Johnny immediately stopped when he heard that voice, not turning to face the figure, but knowing just who it was from the voice alone...

"...sure didn't expect meeting you here either... mother."

The figure, which turned out to be Lilith, adjusted her coat a bit to keep herself warm, still holding the cigarette between her fingers. "…shopping for the holidays I take it?" she hummed.

Johnny simply nodded, glancing back at Lilith. "...yeah." he spoke bluntly.

"...hm..." And Lilith took another drag from her cigarette.

Johnny simply stood there in silence as he looked back at her.

"...so...what have you been up to?" She murmured, not looking back at him.

"...business." was Johnny's reply. "Working with Spiel and the gang."

"...how's that been working out for you?" She asked.

"...good." Johnny remarked with a light nod. "We've been scraping on by, getting some contracts here, clearing out some nutcases there... you know, standard procedure."

"...I see..." Lilith said, and she was silent for a bit.

Then she asked this. "...how's Callous?"

Johnny glanced away from Lilith then, looking up at the sky. "...she's doing fine."

"…that's good…" she muttered in response.

Johnny remained silent for a small bit, humming a touch.

"…wish your father was able to pick himself up back on his feet more easily like that," And she tapped her cigarette to get rid of its burnt ashes.

Johnny hummed, glancing over at her. "...he's still in the dumps? Didn't think he'd just shut down..."

"…well, he did put his ambition into the whole brainwashed family for years, even before you and Vanessa were born," Lilith murmured. "Just to have that crumble in a matter of days would be more than enough to try and deal with."

"...probably didn't help that he couldn't even get to any of us three." Johnny murmured. "Me, Vanessa... Jack..."

"…can't mention any of you three without him threatening to kill me," Lilith said. "…though to some degree, he has some right to that after the things I've done."

Johnny simply hummed, looking back ahead.

"...you never really said why you did it." he eventually remarked.

"…why I did what, exactly?" Lilith murmured. "I guess you'd have to be specific…"

"...why'd you sell me to GUN?" At that point, Johnny glared back at her. "No bullshit sob stories about being desperate or low on cash or whatever; I want the truth."

"…I see…" She muttered. Then she was silent for some time longer, thinking.

Johnny just glared at her, remaining silent as well.

"…I guess I didn't like you…" she admitted. "…you were a carbon copy of Astaroth in little shit form…and it didn't help that he spoiled you compared to the rest of his children. You were rude, obnoxious…but you were also, admittedly, the toughest and strongest out of all of them."

"…in some ways…maybe I envied that too…"

She looked at Johnny then. "…yeah, you were unruly…but you could stand up to Astaroth and he'd praise you for that…instead of threatening to beat the shit out of you, or just yell at you like the ass he was."

Then she looked away. "...to be honest, I'm not even sure how much you remember before GUN."

"...it's foggy." Johnny scoffed, "On account of _dying._"

"…yeah, yeah…" Lilith groaned.

"...so that's why you sold me out?" Johnny huffed. "Out of spite? I knew you were shallow, but to be that goddamn petty?"

Lilith was silent at that, taking another drag from her cigarette. "…I'm not gonna make any excuses. I'm just gonna leave it at that…" she finally said.

"...I wasn't looking for excuses." Johnny huffed. "Knowing you, they wouldn't mean a damn thing to you."

She looked at the ground at that.

With another huff, Johnny just turned away and slowly began walking away.

"…you've changed though."

Johnny stopped; though he didn't turn back to face her.

"…it doesn't help that I was the reason that you had to go through all that, but…you're different now…" she muttered.

Johnny still just remained silent.

"…you're not as much of an ass as you think you are," Lilith continued. "…I mean…the fact that you have a girlfriend should say something about that."

"…and unlike your father…I don't mind you not giving a fuck about anything but her."

Johnny glanced back at her when she said that, still remaining silent.

"…you get to live your own life the way you decide to…instead of being one of Astaroth's followers…that's honestly the best outcome I could think for you than anything else," Lilith said. "…I'm sure as hell not gonna take credit for that…that'd just make me more of a selfish bitch…but with you living on, and Vanessa with her kid…"

"…I guess…that makes me happy maybe…that anything related to me lives the life they choose when I couldn't," Lilith hummed. "…and even if you don't give a rat's ass about my happiness, that's fine…"

She dropped her cigarette on the ground and crushed it on the ground to put it out. "...I deserve it anyway."

Johnny just kept looking at her in silence, a more neutral expression on his face now.

"…take that as you will…." She sighed. "…I just wanted to get that off my chest before I probably disappear from your lives forever. Probably in your best interest that I'm not around anyway…" and she started to walk away.

"...you just gonna run away?" Johnny finally spoke up, intending to catch her attention.

Lilith stopped at that. "Can't. Not with Astaroth anyway…"

"...I didn't mean it literally." Johnny noted, eyes narrowing lightly. "Astaroth paid his dues when his family was wiped out... but you're still not off the hook."

"…and you're the one that's gonna give what's coming to me?" Lilith supposed. "Or are you gonna let karma do that?"

"...neither." Johnny hummed, before he actually chuckled a bit. "I've got nothing more that needs to be said to you... but I can't say the same for Jack. And trust me; you'll _want_ to repent just to get him to stop nagging you."

"Is that so?" Lilith muttered.

"Yeah." Johnny chuckled. "Hell, you wanna thank someone for me changing? Thank Jack." He closed his eyes then. "You try hanging around him for a couple of months. I bet you'd change your 'got rid of all emotions' tune pretty quickly."

"…even if he'd want to try and save me, I doubt Vanessa would let him near me," Lilith murmured.

"I dunno; he might decide to rebel just once to try and change you." he mused. "Knowing him, he probably would want you to have a second chance, too."

"…but why…?" Lilith muttered. "…how could Vanessa raise anyone up like that?"

"...I dunno." was Johnny's response. "Why don't you ask her?"

"…doubt she'd wanna answer me," Lilith muttered.

"Then ask Jack." Johnny remarked with a shrug.

"…hm…" and she started walking away again. "…see you around, I guess…"

"...yeah." With a huff, Johnny turned away and began walking off once more. _...back to HQ it is._

* * *

><p>Back at Safe Haven, everyone was settling down for the night…<p>

…though Cyrene was still wandering around on her own, lost in thought. She wasn't able to sleep so she just decided to take a stroll around to get her thoughts together.

…well…actually, she wanted to visit a particular spot she remembered stumbling onto before.

And soon she reached that part of the woods where there was that opening, and she stopped, looking at it. Maybe she felt like confronting this place would make her feel any better? She didn't really know why exactly, but…she felt like she needed to be here.

She walked over to where the dried blood splatters were, just looking down at them sadly.

It was silent for a bit.

Slowly, she knelt down to it, still looking at it sadly.

"…I'm sorry…" she whispered to herself.

"...it wasn't your fault."

Cyrene gasped, looking up at where that voice was. It had come from Will, who simply leaned against a tree as he looked at her.

She stood up, just staring at him, not sure what to say.

"...he did what he felt he had to do, right?" Will remarked. "You shouldn't feel responsible for it, letting it tear you down... he wouldn't have wanted that."

Cyrene looked away uneasily at that. Will let out a small breath, as he slowly approached her. Cyrene looked back at him, watching Will walk over to her.

"...at the very least, taking it all on your own shoulders is just gonna end badly." He stopped in front of her, tilting his head. "...you can let me help you out, even just a little. I think it'd be good for you."

"...how?" Cyrene muttered, looking at the ground.

"...I dunno." Will admitted, rubbing his neck a little. "...but... that's what we've gotta try and figure out. Together." He looked back at her.

"...how come you want to help me?" Cyrene muttered.

"...because I get torn up about you being so down about all of this." Will reasoned. "I can't stand thinking that you're in pain all the time..." He sighed again. "...I can't really explain it too well... I just have to help you out, any way I can."

Cyrene finally looked up to him in surprise at what he said. He looked back at her as well.

"...you care that much about me?" she said.

"...yeah." Will eventually responded.

Cyrene stared at him in the eyes. He merely returned the gaze in silence.

Cyrene stepped closer to him, while she stared. Will took a single step towards her, hand slowly extending towards her. Cyrene didn't move, watching his hand move near her. Without a single sound, he simply set his hand gently against her cheek, looking upon her. Cyrene looked up to him, forgetting where she was at the moment as she got lost in his eyes. Will, too, just looked her in the eyes without a sound, lost in the mere moment as well.

Suddenly, she spoke up while blushing, "w-we should...go somewhere else..."

"...yeah..." Will nodded lightly as she said that.

Cyrene started walking away from the area...though she took Will's hand. Holding her hand ever so lightly, Will cast a small look at the area before he followed her.

After they walked away a good distance, Cyrene eventually stopped and looked over at Will again. Will came to a halt as well, simply looking at her. Cyrene didn't let go of his hand as she looked up at him. Likewise, Will just kept looking down at her, holding her hand closely as well.

Cyrene started blushing some more while she looked at him. He simply looked at her, holding her hand a touch tighter as he saw her blush.

Cyrene slowly moved closer toward Will again. Will, too, moved a bit closer to Cyrene.

At this point, Cyrene was really close; just a lip's distance away. Will stopped for but a moment, simply gazing into her eyes as he slowly inched towards her now.

Eventually, their lips touched, and Cyrene blushed a little more at that. Will lightly closed his eyes as he gently pushed his lips a touch more against hers. Cyrene's hands raised and gently touched his chest while she kissed him back. Ever so gently, Will wrapped his arms around her amidst their kiss. Cyrene touched his cheek while they kissed, sighing in content. A small sigh fled his lips as well as he gently stroked her back. Cyrene breathed at that, kissing him more deeply. He deepened the kiss a touch as well whilst caressing her back further. Cyrene wrapped her arms around him while she continued to kiss him as well, forgetting about their surroundings. Losing his train of thought in the moment as well, Will just kept kissing her, holding her closer.

It was funny how she originally met him…and she never really thought she would experience these feelings again after everything she went through, but somehow, she felt this way right now as he held her and they kissed. For him, this had been something he hadn't seen brewing, but he just arrived at the conclusion after seeing her anguish earlier, feelings that he didn't think he'd experience again, with the two of them on their own, caught up in their embrace.

After a bit, Cyrene broke her lips away, breathing. She could see both his and her breath in the air because of how cold it was. Will just breathed with her as he gazed into her eyes.

"…do you want to go somewhere…warmer?" Cyrene murmured.

"...yeah." Will replied with a small nod.

Cyrene nodded too, and took his hand again to start walking, still blushing warmly about the moment they just had. Will simply followed her, holding her hand somewhat tightly whilst glancing a touch to the side.

As they walked away, they didn't notice a figure that had been hiding behind a tree, whom had seen what transpired silently. Not that there was any ill intent behind this observer; they were actually put more at peace seeing that display more than anything else.

"…I hope he makes you happy…chica…"

And with that, the figure walked away in another direction away from where the two had wandered off.

* * *

><p>Getting off a bus in another city, Lilith closed her coat tighter to keep herself warm while she went down the street to find her way home.<p>

She figured not to tell Johnny or Vanessa, but...things had really hit rock bottom. Her businesses went bankrupt, she lost all that work and money, and on top of losing a huge chunk of the Leoniel family, she couldn't afford to live in that dump anymore. All the girls went their separate ways and so ultimately, she and Astaroth were all that was left from that nightmare.

She thought she would've really been hit hard by all of it but...honestly, she was doing surprisingly well with how things turned out.

Astaroth, on the other hand...

...well, she made it to the small home she could afford and unlocked the door to go inside, closing it behind her with a sigh.

Looking inside, there was the very obvious sight of Astaroth, sitting where he usually sat; desolate in a corner. He looked worse for wear; a very broken sight compared to who he used to be before. Everything that had happened affected him quite severely, but... not in the furious way one would imagine. He had lost that cruelty and anger, instead finding apathy and silence to replace them. The man hadn't even said a word in all the time he and Lilith had been on their own, and his appearance showed that he was naught but a shadow of his former self.

Lilith, again, just sighed at this sight. "...sorry I was late," she hummed, hanging up her coat in the closet. She never knew why she bothered talking to him because he never responded.

Astaroth didn't respond, as expected; simply lingering in the corner as he had always done. He looked malnourished; only having been fed when outright forced to eat anything. If it hadn't been for Lilith, he would certainly have died months ago.

Lilith looked over at him, and as it turned out, she was holding a bag with a large bottle it in. With it, she walked over to him and knelt down to him. "...I got something for you," she said.

Astaroth didn't reply, but he did slowly look towards the bottle she held, before glancing briefly up at her.

She took out the bottle and showed to him, revealing it to be some kind of alcoholic drink. "...it's the stuff you always like to drink," she said. "...you may not think I paid attention to stuff like that...but...either way, I got some for you."

Astaroth's eyes then fell upon the bottle... and it took quite a while before he slowly reached to grab the bottle, but he didn't pull it out of her grasp; just holding to it. Lilith went ahead and yanked out the cork for him. "...you can have it now...but promise me that if I let you have this then you'll actually eat something tonight, Astaroth," she said.

Once again, he didn't say anything... but he did manage a small motion of his head that resembled a nod, before he pulled the bottle towards himself, putting it to his lips to drink a touch. Lilith sighed, with relief this time, and she stood up to go sit on the couch and rest up from all that walking.

Astaroth eventually set the bottle down on the table, before he just looked down at it in utter silence. Lilith didn't notice him staring at the bottle; her eyes were closed while she tried to relax...

...then she started coughing a bit hoarsely. When he heard that, Astaroth looked towards her somewhat slowly.

"...damn it...I had to start coming down with something, didn't I?" She muttered to herself weakly.

Astaroth looked at her still, not saying anything as usual. With another sigh, Lilith stood up and walked to the kitchen to make something for herself and Astaroth, and just the walk there seemed to take some effort.

Lilith hadn't been the healthiest either, but it seemed like she pushed herself just so she could take care of herself and Astaroth, not even knowing why she bothered to try and take care of him in the first place. Slowly, Astaroth's gaze turned back to the bottle on the table, not a word escaping his lips, as ever. Though his expression seemed... thoughtful...

He had a bit of silence to himself in the living room, until Lilith eventually came back in with the plates of food. She set one down on the table for Astaroth, and then she sat on the couch again with her plate, beginning to eat in silence. Astaroth looked back at the plate before him, before he slowly began to eat as well.

Lilith was just thankful that he was actually eating this time without her force-feeding him. She felt exhausted and didn't know if she would've been able to handle that.

Eventually, Astaroth finished his meal, and then just looked down at the table in thoughtful silence. Lilith didn't eat much of hers, and when she saw Astaroth was done, she came over to take his dish and head toward the kitchen.

She wobbled a bit, starting to feel dizzy, but she pushed herself to keep walking. Before she could take another step, though, she was taken by the arms, to support her. He hadn't said a word, but Astaroth had gotten on his feet, holding her hands to keep her from stumbling over. Lilith gawked at him in utter surprise at this, not only because it had the first thing he did in months but also because this was the most unlikely thing Astaroth would do for her.

"...thanks..." She mumbled, continuing toward the kitchen.

He didn't respond, but he did help her to the kitchen so she could set the dishes aside. Lilith figured she'd just set them down on the counter for now and take care of then later when had more energy. So she tried to stumble her way into the living room. Once again, though, Astaroth helped her on the way.

She managed to get to the couch thanks to his help, and she sat down with another sigh of relief. At that point, Astaroth sat back down, and looked at her in silence.

She pulled out a cigarette to light up. Before she could, Astaroth set his hand on the cigarette, and slowly shook his head. Lilith blinked. Part of her would've snapped at him because she needed to unwind, but...this was just really unlike him.

Besides...it wasn't a good idea anyway, with her starting to get sick and all.

She nodded slowly, and tossed the cigarette away. Seeing her understand, Astaroth moved back a touch, sitting down properly and looking at the table. Lilith sat back in her seat and just breathed. Astaroth glanced over at her after a while.

"...well...here we are...at the Christmas season..." Lilith murmured, closing her eyes. Astaroth simply nodded, as he remained silent.

Lilith sat in silence for a long time, and actually felt so exhausted that she was fighting to keep her eyes open. She couldn't help it though; she was old, and she was slowing down. It also didn't help that she wasn't feeling in best shape.

"...hm...I never cared for the season anyway..." She mumbled. Astaroth still didn't say a word in reply.

Ever since this silent treatment Astaroth has taken to, Lilith has never been fully sure what's been going on in his head, and because of that, has been wary of falling asleep near him for fear that he'd just slit her throat once she was asleep...

...but for as weak as she was, she suddenly didn't care anymore, and figured if he did, she deserved it anyway...

Lilith finally let her eyes close with a small breath, unable to keep herself awake anymore, and ended up falling asleep out of the weakness. When he saw her falling asleep like that, he simply sat where he did for a small while...

...and then he rose, standing up from the couch before he slowly walked over to the sleeping Lilith. He just gazed down at her for a while. He could see, while staring straight at her, that the color was already starting to drain from her face, and she didn't seem content while slumbering. His eyes narrowed lightly, and his hands clenched. He seemed to know what he needed to do already...

...so without a word, he just took hold of Lilith and picked her up from the chair, before he began making his way to the bedroom. The first thing she needed was some proper rest, not in the living room, but under a warm blanket. She was pretty light to carry, so that was easy enough as Lilith continued to sleep in his arms. When he got her to the bedroom, he did eventually set her down on the bed, taking the sheets and covering her with them, keeping sure that she wouldn't freeze. With that, he just sat down on a nearby chair, remaining silent.

After that, she seemed to be a little more comfortable sleeping, curling up in the blankets to keep warm. With a small nod, Astaroth just looked at her, watching her sleeping before he looked back ahead again.

It was relatively silent for him as Lilith slept...hours might've passed for him at this point. Quite frankly, time didn't seem important to him anymore, as he simply kept an eye out for her, keeping sure that she wasn't uncomfortable.

Then an alarm clock next to the bed suddenly went off, jolting Lilith awake. Astaroth perked when that happened; not even having realized that there was a clock. Lilith reached over and shut off its alarm, mumbling irritably. Then she weakly tried getting up. Astaroth slowly walked over to her, setting a hand on her shoulder to make it clear that for now, she should stay put.

"...Astaroth...I...need to go to work..." She mumbled, sounding quite delirious.

He shook his head, before setting his hand against her forehead, just to feel her temperature. It was burning hotly when he touched it, and Lilith looked red in the face, yet, pale at the same time. He narrowed his eyes in concern, before he gave her a look that told her to stay in bed.

Lilith was going to protest, but she ended up coughing weakly, and laid back down whether she wanted to or not. Still not saying anything, Astaroth quickly picked out a phone that was in his pocket, before holding it to her; likely to have her call in sick.

Lilith stared at the phone tiredly, and sighed again. "...you were never easy to argue with..." And she took the phone to dial her workplace.

Astaroth still didn't say anything, mind, but he did keep watch over her. Lilith waited as the other line rang...

...and finally "Listen...I'm running a fever and I can't work..." She muttered to the phone. Then she was silent as she listened to the other line.

Suddenly, she grew irritated. "...I can't even move...I told you, I'm sick. Get someone else to cover for me..."

Astaroth looked at her while she talked into the phone, eyes narrowing somewhat.

Lilith pinched her brows then. "Trust me, you don't want to do that..." And she pulled the phone away to cough some more. When she put the phone back up to her ear, he eyes widened. "Now just wait a minute-"

Silence.

"...fuck..." She grumbled, hanging up the phone. Astaroth looked at her with an eyebrow cocking lightly.

"...those assholes feel like I need a little 'motivation' to go to work...and apparently are making their way over here..." Lilith grumbled. "...I didn't need this..."

Then she sighed. "...guess that's my fault for taking the lousy job..." And she coughed some more.

Astaroth still didn't say anything, though his eyes were narrowing slightly. Lilith didn't say any more after that. After all, she still seemed pretty out of it, especially considering that she never realized that she was in bed and not on the couch, so she laid there, staring at the wall.

After a short while, Astaroth grabbed the chair he had been sitting on earlier, before he pulled it closer and sat down, drumming his fingers lightly together. Lilith blinked at him, wondering what he was doing. What he wasn't doing was saying anything, as was to be expected. But... he seemed a touch... concerned for her...? Was such a thing possible?

Lilith wondered just how delirious she was if she was seeing Astaroth like this. It was hard enough staying focused as it was, but this just put her in even more confusion. Still, he just sat there in silence, almost waiting for something.

Suddenly there was the doorbell.

"...huh...that was quick..." Lilith grumbled, trying feebly to get back up again. Astaroth, however, would have none of that; pushing her lightly against the bed before he stood up, heading for the door himself. Lilith watched then as he walked out, and sighed.

"...here we go again..."

Once Astaroth opened the door, he saw two large thugs standing there.

"...Lilith wouldn't happen to be home, would she?" One thug hummed, cracking his knuckles. As was to be expected, Astaroth didn't say anything, as he just looked between the two thugs.

"...huh...he looks familiar," the other one remarked.

"Who're you? Her husband or somethin'?" The first one asked. Still, he remained unresponsive, simply looking back at these thugs

"...well look; can't you get the old broad or somethin'?" The same thug growled. "We got some things to discuss with her."

At that point... Astaroth _growled_.

"...you can discuss these things with me."

That kind of growl actually made them step back a bit skittishly.

"...huh...okay, so you _can_ talk," the first thug muttered.

"...bub, we're supposed to talk to her," the other thug muttered. "If you're not gonna let us see her...things might not get pretty." Although he wasn't sure if he could carry out that threat.

"...I _said_, you can discuss this with _me_." Astaroth snarled at them, eyes narrowing.

Suddenly... The second thug _gawked_, and color drained from his face in the same sickly way that it did for Lilith earlier. "...we need to go."

"What?" The first thug snapped, and then he was bewildered seeing the look on his buddy's face. "What is it?"

"...he's Astaroth Leoniel..." The second thug uttered. "...that's why he looks familiar..."

When he said that, the other thug also ended up giving Astaroth the same shocked look.

"...you're not going anywhere." Astaroth growled, as he took both of the thugs by the arms. "We're going to have a _calm, civil_ and _composed_ discussion regarding her workplace. _Please_, do come in." All spoken in a _murderous_ tone, mind you. They gave him looks of terror, so how could they refuse?

Without giving them much of a choice, he forcefully dragged them right into the house, sitting them down on the couch before folding his arms. "...so, what were you aiming to do here? Talk."

"Erm..." Both didn't know where to start. Astaroth folded his arms expectantly, eyes narrowing.

"...we were gonna persuade her to come to work?" One thug muttered with a shrug, still looking scared.

"...persuade, how?" Astaroth growled. "What kind of workplace would need thugs to 'persuade' her when she called in sick?"

"What, she don't tell you these things or something?" The thug muttered. "She's a clerk at a rundown delivery company..."

"...and what could possibly be so urgent about being a clerk at a delivery company that you couldn't accept that, for someone working as tirelessly as she does, she might call in sick one day?" Astaroth spoke harshly.

"...she's good at what she does and the higher ups like her," the other thug muttered. "Her doing favors for them for extra cash and all."

His buddy shoved him in the side at that, almost to make him shut up. Astaroth's eyes narrowed. "...favors?"

"...usually whatever they want," the thug muttered.

Astaroth didn't say anything... but the way he suddenly _snarled_ indicated that he didn't like the implications behind that. This really scared the two thugs, shuddering in their fright.

"...whatever the case..." he snarled, as he looked at the two thugs seriously, "...tell your bosses that she seriously cannot come to work for a while. She's sick, overworked, and needs time off." He growled again. "...is that clear?"

"...Y-yes sir!" They both uttered.

"...good." With a small growl, Astaroth glared at the both of them. "Now get the hell out of her house."

And they both scrambled out the door, just like that.

Astaroth simply growled, before he walked over to the door and closed it, letting a small breath flee his lips. With a nod, he then turned to walk back up the stairs, into the bedroom where Lilith was. When Astaroth got back to the bedroom, he found that Lilith just didn't have the strength to stay awake. She had passed out on the bed, breathing lightly.

A small hum escaped his lips as he looked at her, whilst walking slowly towards the chair; sitting down on it without a sound as he looked at her. Thankfully with as silent as he was, he didn't disturb her sleep. Still, he ended up just looking at her thoughtfully, drumming his fingers lightly together whilst looking at her.

Lilith shifted around in her sleep, wincing a bit. "...what...happened...to you...?" It was hard to tell if she had woken back up or if she was sleep talking. Still, he remained silent, just looking at her with a bit of a puzzled look on him.

"...I...did all those things...I should be dead by now..." She muttered. "...why do you let me live?"

Astaroth's eyes narrowed a touch as he kept listening.

"…I thought…you would just take your anger all out on me…and that would be the end…" Lilith croaked quietly. "…so…why…?"

Astaroth remained unresponsive, as he simply drummed his fingers together. Now that she questioned this, even in her sleep... why hadn't he lashed out at her? Knowing himself, that seemed like the most logical thing to do... but even by his own logic, he couldn't fathom how he could have spared her for so long... even now, he was covering for her, keeping her safe to a point, after all she had done for him... why was this...?

Lilith seemed to settle back down a bit, breathing while she slept.

…it was also fairly strange that when everything was taken from him or just sort of abandoned him, it was her that stuck around. She had no real obligation to stay with him, and yet, she worked as hard as she could to make sure the two of them had a place to live and could barely regain something of a normal life after the nightmare that happened. Time and time again of arguing with this woman, at each other's throats…and somehow she's the one that took care of him when he fell from his high horse. It was very backwards logic compared to the things she did back then.

Thinking upon this, he eventually drew a small breath. "...I don't think even I know..." he murmured. Lilith just slept on, and even turned over a little in her sleep.

Just as she turned over, Astaroth noticed something sitting on the end table next to the bed; something he hadn't noticed before up until now. Astaroth happened to look at this thing, tilting his head a touch as he stretched his hand out to take it, looking it over lightly.

It was a notebook.

Blinking lightly, Astaroth slowly opened the notebook, starting to read through it.

_Well, I'm not the kind that keeps a journal or anything...but I think I'll go nuts if I don't organize my thoughts together somehow. If I can just keep my sanity in all this..._

That was the first bit of writing in the notebook, and Astaroth could only assume that Lilith had been the one writing in it. Astaroth blinked more, as he slowly kept reading through this journal.

_First off, business goes bankrupt, and who do they decide to fire? Me. Why? They hated me for years, and just needed a reason to finally let me go. Not that I don't deserve the hate for all the double crossing I did...I never was honest._

_Next, when I found out from Astaroth that all the men from the family were gone for good, I was shocked. It really hit him hard, and for all the years he's harassed me and my girls, to have all that family gone just like that...I think I wouldn't know how to handle it either..._

_...because of that, Astaroth has stopped communicating with anyone all together. The girls took their own kids and left one by one, either because they were scared of his impending wrath, or done with the shit that happened, or whatever reason they had to bail. Once they were all gone, it left this dump completely deserted...and I was the last one left._

_I contemplated leaving him too. Obviously I had nothing to do with him anymore and with the turn he's taken, it seems like he'd just starve himself to death and save us all the trouble. Everything I worked for was gone too...I needed to leave and figure out what to do with the rest of my rotten life...how to build back up everything I lost._

_...and to some degree...I was afraid of his anger too...the minute he'd snap, I'd be the only thing there for him to take his anger out on. Even if it's called for after selling Johnny out...I still had to admit that I wanted to run and get a head start._

_...but...I tried walking out that door a dozen times maybe and I stopped...and just walked back. I kept checking on Astaroth. Something kept me from leaving, and no matter how much I wondered about it, I couldn't figure out the goddamn reason that I never left him..._

_...it...just bothered me to leave him like that...on his own...after what happened._

That was the end of the first entry.

Blinking a touch more from reading all that, he began flipping through some of the pages, reading as thoroughly as he could.

Next entry...

_I couldn't afford to stay in that place anymore because I lost my job...but because I couldn't leave Astaroth on his own, I managed to bring him with me. I found this crappy house in the worst neighborhood, but it was the only thing I could afford for now until we get back on our feet..._

_...and I still try to take care of him. I still don't know why. He's a ticking time-bomb ready to blow up on me the minute I touch the wrong nerve, and I'm still trying to shove food down his throat just so he can get by the day. _

_...I'm...really afraid of him. I have to admit it. Otherwise I can't go on trying to take care of him if I keep denying it. I have nightmares of him finally going off the deep end...it's been making me a nervous wreck, but it's not like he ever noticed, siting there in his corner._

_So...I work as much as I can. It means enough money to pay rent and I'm away from Astaroth, giving me the time to steady my nerves enough to be around him when it's necessary._

He simply kept reading through these entries, flipping through the pages once he finished reading one entry and moved on to the next.

_Work is turning into a miserable hell._

_My co-workers seem to think they can push me around and the bosses are treating me like a hooker. They do this because I can't do anything about it like the pathetic little bitch I am. _

_Whatever... it reels in some extra funds to start putting away for safety. And it's not like anyone would give a rat's ass what's done to me anyway._

_Astaroth is still the same; unresponsive and refusing to eat. He's getting skinnier by the day, I can tell. I started feeling less afraid around him but I still kept on guard around him in case he's waiting for the moment I'm distracted._

_...but...at this point...I'd rather that he'd just get it over with and kill me. This is ridiculous. I'm dealing with complete idiots who think they got the upper hand on me because they hold my job hostage. The huge stain on my record from being fired from my business pretty much hurts my chances of me finding any work other than this, so if I lose this job, we're fucked for sure._

And the next...

_... I'm losing my hopes on Astaroth living on, despite everything I'm doing to keep him alive._

_...It sounds strange...but I'm starting to miss the times I'd argue with him. Bastard is stubborn as hell...but at least back then he was talking to me._

_...fuck...I think I'm getting lonely. I don't know how long I'll be able to go on like this. I might end up killing myself if there wasn't Astaroth to think about. Or if he doesn't do it for me. Those assholes at work are getting even worse to deal with...enough that it's actually affecting me..._

_...I mean...I cried myself to sleep...that's NEVER happened before, no matter how unruly Astaroth was toward me. I didn't even think it was possible for me to cry anymore..._

After that...

_Christmas is coming..._

_...there doesn't seem to be any point but...I went ahead and used the money I saved up for a gift for Astaroth. I wrapped it up and hid it in the closet until the day comes._

_...maybe...I'll get him the stuff he likes to drink too...maybe I can get him to respond somehow...at least long enough to give it to him._

_...I've gotten to the point where I'm actually worried about him. I think I'm more afraid of being alone than being killed by him. Since Vanessa or Johnny are pretty much out of the question, most likely not wanting anything to do with me...he's all I got._

_...just have to see it through the holidays...before I decide if I just can't take it anymore..._

_...I'm even more pitiful then before._

That was the last page of writing Astaroth read. Astaroth's eyes narrowed somewhat as he slowly closed the book, looking thoughtful as he set it aside, before he looked down at the floor. And still Lilith had slept; the whole time, throughout reading it all.

He looked back at her. All this time, she had been afraid of him... just a shell of who he had used to be. But to have it come to such a point... all because of his own inability to adapt to this immense change...

...and here she was, sick in bed to the point where she couldn't push herself anymore.

A small sigh fled his lips, before he closed his eyes. She had taken care of him to this extent... and he had done nothing to even think of repaying her, save for sending those thugs running...

...he had to do something for her. Even the tiniest little thing would do... just to show her that what she had done for him, all up to this point, hadn't just been a waste for her...

But the question was what he could do...?

"...Mmh...Astaroth?"

And suddenly there was a mumble.

When he heard her, he blinked and looked over in her direction, head tilted a touch. Lilith seemed to be waking up, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Slowly, Astaroth just looked over at her, seeing her starting to wake up somewhat.

"…how…long were you up here…?" She muttered.

Astaroth looked thoughtful upon hearing that question, glancing around to try and locate a watch, just to see what time it even was right now.

"…nh, never mind…" Lilith breathed, trying to relax. She still seemed out of it. "…there's something I need you to get."

Astaroth glanced over at her when she said that, tilting his head lightly.

"…it's at the bottom of my closet; a box with wrapping paper all around it," Lilith said. "…see if you can bring it here…"

Astaroth glanced over towards the closet, before he walked towards it. He opened it and looked through it, seeing some kind of box wrapped in wrapping paper. As he picked it up, he walked back to Lilith, still looking at her.

"...open it," Lilith said.

Blinking, Astaroth did as he was told; tearing the wrapping paper off the box, and opening it. Inside was a large jar corked up, and within that jar...it was a model of an old looking ship.

"...you...started a collection of these a long time ago," Lilith muttered. "...but I pawned off the collection to earn some cash...so...I figured I could help you build that collection again..."

She closed her eyes. "...I even made sure it was actually one of the ones I pawned..."

Astaroth blinked as he looked at this ship in a jar, before he looked back at Lilith. She had... gotten this for him...?

"...It's not really like me...but Merry Christmas Astaroth," she mumbled.

Astaroth just looked at her for a few moments, before he eventually closed his eyes.

"...Merry Christmas."

Lilith's eyes widened at this, looking at him. He looked back at her, remaining silent once more. Lilith was silent too…

…eventually, she smiled…but at the same time, tears started to roll down her face. She wasn't really sure why…but just hearing Astaroth speak to her had relieved her to the point that she was ready to cry tears of joy, but she tried holding back. It also didn't help with the fever she developed which made her less able to keep a hold on her feelings. Even if she was starting to tear up, Astaroth couldn't help but smile just a touch in return whilst looking back at her.

Lilith ended up wiping her eyes, trying to stay together. Astaroth still just watched her, folding his arms lightly.

Even if Astaroth didn't get her any kind of gift, this was still almost like a Christmas miracle for her to hear Astaroth say something. Maybe it was the loneliness that really got to her after all this time… but either way, she could positively say it was the best gift she got for the holidays…

* * *

><p><em><strong>Yep, I think one more after this...<strong>_


	76. Chapter 75

Jill smiled when she stroked Joy's hair, sitting on her bed next to her as she fell asleep. She had so much fun playing with Augury earlier in the day and she was so excited about Christmas that the minute her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.

"...fast asleep already?" Standing in the doorway was Metal, simply smiling as he looked over at both Jill and Joy.

"Yeah," Jill giggled.

Metal simply chuckled a little whilst smiling at the two of them. "She must be so excited..."

"I wouldn't doubt that she'll be up first thing in the morning trying to get us up for Christmas morning," She said, standing up from the bed to walk over to the doorway.

"...I wouldn't be surprised if she did so during the night, out of excitement." Metal mused as he gave Jill a small nod.

Jill giggled at that, shutting off the light to Joy's room before she closed the door behind her and Metal. "I'm just glad she's sleeping well. She doesn't seem to have any of her night terrors anymore."

Metal smiled as he nodded lightly. "That's good to hear..."

Jill looked at Metal then. "...do you think...Malice might been responsible for those too? She's had nightmares for, honestly, as long as I could remember..."

Metal hummed. "...it's hard to say for certain... but it could very well have been the case, yes..."

Either way, though, Jill seemed relieved that all of that was over with. With that, she turned to Metal with a smile. "Anyhow...seeing that it's Christmas and all, there's something I want to give you."

Metal looked back at her with a smile. "...really? Funny you should say that... I have something for you as well."

"Is that so?" Jill hummed, her smile growing.

"Indeed." Metal spoke with a growing smile of his own.

"Then I suppose we have a little gift exchange to do then," Jill said. "I'll go get yours," and she walked off.

"...and I'll fetch yours." Metal mused, before he turned to walk off as well.

After a little bit, Jill found Metal again, and her hands were behind her back; presumably holding the gift in hiding. She had a bashful smile on her face. Metal smiled in return, holding his own hands behind his back whilst looking at her.

"So who do you think should go first?" Jill asked him.

"...I could go first, if you wouldn't mind." Metal hummed as he looked back at her.

"Sure," Jill said with a nod.

With a small nod, Metal held out what he had been hiding behind his back. It was a present, of course; feeling light and soft, which would give some semblance of a hint as to what was inside of the package. "...go on, open it up."

Jill took the present in curiosity, working to unwrap it and open it up. When she removed the wrapping, she got to what was within; namely, a stellar, emerald-colored dress. Her eyes widened at the sight of it, picking it up and looking at it in awe.

"...do you like it?" Metal hummed, noticing her expression whilst tilting his head lightly.

A sweet smile grew on her face. "Oh Metal...it's so beautiful," she said, and then directed her smile at him. "I love it."

Metal smiled back at her, nodding a little. "...I'm glad to hear it... it took me a while to find the right one..."

Jill giggled then. "...this makes my gift a little corny now..."

"I'm sure it will be fine." Metal assured her with a small nod.

Jill nodded back, and brought out a small present; much smaller than the gift that Metal got for her. "Here."

Looking at this present, Metal smiled a touch as he took it, before he began unwrapping it. His gift was smaller than his hand by just a bit; something that was pieced together by pieces of colored green glass shards to look like a pretty little charm. Bits of braided strings hung off of it, each holding different smaller charms like a set of feathers, a small sword, and a small butterfly.

Looking at this gift, he couldn't help but smile before he looked back at her. "...it looks amazing." he spoke.

"It does?" Jill looked pleased with his response.

Metal nodded, as he looked at the charm once more. "...did you make this?" he inquired.

Jill smiled even more and nodded. "...I wasn't really sure what kind of gift you would like, but Milo taught me how to make things like this...so I used some feathers from my wings in my Holy form, Joy liked butterflies...and the sword, I've always felt represented strength and purpose. It also reminds me of when we were training together."

She closed her eyes. "Yes...I thought a little charm to carry with you was the best I could think of...so that you'd have a little piece of us to carry with you while you're away."

Metal smiled more, holding the charm close to him. "...I love it, Jill." he spoke as he closed his eyes.

"…that's good," Jill said, still smiling. Metal looked back at her with a smile still.

"…would it be alright if I tried the dress on?" Jill asked.

Metal nodded. "Of course, Jill."

"Be right back then," Jill said, standing up and walking off with the dress in her arms.

Metal simply nodded, looking back at the charm.

It took a bit of time, but eventually, she came back into the room.

"…I really love it Metal," she giggled, twirling around because she was now wearing it. "…how does it look?"

Metal smiled back at her. "It looks great on you, Jill."

Jill smiled some more, walking over to him. "…thank you."

Metal smiled, as he looked from the charm to her. "...and... thank you, for the charm."

Jill nodded. "Of course…"

Metal smiled at her in silence then. Jill walked up to him close enough to wrap her arms around him, hugging him dearly. Metal returned the hug, closing his eyes whilst doing so. Jill closed her eyes too, just enjoying the embrace they were in. Metal said nothing as he kept hugging her.

Eventually, Jill looked down at Metal, still smiling, "...Merry Christmas Metal."

"...Merry Christmas, Jill," Metal spoke in return as he looked back at her.

* * *

><p>"You saw your <em>mother?<em>"

Callous and Johnny were walking through the hall from the elevator, heading to their room. Callous was giving him a look of disbelief from what she heard him tell her.

Johnny simply nodded as they walked through the hall. "I was surprised, too. It was just kinda out of nowhere."

"What did you guys tall about?" Callous asked.

"Eh, just stuff about the past, how things are going now. You probably wouldn't be interested." Johnny noted with a shrug.

"If you say so," Callous hummed. "Just as long as she didn't vow vengeance against you for Astaroth or anything..."

"Nah, nothing of the sort." Johnny mused with a small shrug.

"...but she's still sticking with him? That's odd; considering the things she did," Callous mumbled wonderingly.

"You're telling me..." Johnny mused as he rubbed his neck wonderingly.

"...well, at this rate, they seem pretty harmless, so we probably won't have to worry about them for awhile," Callous supposed.

"Right." Johnny mused. "And if they do try to start something... well, we could always try sending Jack after them." he remarked with a light chuckle.

Callous chuckled with him. "That's a funny sight I'd like to see."

"Indeed." Johnny chuckled again whilst looking up at the ceiling.

The two eventually reached their room, entering inside. "Hey, you guys ever celebrate Christmas when you were with GUN?" Callous asked Johnny.

Johnny simply hummed, before shrugging. "Eh, nothing that special, I'm afraid. Tended to just be a festive meal, and that was generally it."

"Figured as much, but I was curious anyway," Callous said. "I never really celebrated it myself, being stuck as part of Jill and all."

"...guess this is both our first official Christmas, then." Johnny remarked.

"That's right," Callous said with a growing smirk. "And because it's our first official Christmas, I got you a gift."

"You don't say?" Johnny mused as he smirked a touch as well. "That's some coincidence; I happened to get you a gift as well."

"Well then, you go first," Callous said.

"Very well." With a small nod, Johnny fished something out from his pocket; a smaller box of sorts, wrapped up for her as he handed it to her. "I hope you'll like it."

"Hm?" Callous looked positively curious about it, taking it and opening it up. Then she looked shocked at what was inside. Inside was that beautiful necklace that he had gotten for her earlier that day, adorned with such pristine jewels all around. Johnny tilted his head, wondering what she would think of it.

"Wow…it's…" Callous looked stunned speechless at it, taking up the necklace out the box.

Eventually she smiled. "…it's beautiful…"

Johnny smiled as well when he saw her smiling. "...glad you like it, Callous."

Callous brought up the necklace and clipped it on to wear it, smiling down at it. Still Johnny just smiled as he watched her look so happy with the necklace.

"…you really can be sweet when you want to be Johnny," Callous chuckled, smiling up at him.

Chuckling, Johnny rubbed his neck whilst smiling at her. "I try."

"I guess it's my turn then, huh?" Callous supposed.

"Guess so, yeah." Johnny hummed with a nod.

"Here," Callous said, offering him an envelope.

"Hmm?" With an intrigued hum, Johnny opened the envelope and picked the contents of it out. What looked like two tickets for something fell out of a card that he opened up with some writing inside the card. Taking the tickets in one hand, he opened the card up with the other to start reading what was written upon it.

"_I couldn't figure out any kind of 'thing' to get you, but I did get the funny idea of some more time for the two of us. Maybe these cruise tickets ought to do us some good; get away from the group for a little bit."_

Meanwhile, Callous watched him with a growing smirk. Reading this, Johnny's eyes widened lightly as he looked from the card to the tickets, and then back to the card, reading it over again just to make sure he didn't miss anything. He, too, began growing a smirk as he read this.

"…so what d'ya think?" Callous hummed.

"...Callous, you're just the best." was what Johnny eventually replied with as he looked back at her.

Callous giggled softly at that.

He chuckled in return, as he stepped a little closer to her. "...Merry Christmas, Callous."

"…Merry Christmas Johnny," Callous responded, stepping closer to him as well.

Smiling at her, Johnny slowly moved his hands to wrap around her. Callous wrapped her arms around him as well.

"...you know... I can't help but feel that we've both got another gift for each other." Johnny remarked with a small chuckle.

"You don't say?" Callous hummed with a chuckle as well.

"Oh, I do." With a chuckle, Johnny leant in a touch closer, gazing into her eyes.

"Guess we'd better get to it then," Callous chuckled again, leaning in toward him while also gazing into his eyes.

"Right." With that, Johnny leaned in enough to push his lips against hers.

* * *

><p>The morning was quiet for everyone.<p>

Vanessa made her way to the large house just to check on how everyone was. Walking in through the front door quietly, she didn't go very far before she stumbled upon a large group sleeping in the living room. In this crowd, she could spot Striker, Ani, Jack, Arsenic, Crystal and Dax among others, just snoozing away ever so peacefully.

She smiled at that, and then she headed down the hall. She went to a particular door she sought out, and when she got to it, she knocked on it softly.

"...door's open." she could hear King hum from inside.

With that, Vanessa walked inside the room. One of the first things she noticed was Tasha asleep in the bed, looking very much at peace. The other thing was King, sitting by her side with a smile on his face... and a small bundle of cloth wrapped around a tiny, sleeping baby safely held in his arms.

A sweet smile grew on Vanessa's face when she saw this. "...well look at that."

"...everything went well." King hummed with a light smile, still looking down upon the baby.

"That's good," Vanessa hummed, approaching him. "And you didn't faint, I take it?" She asked jokingly.

"...barely kept myself steady." King remarked with a joking chuckle of his own.

Vanessa chuckled, looking down at the baby. "…may I hold him?"

"...just be careful." King hummed, giving her a nod as he lightly held his arms out, taking care to hold the baby gently. Vanessa made sure she had a secure hold on the baby as she held him, and got a good look at him.

It was a tiger cub who looked just like King, but there was a birthmark on his cheek; presumably from Tasha perhaps.

King smiled a little as he just looked at the bundle that Vanessa held. "...he's got his mother's eyes, too."

"Does he?" Vanessa hummed softly.

"Yeah, he does..." King spoke with a small nod.

"…What name did you decide to go with?" Vanessa asked.

"...Valor." King hummed with a small smile.

Vanessa smiled even more. "...what a name."

King nodded, as he looked back at his son. Vanessa smiled, and slowly moved in order to give the newborn Valor back to his father as carefully as possible. King smiled as he gently took Valor back, giving Vanessa a small nod.

"...how did you feel when the big moment finally happened?" Vanessa asked curiously.

"...nervous." King hummed as he looked down at his son. "Excited, too... not every day you get to see this kinda thing..."

"...not every day, no," Vanessa agreed.

Then she glanced over when she noticed Tasha shifting in her sleep, finally yawning as she opened her eyes to wake up. King glanced over, and with a smile, he gave her a nod. "...good morning." he spoke.

Tasha gave King a faint, weary smile. "...good morning..." And then her eyes fell on Valor in his arms, with her smile growing. King smiled back at her, before he looked back down at Valor.

Vanessa smiled too. "I'm so glad everything went well," she said. "I bet you're exhausted Tasha."

"I am..." Tasha admitted with a weak chuckle. Then she breathed more easily, still smiling. "...but it was worth it." King simply smiled as he looked back at Tasha.

"...Twilight...can I hold him again?" Tasha asked.

King nodded. "Of course..." He gently held Valor out to her again. Tasha weakly reached out, but enough care was used to safely place him into his mother's arms so that she could hold him up closely to her.

Valor let out a tiny yawn and continued to sleep while Tasha smiled down at him. King smiled at this sight as well, looking from Tasha to Valor. "...to think... that's our son..."

"...I know...it's hard to believe, but it's true," Tasha mumbled.

Vanessa was just silently smiling, letting then have their moment. King simply remained silent as he looked at both Tasha and their son.

Soon, the door creaked open, and a couple others stepped in.

"...there he is," Crystal muttered surprisingly quiet with an excited smile on her face; staring at Valor.

King glanced over at the door as he saw who was coming into the room; keeping quiet for the sake of Valor, after all.

"...whoa..." Jack uttered as well as he looked at Valor, smiling as well.

It wasn't just Crystal and Jack either; Dax, Ani, Striker and Arsenic all walked in as well to see them, all smiling.

"…he's so cute…" Ani cooed silently.

"…we have all of you to thank for your help through it all," Tasha said.

"...yes... thank you all." King hummed with a small nod.

"Awww…it was nothing," Striker said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah, anything to help you guys out," Ani said.

"It was nice to just help out." Jack remarked with a small grin.

"Hey, where's Caitlin?" Arsenic asked curiously.

"With Bruno and Belinda, I think." King remarked. "Said she was going to wake those two so they could see Valor, too."

"I see," Arsenic hummed.

Crystal smiled even more down at Valor. "Oh my gosh...he's just so cute..." Then she looked nervous when she asked this, "c-can I...hold him?"

"Of course," Tasha nodded.

Crystal carefully came over and scooped up Valor in her arms from Tasha, and looked down at him in awe. "Wow...he's so light..."

"...and he's really tiny, too..." Jack uttered as he looked down at Valor as well.

"I think he'll grow up to be big and strong like King though, someday," Vanessa giggled lightly.

Crystal smiled. "I hope so."

King chuckled lightly as he looked at them.

"Hey King, is he gonna have lightning powers like you?" Striker asked curiously.

King hummed lightly. "...I don't know..."

"…but if he does…I don't expect we'll have too many problems that we can't handle it," Tasha supposed. "I'm sure there are plenty of those around him that can help him if he does have those powers…including his parents…" and she sighed with a smile. Despite how much responsibility she had in the next few years, she seemed like she was looking forward to it.

With a smile, King simply glanced over at Tasha. "You're right..."

"...when do you think you guys'll think you'll be ready for visitors?" Ani asked.

"...not sure..." King hummed, as he glanced over at Tasha. "...guess it all depends on how you're feeling, Tasha."

Tasha smiled. "I can handle some visitors...just, not all at once of course, but I don't mind some visits."

Striker and Ani looked at Tasha. "Would you like it if we went to your tribe and announced he was born?" Ani asked.

Tasha nodded. "I would appreciate that."

"Alright! Let's go spread the word!" Striker exclaimed, while he and Ani rushed out the door.

Jack grinned just a little as he looked at Arsenic. "C'mon, we can let the others know about this as well!" he said enthusiastically.

"Yeah," Arsenic nodded in agreement, quickly heading out.

"C'mon!" With a grin, Jack began heading out as well.

Vanessa chuckled at their enthusiasm when they left. "...I expect you guys will get a large crowd from this."

"Then we'll just make sure that Tasha and King won't be overwhelmed by them," Dax supposed.

Tasha giggled softly…and then ended up laying back on the bed and closing her eyes, falling asleep again.

And like that, everyone enjoyed the holidays, celebrating life and being thankful for all the good things they still had, despite all the terrible things that they went through.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The End<strong>_


End file.
